TIFFANY WOODALL Record Express Staff

, Staff Writer

Summer is quickly approaching, and for 21-year-old Katelyn Martin, of Lititz, that means traveling with dad, Jeff, an eighth grade social studies teacher at Warwick Middle School.

"When I run around on my little adventures, she’s always my sidekick," said Jeff of Katelyn. "We do have a lot of fun together."

Father-daughter trips haven’t always been enjoyable, though. Some summers ago, trips consisted of 8-hour stints or overnight stays at Penn State Hershey Children’s Hospital for Katelyn’s cancer treatments.

At seven years old, Katelyn developed problems associated with her balance and depth perception. An MRI revealed a tumor attached to Katelyn’s brain stem, and she was immediately referred to a neurosurgeon at Hershey who gave her a 60 percent chance of surviving the surgery to remove the golf ball-sized tumor, called a medulloblastoma.

Doctors were successful in eliminating Katelyn’s tumor, but her recovery was far from over. Jeff and his wife, Susan, watched their daughter undergo six weeks of radiation and a year and a half of chemotherapy.

"My wife deserves much credit as her strength held us all together," said Jeff.

With the help of the Four Diamonds Fund, the couple could focus on Katelyn’s health.

"I never really knew what (the Four Diamonds Fund) was doing, what they were paying for," said Jeff. "They’re like a silent charity that just takes care of it."

Although cancer-free for over 12 years now, Katelyn suffers from mild cognitive impairment and mild hearing loss, which requires the use of hearing aids. Her IQ dropped 30 points just a year after finishing treatment, said Jeff.

"As negative as that whole experience was, it saved her life," said Jeff. "That’s sort of how we have to try to look at it."

One thing unaffected by Katelyn’s treatment is her artistic talent. She passed the time in waiting rooms by drawing, and now she illustrates greeting cards for her business, Kards by Kay.

"She always wanted to be an artist, and now she kind of is," said Jeff. She’s sold 150 cards to date, either at craft shows or online at kardsbykay@blogspot.com.

She recently designed the logo for the upcoming Warwick High School Mini-THON, to be held from May 17 at 7 p.m. to May 18 at 5 a.m. at the Lititz Rec Center. Tori Dagen, a senior at WHS and member of UNITE, the student group organizing the event, invited Katelyn to create the logo after visiting her blog.

Dagen, along with seniors Brooke Bunton, Kelly Espenshade, Tiffany Federer, Kassidy Garland, Hannah Sterner and Megan Wood, began planning the Mini-THON last summer. They attended a Mini-THON conference in Hershey as well as the Penn State Dance Marathon, where they met Charles Millard, founder of the Four Diamonds Fund.

"I’m incredibly proud of these young people," said Carolyn Hoy, faculty advisor of UNITE club along with Christina Wilson. "They have used their skills in something larger than themselves and planned an incredible evening."

The Mini-THON will kick off Friday evening with a tailgate from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Rec Center parking lot. The tailgate is open to the public and will feature food – including walking tacos, Tropical Smoothies and popcorn – testimonials by Four Diamonds families, performances by the WHS pep band and local band Let It Ride and a bouncy castle for children. After a 9 p.m. candle lighting ceremony, students will head into the Rec Center to enjoy an all-night celebration leading up to a sunrise reveal of the fundraising total.

"There are about 35 really dedicated students in UNITE who have supported this event and raised $2,500 already," said Hoy. "We hope to double that by Mini-THON night. Since this is our first year doing a big event, I will be proud of any amount of money raised."

Students are required to raise $30 to participate at the Mini-THON and can bring their donation to the door if they haven’t signed up beforehand; students will receive one raffle ticket for each $10 raised.

The all-nighter will include a photo booth, partially donated by PhotOle Photo company; midnight pizza; a performance by local band The Districts; a soccer tournament; a giant Twister game; Plinko; a Mr. Four Diamonds pageant; and rave hour. All night long students will have the chance to win additional raffle tickets for the many door prizes that have been donated by local businesses, including two iPad Mini tablets.

Clubs at WHS and their faculty advisors that are sponsoring events include the Tri-M Music Honor Society, Mrs. Ahlers; Spanish and German Honor Societies, Mrs. Rivera and Mr. Hoffman; National Honor Society, Mrs. Lefever; National Art Honor Society, Ms. Hohenadel; and Student Council, Mrs. Diem.

Donations may be made by visiting the Warwick Mini-THON Donor Drive page at tinyurl.com/coysegx and choosing a student to support, or by coming to the tailgate. Check Facebook at facebook.com/WHSMiniTHONMay17-182013 or follow @WarwickMiniTHON on Twitter for event updates.

More MINI-THON, page A7

LAURIE KNOWLES CALLANAN Record Express Correspondent

, Staff Writer

Photo by Laurie Knowles Callananâ?©Edgar and Nicolette Herdandez with baby Amaia and two-year-old Maiara, both born on Motherâ??s Day!

What could be nicer than becoming a mom on Mother’s Day?

How about becoming a mom on Mother’s Day … twice?

On Sunday, Nicolette Hernandez welcomed her newborn baby, Amaia, at the Women’s Place at Heart of Lancaster in Lititz. At 7 pounds, 7 ounces, this seasonal bundle of joy seemed familiar. It was the second daughter for Nicolette and her husband Edgar, but not the first to be born on Mother’s Day. By amazing coincidence, the couple’s first child, Maiara, was also born on this revered holiday in 2011. Mother’s Day was May 8 two years ago, and Maiara was just a little bigger than her little sister back then – 7 pounds, 10 ounces.

"When Maiara was born, I realized she might be coming on Mother’s Day," said Nicolette. "It was a lovely surprise to be a mom on Mother’s Day."

When the Hernandezes learned that they were expecting a second child, they commented on how the due date was almost the same as their first baby. They were thinking that they might end up having babies with the same birthday.

"This time, when we were on the way to the hospital, I thought, oh, another Mother’s Day baby," she said.

Her husband was thrilled. Growing up as the youngest in a family in Guatemala, he had always wanted a daughter. Two was even better.

"Now I have my three girls," he said, beaming with pride at his wife and children.

The Hernandezes met in France, when Edgar was studying translation, languages and literature in college in Lyon. Nicolette was teaching English to French students. A 1997 graduate of Manheim Central High School, Nicolette grew up in Elm. She then graduated from Gordon College in Massachusetts, before heading off for her teaching position in France.

Both interested in languages, the couple gave each of their daughters unique names. Maiara is a Portuguese variation of a Brazilian name meaning "wise." Amaia is a Spanish name from the Basque region meaning "wished for child."

Maiara celebrated her second birthday with a party on Saturday, then became a big sister the very next day. The quiet little girl with big brown eyes seemed happy about the new addition to the family.

As it turned out, Amaia arrived much faster than her older sister did two years ago. The couple had made arrangements for Nicolette’s parents, Leon and Donna Zimmerman, to watch Maiara when they went to the hospital. Nicolette went into labor and things were moving so fast, they had to drop Maiara at grandma’s very quickly.

"I was in labor for only an hour and a half. From the time I got to the hospital, it was just 19 minutes," Nicolette said. "With Maiara, it was 17 hours, so I wasn’t expecting it to be so fast this time."

They were also happy that Edgar was at home for the weekend. He works as a machinist in Lebanon County, but is also with the National Guard. He trains several times a month on the search and rescue team for natural disasters and emergencies. Fortunately, he had training last weekend, and was home for Mother’s Day.

"When they brought Maiara to my house on Sunday, I thought, another Mother’s Day baby," said Donna Zimmerman. "And I am a grandmother again on Mother’s Day."

Edgar’s parents, David and Miriam Hernandez, had just been in the U.S. visiting relatives in California. Nicolette and Edgar plan to visit them in Guatemala during the holidays this December.

"In Guatemala, Mother’s Day is always May 10," said Edgar, adding that while his little girls don’t have the same birthday, they do share the honor of coming into the world on Mother’s Day. "We are twice blessed."

More MOTHER’S DAY, page A7

STEPHEN SEEBER Record Express Staff

, Staff Writer

Thousands flooded East Main Street to proudly celebrate their hometown’s coolness, and it was soon clear that Lititz would have more than enough heads to break the world record for people wearing sunglasses at night.

The only thing that wasn’t clear was the sky.

Shortly before the designated gathering time for operation shades, the rain made its predicted appearance. By 8:30, when more than 2,000 screaming Lititz fans were expected to surround the town square, the downtown was deserted.

Bummer? A little bit.

Before the rain, the community party to celebrate the borough’s “Coolest Small Town in America” designation for 2013 was bigger and better than any of the organizers expected. And the weather wasn’t going to stop that.

The event committee will meet this week to discuss plans for rescheduling the rained-out portion of last Friday’s festivities. This would include the world record attempt and possibly the theatrical pyrotechnics display. Early word is that they might be incorporated into an upcoming 2nd Friday or another community event, but nothing is firm at this point. Stay tuned to your weekly Record Express for more information.

“Please put in the story that we still have thousands of sunglasses for the next attempt,” said cool chairwoman Kelly Withum.

That quote is a sure sign that the record will be ours soon!

Back to the part of last Friday’s bash that did not get belted from above:

The street was closed to vehicle traffic a little before 5 p.m. Two stages were set, one at Susquehanna Bank (facing the General Sutter Inn) and the other on the south side of Sturgis Lane. Things started out slow as people wandered into the downtown, many donning sunglasses, not quite sure what to expect. Sebastian Janoski officially got things going at Sturgis Lane with the National Anthem. Even though this rising star stumbled on some of the words, his proud father was standing nearby to get him back on track. He rebounded perfectly, and the crowd was behind him 100 percent. The moment was a microcosm of what many feel makes Lititz so cool – the people in the community, and the support they give one another.

After the patriotic formalities, the Main Street Mystics, veteran rockers of Lititz’s 2nd Fridays, put the evening’s soundtrack in motion. And before long, the first block of East Main Street was like a mini Mardi Gras. Street performers, dancers, live music, a town trophy escorted through the crowd by a dixieland jazz band, and a coolest sandwich contest featuring 11 local restaurants combined for an almost overwhelmingly exciting atmosphere. And it was all part of the build up to the big world record attempt at 8:30!

“They’re really excited about the world record,” said Amy Rhoads, Lititz Historical Foundation member and cool event volunteer, referring to crowd comments overheard at the information booth. “Everybody is really excited about that.

“I hope that we get the world record, because I think that would be really cool,” said young Bella Forgione from behind her aviator shades. She was at the party with her twin brothers Sam and Jake, and her grandmom Iris Hoffman.

“Why, exactly, is Lititz so cool?” Bella was asked.

“Well, I think we have really good chocolate, and that it’s so old-fashioned and stuff,” she said, without hesitation.

Bella and her bros are students at Kissel Hill Elementary School.

For Peanut Erb, who was walking Main Street with her husband Ron (both wearing official Cool Lititz sunglasses), finding a specific example of coolness for the town wasn’t so easy. To them, “everything” about Lititz is cool, and they were simply excited to see how many people would show up for the celebration.

Perhaps more importantly, we needed to know where the nickname “Peanut” came from (assuming that isn’t her birth name).

She said it was given to her by Dr. Grosh, 73 years ago. “And it stuck,” she said.

And on that note, it was time to find something to stick to our ribs. The sandwich contestants, creating both savory and sweet entries, were a huge draw. In fact, most of the stands were sold-out before the rain arrived. Before that happened, three judges – Chef Jay Nonnenmocher from Landis Homes, Chef Bob Linkens from Linden Hall and Chef Bill Perham from Luther Acres – tackled 21 samples (most restaurants entered more than one category). Here were their favorites, by category:

Beef – Appalachian Brewing Co.

Traditional Deli – Bruno’s

Farm to Table – Café Chocolate

Dessert – Dosie Dough

Pork – Pork & Wally’s

Best Represents Lititz – Scooter’s

Vegetarian – Tomato Pie Cafe

Poultry/Egg – Tomato Pie Cafe

Seafood – White Swan

But the fact that every stand sold out of product is an indicator that everyone was a winner (How’s that for politically correct?), especially the hungry crowd.

It was a great day for Jim Ament of the Sturgis Haus, who took his signature sandwich to the masses. His table was set up directly across the street from his restaurant and brewpub. Imagine boneless pork shoulder coming out of a smoker after 12 hours, covered with a special top secret rub? Delicious.

Nearby, Mike Greger of Greco’s was working his tail off dishing out his award-winning Taste of Lititz ice cream (2nd place at the Pretzel Fest). His sandwich version was Taste of Lititz on a hot waffle – homemade vanilla ice cream blended with Sturgis Pretzel pieces, Wilbur dark chocolate, peanut butter and fudge, all between two hot vanilla-flavored waffles! Between scoops, he had this to say about the event:

“It’s a great night, I’ll tell ‘ya. This is what Lititz is all about.”

A little further down the street, we found the kitchen trio from Tomato Pie Cafe – Kait Kimmel, Eliza Landis and Jadah Walters. Their creative efforts resulted in two wins on the day. They were especially excited about their avocado and chickpea egg salad, with cilantro and lime.

“It’s totally unique and bursting with flavor,” said Eliza, confident that they had a winning recipe. “When you bite into it, the lime and cilantro is gonna hit ya, and it’s gonna knock your socks off!”

Apparently the judges had no socks at the end of the day, because this sandwich captured the poultry/egg award.

The judges also had front row seats for one of the most popular attractions of the day – aerial acrobat Shelli Buttons.

“That looks pretty difficult,” said an amazed Bess Pearson, Linden Hall student. “It probably take a lot of strength.”

And that was just during warm-ups.

Shelli held the crowd’s attention with every twist and turn as she was suspended on a hoop in the air. We haven’t seen this many people in front of the post office since the Elvis stamp was issued 20 years ago.

“This is fun,” Shelli said during her break. “It kinda is a big draw. It’s not something people see everyday, so it’s unique. That’s the word. Especially on a street. Normally you have to go to a circus and pay a lot of money to see something like this.”

“Unique” was the word of the day as local pie-eating champ (among other lifetime accomplishments) Craig Wagaman paraded Lititz’s Coolest Town Trophy through the crowd, escorted by a dixieland jazz band. This scene, in particular, provided a festive scene the likes of which Lititz has never seen.

Eventually, Wagaman handed off the trophy to Lititz Mayor Ron Oettel, who was joined on stage with local politicians and dignitaries who shared their pride with the community via brief speeches.

“Awesome!” is how Mayor Oettel described the party prior to addressing the crowd. “This is the true spirit of Lititz, Pennsylvania. This is everything that has earned us the right to say this is the Coolest Small Town in America.”

And as the speeches came to a close, the first few raindrops touched down on Main Street. The world record would have to wait.

More COOL PARTY, page A15

Mom is the May theme for our monthly "It’s All About You!" photo contest.

Send us your favorite photos of dear Mom, whether its a current picture or a memorial from yesteryear. Deadline for submissions is May 21, and the photos will be published in our May 30 edition.

Send your high-resolution jpegs to Stephen Seeber at sseeber.eph@LNPnews.com. Photos can also be dropped off at our Ephrata office or mailed to P.O. Box 527, Ephrata, PA 17522.

When submitting photos, please include all necessary identifications and your contact information (in case we have any questions). Submitted information should include names of those in the photos, your local connection, where and when the photos were taken, and identity of the photographer.

Please limit the number of submitted photos to three.

Due to the upcoming Memorial Day holiday, the Record Express will be operating under the following early deadlines for the May 30 issue:

Classified and retail display ads

Friday, May 24, 4 p.m.

Classified line ads:

Tuesday, May 28, 11:45 a.m.

Editorial copy

Friday, May 24, at noon.

The Record Express office will be closing at 3 p.m. Friday, May 24 and re-opening Tuesday, May 28.

Inside

The Lititz Farmers Market opened for the season on Saturday. Our fresh story is on page A3.

MICHAEL C. UPTON Record Express Correspondent

, Staff Writer

Vinny Forte is one determined young man. Once his mind sets a goal it seems nothing will stop him. At the age of 12 he is a fundraising guru, a successful event organizer, and he has even landed an internship and college scholarship once he reaches the milestone of age 18. The thing about Vinny is it is not all about Vinny. Everything he does has everything to do with his little brother, Tony.

Tony was born on June 19, 2005. It was a joyous Father’s Day for the Forte family. But beyond the beauty of childhood lurked a presence the Forte family had never known in their two previous children, Hirschsprung’s Disease. The debilitating intestinal disease causes the nerves in the abdominal region to malfunction.

After a standard stay in the delivery hospital, Tony went home with his family undiagnosed. The boy had yet to have his first bowl movement. Mom Monica Forte grew increasingly concerned and two days later her infant son started throwing up bile. She knew something was definitely wrong.

"Babies poop. That is just what they do, and poor Tony, he just couldn’t," recalled Forte. "He was just sick."

After a series of visits with local specialists and a trip to another area hospital, doctors eventually rushed the Forte family to the Penn State Hershey Children’s Hospital. There was just one bed available and it became Tony’s. The doctors in Hershey immediately ran tests and planned an emergency five-hour surgery for the six-day-old boy.

"It was then we were told he had Total Colonic Hirschsprung’s," said Forte.

The surgery removed his entire colon and one-third of his intestines. He was left with three to four feet of small intestine (which has since expanded with age). Hirschsprung’s Disease affects one in 5,000 children. In only five percent of cases, the entire colon is affected. Little Tony was a rare case.

In the first four years of his life, while living in and out of hospitals, Tony was "severely sick," said Forte. His case was diagnosed as severe by doctors at the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC and Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. He was eventually put on an organ transplant list. He can’t eat normally. To this day, Tony lives with an IV attached to his chest, which provides nutrition and hydration. He waits for a new stomach and small and large intestines. Doctors also foresee Tony needing a new liver as it has been overworked with his current feeding regimen. The stress on his body is immense.

"There is a very high chance, as Tony is waiting for these organs to come, that he could also be listed for pancreas and kidneys," Forte said.

Tony’s oldest brother, Vinny, was not going to sit around and wait. Three years ago, Vinny had an idea to set up an online charitable presence to help raise funds for his brother. The Antonio Forte Transplant Fund Trust website (www.aftft.com) recently surpassed 60,000 page views. The site holds a list of fundraising events, employs a PayPal portal for online donations, and shares local and national coverage of Tony’s life. The site also links to information about Hirschsprung’s Disease and pediatric transplantation. Those elements are key, because it was information -or the lack thereof – that drove Vinny to start asking some intelligent questions. One of which was, why was there such little information about organ donation here in Lancaster County?

"Vincent came up with this when he was about 9 years old," said Forte. "He was working on websites in his computer class at school. Everybody just loved it. He put his own thoughts and words to it."

Vinny contacted Gift of Life, a nonprofit organization serving Pennsylvania, Delaware and New Jersey, who conveniently had an office in Hershey near where his brother had appointments.

"We just decided to stop in. We talked to them and they had a whole bunch of materials and they sent us out five boxes of materials for us to hand out at our fundraisers," said Vinny. "It’s been going good. All the brochures we give out really help."

"It’s been going good" might be an understatement. Vinny and middle brother Dominic started raising funds with a bake sale outside of McElroy Pharmacy at 100 E. Main St., Lititz. McElroy Pharmacy has served Tony’s needs since he was six days old.

"We’d always come home with a lot of stuff," said Vinny. "One day we had these tins left over and we decided to fill them up (with breads) and sell them. We sold out of all of them and everyone wanted more. It grew and grew until we needed to start the company."

Vinny and Dominic started My Brother’s Breads, LLC and have experienced great success. Since the brothers started selling baked goods in downtown Lititz, more than $10,000 has accrued to aide in Tony’s lengthy recuperation during and after transplant. All made from family recipes, breads have sold out in less than two hours. That’s no small feat considering the boys and their band of helpers usually make 300 one-pound loaves. It takes the crew about four hours.

"We have one little oven and one mixer," said Vinny. "We have a cycle and once it’s started it goes quick."

According to Vinny, the most popular flavors are blueberry, red velvet, and chocolate. The homemade company produces more than 20 flavors and sells in Lititz on every second Friday from 5 to 9 p.m. My Brother’s Breads can also be found at special events and festivals. Information can be found on the website at www.mybrothersbreadsllc.com. On Saturday, May 18, the Forte’s will bring their fundraising prowess to Ephrata in the form of a community day titled Zumbathon 4 Tony Forte. The event will take place rain or shine at the Ephrata Elks, 170 Akron Road, and feature more than 50 vendors. The event will include food, games, door prizes, and a special auction.

"We have a whole event planned," said Vinny. "We will be selling our breads, but there will be a whole vendor show there and a bunch of Zumba instructors."

The Zumba event will take place inside the Elks building from 1 to 4 p.m. Cost is $20 per person, $10 for ages 13 through 17, and kids under 12 are free.

"We come from strong family backgrounds on both sides," said Forte of her family. "Family comes first. We have a strong faith and a strong family and that’s what it takes to bring a child like Tony through this. It’s a sad walk of life when you have to be dealt with something like this, but the community has come out on a whole."

Even though it is a struggle, it is a life – and if you ask anyone in the Forte family, it’s a wonderful life no matter the obstacles. As My Brother’s Breads motto says, "If at first you don’t succeed, you aren’t us."

More FORTE FUNDRAISER, page A4

BRUCE MORGAN Record Express Sports Editor

, Staff Writer

By his own admission, Cole Proffitt’s form was "terrible" last Friday in the javelin.

So that meant an opening for his competitors at the L-L League Track and Field Championships, right?

Not so much.

Despite his struggles on the runway, the Manheim Central senior still managed to uncork three throws over 200 feet.

And in the end, his heave of 204-1 was plenty good enough to win his second straight L-L gold medal at Hempfield High School. Cocalico’s Jhett Janis took the silver medal with a throw of 176-4.

"For someone to say you threw it perfectly at 205 is kinda like, ‘Alright, what else can I do?’ So if I’m throwing 205 and my form is terrible," Proffitt said, "then that’s awesome for me. That’s great to hear."

Proffitt’s gold led the way for a Barons’ boys team which finished sixth in the overall standings with 41 points. Central also got a silver from Tyler Hoag in the shot put with his throw of 48-11#-R and bronze from the 4×400 and 4×800 relays among their medal haul.

On the girls side, Lauree Wiegand earned a pair of top-four finishes – winning silver in the long jump (16-0) and a fourth-place medal in the high jump (5-0) – and Danae Peters chipped in with a bronze in the 1,600 (5:16.96) as the Lady Barons placed 14th overall with 18 points.

"They did pretty well, I think," Manheim Central head coach Shane Adams said. "The girls didn’t do as well as the previous year (when they tied Penn Manor for third place), but they’re very young."

Proffitt, meanwhile, did just as well as he did the previous year, repeating as the L-L javelin champion with a throw that topped last year’s winning effort of 200-7. He lived up to his number-one seed in the second of two heats, improving on each of his three throws with distances of 194-9, 195-7 and 204-1. That sent him to the finals as the thrower to beat, with Janis second at 176-4, which the Cocalico junior unleashed on his opening throw of heat competition.

"I knew Jhett could pop one any time because he has the ability to do it," Proffitt said. "So I mean, I was still trying to push pretty hard … I was so excited for the League Meet, so that alone pushed me."

Following a throw of 195-6 on his first throw in the finals, Proffitt again broke the 200-foot level on his next two throws, reaching 200-11 and 200-5. Although he wasn’t able to add onto his earlier heave, that mark of 204-1 proved to be insurmountable for the rest of the field.

"I was happy with my distances," Proffitt said. "It was the first time I had three 200′s in a meet and I was happy with that."

"That’s pretty exciting," Adams said. "He’s being consistent in that 200 range."

"I was very pleased with Cole’s series of throws," Manheim Central throwers coach Mike Wise said. "Last year, he threw only two throws all season over 200 feet. Also, when I consider his lack of training due to his injuries (shoulder and foot), it was a great day. As with any technical event, it is difficult to hit perfect positions every time because it all happens in a fraction of a second."

As he prepares for Districts this weekend, where he is the number-one seed in the javelin with his school-record throw of 205-11 at the Penn Relays, Proffitt will be looking to clean up those positions. In addition to needing to move quicker on his approach, Proffitt said he has room for improvement with his footwork.

"My plant leg is bent, my back foot is coming off the ground," Proffitt said. "So basically I’m throwing it off one leg. All those things I just really need to work on … If I can put it all together, big distances are waiting. I’ve just got to do that."

Regardless of what happens down the road, Proffitt has the distinction of winning back-to-back L-L titles.

"That’s awesome defending it," he said. "It’s pretty cool."

"Cole is a very focused and driven athlete," Wise said, "and having spent a good deal of time training with the Cocalico throwers and coach Krall over the last couple of years, he has developed close friendships with them, which in turn has also developed a healthy rivalry. So to repeat as the L-L League champ was definitely one of his several goals for this season."

Mason Hepner was focused in the distance events for MC, anchoring the Barons’ 4×400 and 4×800 relays to bronze-medal finishes. Josh Lachman, Jordan Shimer and Nathanael Erk also ran the 4×800 which crossed the finish line in 8:06.69, shaving 17 seconds off their seed time of 8:23.72. They hold the seventh seed going into Districts.

"They just raced well," Adams said. "I think they can go a little faster (at Districts). I hope they go right around 8:04."

Wade Beamesderfer, Erk and Lachman completed the foursome in the 4×400 and helped the Barons finish with a time of 3:27.34, just three seconds off the winning pace set by ELCO (3:24.59), earning the 10th seed at Districts.

Beamesderfer and Hepner also gave the Barons two medalists in the 400. Competing in the second of three heats with a seed time of 51.94 seconds, Beamesderfer put himself in medal position with a season-best time of 51.32 seconds, taking fifth overall. Hepner was sixth in 51.34 seconds.

"It doesn’t surprise me (to have two medalists in the 400)," Adams said. "Wade Beamesderfer has been running well all year and he’s very competitive. He won his heat and snuck in there for a medal. He just really went after it and ran well."

Lachman also picked up an individual medal by placing fourth in the 800 in 2:00.17 and Chris Lynn finished fourth in the 200 in 22.76 seconds, bettering his seed time (23.64) by nearly a second.

Joining Proffitt with a medal in the throwing events was Hoag, whose throw of 48-11 3/4 was second behind only Hempfield’s J.D. Aument (52-2). Hoag carries the seventh seed into Districts in the shot put at 51-2.

"Although (Tyler) was the junior high L-L shot put champion last year, this year was a whole new level with the heavier shot and more mature competitors," Wise said. "So for him to place second as a ninth-grader was really awesome."

"That’s Tyler’s first second place in a big meet like that," Adams said. "He’s very consistent and has been throwing well all year."

Turning to the girls, Wiegand showed her athleticism with medals in the high jump and long jump, and she nearly earned a third in the 300 Hurdles, placing 12th overall in a personal-best time of 50.44 seconds. Wiegand entered the L-L Championships with a seed time of 51.54 seconds in that event.

"Lauree is capable of placing in a lot of events," Adams said. "She’s a very talented athlete. She had a good meet overall and we were pretty pleased with that."

Wiegand’s effort of 16-0 in the long jump nearly equaled her season-best of 16-1 3/4, despite competing in a driving rainstorm. Lancaster Catholic’s Hannah Knowlton won the long jump with a leap of 16-6 1/4.

"I think (Lauree) just adapted to that rain in the long jump better than the other athletes," Adams said. "She’s just one of those athletes who if you ask her to do an event, she’s able to do it and do it well."

The Central girls’ other medalist was Peters, whose third-place time of 5:16.96 in the 1,600 was just off her seed time of 5:15.80. Still, it marked a two-second improvement from her time at last year’s L-L Meet, when she placed third in 5:18.14.

"I was pretty happy with (my finish). I didn’t get a PR, but I was, like, one second off my PR," Peters said. "(My strategy was to) go out hard and try to stay with (Lampeter-Strasburg’s) Joslin (Sellers) as long as I could and just push it in the last 400 meters."

Sellers ended up winning the silver medal in 5:15.36, behind only gold-medalist Greta Lindsley, of Penn Manor (5:03.95).

Rounding out Manheim Central’s seeds for the District Three Championships are Peters (11th in the 1,600 in 5:15.80 and 16th in the 3,200 in 11:33.36), Hepner (18th in the 400 in 50.84), Beamesderfer (23rd in the 400 in 51.32), Lachman (19th in the 800 in 1:59.74) and Austin Hart (18th in the discus at 141-1).

More PROFFITT, page B-6

BRUCE MORGAN Record Express Sports Editor

, Staff Writer

Photo by Preston Whitcraftâ?©Warwickâ??s Rachel Mueller, shown splashing through the rain at the L-L League Meet, placed fourth in the 1,600 and sixth in the 800 last Saturday.

After four straight fouls in the boys discus, David Lucas had one final opportunity to show his stuff at the Lancaster-Lebanon League Championships last Saturday.

In the end, the Warwick sophomore’s last throw was his best throw.

Unleashing a heave of 145 feet, 7 inches, Lucas earned the bronze medal in his L-L Meet debut on a rainy day at Hempfield High School.

"I’m very happy about (winning L-L bronze)," Lucas said. "I’m glad that I could come out my very first year on varsity and get a third in the League. I came in seeded third, I finished third … I’m satisfied."

Lucas’ bronze was part of a mixed bag for the Warriors on the first step of the post-season. Overall, Warwick took home seven L-L medals, but expectations were higher for the Warwick boys and girls, who finished 12th (16 points) and 15th (11 points), respectively.

"We had standouts in some places," Warwick head coach Katie Vann said. "Sheridan (McNeill), as a freshman, did really well in the high jump (winning bronze at 5-0). David took third in the discus, Mike Hoffman took sixth in the 110 Hurdles (in 15.71 seconds), so we had some good races with the group that we brought … I was happy in places. I think overall, we could have been a little bit happier with some things."

"In the sense of, if there’s a meet that you’re going to be off, this is the one you want to do it in," Warwick distance coach Ed Nixdorf said. "Not the next one (District Three Championships). Some of them that are borderline that had already qualified (for Districts) didn’t improve their times. So it doesn’t hurt you. It just doesn’t put you in a better seed."

Rachel Mueller earned a pair of top-six finishes in the girls distance events, placing fourth in the 1,600 (5:19.74) and sixth in the 800 (2:22.23), while her brother Ben Mueller, a senior, claimed a silver in the boys 1,600 in a time of 4:27.64, and Alex McCord added a sixth-place medal in the boys high jump (6-0) to complete Warwick’s list of medalists.

Although the Warriors were unable to strike any gold at this year’s L-L Championships, Lucas, who recently set the school record in the discus (156-3), had to like his chances during warm-up throws.

"During warm-up throws when it was dry, I had some throws that were pushing 170 (feet)," he said. "But the rain came and it was the mental game that got to me."

On his first throw of flight competition, Lucas broke off a throw of 139-10. Then as the conditions deteriorated into a driving rain storm, he fouled on his final two flight throws, but fortunately, his opening effort was good enough to get him into the finals as the number five seed.

Lucas’ struggles continued on his next two throws, with the discus landing outside of the sector both times, but the third throw in the finals was the charm, when he leapfrogged Elizabethtown’s Austin Brinser (144-7) and Columbia’s Vanyel Leytham-Peterson (133-3) with his throw of 145-7. Northern Lebanon’s Marcus Disbrow won the gold at 149-9, followed by Hempfield’s Tanner Unger (146-7) with the silver.

"During the course of throwing, the rain was starting to get to my head so I was trying everything that I could to slow everything down," Lucas said. "The 145 (throw), I sort of relaxed, told myself to calm down, took a deep breath and just went back to the form and technique and not try to rush anything."

Warwick throwers coach Alex Daecher credited Lucas for his ability to put together a solid throw with his back to the wall in conditions that were less than ideal.

"His two best throws were his first and his last, which I was excited to see. I mean, he fouled a bunch in the middle there, and it was good to see even with a little bit of pressure that he could throw a good last throw and move up a place," Daecher said. "In a driving rain storm, everybody didn’t throw well, it was good to see that he could get that third place with the weather as it was. He’s a sophomore, and I know he would have loved to have been a sophomore with a gold, but a sophomore with a bronze isn’t bad either."

Lucas will enter this week’s District Three Triple-A Championships at Shippensburg University seeded fifth in the discus with his throw of 156-10 at the Black Knight Invitational earlier this season.

"The big thing, I think, will be him throwing well next week and making it to States," Daecher said. "I think that would be a huge thing for him to get to States. I plan on seeing him at States for three years, and trying to get this first one under your belt as a sophomore and get that nervousness out so next year when you show up as a junior, it’s like old hat, and by the time you’re a senior, it’s like you’re supposed to be there."

Ben Mueller will have his eyes on States as the number-five seed in this weekend’s District Three Triple-A 1,600 with a career-best time of 4:20.02. The Warwick senior ran that time at the West Chester Henderson Invitational at the end of the regular season, and he entered last Saturday’s race with the mindset of finishing with another good time while going after the gold medal. Unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to be.

"I wasn’t very disappointed with my place, but I wasn’t happy with my race, the way I ran and my time and stuff," Mueller said. "I was never really in it, so it was kinda disappointing in that sense. I was seeded second and the guy that won (Penn Manor’s Harrison Schettler) is really good, he’s had a great year. So it’s not disappointing in that sense, but my time and my race I wasn’t happy with."

Mueller’s strategy was to get out fast with Schettler, who also took gold in Friday’s 3,200 in 9:39.36, and he accomplished that with an opening-lap split of 65 seconds. But then his second and third laps came up a little bit short and Schettler went on to break the tape in 4:20.19, seven seconds ahead of Mueller (4:27.64).

"I wanted to go out hard (with Schettler) to make it a race and stuff, but then my middle laps were just really bad," said Mueller, who is also seeded 15th in the District 800 (1:59.40). "As far as the start of the race, I did what I wanted to, but then the middle of the race, I fell off and I wasn’t there."

The girls 1,600 also involved a Mueller, with Ben’s sister, Rachel, a junior, competing in the race. Her fourth-place finish in that event was her first L-L individual medal after winning a ….-place L-L medal with the girls 4×800 last year. Penn Manor’s Greta Lindsley won the gold in 5:03.95, easily ahead of runner-up Joslin Sellers of Lampeter-Strasburg (5:15.36). Mueller’s time of 5:19.74 was just off her fourth-place seed time of 5:19.26.

"I think my goal was just to get a PR, really," said Mueller, who is seeded 18th in the District Three Triple-A 1,600 (5:19.26) and 800 (2:21.60). "I was seeded fourth, so I met my seed. But my coach just wanted me to go out and see how fast I could run because this is the first year I’ve really run the mile."

Not long after finishing the 1,600, Mueller was back on the starting line for the 800, and although she didn’t have a lot left in the tank, she managed to place sixth in 2:22.23. Manheim Township’s Meredith Newman won the event in a time of 2:16.57.

"I was really tired after the mile earlier, so I kinda just went out to see what I could do," Mueller said. "I had some time goals, but I didn’t meet those. But my coach just wanted me to go out there and see what I could do.

"I guess I can’t really be mad with a double (individual medal performance), but my legs are really hurting after that," she laughed.

McNeill and Hoffman have also qualified for this weekend’s District Three Triple-A Championships. McNeill has the 17th seed in the girls high jump (5-1) and Hoffman has the 14th seed in the boys 110 Hurdles (15.54).

More WHS TRACK, page B-10

BRUCE MORGAN Record Express Sports Editor

, Staff Writer

Photo by Stan Hallâ?©Warwickâ??s Robert Gerofsky breaks out of the batterâ??s box after delivering an RBI single to center field in the L-L playoffs on Monday.

Warwick will never know what would have happened if Lancaster Catholic center fielder Steve Long hadn’t caught Tyler Morris’ shot into the right-center field gap in the top of the fourth inning on Monday.

The Warriors had just taken a 2-1 advantage and had the bases loaded when Long made the inning-ending robbery.

But that play looked big when the Section Four champion Crusaders scored five unearned runs over the final two innings, following two Warwick errors, and earned a 7-2 win in a Lancaster-Lebanon League quarter-final playoff game at Ephrata’s War Memorial Field.

"The ball that (Long) tracked down from Morris, I think that was as key a play as anything that happened in the game," Warwick coach Bob Locker said. "If he doesn’t get to that, we score at least two more runs. I don’t know what happens after that. But … we can’t mistakes. I told the kids, when you get to this level, there are no bad teams. The team that makes the fewest mistakes wins games. We left too many people on base, made some mistakes at inopportune moments and we kinda did this to ourselves."

Willy Burger went the distance for Lancaster Catholic (18-4) and struck out 10 while notching the win on 128 pitches. But Section One runner-up Warwick (15-7) also touched him for eight hits, while working five walks, and left 13 men on base in the game.

Told of his team’s number of LOB’s, Locker said, "Really? You can’t do that. In a nutshell, you’ve got to take advantage of stuff."

The Crusaders took advantage of a first-inning RBI double by Mac McCafferty (2-for-4, 3 runs, 3 RBI’s) to grab a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning off of Warwick lefty pitcher Travis Reapsome.

Although the Warriors’ ace wasn’t as sharp as in previous outings this spring, walking five and giving up seven hits on 115 pitches in 5 @-E innings, he kept Warwick close. Following a one-out free pass in the second, he recorded back-to-back K’s for two of his five strikeouts.

Meanwhile, after Burger struck out the side in the first inning with a fastball touching 86 mph on the Ephrata scoreboard – and recorded six K’s in the first three frames – Warwick got their bats going.

In the fourth inning, Ian Hart (2-for-4) led off with a single over shortstop, Cody Kimmel slapped a base hit to left and Robert Gerofsky bounced an RBI single past second base to tie the game at 1-1.

"(Burger)’s got a live arm, but I thought we adjusted well," Locker said. "After the first time through, we made corrections. We put our bat on the ball."

After Seth Earle (3-for-4) reached on a swinging bunt single, Ben Keyser worked a two-out, seven-pitch walk to force in the go-ahead run. Then Long tracked down Morris’ hard-hit ball and Burger escaped further trouble.

"I thought the center fielder did a good job tracking it down," Locker said. "I think the wind played with it a little bit, but I thought it was a gapper. It’s a whole different outlook on things then."

As it was, it remained a 2-1 game and Catholic loaded the bases in the bottom of the fifth on a walk and two singles. Chris Schreder scored the tying run on a wild pitch and then two more runs scored on a throwing error.

With Catholic up 4-2 in the bottom of the sixth, McCafferty was able to come to the plate following a two-out Warwick fielding error and he turned on a 1-0 fastball from Reapsome, homering over the right field fence to give the Crusaders three insurance runs.

"They took advantage of all their base runners, we failed to," Locker said. "Simple as that."

More WARRIORS, page B-5