Lancaster Mennonite senior Jared Schatz has already had one unforgettable finish-line moment this school year, when he edged out Penn Manor’s Harrison Schettler at the tape back in the cross country season.

A great photo from the L-L League finish line finale right here.

Video of that right here.

And another video of that right here.

Had the Flip Cam rolling Friday when Schatz rounded the final turn and sprinted for home to win the District 3 “AA” boys’ 3,200 run.

Schatz had finally broke free from Annville-Cleona junior Shawn Wolfe on the first turn of the bell lap, and he was picking up some steam for the final 100 meters.

But the really cool thing I liked about this video was Schatz’s reaction when he won.

When he hit the finish line he raised his arms in elation and celebration – you could literally see all the hard work and preparation paying off.

Thought it was special moment.

So here’s the video for your viewing pleasure …

Read on …

Hempfield sophomore Sarah Helgeson, the reigning L-L League 100, 200 and 400 champ, clocked in at a blazing 24.66 in 200 semifinals at the District 3 meet Friday (LLLeagueSports.com photo)

BLAZING HELGESON: Hempfield soph Sarah Helgeson, the L-L League’s reigning 100, 200 and 400 champ, clocked in at 24.66 in the “AAA” girls’ prelims and again hit 24.66 in the semifinals on Friday to earn the No. 2 seed heading into Saturday’s finals. Checking to see if Helgeson’s 24.66 is an L-L League record. Had a league coach contact me Friday at Shippensburg saying that very well could be a new mark. We’re scouring to see if that’s a fact. Helgeson won the L-L League 200 in 24.94.

BLAZING KREIDER: Lancaster Mennonite’s Lindsey Kreider came into the “AA” girls’ meet with the No. 1 seed in the 100 and 200. She lived up to those expectations on Friday, earning the No. 1 seed in both through the semifinals. In the 100, Kreider ran a 12.57 in the prelims and then clocked a 12.50 in the semis. And in the 200, Kreider ran a 26.34 in the prelims and then clocked a 26.07 in the semis. She’ll be the favorite Saturday to win a pair of sprint events.

BASS ATTACK: Conestoga Valley’s Kirsten Bass has earned a top seeding heading into Saturday. The Buckskins’ multi-event standout is tops in the 100 hurdles; she ran a 15.06 in the prelims and then a 14.83 in the semis to nab the top going into the “AAA” finals.

SPEAKING OF THE BUCKS: Conestoga Valley’s Robbie Cardina, who didn’t quite get the finish in the high jump that he was looking for on Friday, made up for it on the track. In the “AAA” 110 hurdles, he turned in a 14.65 in the prelims and followed that up with a 14.60 in the semifinals and he’ll be the 1-seed in Saturday’s finale.

THE WINNERS: In case you missed it, the L-L League produced four winners on Friday: Chrissy Rickert (“AAA” girls’ javelin); Jared Schatz (“AA” boys’ 3,200); Kyle Long (“AAA” boys’ discus); and Kyle Felpel (“AAA” boys’ shot put).

More about Rickert’s victory right here.

Audio Podcast interview with Schatz right here.

Video of Long’s winning throw right here.

Audio Podcast interview with Felpel right here.

MINING FOR SILVER: Five L-L League athletes earned silver medals on Friday – Annville-Cleona’s Brittany Lewis finished second in the “AA” girls’ high jump with a clear of 5-0 … Elizabethtown’s Tiff Heisey finished second in the “AAA” girls’ javelin with a heave of 124-0; she’s the reigning L-L League champ … Garden Spot’s Max Mahan finished second in the “AAA” boys’ high jump with a clear of 6-8; he’s the reigning L-L League champ … Hempfield’s Kyle Long, who won gold in the discus, finished second in the “AAA” boys’  shot put behind Kyle Felpel with a chuck of 57-5 1/2; Long is the reigning state shot put … Annville-Cleona’s Shawn Wolfe finished second (behind league foe Jared Schatz) in the “AA” boys’ 3,200 finals, clocking in at 9:47.88.

MINING FOR BRONZE: Three L-L League athletes earned bronze medals on Friday – Ephtata’s Mary Witmer finished third in the “AAA” girls’ triple jump with a leap of 37-8 1/2; she’s the reigning L-L League champ … Lancaster Mennonite’s Jared Nisly finished third in the “AA” boys’ 3,200 finals in 9:57.65, giving the L-L League a 1-2-3 finish there with Schatz-Wolfe-Nisly … Columbia’s Vanyel Leytham-Peterson finished third in the “AA” boys’ discus with a throw of 147-8.

L-L LEAGUE GIRLS’ FINISHERS: Here’s how a handful of L-L League girls’ athletes fared on Friday – Manheim Central’s Danae Peters (10th in “AAA” girls’ 3,200; 11:39.14) … Columbia’s Nicole Bowman (5th in “AA” girls’ high jump; 4-10) … Annville-Cleona’s Alex Siebecker (11th in “AA” girls’ high jump; 4-6) … Ephrata’s Cyrstal Hartman (4th in “AAA” girls’ javelin; 121-8) … Garden Spot’s Maddy George (8th in “AAA” girls’ discus; 117-5) … Cedar Crest’s Sierra Wheat (12th in “AAA” girls’ discus; 111-3) … Garden Spot’s Danita Sauder (17th in “AAA” girls’ discus; 99-11) … Hempfield’s Danielle Poletti (5th in “AAA” girls’ pole vault; 11-0) … Hempfield’s Kayla Garpstas (7th in “AAA” girls’ pole vault; 11-0) … Lancaster Catholic’s Rebecca Swisher (9th in “AAA” girls’ pole vault; 11-0) … Lebanon’s Erin Winters (8th in “AAA” girls’ pole vault; 11-0) … Solanco’s Brooke McCardell (10th in “AAA” girls’ pole vault; 10-0) … Garden Spot’s Hannah Williams (13th in “AAA” girls’ pole vault; 9-6) … Conestoga Valley’s Audra Ortiz (13th in “AAA” girls’ pole vault; 9-6) … Manheim Township’s Bridget Neslund (5th in “AAA” girls’ triple jump; 35-11 3/4) … Lampeter-Strasburg’s Erin Dombach (6th in “AAA” girls’ triple jump; 35-6 1/2) … Lampeter-Strasburg’s Greta Mellinger (15th in “AAA” girls’ triple jump; 32-9) … Conestoga Valley’s Kirsten Bass (17th in “AAA” girls’ triple jump; 32-1 3/4) … Annville-Cleona’s Avree Wright (4th in “AA” girls’ shot put; 34-3).

L-L LEAGUE BOYS’ FINISHERS – Here’s how a handful of L-L League boys’ athletes fared on Friday – Solanco’s John Ausel (5th in “AAA” boys’ 3,200; 9:32.25) … Penn Manor’s Jon Bitner (8th in “AAA” boys’ 3,200; 9:39.42) … Warwick’s Ben Mueller (9th in “AAA” boys’ 3,200; 9:45.27) … Cedar Crest’s Bryce Ebersole (16th in “AAA” boys’ 3,200; 9:57.59) … Columbia’s Derek Zercher (8th in “AA” boys’ 3,200; 10:19.27) … Conestoga Valley’s Robbie Cardina (4th in “AAA” boys’ high jump; 6-5) … Annville-Cleona’s Phil Corle (8th in “AA” boys’ pole vault; 12-0) … Elco’s Nate Litschi (4th in “AAA” boys’ long jump; 21-6 3/4) … Elizabethtown’s Arthur Quaye (5th in “AAA” boys’ long jump; 21-2 1/4) … McCaskey’s Kevin Meredith (15th in “AAA” long jump; 19-10) … Annville-Cleona’s Keller Hess (5th in “AA” boys’ triple jump; 42-11) … Columbia’s Ed Moore (6th in “AA” boys’ triple jump; 42-9) … Manheim Township’s Clayton Hoffmaster (5th in “AAA” boys’ shot put; 51-8) … McCaskey’s John Quinn (6th in “AAA” boys’ shot put; 50-9 1/2) … Lancaster Catholic’s Jimmy Dreer (12th in “AA” boys’ discus; 118-8) … Columbia’s John Bosley (13th in “AA” boys’ discus; 114-5) … Columbia’s Andras Munoz (14th in “AA” boys’ discus; 114-5).

AND A VIDEO FOR YOU: Last but not least, one last video from Friday – Cocalico’s Kyle Felpel uncorking a 60-7 to win the “AAA” boys’ shot put title.

Take a look …

This time, it’s the L-L League boys’ volleyball All-Stars.

Picked by league coaches, the lists include a First-Team, Second-Team and Honorable Mention in Section 1 and Section 2.

Plus section Most Valuable Players.

And those awards went to …

Penn Manor’s Dylan Weber in Section 1.

And Manheim Central’s Josiah Hershberger in Section 2.

Here are the boys’ volleyball All-Star lists for you …

SECTION 1
FIRST-TEAM
Garrett Dimm, junior outside hitter, Hempfield
Dayonte Dixon, senior middle hitter, Penn Manor
Mitch Gregg, junior libero, Hempfield
Shawn Hines, senior outside, Manheim Township
Jesse Reist, senior outside hitter, McCaskey
Cheyenne Weber, senior setter, Penn Manor
Dylan Weber, senior outside hitter, Penn Manor
Colby Weit, junior middle hitter, Warwick
SECOND-TEAM
Alex Berresford, senior libero, Cedar Crest
Zach Bookman, senior opposite hitter, Hempfield
Mark Dano, senior libero, Penn Manor
Joey Jackson, senior outside hitter, Penn Manor
Harrison Lutz, senior setter, Hempfield
Evan McCoy, senior outside hitter, Manheim Township
Anthony Perez, senior libero, McCaskey
Jordan Shultz, junior setter/opposite hitter, Ephrata
HONORABLE MENTION
Zach Gingrich, sophomore liberto, Warwick
Tyler Hall, senior setter, McCaskey
Logan Kopp, senior middle hitter, Ephrata
Kurt Maysilles, sophomore outside hitter, Warwick
Matt Pendleton, junior setter, Manheim Township
J.J. Ruhl, sophomore libero, Manheim Township
Colby Sangrey, senior middle hitter, Penn Manor
Tyler Walburn, senior outside hitter, Cedar Crest
SECTION 1 MVP
Dylan Weber, senior outside hitter, Penn Manor

SECTION 2
FIRST-TEAM
Josiah Hershberger, Manheim Central
Jeremy Houck, Garden Spot
Cole Hoover, Lancaster Mennonite
Logan Kreider, Lancaster Mennonite
Robbie Lawver, Manheim Central
Devin Moore, Conestoga Valley
Nick Weaver, Lancaster Mennonite
Zach Weaver, Garden Spot
Josiah Williams, Garden Spot
SECOND-TEAM
Austin Good, Manheim Central
Dylan Hess, Garden Spot
Matt High, Garden Spot
Justin Kotzmoyer, Elizabethtown
Austin Nissley, Lancaster Mennonite
Greg Rhoads, Elizabethtown
Jon Snader, Lancaster Mennonite
Sam Stoner, Lancaster Mennonite
Phil Yang, Cocalico
HONORABLE MENTION
Dylan Engle, Elizabethtown
Brayden Fahnestock, Manheim Central
Alex Genova, Cocalico
Caleb Gish, Lancaster Mennonite
John Meng, Conestoga Valley
Wes Rathman, Cocalico
Luke Spang, Manheim Central
SECTION 2 MVP
Josiah Hershberger, Manheim Central

##

Living large.

Multi-tasking (as usual) but wanted to get all of Friday’s L-L League scores posted in case you’re looking for a final.

A state team tennis match and District 3 baseball and softball preliminary-round action on the docket – along with track and field.

And if you scour around the page, you’ll find a ton of coverage about L-L League athletes from Friday at Shippensburg University.

More from there Saturday. Stay tuned.

For now, Friday’s scoreboard …

BOYS’ TEAM TENNIS
PIAA SEMIFINALS
Conestoga 5, Cedar Crest 0

BASEBALL
DISTRICT 3 PRELIMINARY ROUND
“AAAA”
Penn Manor 6, McCaskey 5
“AAA”
Big Spring 7, Garden Spot 5
Donegal 6, Mechanicsburg 5

SOFTBALL
DISTRICT 3 PRELIMINARY ROUND
“AAAA”
Penn Manor 6, Cedar Crest 3
New Oxford 5, Hempfield 0

##

District 3 "AA" 3,200 champ Jared Schatz from Lancaster Mennonite (LLLeagueSports.com photo)

SHIPPENSBURG – Safe to say Jared Schatz will never, ever forget his senior season.

Lancaster Mennonite’s distance specialist got his year started by going undefeated through league competition in cross country last fall.

That included a photo-finish victory in the L-L League championship.

Then came a runner-up appearance in the District 3 “AA” cross country championship (finishing second behind Annville-Cleona’s Shawn Wolfe) and a trip to States, which yielded a 14th-place finish in the “AA” PIAA meet.

Schatz capped his cross country season by being named the L-L League Runner of the Year.

Fast forward to distance work on the track this spring, and Schatz was back in the winner’s circle on Friday.

Locked in a duel with L-L League foe Wolfe, Schatz turned on the jets early in the bell lap and zoomed to a victory in the “AA” 3,200 in 9:42.39.

Schatz came into the district meet with the No. 1 seed with a qualifying time of 9:52.78.

Schatz and Wolfe will likely do battle again Saturday in the 1,600; Wolfe is the top seed and Schatz No. 2 in that event.

After that race, and next week’s PIAA championships, Schatz will take his cross country and track talents to Messiah College.

Caught up with Schatz on Friday after he won district gold and we chatted about the race, about going up against Wolfe and how they motivate each other, about workouts sessions with his dad that gave him extra energy for cross and track, about his splendid senior year and looking ahead to Messiah.

Take a listen …

Cocalico senior Kyle Felpel won the District 3 "AAA" boys' shot put title with a throw of 60-7 (LLLeagueSports.com photo)

SHIPPENSBURG – Kyle Felpel continues to shine in the shot put.

Fresh off a fantastic winter season and a spring dual-meet season that saw him throw a PR 63-3, the Alabama recruit uncorked a 60-7 on Friday to win the gold medal in the boys’ “AAA” final at Shippensburg University.

Felpel’s friendly L-L League rival, Hempfield’s Kyle Long, saved his best for last, throwing a 57-5 1/2 on his last attempt in the finals on Friday to earn the silver medal.

Earlier Friday, Long won the “AAA” discus and Felpel took the silver.

So a gold and a silver each on Friday for two of the most decorated throwers in L-L League history.

Felpel also won the shot put title in the L-L League championship last weekend, and he’s been battling through a back tweak he suffered in Cocalico’s final dual meet a couple of weeks back.

He’s hung in there in all of his events – shot, discus and javelin.

He’s scratched a few times after getting medal-winning throws to stay safe and keep his back in shape.

That’s worked up to this point as he won a pair of medals on the first day of Districts, including gold in what has become his specialty – the shot put. Felpel came into Districts as the No. 1 seed with a 63-3 earlier this season – after a record-breaking indoor season this past winter, when he earned All-American status.

Caught up with Felpel after he won the district shot put title on Friday and we chatted about capturing gold, overcoming an injury to do the things he continues to do, about his friendly rivalry with Long and how those two have pushed each other over the years – and plenty more.

Here goes …

Hempfield senior Chrissy Rickert won the District 3 "AAA" girls' javelin championship with a throw of 128-4 (LLLeagueSports.com photo)

SHIPPENSBURG – Chrissy Rickert was the No. 1 seed in the javelin heading into the L-L League meet last weekend.

She threw her season best – a 131-1 – but didn’t win.

That served as motivation for Hempfield’s multi-sport athlete, and she used that to her advantage on Friday afternoon.

Rickert uncorked a 128-4 and won the District 3 “AAA” girls’ javelin event at Shippensburg University.

“Last week I threw a season PR so I couldn’t complain too much,” said Rickert, whose 128-4 Friday came on her first attempt in the finals. “This was one of my goals – to win the jav in Districts so it’s pretty cool.”

Rickert came into Districts as the No. 2 seed behind Elizabethtown’s Tiff Heisey, who had a PR toss of 131-4 to win the L-L League championship – over Rickert – last week.

Heisey finished second here Friday with a heave of 124-0, and Ephrata’s Crystal Hartman was fifth with a 121-8.

Rickert, a High Point University recruit, was the No. 9 seed in the Penn Relays high school girls’ competition earlier this spring.

And she’ll be back at Shippensburg next weekend going for state gold in the javelin.

##

Hempfield senior Kyle Long successfully defended his District 3 “AAA” boys’ discus championship Friday afternoon on the first day of the track and field finals at Shippensburg University.

His winning heave: a 199-1.

And if that number sounds familiar to local track and field buffs, it should.

Long’s throw tied the District 3 mark of 199-1, set by Central Dauphin’s Ryan Whiting in 2005.

“It’s been enjoyable, especially coming here and hearing people cheer for you and root for you,” Long said. “I started off a little rough, but I’m definitely happy with how I ended up. It’s fun time now. Now is the time when you hope all of your hard work pays off.”

By the way, Whiting went on to throw for Arizona State University.

Long is off to Arizona State University later this summer.

Long hit 199-1 on his third throw of the preliminary round.

Long, who hit a 190-5 to win here last spring, is the state record-holder in the discus. He had a 204-8 against Warwick in an L-L League dual meet earlier this spring, snapping his own previous mark of 202-10, which he uncorked in the state finals last spring.

Had the Flip Cam rolling when Long hit his district-record-tying 199-1 on Friday …

Hempfield senior Kyle Long won the District 3 "AAA" discus event with a district-record-tying throw of 199-1 (LLLeagueSports.com photo)

SHIPPENSBURG – Greetings from the press tent in the middle of Seth Grove Stadium at Shippensburg University.

It’s Day 1 of the District 3 track and field championships, and I must say it’s a lovely day for it.

Not too hot. A slight breeze. Picture perfect.

Some teams are starting to gather and meet officials are putting the finishing touches on everything. L-L League track and field guru Bob Trump is here, so it’s official. And after a minor electrical hiccup, the juice is on we’re live. Muchas gracias to Shippensburg U for the free 5-bar wireless. Much obliged.

Busy day for L-L League athletes, with time trials in the dash and hurdle events. And it’ll be a busy day across the way in the throwing area, with state champ Kyle Long from Hempfield in the discus; Cocalico’s Kyle Felpel out to defend his crown in the shot put; E-town’s Tiff Heisey and Hempfield’s Chrissy Rickert in the javelin; plus Hempfield jumping-jack Danielle Poletti in the pole vault; Conestoga Valley’s Robbie Cardina and Garden Spot’s Max Mahan in the high jump; and Ephrata’s Mary Witmer in the triple jump. And in the boys’ “AA” 3,200 finals this afternoon, Lancaster Mennonite’s Jared Schatz is the favorite.

L-L League has 21 No. 1 seeds, so plenty of going on and plenty to report. Stick and stay.

Action begins at high noon.

Keep it here for udpates; last events on Friday start at 5:45 p.m. so I’ll be here into the early evening with updates. I’ll be here all day Saturday as well. Same drill tomorrow.

Hope to get some video – Flip Cam battery is charged – and some audio Podcast interviews, too. Stay tuned.

If you’re looking for any specific results, send a comment in this post and I’ll pass along the info.

Giddy-up.

12:05 – And away we go. The noon events are underway. Going to head over to the throwing area in a bit and watch Hempfield’s Kyle Long in the “AAA” discus. See if he can clear 200. Hope to get some video. Stay tuned.

LONG TIES DISTRICT 3 DISCUS MARK: Hempfield senior Kyle Long uncorked a 199-1 on his third throw of preliminaries and won the gold medal in the “AAA” discus. That throw tied the District 3 “AAA” boys’ discus mark set by Central Dauphin’s Ryan Whiting in 2005. Cocalico’s Kyle Felpel went 181-3 and took silver.

TIE IN THE POLE VAULT: Hempfield’s Danielle Poletti (the L-L League champ), Hempfield’s Kayla Garpstas and Lebanon’s Erin Winters all cleared 11-0 in the “AAA” girls’ pole vault, and they joined a large group of athletes that cleared 11-0 and it went to tiebreakers based on least misses. Poletti took fifth, Garpstats seventh and Winters eighth – and they all qualified for States.

TRIPLE JUMPERS: Ephrata’s Mary Witmer took bronze in the triple jump; her best effort was a 37-2.

GOLD FOR RICKERT: Hempfield senior Chrissy Rickert won the girls’ “AAA” javelin with a throw of 128-4. Post, including photo, coming up!

FELPEL STRIKES GOLD: Cocalico senior Kyle Felpel has won the “AAA” boys’ shot put with a heave of 60-7, which came in his third and final attempt of the preliminary round. Felpel was the No. 1 seed coming in with a 63-3 this spring. Felpel has a gold and silver today; he finished second in the discus. Kyle Long, who won the discus, finished second in the shot put with a 57-5 1/2, which came in his final attempt in the finals.

SILVER FOR MAHAN: Garden Spot’s Max Mahan cleared 6-8 and took the silver in the boys’ “AAA” high jump. Milton Hershey’s Ibn Short hit 6-9 for gold.

GOLD FOR SCHATZ: Jared Schatz’s senior year keeps getting better. The reigning L-L League cross country champ from Lancaster Mennonite won more gold here Friday, taking the “AA” 3,200 run in 9:42.39.

Day 1 in the books … will be posting more this evening; quick jaunt to the hotel in Carlisle coming up.

Check back in a bit.

Plenty more coming … I’ve spent a good chunk of the day watching events – will have plenty to post as I get caught up.

FULL notebook tonight with items about all the L-L League athletes here. Stay tuned.

##

Manheim Central's Brittiny Griffith displays the L-L League championship trophy after her go-ahead homer gave the Barons a 2-1 win over Conestoga Valley (LLLeagueSports.com photo)

WILLOW STEET – Brittiny Griffith, Manheim Central’s first-year left fielder, had an angel on her shoulder Thursday night.

He was there when she stepped into the batter’s box with two away in the bottom of the fourth.

He was there when she walloped a line drive to the gap in left-center.

He was there when she roared around third base and headed for home.

And he was there when she stepped on the plate for a home run, putting the Barons ahead for good on their way to a 2-1 win over Conestoga Valley in the L-L League championship game Garrett Field.

Brittiny lost her brother John in the auto accident that claimed the lives of four Manheim Central student-athletes on January 16, 2011.

She honors her brother before every game by saying a prayer and looking skyward.

And you had the feeling Thursday that when she hit the game-winning homer for the Barons, John was on her shoulder enjoying the trip around the bases.

For a first-year varsity player, Griffith has come up huge multiple times this season.

Her go-ahead home run Thursday was the fourth time this season she’s delivered the game-winning hit for the Barons, who head to the district playoffs with a 20-3 record.

Tack on some quick feet and steady defense – she made all three putouts, including a running catch, in the top of the seventh against CV in the league championship – and Griffith has fit in quite nicely for the Barons.

Caught up with her after Manheim Central’s victory over CV, and we chatted about her clutch homer, about the Barons winning league gold and how she’s fit into the line-up, and about her brother and how she honors him.

Take a listen …