by Bud Hart

    Solanco recorded three falls and a decision, but it wasn’t enough as Penn Manor, now in a three-way first place Section I tie with Cocalico and Conestoga Valley, pasted the Mules. The Comets won 10 bouts and left Solanco with a 49-21 win on Wednesday night, January 18.
    Mule victories were posted by Grayson Charles, 138, with a fall at 3:43; A.J. Wilson at 152 with a fall at 2:41; Josh Weder at 195 with a fall at 24 seconds; and Kaleb Tucker at 220 with a 6-1 decision.
    The key match was at 170 where Jonah Barley was bumped up to face Solanco’s Ben Root, who on the weekend prior placed fifth in the prestigious Escape the Rock tournament.  This time Barley won the battle with a 9-3 decision.  
 

by Bud Hart

    Manheim Central, the District III 5A second ranked team, came to the barnyard and saddled the Mules with a 58-45 loss Tuesday night, January 17.
    The Baron’s Taylor Funk (28 points) and Connor Hostetter (16 points) combined for 44 of the team’s total points in a two-man show.  
    Central held a 32-17 lead at the half.
    “We did not execute our game plan defensively and did not work to get high percentage shots on offense,” said Solanco head coach Scott Long. “While the loss is frustrating, I was more disappointed that we did not play with confidence and attention to detail."
   

by Bud Hart

    Chad McDowell and his stable of Mules needed some rest following two overtime losses and a Saturday evening away win.
    On Tuesday, January 17, the Mules traveled to Manheim and lost to the Barons 54-45 in overtime.
    “It was an exciting game where both teams made runs,” McDowell said.
    Neither team lead by more than four or five the entire game. With Solanco down two with 10 seconds on the clock, Central fouled Nikki Boultinghouse who connected on both shots to give the Mules a 42-40 lead.
    But Manheim lucked out when a deflected pass fell into  the wrong hands and a rim shot rolled into the net to tie it up.
    Solanco was challenged in the overtime period.
    "We just could not get anything positive going” said McDowell.  “We turned the ball over on several possessions, we missed some defensive assignments, and we missed some easy shots that could have changed the flow of the overtime period.”  
   

    Solanco’s girls junior varsity record went to 9-1 with a 37-23 win over Donegal on Tuesday, January 10. Leading the way were Alana Yoder (10), Katie Sheaffer (8) and Kara McClune (6).

by Bud Hart

    Pins by Chase Charles, Joey Vandegriff, Grayson Charles, Ben Root and Josh Weder propelled the Golden Mules to a 45-33 win over the Warwick Warriors at Lititz on Wednesday, January 11.  The visitors also benefitted from a forfeit at 106, a Sheldon Pieffer (120) injury default win and an A. J. Wilson (152) decision.
    Chase Charles (126) started the pinning trend with a clamp of his opponent at the 2:48 mark.  Vandegriff (132) followed suit with a fall; and Grayson Charles (138) recorded the fastest pin of the night in 27 seconds. Root (170) ended his bout at the 57-second mark and Weder needed 44-seconds to record his fall.
  

by Bud Hart

    In a nail biter on Tuesday, January 10, Solanco's boys varsity basketball team escaped from  Mount Joy with a 55-54 win.  
    The Mules held a five-point advantage at the half, 36-31, but the Indians held the Mules to single digit scoring, 7, to end the third quarter tightening up the lead. “The second half was a dogfight,” said Coach Scott Long. “Donegal played a 2-3 zone the entire second half and for some reason it bothered us.”
  

by Bud Hart

    In a game closer than the score suggests, Donegal earned a 63-45 win over the Golden Mules at Solanco on Tuesday, January 10.
    The Indians were led by senior Rachel Robinson, who took game scoring honors with 29.  Kiera Baughman (18) and Carly Dieffenderfer (14) also scored in double digits for Donegal.
    Robinson, a Division I field hockey recruit, is impressive according to Solanco head coach Chad McDowell. “She did an outstanding job controlling the paint,” said McDowell.  “She is a strong athletic forward who we had no answer for.”
    The Mules tried different defensive sets, double teamed her and nothing seemed to work, McDowell said.  
  

by Bud Hart
​
       Coach Chad McDowell saw 11 of his players score, led by Jess Cabrera’s 25 points, as Solanco's varsity girls basketball team trampled host Lebanon 63-42 Tuesday night, January 3. 

​by Bud Hart
 
       Solanco's varsity boys basketball team opened the New Year with a Section II victory over Elizabethtown, defeating the visiting Bears 64-56 on Tuesday, January 3.  

​by Bud Hart
 
       Each team won six of the 12 contested bouts in L-L League Section II action, but Solanco forfeits at 113 and 138 gave the visiting Conestoga Valley Buckskins a 41-32 victory on Wednesday, January 3.