Even with their regular seasons coming to an end, the Blue Streaks are not finished. Seven of the fall sports at MT have qualified for League, District, or State playoff tournaments, and hope to continue to dominate in the postseason. This 2023 fall season has been a year full of firsts for many of the teams, as the Blue Streaks continue to make history.
In their second season with head coach Jessica Shellenberger, the field hockey team is having one of its best seasons yet. After a fierce game against Warwick in the Lancaster-Lebanon (L-L) League championship, the Blue Streaks took home their first ever league title. With a number one seed in the District Three Tournament, the team also took home its first ever district title, defeating Lower Dauphin in overtime, 2-1. The Blue Streaks will now advance to the PIAA State Tournament where they will face off against Avon Grove today, Nov. 7, at home.
After their 2022 season ended in a loss to Owen J. Roberts (OJR) in the state preliminary match, girls soccer (GSOC) began this year’s season eager to prove their strength, and they did just that. GSOC began their season with an impressive winning record of 18-1, and took home the title of L-L League Champion for the second consecutive year. However, their season did not end there. They advanced to the district final match where they fell to Central Dauphin in overtime, 1-0. The Blue Streaks will advance to the PIAA State Tournament where they will face off against Conestoga in the preliminary round. The teams will play today, Nov. 7, at Conestoga.
After losing many seniors vital to the team last season, MT boys soccer (BSOC) finished their regular season with a 9-4-3 record. They advanced to the L-L League semifinal game where they fell in a tough game against Elizabethtown. However their season is only getting started. BSOC advanced to the district finals match, upsetting rival Warwick to get there, but lost to Cumberland Valley 1-0 in the finals to earn district silver. The team will play at Abington today, Nov. 7 in the first round of states.
Going undefeated in their section was only the beginning of the cross country (XC) team’s success. Both the boys and girls team went on to win the L-L League Championship for the second consecutive year, with four top-10 finishers for the boy’s team and three top-12 finishers for the girls. The boys top finishers were Adam Kingston (second), Cole Stevens (third), Ethan Peffley (eighth), and Dylan DelVecchio (tenth), while the girls top finishers were Elena Barrall (second), Ava Shirk (sixth), and Lexie Kauffman (12th). The teams also competed in the District meet where there were three top medalists for the boys team, and four for the girls Team. The top boys finishers were Adam Kingston (first), Cole Stevens (12th), and Ethan Peffley (14th). The top girls finishers were Elena Barrall (13th), Ava Shirk (14th), Kaila Atteberry (15th), Lexie Kauffman (19th). The boys finished as district runners up, while the girls took home the gold for the second consecutive year. This wasn’t it for the XC teams, however; they advanced to the state meet where the boys team placed 7th overall, and the girls team placed 3rd overall, with junior Elena Barrall finishing in 19th place. This season for the XC team was record holding, as they improved their placements in league, district, and state meets for both teams.
This was a record-breaking year for the golf team. The MT Girls Golf team made its debut as a school-sanctioned team, and did not disappoint with their performances. They won the District Tournament, with three top-10 places of Piper Smith (third), Sonia Dumasai (fourth), and Paisley Kappesser (sixth). These golfers also advanced to the state tournament where they won the title of PIAA State runner-up, making history. The boys team also had a successful season, sending senior Andrew Bilson to the state tournament after he tied for ninth in districts. Both the boys and girls teams will have crucial returning players next year, likely leading to another successful season.
The girls tennis team had a winning start to their season, going 11-1 in regular season matches, and achieving a second place finish in both the league and district tournaments. In the L-L League Tournament, the Blue Streaks lost 3-2 against Hempfield with wins by Haley Miller in first singles and Madeline Sanchez and Maya Lamichhane in first doubles. Miller was awarded L-L League Player of the Year along with one of the L-L League All Stars. In a tough battle against New Oxford in the district final, the Blue Streaks fell 5-0 and placed second, but sent sisters Jade and Haley Miller to the district doubles match where they placed third, and qualified for the state matches. The sisters played in the state tournament on Friday, Nov. 3, and finished their seasons with a top-eight finish in the state.
Starting their season off with one of the best starts in program history, the football team dominated their regular season play, going 10-0, and winning the Section One title. The team also broke school records with quarterback Hayden Johnson who now holds the records for passing touchdowns in a career, passing touchdowns in a season, pass attempts in a game, and pass completions in a game, season, and career. Wide Receiver Landon Kennel now holds the record for receiving touchdowns in a season, is the career receptions leader, and is tied for receiving touchdowns in a game. Both players have led their team to a historic season, as they now enter district play where they will face off against William Penn at home on Friday, Nov. 10.
The 2023 season for the volleyball team was notable in many ways. The team finished with a 7-8 record, and raised $3,700 at their Spike Out Cancer game, where all proceeds went to the Helm Family in their battle with breast cancer. The team also had their setter, Helena Carroll, make history by achieving 1,000 career assists.
