It’s an exciting time of the year; not only because of the holidays, but because winter sports have officially started for MTHS. With nine competing winter sports, the Blue Streaks look to dominate their competition and come out on top.
The girls basketball team has a new look this season with new head coach Devonne Pinkard. The team began its season on Wednesday, Dec. 6 with a win against Conestoga Valley at their home opener. They made their record 2-0 with their win against Elizabethtown on Thursday, Dec. 8. This season, the team aims to surpass their accomplishments from last year.
“We are hopeful to become section and league champions this season, and I think we are capable of doing so with our new coach,” said senior Olivia Young.
The girls basketball team won 52-48 against Lebanon on Dec. 14 and hopes to continue their winning streak.
The MT boys basketball team began their 2023-24 season with a loss to Northeastern on Tuesday, Dec. 5, but bounced back with a win over Elizabethtown at home on Thursday, Dec. 7. As the team continues its season, they look to dominate both league and non-league games, and advance to league and district play. The team faced off against Governor Mifflin at home on Saturday, Dec. 9 and Wilson at home on Dec. 13, losing to both.
With their phenomenal performances in league, district, and state meets last year, the girls and boys swimming and diving teams hope to maintain the accomplishments for this season. The teams have worked hard through a tough pre-season to prepare themselves for the challenging season ahead. Their season began on Tuesday, Dec. 12 at home against Ephrata where they won in one of their most challenging meets of the season. The teams faceoff against Penn Manor on Monday, Dec. 18.
Senior Anna Sassman noted that this meet against Ephrata “may be one of the toughest of the season, but it is good to have some challenging competition.”
As a new sport at MTHS, Unified Bocce Ball is competing in its first season as a school-sponsored sport. The goal of the team is to encourage inclusion and compete at a high level, while still having fun. The practices began after Thanksgiving break, and matches are projected to begin in mid-December against other school districts in the area.
Winning a PIAA State Championship is the ultimate goal for every high school sports team to prove their skill. Fortunately for the MT bowling team, this honor has already been achieved. The team ended their record-breaking season last year with the high honor of the PIAA State Champions, and even sent a bowler Nick Tomlinson to the individual state bowling matches, where he placed seventh. The team kicked off their season with a win against Warwick on Wednesday, Dec. 6. The team also beat Ephrata 7-0 on Wednesday, Dec. 13 to improve to 2-0.
The winter track team has two main goals this season: prepare for the main spring season and become closer as a team. Although the team is significantly smaller than the team in the spring, they are still working hard despite the frigid temperatures.
“Running winter track definitely helps to prepare me for the spring season, not only by helping to prevent possible injuries with the start of the more intense spring season, but also by starting to cut down times even earlier in the season,” said junior Sarah Ebersole. The team began their season at the F&M Invitational on Saturday, Dec. 8 against many local winter track teams, and will compete in their next meet at the Armory on Dec. 29.
For their second season as a school-sponsored sport, MT girls wrestling looks to match their successes from last season. The team had two wrestlers qualify for state matches last year and many medalists along the season in League and Invitational Meets. In the Lancaster-Lebanon area, girls wrestling has exploded in popularity in the past few years, as the sport is now recognized by the PIAA.
“Girls wrestling has become more well known within the school, and it’s really fun to watch it grow and for people to be excited for our team,” said freshman Ainsley Bounds.
The girls competed at the Dallastown Tournament on Saturday, Dec. 8 and had a successful first appearance. Their next matches are scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 16 at their tournament at Tamaqua.
For the 2023-24 season, the boys wrestling team looks to match their successes from last season, as they sent wrestlers to league, district, and state matches. The team competed at the Penn Manor Tournament on Friday, Dec. 8 and Saturday, Dec. 9 to kick off their season.
The MT Rifle Team looks to dominate their challenging schedule and come out on top this season. The team will face talented local teams this season, and must be on their “A” game in order to beat their competition. The team began their season as they faced off against Conestoga Valley on Tuesday, Dec. 12 and gained their first win of their season. The team won its second straight match on Thursday, Dec. 14, defeating Garden Spot 494-491.
