LebCo Male Athletes of the Week: Ashton Kriss & Daryan Rodriguez (Week Ending December 30, 2023)

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Ashton Kriss

In the days following Christmas, ELCO wrestler Ashton Kriss continued to celebrate. In the Raider Duals on December 26th, the sophomore grappler won all five of his matches, four of them by pinning his opponents and the other by a 15-0 tech fall, the wrestling equivalent of the mercy rule. He then competed at Chambersburg’s Trojan Wars, where he went 4-3 and came in 6th in the 114-pound weight class. With such a tremendous week, the LebCoSports.com voters took notice and chose Kriss as a LebCo Male Athlete of the Week.

Last week, Kriss added two more wins to run his season record to 17-7. He is currently following up a freshman campaign where he went 37-8 and qualified for the PIAA State Championship Tournament after helping ELCO win the Lancaster Lebanon League Section 3 Championship.

By making it to States last season, a new standard was set. ELCO Coach Ben Moser said of Kriss, “He has a fire in him to make the podium this year at States.” Kriss is now fully committed to putting himself in a position to accept a medal at the Giant Center in March.

Kriss knows that he will not only affect his own destiny through his hard work but, as a leader, can also impact the outcome of his ELCO squad, which is entering this week with a 10-2 record. Moser praised Kriss’s work ethic and dedication, saying, “Ashton works hard and is a lot of fun to wrestle with in the training room.”

In the long term, Kriss hopes that the hard work not only gets him at least one State medal but that he is able to reach the 100-win milestone before getting an opportunity to wrestle for a Division I program. Though young, he is strategic in his planning and executing his vision, something that is reflected in his hobby of building with Legos.

As with all long-term goals, there are short-term milestones that must be achieved. For now, we wish Ashton the best of luck in reaching his 2024 goals on his way to something greater.

Daryan Rodriguez

Daryan Rodriguez may only be a sophomore, but he has worked his way into Lebanon’s starting line-up through strong play. In the consolation game of the Cedar Crest Holiday Tournament, Rodriguez showed why his coaches have put their trust in him. During the game against Palmyra, he put on a show, knocking down five three-pointers to lead Lebanon with 19 points. Three of those treys came in the 1st quarter, bringing a spark to the Cedars as they battled the Cougars. For this effort, Rodriguez was chosen by the LebCoSports.com voters as a LebCo Male Athlete of the Week.

Though Lebanon went on to lose the game to Palmyra in double overtime, the young starter’s role in the valiant effort is indicative of the development taking place with Coach Kris Uffner’s program. Outsiders may be quick to point out that Lebanon is currently 0-10 after going 0-22 last season, yet a closer look at the results will show that Lebanon is beginning to present more of a challenge for many of their opponents. An even deeper dive reveals that several underclassmen are getting key varsity minutes, including Rodriguez, along with fellow sophomore starter Malachi Briddell.

For Rodriguez, the game of basketball is part of who he is. He first picked up a ball when he was two years old and has not stopped playing. Part of his development was watching his brother, Adrian Cruz, play as part of Lebanon’s League Championship team in 2021. Rodriguez is hopeful he can play a similar role in returning the Cedars back to a place of prominence.

Someday, Rodriguez would like to see his name up with the impressive list of 1,000 point scorers. However, in the present day, he is committed to working hard to improve his skills to help the team win. Rodriguez sees his point guard skills as a key element of this plan.

Mature beyond his years, Rodriguez understands the value of lessons that are to be learned from the current losing streak. He has set his goal as “Getting better every day, no matter the circumstances.” This no-excuse work ethic is something that he uses to try to lead his teammates to improve in the face of adversity.

The leadership of the young contingent of players is something that Rodriguez has earned over the years by building relationships. Outside of playing school ball, Rodriguez has played with several of his young teammates as members of PA Flight. That list of players includes Briddell, Jaydyn Wolfe, Ihab Abdallaoui, and Alec Wolfe. All have seen key minutes this season.

While basketball is his main passion, Rodriguez is a two-sport athlete, spending the Spring season as a member of the Lebanon Track and Field Team. Even when not around an official workout in a school sport, “D” is always looking to improve his basketball skills. Usually, he does not have to look far for an opponent. It helps that Cruz is not the only sibling with whom he can go one-on-one. In fact, his younger sister is Tayana Camuy, who is currently emerging as a key contributor to the Lebanon Girls team despite being only a freshman.

We wish Daryan, his teammates, and his sister the best of luck as they continue to develop on the road to being a part of many future Lebanon victories.

Read about this week’s Female Athletes of the Week: Kailah Correa & Kylee Trostle

For a full list of this week’s nominees, check out: Athlete of the Week Voting: Week of December 18 – 30.

Previous Winners

Micah Gray (Week of 12/4)

Elisha Slabach (Week of 12/4)

Aaron Seidel (Week of 12/11)