Presented in coordination with Froggy Valley 100.1/WLBR 1270/WiLBuR 99.7 & Lebanon Federal Credit Union, help us decide which male and female athlete should be honored for their outstanding efforts during last week’s local high school sports action. While you may have a favorite school or athlete already, we still encourage you to read through the lists below and then click on the link to vote.
The winners will be announced at the end of the week. Linked below are the articles about our most recent winners of the award.
Voting will remain open until Wednesday at 7 pm. Only one vote per email address, per day will be allowed.
While athletes can be nominated multiple weeks, the winners will be removed and updates will be provided as the season progresses.
While this may be a vote and emotions can run high, this is intended to bring attention to some of the best performances from our local student-athletes.
Nominations, which are made working with the schools, are listed below in alphabetical order.
Please read about each nominee, celebrate their accomplishment, and then go vote who you feel is most deserving of this week’s honor.
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For any questions, comments, or discrepancies, please reach out to dan@lebcosports.com.
Female Nominees
Perla Chavez (Lebanon / Jr.) – Wrestling: At the Juniata Girls Wrestling Tournament, Chavez won the 235-pound weight class by pinning her opponent in 1:57. She was one of three Cedars to take firsts, as they finished in second place as a team. On the year, the junior is 6-4 with five pins.
Qynne Demler (New Covenant / Fr.) – Basketball: The freshman’s sensational season continued this week as she led the Flames to two wins. She scored 25 points against Harrisburg Academy on Monday and then an eye-popping 33 in an exciting win over Our Lady of the Cross on Friday. Demler has averaged 22 points over her last six games.
Makenna Haas (ELCO / Jr.) – Indoor Track & Field: At Saturday’s LVC Indoor Track & Field Invite, the junior won the Triple Jump with a leap of 34’4.5”.
Laci Lesher (Cedar Crest / Sr.) – Basketball: While Crest went 1-1 last week, Lesher again provided strong role-play to help the Falcons. In the loss to Manheim Township, the senior scored 6 points.
Saoirse Phillips (Northern Lebanon / So.) – Basketball: Against Lampeter-Strasburg, the sophomore scored 13 points, all of which came in the 2nd half, as the Vikings earned the victory.
Riley Zettlemoyer (Palmyra / So.) – Wrestling: Palmyra’s lone participant at the Juniata Girls Wrestling Tournament, the sophomore took silver in the 112-pound weight class after pinning two opponents. She also pinned another opponent earlier in the week in a dual match against Red Land. Zettlemoyer is now carries a season record of 12-5.
Female Athletes of the Week: Olive Brandt & Kasey Weimer (Week Ending January 7, 2024)
Male Nominees
Malachi Briddell (Lebanon / So.) – Basketball: In two games last week, the sophomore used his athleticism on his way to averaging 18.5 points. This included scoring 22 to place the Cedars as they had Penn Manor all tied up after three quarters.
Tyler Burgess (Palmyra / Jr.) – Basketball: In two games, the junior averaged 10 points. This effort included 7 points in the 1st half against Hershey, as the Cougars put forth a strong challenge against Hershey, District 3’s top-ranked 5A team.
Ben Stohler (ELCO / Sr.) – Indoor Track & Field: At Saturday’s LVC Indoor Track & Field Invite, the senior took 1st place in the Long Jump with a top performance that measured 19’9”.
Leo Tirado (Cedar Crest / Sr.) – Basketball: The senior guard used his speed and outside shooting to help his Falcons go 3-0 last week. This included a comeback, double-overtime win over Manheim Township, where Crest stormed back from 17 down to begin the 4th quarter. Tirado finished that game with 16 points, including four three-pointers. He then scored 12 against McCaskey and provided a tremendous change of pace by scoring 9 against Wilson.
Tycen VanDerPloog (New Covenant / Sr.) – Basketball: The senior put together an impressive stat line of 19 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals in New Covenant’s win over Covenant Christian. He then led the Flames with 14 points in Saturday’s loss to Williams Valley.
Sam Wolford (Northern Lebanon / So.) – Wrestling: At the Mid-Winter Mayhem Tournament at IUP, and event that featured 57 teams, the sophomore came in 4th place in the 107-pound weight class. On his way to the podium, he won three matches, including two over ’23 State Qualifiers. Wolford is now 18-4 this season.
LebCo Male Athlete of the Week: Riley Clinger (Week Ending January 7, 2024)
