A completely subjective "Top 5" list of the best L-L stories of 2014
Well 2014 is about in the books but before we turn the page over to 2015, let’s do one more “Top 5” list. Here is my completely subjective and bias list of the best L-L League stories of 2014.
5. Wilson reloads, not rebuilds: The Bulldogs continued their dominance in Section One with a seventh straight title en route to a District 3 championship and second trip to the PIAA semifinals in three years. Wilson’s section winning streak is still active at 50 games.
4. Penn Manor wins share of PIAA title: The Comets played
Palmyra all the way to a 1-1 tie in the Class AAA PIAA championship. The result sparked plenty of debate about whether or not state title games should be able to end in ties.
3. Mike Williams era ends at Manheim: The face of Manheim Central football coached his last game in the District 3 quarterfinals in November. In Williams’ 33 years as head coach, the Barons have gone 348-75-3 with 18 section titles and a state championship in 2003.
2. Lamar Kauffman calls it quits: After 32 years of
coaching girls basketball at Lancaster Catholic, the legendary coach walked off the court for the last time. Under Kauffman, the Crusaders won 18 section titles, 11 L-L championships, 12 District 3 titles and 2 PIAA titles. I can’t mention Kauffman without noting how much I loved his pressing style of defense.
1. Thomas Haines wins fourth PIAA wrestling title: Now at Ohio State, the former Solanco Golden Mule became just the 12th wrestler to win four consecutive state titles; his last coming in the heavyweight division. This is a feat that we may never see again in the L-L.