Spring Sports on the Rise at Pennridge High School

Mary Levush, Journalism Student

On March 4th, the spring season began with an icy start, but there was no stopping the spring sports teams at Pennridge High School from getting workouts in and coming together as teams for the first time for the 2019 season. While many teams have already begun their scrimmages, others are eager to step on the playing ground and begin the season. Here’s the insight on the spring sports teams at Pennridge High School.

Men’s Volleyball

The Pennridge Men’s volleyball team is returning after another successful season. The Rams logged an impressive over a 16-5 season but fell short of a State Playoff berth after falling to Pennsbury in the third-place game of the PIAA District I playoffs. Coach David Childs returns once again to coach the veterans of the team as well as new faces. With the heights of a new season, this means new captains and leaders on the court. The Rams will be led by experienced captains Ethan Lionetti, Austin Jalosinski, and Chris McKinney for the 2019 season. They will face Emmaus High School at 3:30 p.m. in a non-conference match. Match date is set for Wednesday, March 20.

Men’s Tennis

New faces make of the Pennridge Men’s Tennis team for the upcoming season. “I am most excited to work with a new group of guys, most of which have never played competitively before,” Coach Aaron Rapsinski commented. While the team is fairly young, Coach Rapinksi hopes to watch the team grow together throughout the next few years. He wants to keep his player motivated and interested to continue growing as athletes by incorporating light practices into their schedule. “I have realized more and more that while you need serious components such as drills, conditioning, and match play, you have to keep practices light and incorporate games and competitions that will also help the guys improve,”  Coach Rapinski added to his comment. The Rams will travel to Lansdale Catholic High Schoo at 3:45 on Tuesday evening.

Softball

The Lady Rams softball team is returning under a new varsity staff. The Lady Rams went 7-11 last season, most returning players feeling that there was unfinished business. The group of seniors looks to improve upon from last season and have a PIAA District 1 tournament berth similar to the 2017 season. The Lady Rams softball team is lead by a group of returning seniors as well as named captains Kiley Watson and Morgan Henry. They will host Owen J. Roberts at Druckenmiller Park at 3:45 p.m. On Wednesday. Which is their first non-conference game of the season.

Baseball

A new season means new beginning for the Pennridge High School baseball team. “Last season we struggled, but we have some players who have some experience and hopefully some confidence,” Coach Tom Nuneviller contributed. He noted that he has a very strong group of talented players. “The competition is fun and when we, as coaches, can get all players to play as a team and be unselfish it makes all the time worth it,” Coach Nuneviller added to his statement about his goals for the upcoming season. Despite struggling last season, he is very excited to start fresh with the players that he has. He noted that the group of player have positive attitudes and so will help the team be successful this season. Coach Nuneviller pointed out that if the team plays with each other, then they’ll have a successful season. “If the team plays this way, you find a way to win close games and have confidence,” he emphasized during his comments. The Pennridge Varsity baseball team will play a non-conference game at Plymouth Whitemarsh at 3:45 p.m Wednesday evening.

Track and Field- Girls

The girls track and field team are returning with a strong group of runners after posting a 2018 SOL Continental Conference regular season record of 3-3. Seniors captains Jessica Tiedeken, Sierra Schaffer, Lauren Schuler, and Kayla Richards will help lead and motivate the other runners on the team. Ashley Gordon, a standout sophomore, will be returning for her second season as a spring track runner. Gordon posted a successful Freshman campaign, running a 05:07 mile at Leagues, posting second in the PIAA 4A District I meet and placed 16th in PIAA states. The talented group of runners is hoping to expand upon their record from last season and qualify as many runners for both districts and state meets for the upcoming season. The girls track and field participants will travel to Palisades at 9:00 a.m. For their first invitational of the season on March 23.

Track and Field- Boys

After being named SOL Continental Conference teams for the past four seasons, the Pennridge Boys Track and Field team are at it again. During the 2018 spring season, the Rams were undefeated 6-0 in their conference, as well as qualifying many runners for the PIAA District 1 and PIAA State meets. For another season, the Rams will be coached by Coach Bob Hosier. For the 2019 season, Matt Eisler, Luke Eisler, Andersen Dimon, and Bobby Brashear will captain the boys upcoming season. The Rams will travel to Palisades at 9:00 a.m. For the first invitational of the season also on March 23.

Lacrosse- Girls  

Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard. The girl’s lacrosse team has been putting in the work in the offseason to prepare for the impending season. The team is coached by Karen Schnurr, who is entering her fifth year since becoming the head coach at Pennridge in the 2015 season. The Rams posted a SOL National Conference record of 7-9 last season but fell short of the PIAA District 1-3A tournament. With a hardworking group of seniors to lead the team, Pennridge will face Pope John Paul II High School home at 7:00 p.m on March 25.

Lacrosse- Boys

Coming off the 2018 season with an overall record of 13-7 and a PIAA District 1-3A Playoff berth, the boy’s lacrosse looks to expand off of last seasons success. Pennridge dominated against Wissahickon is the first round of district playoffs, making this the second consecutive year in a row that they have won a district playoff game but were soon knocked out during second round play. The team is coached by J.P. Banks again this season. For the 2019 season, the team will be captained by a band of hardworking seniors: Johnnie Banks, Ryan Garner, Nicholas Fanelli, and Brandan Howell. The Rams will travel to Wissahickon Senior High School Thursday evening for their first non-league game of the season.