Lancaster Mennonite’s Statewide Streak Ends As Blazers Succumb To Notre Dame Green Pond In Second Round of PIAA-3A Tournament, Fall Just Short Of Making Sixth Consecutive Trip To State Quarterfinals

Written by: Andy Herr on March 12, 2026

Before we start, let us first begin with a bit of a pop quiz…Since 2021, what is the only school in the entire state of Pennsylvania to have reached at least the quarterfinal round every one of those seasons regardless of classification level? Chances are, if you are savant of Lancaster-Lebanon League hoops, you likely have a strong idea as to who this program in question may be. For you, it’s quite literally the final team from your home conference that has been playing each one of those seasons save for last year when Lancaster Country Day stole that distinction and responsibility away from them.

No, it’s not Roman Catholic. Nor is it Imhotep. Not even Neumann-Goretti. Shoot, not even Aliquippa, the school that the school in question here beat in a state final just three seasons ago.

That’s right. As hard as it may be to believe for some, the fact of the matter was that the Lancaster Mennonite Blazers boys’ basketball program stood alone coming into this year’s state playoffs as being the only school in all the commonwealth to have reached the state’s final eight in each of the last five consecutive seasons.

This year, behind a loaded first rotation largely spearheaded by a senior class that just so happened to a add a brand new trophy to their treasure trove of prior spoils when it came to snagging the L-L League championship back in February for the first time ever in school history, the Blazers, some of whom were not just freshmen, but key contributors to that aforementioned 2023 state championship squad not all that long ago, being able to make it back to the state quarters for what would be the sixth straight season seemed to be in the cards. After all, ever since they had been in seventh grade, they quite literally have known nothing other Lancaster Mennonite making it that at least far inside a statewide bracket.

Yet for as successful as this Blazers’ program has consistently proven itself to be over time, achieving at that high a level is most certainly not a birthright. Then, when you add in the fact that Lancaster Mennonite is quite literally a 1A-sized school based on enrollment found playing up at the 3A level, there are bound to be some challengers far too great and the incline far too steep to overcome in due time thanks to the nature of this beast known as high school basketball.

That, plus the further you advance onward in states, the ability to simply stumble into an overwhelmingly fortuitous matchup as the bracket slims down seems farfetched at best, downright implausible at worst.

And for Lancaster Mennonite, the second seed by of District 3 that came into this 2026 3A state bracket, after being able to dispatch a Philadelphia Catholic League outfit in the opening round, that in turn led to another unforgiving matchup with the District 11 champion, Notre Dame Green Pond, with the Crusaders eager to punch their own ticket into the elite eight while also ending the state’s longest such ongoing streak in the process provided they could vanquish Lancaster Mennonite in a second round, dinner-hour game on Wednesday night at Hamburg.

Unfortunately, for those with a vested rooting interest in that of Lancaster Mennonite who have grown accustomed to going to basketball games throughout a good chunk of the March calendar on a perennial basis of late, Wednesday proved to the earliest such instance in recent memory where there will be no such further excursions across the state along with the Blazers’ players now having to turn in their uniforms after a season having just been completed. However, it certainly wasn’t for lack of effort – both on the floor against Notre Dame Green Pond and in other ways as well from this Blazers’ bunch by the time the final buzzer sounded on Wednesday night in the nether regions of Berks County.

Fittingly, as one might expect to find in a state playoff game, this matchup between Lancaster Mennonite and Notre Dame Green Pond seemed to be one of those instances where the initial layout of the bracket held true and an evenly matched game figured to be afoot.

Case in point, NDGP’s Tommy Murphy lighting the lamp inside the first stanza by sinking a pair of 3-balls, the last of which awarded the Crusaders the 8-7 advantage, with 2:50 left in the first act following the 6’1 sophomore’s impromptu three-point barrage.

From there, the Crusaders’ propensity for dialing it up from long distance must’ve been contagious seeing as how another Green Pond underclassman, Hayden Levy, took his turn at peppering one in from bonus distance on the ensuing trip down the floor following Murphy’s latest exploits as the junior wing propelled the squad from Easton out to their largest lead of the early evening.

However, the Blazers would then respond in kind over the course of the final few minutes inside the opening act with a bucket punctuated inside by way of Mennonite junior wing, Daulton Nolt, allowing the black-clad bunch to claw back onto level ground at 11-11 following a back-and-forth eight minutes out of the chute.

The thing was, Lancaster Mennonite was only just getting warmed up.

Truth be told, the Blazers’ leading scorer on the season, Chase Hurst, one of those four-year varsity players who owns a state, district, and now league gold medal, showed as to why he routinely paces the Mennonite charge to the tune of 17 points-per-game on average by then burying a triple to make it a 16-14 Blazers’ advantage before following that up with a sweet kick-out dish to a waiting and able Jackson Bare on the perimeter as the lanky sophomore wing proceeded to knock a trey of his own before finishing off a sweet take to the cup not long afterwards, making it a 21-14 Lancaster Mennonite lead with Notre Dame Green Pond forced into burning an early timeout to try and stem the rising tide.

Yet to no avail. At least not immediately, however.

In fact, Bare continued in his similar role by then knocking down another trifecta on the ensuing Blazers’ trip following the Green Pond timeout, a three-point addition to what would crystalize into an impressive and team-best 22-point night at the office from the Lancaster Mennonite up-and-coming 10^th-grader.

But from that point on, the game began to gradually slip away from Mennonite’s clutches.

Sure enough, that once imposing ten-point gap found in the form of a 24-14 score was quickly whittled back down to four-point margin following six straight Crusaders’ points, the last of which came via a tough bucket inside from NDGP 5’10 junior, Andrew Boyd, as the Boyd bunny made it a 24-20 ballgame with 2:20 left in the opening half.

But beyond trying to keep this Notre Dame Green Pond at some semblance of an arm’s length, Lancaster Mennonite was also tasked with having to manage an extremely delicate bench situation which saw the Blazers ride with essentially the original five starters, even while beset with a sudden bout of an extremely dangerous foul difficulty working against them to key catalysts the likes of Chase Hurst and Jackson Bare most notably, the two highest-scoring Blazers inside the opening half, having three fouls notched next to their names in the scorebook.

With that mind, perhaps it shouldn’t have been all that surprising to see the Crusaders rattle off a timely 14-5 burst to close the book on the opening two quarters in the aftermath of that prior 24-14 Mennonite lead as a 3-ball and pair of free throws inside the waning stages courtesy of Green Pond 5’8 junior point guard, Justin Manning, the game-high scorer on the night who tossed in a 23-point showing, ended this torrid Crusaders’ rebuttal which saw Mennonite carry with them a lead by the slimmest of margins, 29-28, once both teams retired to their respective dressing rooms for the halftime respite.

Come the start of the second half though, things only continued to go from bad to worse from Mennonite’s perspective off rip.

For starters, a turnover on the initial offensive possession of the second half which ended in a Tommy Murphy deuce from point-blank range, a bucket which awarded the lead back to Notre Dame Green Pond. From there, another Crusaders’ dagger from beyond the arc, one of their ten sunk on the night, this one via the hot hand of Andrew Boyd, making it a 36-32 Notre Dame lead with 5:10 left to play in the third by that point.

But as would be the case all throughout Wednesday night, even while being thrown inside the most arduous position in which they encountered all season, perhaps in their entire career in some instances, Lancaster Mennonite’s collective resolve continued to shine through.

Fittingly, one of those key Blazers decided it was his time to make an imprint on the game as Mennonite senior big man, Bill Rothwein, was able to finish off a trademark three-point play through contact to then trim the NDGP lead down to a penny, 38-37, a mere two minutes and change later.

And had it not been for a walk-in, NBA-range triple splashed home just prior to the third quarter buzzer blaring out that was knocked down by Manning, the fourth quarter would’ve begun with a 42-42 stalemate. Yes, even with Lancaster Mennonite beset even further with that litany of existing foul troubles.

Yet those “troubles” would flirt on fatal for the Blazers in short order.

6:06. That was time showing on the scoreboard when Chase Hurst, one of arguably, if not the greatest Lancaster Mennonite Blazer of all-time all things considered, was forced to sit down after picking up his fifth and potentially career-ending foul. And from that moment on, sensing some blood in the water, Notre Dame Green Pond pounced.

Sure enough, the Crusaders’ cushion ballooned out to its largest in quite some time following Hurst’s abrupt departure as Hayden Levy poured salt in the Blazers’ open wound by canning a trifecta which opened things up to a 52-44 difference before that same eight-point gap would stand sturdy following another 3-ball cashed in via the efforts of Cody Driscoll as the Notre Dame Green Pond 6’3 senior knocked down his second from beyond the arc with inside of five minutes left to play.

But make no mistake. When you have a knack for making it quite far in the state tournament – like, owning the longest such streak in the entire state no less – there’s ample reason to believe that putting said team away for good figured to be a chore easier said than actually done. And that’s precisely what Notre Dame Green Pond soon discovered even with time gradually melting away.

Specifically, that Crusaders’ lead that was on the precipice of double figures not long prior was quickly wiped back down to a much more modest three, 59-56, once Lancaster Mennonite’s Brady Grau was able to finish off a take to the tin while in transition as the Blazers’ senior crept his team ever closer to perhaps retaking command of the scoreboard once again.

Later, the Notre Dame Green Pond lead stood at a pair, 61-59, once Lancaster Mennonite’s Jackson Bare put the finishing touches on a three-point play through contact which made it a 61-59 ballgame with all of 86 seconds remaining and the eventual outcome anyone’s best guess.

From there, the final 1:16 largely proved to be a cat-and-mouse game.

Sure, while Notre Dame’s Justin Manning would calmly toe the stripe and knock down both in the offering with 1:08 remaining to reup the Crusaders’ lead out to two possessions, an immediate take to the tin down on the other end courtesy of Grau just as quickly sliced that margin in half once more.

Next, while Manning would split his next trip at the line with 46.7 seconds remaining which then made it a 64-61 Crusaders’ bubble, an untimely Lancaster Mennonite turnover the next trip down the floor might’ve meant curtains on this Blazers’ season.

However, after receiving a new lease on life following Notre Dame Green Pond going 0-2 after getting fouled following said turnover with 26.2 left to be played, the unfortunate reality of two of Lancaster Mennonite’s final three final offensive possessions of the 2025-26 season resulting in turnovers rang true as the Crusaders’ unquestioned star of the night, Justin Manning, jumped the Mennonite handoff on the perimeter perfectly to not just earn himself a theft, but the game-deciding bucket as fate would have it as Manning’s layup at the cup didn’t just make it a 66-61 Notre Dame Green Pond advantage, but it also made it a margin in which the Blazers couldn’t possibly climb out from inside of with now inside of ten seconds remaining as Notre Dame Green Pond had successfully slayed one of the state’s premier small-school behemoths in keeping Lancaster Mennonite from reaching the quarterfinal round for the first time since 2020 following this thrilling and gutsy 66-61 final verdict in their favor.

Afterwards, while there’s good reason as to why many coaches openly state that this, the final game of any team’s season, is the hardest day of the job aside from making cuts at preseason practice, this final goodbye admittedly packed a little harder of a punch.

On this night, in this scenario, it meant the end of the road for a group of Lancaster Mennonite seniors most all who will now forever walk arm-in-arm in history alongside the members of the 2003 Lancaster Catholic team, any freshmen found on the 1987 Columbia roster, and those on the 1977 Cocalico team as the only groups of players in the L-L’s entire 54-year history to have won a league championship, a district championship, and a state championship over the course of their respective careers. And while that’s certainly a proud legacy to leave behind, it didn’t help alleviate the sting of this one any less in the immediacy of the moment. Not the least of which comes part in parcel with having to play nearly the entire final frame without the services of one of those illustrious all-timers, Chase Hurst, forced to sit and cheerlead after fouling out.

“It’s been few and far between,” Lancaster Mennonite head coach Jeff Hartenstine acknowledged quietly in the postmortem Wednesday evening inside a dimly-lit hallway tucked away behind Hamburg’s gymnasium regarding his team being without the services of Hurst for any great length of time this season. “He was a little banged up coming into this game, but there was no question about what he would give us even with him being banged up, but man,” Hartenstine continued of his now departing stud while still visibly growing frustrated all the same that the circumstances could’ve been different.

“Credit to them though. That’s just how they play defense,” the third-year Mennonite coach remarked of Notre Dame Green Pond’s methodology. “They get a guy from behind on defense that’s kind of half pushing you and speeding you up with a guy in the front that they send you into. I don’t know how many charges we committed today, but man. Our foul problems definitely changed that game.”

“The hardest part is, when I was going back to the locker room afterwards, I thought that if I had one more timeout I could’ve drawn up a set. I had the perfect set too which would’ve sent Jackson (Bare) backdoor because he was getting so many catches that I thought they would’ve bit on it. But I didn’t play the timeout game right,” said Hartenstine. “That was the one thing that was on my mind…I just wish we would’ve had one more timeout and would’ve had a chance because of how hard those guys were fighting out there. Nobody wanted to see the season end,” he added of his team.

“In the locker room afterwards, most of the guys talked about not being able to practice tomorrow more so than, ‘Oh, we could’ve won the state championship.’ That wasn’t even on the radar,” Hartenstine remarked. “We have a lot of fun doing this every day, so that’s what everyone was most disappointed about.”

Now, in this defeat, it will be the first time since 2020 in which any of the PIAA brackets don’t feature Lancaster Mennonite galivanting into at least the quarterfinals, much less any L-L team being devoid of such a similar, deep run for the first time since 2019 at that following this Blazers’ exit that now ends what was the state’s longest running streak.

“That’s just a testament to the amazing culture that him, guys before him like his older brother built,” Hartenstine, the top assistant coach on that 2023 state championship team before taking over the head duties the very next season said while pointing over to Chase Hurst while eluding to Cam Hurst, a three-time all-state player who now stars collegiately at nearby Lancaster Bible College. “You know, one of the first things that the underclassmen said tonight after the game was, ‘We’ll be back here next year.’ I don’t know if they know how hard it is to get back,” Hartenstine said cracking a faint smile. “We’re losing a significant group of seniors, yes, but I do think there’s a hunger to get back. And the other nice thing is, when you do it as many times as we’ve done it, there becomes that expectation that we are going to do it,” he said regarding a deep run in states. “Hopefully, myself and my assistants, who always do a great job, will coach ‘em up so we can get back here and keep it rolling.”

Thus, the cyclical nature of high school athletics. While one group departs, another group arrives. But when it happens to be the end of what was essentially the first core group of players that you yourself first coached while in charge when speaking of Hartenstine and this outgoing ensemble, it’s admittedly a bit of a chore to totally turn the page and start anew.

“To be honest, it’s all just numb right now. Really numb,” the Blazers’ coach stated. “It’s one of those things that hasn’t hit you yet. Even the little things like now having a free afternoon, or having to stay at work the whole time instead of leaving early. I think that’s when it’ll hit me.”

“What’s nice is that for some those of guys, AAU is now starting back up, so they’ll at least have another practice to jump into right away. It’ll just be another voice that’s coaching them. But yeah, it’s really hard for me. Really hard for my family,” Hartenstine said of no longer coaching this 2025-26 team. “I’ve got two daughters that really connect with these kids. It’s something really special for me and my family. To see it end, that’s what hurts me most.”

Frankly, how could it not? When you get into this business, you know full-well that this is what you sign up for in understanding that difficult and emotional end-of-the-line nights like these are far more common than they are rare. Well, unless you’re Lancaster Mennonite of course.

For the Blazers, one could easily make the argument that they are now the gold standard for all other L-L teams to try and chase down. Shoot, they were able to summit that very mountain this year if you needed even further proof. And yes, while time will eventually heal these fresh scars, it doesn’t ease the sting of seeing this team exit stage right. But once it does, as it did following most any other previous Lancaster Mennonite season, like 2018 for instance when nothing could’ve felt lower or worse than seeing a Tyler Zimmerman halfcourt heave at the buzzer go down at Chambersburg on a Saturday afternoon which sent Richland into the state championship while also ending the Blazers’ season right then and there in the state semis without so much an apology, the sun eventually rises for this tiny school located on Route 30. Yes, a new group will have size 18 shoes to fill perhaps. But no matter who’s in charge, whether it be Geoff Groff, Seth Buckwalter, or now Jeff Hartenstine, the Blazers’ beat always seems to march onward. In fact, it’s been a rhythm so strong that it routinely propels Lancaster Mennonite into rubbing elbows with some of the state’s best franchises. Yes, even if some on the outside may find that surprising.