Muhlenberg Holds Off Cedar Crest In Early Playoff-Like December Game Between Two 6A Stalwarts As Mulhs Refuse To Blink, Move To 2-0 In Defeating Two-Time Defending L-L League Champs

Written by: Andy Herr on December 6, 2025

It’s been a little quiet around here about them. Almost too quiet quite frankly.

Part of that perhaps makes sense, doesn’t it? Graduating almost all the key pieces that were integral parts of back-to-back league championship runs. I mean, what could possibly be left up there in the cupboard still?

Well, while that may all be true, not paying any mind to the Cedar Crest Falcons almost surely is a surefire bet for immediate regret in any sort of prognostications.

Yes, it is fair to point out that most all the names found on the Falcons’ varsity roster this season are not the ones we’ve seen the last couple of seasons and are largely still unfamiliar with. Schomp is gone. Young is gone. Marquez is gone. Custer is gone. You name ‘em, they’re all Cornwall Lebanon School District alumni now.

But, all is not lost in south Lebanon. In fact, the Falcons’ JV roster went unblemished a season ago. Is that a harbinger of things to come without fail? No, but it’s not a nothing burger either. Beyond that, with Section One of the L-L being arguably the most up for grabs that it’s ever been – yes, using that E-word with the upmost reverence and respect considering the historical significance implied –, while Cedar Crest may not be the betting favorite to make it a trifecta in terms of claiming the league crown provided a Vegas sportsbook have odds on the matter, this isn’t necessarily an impossible ask of the Falcons either given how the larger-sized schools in the Lancaster-Lebanon League own nearly the entire allotment of conference titles ever handed out.

So yeah, there should be some more chatter about them coming into season. Not the least of which stems from the fact that we simply do not seem a team attempting such a feat as the Falcons will pursue this winter in potentially going back-to-back-to-back. The last team to try this venture? Why, none other than this very same program, with Cedar Crest doing so following L-L titles in 2014 and 2015 respectively.

And what better way to get an initial read on the state of affairs than by playing some of the strongest competition that the area has to offer right from the jump as Crest did in opening their season earlier this week against Milton Hershey. A sizable loss suffered to the Spartans, sure, but those in the know inside local hoops circles will likely treat Milton Hershey not making it to the upcoming District 3-5A title game as a minor upset within the season at-large for if that were to come to pass. From there, Cedar Crest drew Muhlenberg on Friday evening at Exeter as a part of the City of Basketball Love’s tip-off event, another ardent foe coming out of the 6A ranks that figured to take the fight directly to the Falcons right from the start.

Turns out, that’s precisely what took place in a battle between two feisty teams that refused to give the other so much an inch over the entirety of the game’s 32 minutes.

For Muhlenberg, playing just a stone’s throw away from their campus in Berks County, the Muhls looked at home once the proceedings began.

After canning a pair of consecutive triples to raise the curtain on the game’s scoring courtesy of 6’3 senior forward, Jadin Perez, Cedar Crest had to burn a very quick timeout to try and regroup as they soon found themselves down by an 8-0 count in the aftermath of an offensive rebound and put-back by way of Muhlenberg junior forward, Eli Hemmings, with not even a full two minutes having been erased off the first quarter clock.

Finally, Cedar Crest warmed to the fight after some initial shellshock.  

Aided by the eventual game-high scorer on the night, Antonio Tirado, the Falcons relied on their bouncy junior forward to help calm the waters somewhat as Tirado promptly rattled off four early points in quick succession to gradually bring Crest back within three, 10-7, with roughly 3:20 left to play in the first by that point.

Yet for just as quickly as Muhlenberg began the contest, so too would Cedar Crest retaliate in kind.

In fact, the Falcons would see the Muhls’ early 10-0 lead and raise them an 11-0 rally to counter, capped off with a Jackson Smith take to the cup, suddenly putting Crest out in front, 11-10, before a 3-ball sunk by another in Falcons’ loaded underclassmen ensemble, Steven Reyes, made it a 16-12 Falcons’ rally before the dust would later settle on a frantic opening eight minutes with absolutely nothing have been decided considering the 16-16 stalemate shared between the two clubs.

Ironically though, for as contentious as the much of the opening act had proven itself to be, neither Muhlenberg nor Cedar Crest seemed all that interested in quitting each other as the second quarter wore along.

Case in point, while the Muhls would climb back in front at 22-20 in the aftermath of another first half trey buried by Perez, a follow bucket at the cup by way of wiry Cedar Crest combo guard, Jemar Pauleus, trimmed the Muhlenberg lead down to a penny, 27-26, with now inside of three minutes left before the halftime break which is precisely where things remained once the buzzer sounded and halftime would indeed roll around.

Coming out of the break though, Muhlenberg had picked up right where they had left off right from the game’s outset to begin the second half.  

After being ignited by a marvelous spin move en route to the route via the handiwork of Eli Hemmmings, making it a 32-28 Muhls’ cushion, a trifecta splashed in another of the four Muhlenberg Muhls who would finish the contest in double figures scoring totals, Mikey Miller, pushed the gap out to a seven-point margin at 37-30 with 4:45 showing on the third quarter timer.

From there, “The Berg’s” lead would grow out to a baker’s dozen, 43-30, following a steal and finish by Hemmings, ending his night by sharing in team-high scoring honors alongside Josh Miller with both accounting for a dozen to their names respectively, before Cedar Crest finally settled down somewhat amid the litany of turnovers working against them once junior wing, Jaxon Bechtold, was able to finish off a bucket from point-blank range, making it a 46-32 affair with 80 seconds in the third frame still outstanding.

Upon entering the fourth, Muhlenberg maintaining the 49-36 lead and all, the time was now if Cedar Crest had any desires to try and make a push at sneaking out of Exeter with a hard-fought win early on Friday night. And to their credit, the Falcons certainly went down swinging.

Quietly, then loudly is how things seemed to go inside the final period.

To start, while a Steven Reyes pullup jumper might have seemed innocuous at the time, it really was just the precursor of the rally yet to ensue to cap off the Falcons’ first offensive possession of the fourth stanza. Following suit, a take to the cup by Jemar Pauleus, clipping the Muhls’ lead down inside of single digits, 52-43, before silky-smooth spin move at the tin was punctuated by Antonio Tirado, the game’s eventual MVP from the Cedar Crest side, making it a 52-45 ballgame with a smidge over five minutes remaining. Speaking of which, Tirado was able to at his blistering pace by putting the finishing touches on an old-fashioned three-point play to make it a 55-50 contest, with now under four minutes left.

However, that would be all the closer the Falcons would get towards achieving their first victory of the very young season.

Down the stretch, while it was fair to say that Cedar Crest had their chances, Muhlenberg had yet again refused to fall victim to any sort of heroic Falcons’ charge down the final furlong on Friday night, ultimately winning this game by way of their defense, along with timely foul shooting as evidenced by Justin Armstrong doing his part inside of the final minute, ultimately helping to crystalize a final 63-54 verdict over Cedar Crest in a game that was well worth of the price of admission for anyone so fortunate enough to partake.

From here, there’s no rest for the weary when it comes to the two-time defending L-L champs.

On Saturday, the Falcons will have an early morning wakeup call prior to returning to Exeter for an early afternoon skirmish against Pottstown to cap off the season’s first full weekend, before then returning to action next week with another roadie out to Conrad Weiser — a squad now 1-1 against L-L competition thus far in losing to ELCO but beating Garden Spot — before beginning league play at home next Friday night for tone-setter divisional tilt against Hempfield inside “The Cage.”

It remains to be seen as to what this Cedar Crest group can become and morph into as the 2025-26 journey continues to unfold. What does appear factual though without much in the way of debate is that the Falcons won’t be intimated in the least by anyone looking to take the fight directly to them in hopes of getting them outside their comfort level.

So yeah, maybe you will need a roster to get familiar with these new names. But the attitude at Cedar Crest hasn’t changed. For that, it’s business as usual with Cedar Crest toughness remaining a nonnegotiable inside of the program. Yes, even if it may be a little quiet on the outside to the rest of us.  

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