Around the Mid Penn: Luke Brown

Written by: Dell Jackson on January 5, 2023

The Mid Penn basketball scene is in full swing. Holiday tournaments have finished, and teams have
played up to 7 to 10 games into the year. Some seasons have panned out perfectly, while some teams are
hanging on to playoff hopes desperately. Let’s talk about the Mid Penn.

Top Dogs
Trinity
Once again it’s the holy trinity of teams atop the Capital division standings, and it’s fitting to call
them the Holy Trinity, because one of those teams happens to be Trinity. The Shamrocks are consistently
a top school in the Mid Penn, and this season proves to be no different. Two transfers, Mike Bednostin
and Adelphe Cisse have helped out the cause for the Shamrocks, especially 6-11 center Bednostin, who
has shot well in the mid-range, free throw line, rebounded well and been able to light up the gym with
dunking abilities. There’s not a lot he can’t do. Owen Schlager has proved that he is not a one hit wonder,
as his second season with the Rocks. He recently reached his career high in single game scoring with 31
in a win against Archbishop Curley (MD). Trinity sits at a 7-2 record with losses to Berks Catholic and
Tunkhannock.

As for Trinity’s opponents, Middletown and McDevitt look to be pretty worthy of the top spot in
the division. Middletown may have lost the duo of Tate Leach and Tajae Broadie, but the new duo of
Mason Blazer and Tyson Leach is proving to be just as effective. Middletown will visit Trinity on Friday,
January 6th in what should be one of the best games of the year.

McDevitt is in third in the Mid Penn Capital, and coming off a major win on Monday night (Jan
2), beating Middletown by 12 at home. New coach Mark Risser has rallied his guys past the opening loss
against Fleetwood, and since that loss to open the season, the Crusaders haven’t lost since, beating teams
within the Capital and beyond. Tristen Waters has been the focus for teams, but even when you shut down
Waters, the Crusaders can move into a new hemisphere of their game, just like their visit to Camp Hill,
when Waters was shut down to single digit scoring, but Tyshawn Russell, just 11 days removed from his 4
touchdown State Final outing, scored 24 and got the 87-48 win on the road. McDevitt is 1-0 against
Middletown so far, and faces the Blue Raiders again on January 24th. The Crusaders take on Trinity at
home next Tuesday, January 10th.

Milton Hershey
Milton Hershey is always a team to keep your eye out for, and this year is no different. They opened their
season with a tough opening 2 games, facing a Mid Penn 2nd place team Shippensburg, and then visiting
Mechanicsburg 4 days later. The tough slate didn’t faze the Spartans, as they fought on to the beating both
by margins of 9 and 8. They’ll face a 6-3 Mechanicsburg team again this year on January 13th, but that’s
not the only competing they’ll do with the Wildcats this season, as both teams are fighting for a bid to the
Mid Penn tournament, and the right to call themselves Mid Penn Keystone champions. Right now it
seems Milton Hershey is on track to win the division, but with many more games left, anything is
possible. Prior to the season, Mechanicsburg coach Mike Gaffey was thrilled to be back in the Keystone
division, because every game is a dog fight, and the Wildcats could very well dog fight their way through
the division to win.

Cumberland Valley
Cumberland Valley/State College
There’s few undefeated teams left in the Mid Penn, but Cumberland Valley is within that few. The 6A
class is a hard class to top, but Cumberland Valley can practically touch the #1 spot. The Eagles’ next
matchup is Central Dauphin, who have so far underperformed the expectations, and are dealing with the
loss of last year’s star Donavan Hill. Despite a perfect record, the Eagles actually do not hold the number
one spot in the Mid Penn Commonwealth division. State College is the Commonwealth’s best despite a 1
loss record to the Eagles’ spotless record. The Little Lions from State College have a loss to McDowell
(Erie, PA), but have outscored Commonwealth division opponents 229-167 in 4 games. The Little Lions
will face the Commonwealth’s 3rd place team, Chambersburg on Friday. The first meeting of the The
Little Lions and Eagles is January 24th at State College, and the Little Lions will visit Mechanicsburg
February 2nd.

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