Mid-Penn Keystone Boys Weekly Recap: Dec. 24, 2023

Written by: Dell Jackson on December 24, 2023

Mid-Penn Keystone Boys Weekly Recap by David Bray Jr.

There was only a short week this week when it comes to games for the Mid-Penn Keystone division teams, but teams are continuing to move up and down the leader board. Certain players are presenting themselves as true star players and definitely change the game for their team. I present the weekly recap of the week of 12/18. For daily updates and game schedules, check out my X page (@KeystoneBBall)!

Mechanicsburg – 7-1 Overall, 4-0 Division

Josh Smith (#1) takes the ball up the court as he looks towards Chance Yanoski (#0)

Mechanicsburg cements themselves as the top spot in the Keystone division after being the only team with an undefeated divisional record, after beating the former co-leader Red Land at home on Friday. The Wildcats also beat Lower Dauphin by 25 after a dominant game overall on both offense and defense. Mechanicsburg was highlighted by Chance Yanoski’s 18 point performance on Tuesday which included 14 points in the first half of the game. Justin Bardo (13 points) and Josh Smith (11 points) both assisted with double digit scoring on their way to a large victory. Versus Red Land, it was a very competitive game overall with no distinct leader until the very end of the game. Yanoski was the leading scorer in that game with 15 points, scoring 2 step-back three pointers in the first which made the packed gym’s home crowd explode with energy. Josh Smith after being heavily guarded the whole game ended with 11 points on their way to a low scoring victory over Red Land. Mechanicsburg continues to show their elite talent in the junior guard duo in Yanoski and Smith and with Liam Owens providing defensive pressure on any player he guards, Mechanicsburg seems to be the team to beat right now. Mechanicsburg hosts a holiday tournament over the winter break for students where they face Selinsgrove on Wednesday. On Thursday, Mechanicsburg will either face Waynesboro or Cumberland Valley.

Red Land – 7-2 Overall, 4-1 Division

Elijah Espinosa (#4) screens Josh Smith (#1) to give Colton Rose (#0) a driving lane to the basket

Red Land has moved to 2nd in the division as they win 2 of 3 this week, beating Palmyra by 18 and Milton Hershey by 35, however falling to Mechanicsburg by 6. Red Land’s players each had an opportunity this week to showcase their talent, as scoring varied from the frontcourt to their backcourt across their games this week. Against Palmyra, 3 players reached double digit scoring in Anderson French (15 points), Tyler Kerlin (14 points), and Elijah Espinosa (11 points). With French and Espinosa playing prominent roles within the paint, it opened up shooting opportunities for Kerlin to shoot the three-pointer and shift the game in Red Land’s favor. In their game versus Milton Hershey, Red Land came out into a very large run early which any team would have trouble keeping up with. Colton Rose came out as the leading scorer with 14 points while Kerlin had 13 points. Espinosa had 4 blocks in a minute-limited game as the bench came into the game early in the fourth quarter to allow the young bench players minutes. In a very low scoring game against Mechanicsburg, Bryce Zeiders led the scoring with 10 points followed by Espinosa, who had 9 points. The three games this week gave a portion of what every player in their starting lineup can do with each one providing a double digit scoring output throughout this week. Red Land will face Chambersburg on Thursday in West York’s Holiday Tournament at West York. The Patriots will face either West York or Governor Mifflin on Friday.

Hershey – 4-1 Overall, 3-1 Division

From last week’s rankings, Hershey drops to 3rd place in the division, however they are still only one game out from being first place. The Trojans split their games this week, beating Lower Dauphin by 19 and losing to Cedar Cliff by 15 to hand them their first loss of the season. Hershey was led by their starting center, Isaiah Danner who posted 10 points versus Cedar Cliff and 17 points versus their crosstown rival, Lower Dauphin. The away game at Cedar Cliff included contributions from sophomore point guard Cameron Sweeney who added 10 points as well. Hershey’s bench added 15 points including 8 points from Aiden Miller who played a key role after Sweeney fouled out in the second half. Against Lower Dauphin, Derek Guzman contributed 11 points and Sweeney produced 9 points to lead the Trojans ahead at home. Hershey will go to Boiling Springs High School to take on Carlisle in the Boiling Springs Alumni Tournament on Wednesday. Hershey will take on either Manheim Township or the hosts, Boiling Springs on Thursday. 

Mifflin County – 5-3 Overall, 2-2 Division

After this week, Mifflin County stays put in the 4th place spot, right on the cusp of being within the top 3 being only 1.5 games behind Red Land and only one behind Hershey. Mifflin County split their games this week, beating Milton Hershey by 25 and losing to Cedar Cliff by 2 in a heartbreaker. Mifflin County was led by their center Jayden Bilger who posted 12 points on Tuesday. The Huskies had 4 scorers in double digits against Milton Hershey being Bilger, Jaylen Bowersox (11 points), Aidan Attivo (11 points), and Jack Curry (10 points). Evan Strohecker added an additional 9 points on their way to a large win away. Against Cedar Cliff, Mifflin County had a strong first half, being up by 12 at the half. Unfortunately, a scoring drought of only 9 points in the second half of the game caused Cedar Cliff to claw back and win. Tagg Silfies was back in the lineup after not playing versus Milton Hershey, posting 6 points. Attivo and Bilger led scoring with 10 points each. There still is a long season ahead and lots of changes can be made in just a few weeks. Mifflin County hosts the Justin Henry Scholarship Trust Tournament this week and will face Central Mountain on Wednesday. On Thursday, the Huskies will either face Manheim Central or Steelton-Highspire.

Cedar Cliff – 3-4 Overall, 2-2 Division

Cedar Cliff had a strong week as they won both of their games to shoot up the rankings from 8th to 5th. The Colts beat Hershey by 15 and Mifflin County by 2 this week. The player who contributed the most to these wins is Sam Grube, who had 30 points versus Hershey and 27 versus Mifflin County off the bench. It seemed as if Grube tweaked his ankle in the final minutes of the Hershey game which could’ve caused him to come off of the bench against Mifflin County. Luke Rogers contributed 11 points off the bench against Hershey which provided a boost towards their win and gave him the ability to start versus Mifflin County. Mo Ahmed also provided a spark to their offense with 9 points. Against Mifflin County, their offense started off slow with only 16 points in the first half, however Grube got into his rhythm and scored efficiently, including the game winning layup with only 2 seconds left on the clock. Cedar Cliff hosts their Holiday Tournament and will face Northeastern on Thursday. On Friday, the Colts will take on either Northern or Red Lion. 

Lower Dauphin – 3-5 Overall, 1-3 Division

Lower Dauphin dropped a spot in the divisional rankings as they dropped both of their games this week. The Falcons lost to Mechanicsburg by 25 and to Hershey by 19. Lower Dauphin had many factors which didn’t help them against Mechanicsburg, as starting point guard Brady Hofsass had a suspension from a double-technical which caused him not to play. Lower Dauphin also had a few injuries which limited the depth on their bench that would’ve been needed. Nico DeFrank led the scoring with 9 against Mechanicsburg, with Landon Miller and Evan Deibler adding 8 points. After going crosstown to face their rival Hershey, they were led by Nick Fry who had 11 points. According to their schedule, they have no games this coming week, however this is subject to change and if it does, I will have it posted to my Twitter. 

Palmyra – 1-5 Overall, 0-3 Division

Palmyra had only one game this week and unfortunately, lost not only the game but their top player. The Cougars stay put being 7th in the division, yet they are right on the edge of being higher, as it still is early in the season. On Tuesday, Red Land beat Palmyra by 18, handing them another divisional loss. Palmyra was led by Hank Roesch who had 11 points, however his scoring stopped after the third quarter as he went down with an ankle injury that he did not put weight on as he hopped off the court. Roesch’s injury is ruled as an ankle sprain and is considered day-to-day. Hunter Mayer and Tyler Burgess both had 7 points against Red Land and will be the top options going forward with the guards. Of course this injury highlights the week for Palmyra, but they still have talent to move up in the division and develop themselves as a threat to the top 4 teams. Palmyra heads to Cedar Crest High School to take part in the Cedar Crest Booster Club Tournament, where they face the hosts on Thursday. The Cougars will take on either Lebanon or Exeter Township on Friday. 

Milton Hershey – 1-5 Overall, 0-4 Division

Milton Hershey moves to the last place marker in the division after taking 2 losses this week to 2 teams in the top 4 of the division. The Spartans were bested by Mifflin County by 23 and Red Land by 35. Against Mifflin County, Milton Hershey was led by Abdou Diene, who had 10 points while being assisted by Josh Sessoms who contributed 6 points off the bench. In a game that was very close throughout the first quarter, Milton Hershey kept up with Red Land until their perimeter shooting started a run that didn’t stop until the second half. Although it was very low scoring with only 24 points credited to Milton Hershey, Khalif Turner provided 6 points while Abdou Diene had 5 points. Although Milton Hershey hasn’t had the start they wanted, they have a lot of young players who will continue to develop throughout the year and hopefully, gain some needed wins to stay the competitive force in the division as they have been in recent years. Milton Hershey will play no games this week as the students have been dismissed on holiday break.

Games of the Week:

Hershey vs Carlisle (@ Boiling Springs) 12/27

Mechanicsburg vs Cumberland Valley or Waynesboro 12/28

Cedar Cliff vs Northern or Red Lion 12/29

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