The Empire Returns: Cedar Crest Embraces ‘Villian’ Role As Falcons Take Care Of Conestoga Valley In L-L Semifinals, Stare Down Possibility Of Winning Fifth League Championship Since 2014
Written by: Andy Herr on February 13, 2025
RJ Young. POG In Cedar Crest Semifinal Win Over Conestoga Valley With Dell
It’s an unproven and unscientific fact, but there’s magic in this week. Otherwise, how could you possibly try and describe the way in which events transpired on Monday night?
If you ask around, those with any sort of vested interest in the comings and goings surrounding the Lancaster-Lebanon League at large — but particularly on the basketball side of things most all — will rightly tell you that this week, complete with three games packed within five days, is what makes this tournament just so incredibly special. Every year, perceived down year or historically transcendent season for the conference all the same, whether it be on the boys’ or the girls’ side of L-L tourney, it always delivers without fail.
And while the championship games are typically the affairs that are remembered the most as time slips by – for good reason you’d be right to say given the implications of the end result – the quarterfinal and semifinal round affairs are just as compelling in their own right, not the least of which certainly stems for the more shall we say, “unusual,” matchups that the early bracket helps sets into motion. Hey, if the results themselves are just as riveting, all the better, yes? Well, in both regards, Monday night’s opening round games most assuredly packed quite a punch.
Let’s walk through a quick scenario here shall we? Imagine, you’re the defending league champions. Now, picture yourself fresh off a divisional title in the crop that houses the conference’s largest schools while you host the runner-up from the division which contains the league’s smallest schools. Got it? Your next task, head into the half while down by double figures in said situation while your home fans are visibly and audibly impatient with your first half showing, a series of 16 minutes in which you only scored two points inside the second quarter alone, and not even 20 in totality.
Obviously not the greatest of circumstances, eh? Well, attractive or not, that’s precisely the situation that the Cedar Crest Falcons found themselves experiencing inside their quarterfinal round game against Lancaster Country Day on Monday evening.
Yet while the Falcons saw themselves staring down the barrel of falling victim to one of the most dramatic upsets that the L-L tournament has ever seen with prior to the start of the third quarter, while one Cedar Crest team entered the locker room, an entirely different crew emerged ready for battle against these upstart Cougars.
How’s 59 points sound for your rebuttal? How about two guys tossing in nine triples between themselves and a baker’s dozen overall as a team? To be sure, Cedar Crest did much, much more than simply regaining their footing in the second half on Monday night. Instead, the Falcons put forth arguably their finest display ever within the course of one half of play as those aforementioned 59 points scored within the second half against Country Day not just turned the tide, it allowed the mercy-rule’s running clock into effect as the Falcons surged their way into Wednesday night’s semifinal round matchup after a posting a rather misleading 76-43 triumph considering the entirety of the game’s 32 minutes.
Speaking of magic, that’s also what it feels like their opponent on Wednesday night, Conestoga Valley, was working with here of late.
For the Buckskins, a team that was primarily residing around the middle to slightly upper crust of the L-L Section Two standings throughout most of this season, thanks to general chaos surrounding them inside the division, along with their own good work of course, CV ultimately made good on chasing down the section’s second playoff spot after winning six of their last eight regular season contests to push through the surrounding pack.
But they weren’t satisfied with that alone.
On Monday, after drawing the assignment of going up against arguably the most steady team that the L-L has seen so far this year, Manheim Central, the Buckskins went into the “Derb” on Monday night and did something that no one else this season had been able to accomplish—beat the Barons on their brand-new home floor following a thrilling 48-47 final result in the quarterfinal round.
So, there you have it. One team coming in after playing maybe the best half of basketball one has ever seen in ages, along with a team that was somewhat of a surprise quite frankly to be standing here in the final four of the league tourney. Yes, even if they in fact had already defeated Cedar Crest in their previous meeting this season, a 54-51 triumph on the road in Lebanon County back on January 3rd.
But isn’t that what is this week-long tournament is all about? Expecting the unexpected? Perhaps, but seeing Cedar Crest emerge to eventually claim a spot inside the league final is something we have just naturally come to expect in recent memory. And after Wednesday night, don’t adjust your eyesight. Here they are. Again.
Simply put, while playing on the heels of that gargantuan second half showing against Country Day, the Falcons picked up right where they left off come the onset of this semifinal round game against CV.
In fact, after seeing 6’8 senior big man, RJ Young, break the scoring seal by tallying the first five points of the contest followed by a take to the tin by way of another Cedar Crest senior, Danny Speaks, the true visitors in this “neutral” site game found themselves with the sizable 9-1 cushion after just the first three minutes of play.
Yet Conestoga Valley would respond in kind.
For those matters, the Buckskins turned the efforts of Josiah Garcia and DeMere Salisbery respectively as the pair of CV underclassmen proceeded to toss in a pair of triples between themselves in back-to-back fashion, ushering the Bucks back within a pair at a 9-7 difference not even a minute of game time later.
However, following a smooth pullup jumper sunk by way of another in the bevy of CV underclassmen, Sawyer Esbenshade, the Buckskins’ junior guard was able to give his side their first lead of the evening, 15-13, before a three-point addition to the cushion would later draw the fall of the curtain on the opening quarter as CV trudged into the second frame with ownership of the 18-13 advantage, albeit despite RJ Young’s 11-point first quarter exploits for his side.
And for a first quarter that felt largely retaliatory in its nature, so too would that same theme hold up once the second quarter got underway just the same.
In that that regard, even while the Falcons would claw back to within a penny at 20-19 in the aftermath of a Jack Waranavage hoop plus the harm, an Esbenshade trifecta on the ensuing Conestoga Valley possession just as quickly pushed the Bucks’ lead back to up to four at 23-19 with roughly half of the quarter having been expired by that point in time.
Shortly afterwards however, Cedar Crest got their groove back.
For that, following a nice cut en route to the hoop by way of 5’10 senior guard, Owen Reager, the Falcons found themselves back in front, 24-23, capping off an impromptu 5-0 spurt, which then morphed into a 9-1 salvo following a trademark Isaac Wolfe triple that then propelled Cedar Crest out to the 27-24 lead with time running dry on the second quarter’s lifespan.
However, that was still more than ample enough time for Esbenshade to bury yet another triple to his night’s body of work, this one causing a 27-27 stalemate come the halftime proceedings as a dead-even first half culminated in the most fitting of ways possible in a deadlocked score.
Ironically, even though it wouldn’t take nearly as Herculean of an effort as it did on Monday night against Country Day, the second half on Wednesday night would yet again yield positive results from Cedar Crest’s perspective.
While surely ignited by way of a trey splashed in by Jack Waranavage on the Falcons’ first offensive possession of the third quarter, the lone remaining team representing Lebanon County team in the boys’ bracket was off and running.
Later, coming off another tough take to the tin by one of three members who reached double figures from the Cedar Crest side of the ledger in this one, Danny Speaks, the Falcons’ lead had swelled upwards to a five-point margin, 37-32, before yet another take to the glass courtesy of 5’11 senior sparkplug, Dylan Groff, made it a touchdown-sized lead at 39-32 with inside of two minutes left to go in the third frame.
Then, after being shutout up until that point following his first quarter showing in which he had scored 85% of his team’s total points, RJ Young more than made up for lost time by authoring the final play of the third stanza.
For most teams, having to go the length of the floor with all of 1.8 seconds remaining is certainly not most enviable of assignments one could ask for. However, when you have the quarterback of the football team on your roster, plus a 6’8 safety blanket at your disposal, the relative attractiveness of the ask doesn’t seem nearly as daunting as perhaps originally thought. In that regard, with Jackson Custer throwing the Hail Mary-style pass to a willing and able RJ Young down on the other end of the floor who simply plucked the pill out of the air while skying above his defender before then promptly turning around for the easy layup at the cup, it felt as if a dagger had been inserted into CV’s dreams of coming back, even though the difference was still at a manageable 41-32 count prior to entering the final eight minutes.
In short, the incision was a success.
Once the inside the fourth quarter, Cedar Crest gradually began the process of building upon their existing cushion. In fact, not only would the lead climb into double figures at 47-36 following a nice two-man game shared between Danny Speaks and Jack Waranavage that resulted in the former dishing to the latter for the easy deuce inside, but an old-fashioned three-point play complied by Speaks would then make it a 50-36 ballgame with 4:26 left to play.
And while CV’s impressive freshman has certainly proven himself to be a blossoming star in the upcoming L-L League ranks here given his play down the stretch of his initial varsity campaign to help be the most demonstrative force in powering the Buckskins’ collective effort — not least of which was evidenced in leading all scorers on the night with a 19-point bucketing — DeMere Salisbery’s put-back bunny at the tin which then trimmed the Falcons’ lead to a 54-43 with inside of a minute was just far too little, far too late for the hosts.
Then, once the horn did sound and the final verdict on a 57-45 Cedar Crest triumph over Conestoga Valley became actualized, that in turn meant that one of the more prevalent themes inside Lancaster-Lebanon League boys’ basketball circles was allowed to continue onward once more.
For with their victory on Wednesday night, the Falcons now not only find themselves on the precipice of going back-to-back when it comes to claiming conference supremacy, but the officially unofficial team of the last decade now finds themselves just 32 minutes away from snatching what would be their fifth league title since 2014, including what will be their seventh finale appearance since 2013 notwithstanding. In other words, old hat around these parts.
“A little bit,” a triumphant RJ Young shared afterwards on Wednesday when asked if he felt there is now a level of onus upon he and the other Falcons’ collective shoulders when it comes to upholding the bar that has been set within their program now. “We know that early in Coach’s career, they were playing for championships and winning championships,” he added of his head coach, Tommy Smith’s, tenure in leading the Falcons program for the past 15 seasons now that has accrued over 200 wins on the bench along with four of the school’s five L-L titles within that same timeframe. “Having a chance for do this now is really fun for all of us. It’s our team now, but it’s still the mindset all around.”
For Young, even though he may have piloted the ship early on in terms of scoring 11 of the 13 first Cedar Crest all by himself before then going into a nearly two quarter-long lull when it came to his personal point production, he still sees his impact being far greater than individual statistics alone. Yes, even if he may have eventually finished as the team-high scorer in tossing in 17 points once the game concluded all the same.
“I forced it a little bit there a little bit at the end of the first half, a little there in the second half too. That’s where we had our down stretch,” Young admitted. “I don’t want to force shots. I want to play off my teammates. If I score, that’s great. If I don’t score and we still win, that’s better than anything. I’m not trying to put up big numbers. I’m just trying to win.”
And for a someone who was seen doubled over in trying to catch his wind while also having to get stretched out behind the team’s bench while fighting cramps at times throughout Wednesday night as well, little speedbumps along the way weren’t going to stop him in this his final go-round inside the league tourney.
“I’ve been banged up all year, but that’s just kind of been my mindset. I’m just trying to play through everything,” he stated of the season’s acquired bumps and bruises. “It’s my senior year. I just want to get another banner hung.”
Another number to add. One that would be the fifth since 2014 if it comes to fruition. To be sure, it’s an act that others may have grown tired of at this point. But not to RJ Young. Not to Cedar Crest. Even if they must be the ones that draw everyone else’s collective ire, they certainly wouldn’t have it any other way.
“For sure. We’ve always had a target on our backs no matter what,” Young said without any hesitation if he and his Falcon brothers of yesteryear enjoy being the itch that no one has really been able to scratch over the last decade. “Being the defending champs, we obviously had that target. And no offense, but we used your picks as motivation. We had that blown up,” he made sure to point out to the one interviewing him, the second such instance someone within the Cedar Crest basketball family stated in the postgame fracas following both Monday and Wednesday night’s victories respectively. “It is what it is. We love being the villain.”
“I’ll wear it. And I love it,” Cedar Crest head coach Tommy Smith said when asked if he too enjoyed playing a leading role in such a capacity. “It’s not always pretty, but you don’t have to marry her,” Smith said off the cuff regarding his team’s style of play this season. “But toughness wins. Toughness wins and we have a tough frickin’ team. Again, it’s not always pretty, but we’re tough. That’s how we continually survive and advance in situations like this.”
Now, following his team’s victory which preceded a Warwick victory over Lancaster Mennonite in the other semifinal game on Wednesday at Conestoga Valley’s home gym, it’ll be a Cedar Crest and Warwick grand finale with a championship on the line at Manheim Township on Friday night. In its own way, that too has become a prevalent theme the last handful of years considering this will not only be the second year in a row in which the Falcons and Warriors have duked it out in the title fight, but it will also be the third time in the half dozen years at large these proud programs that have been able to reach the league’s summit.
“See you Friday,” Warwick head coach, Chris Christensen, said to Smith before going to address his team prior to their game against Mennonite following Cedar Crest’s victory inside a back hallway tucked away from main gym. “Alright. See you Friday, brother” Smith returned.
Considering recent history, whether that exchange was based on intuition, or just a way to burn off some nervous energy all the same, it was more than appropriate. For the two the programs that have largely emerged as arguably the two best inside the conference these last handful of years, it seems only right that these old Section One foes find their way back to one another. Even if those outside of south Lebanon and Lititz may have grown tired of it.
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