Warwick Athletics

The new Middle School is continuing along nicely, but it also continues to wreck havoc on our athletic programs. The latest victim is JV Softball. Due to accessibility concerns, home JV Softball games on March 20th, April 1, 3 and 9 are being relocated to John Beck Elementary.

A reminder that JV Baseball practices and plays at John Bonfield Elementary.

Student-athletes are bussed over to the school for these events, but parents need to pick up their children at the elementary school.

Do you know Warwick’s policy regarding academic eligibility for athletics? Let this post be a review of Warwick’s policy and the expectations of the student-athletes.

PIAA Rules and Regulations require weekly grade reports of student-athletes. Warwick’s policy meets PIAA standards and has the following in effect: All student-athletes must be passing four full credits and may not be failing more than one course. Any student-athlete deemed ineligible may not compete for a period of one week  according to PIAA regulations. The period of ineligibility shall run from Sunday-Saturday of the following week that grades are checked.

Here is a timeline the athletic department follows with regards to academic eligibility:

Tuesday- An FYI report is run for all teams showing the head coach which students have a 60% or below.

Friday- The official grade report is run at noon. Any student-athlete that is not passing four credits and/or is failing more than one course is deemed ineligible for the following week. The athletic director or head coach meets with ineligible athletes to let them know their eligibility status.

Any ineligible student-athlete may practice with the team, but they may not participate in any competitions or be in full uniform on game day. If a team has an early dismissal to an away event, ineligible athletes may not get out early to travel with the team.

It is strongly encouraged that parents and students alike check grades on a daily basis. Webgrades allows students to check their grades at any time. As always, if there are any questions regarding athletic department policies, please contact the athletic department at 626-3790.

Antonio Giorgio, Warwick’s outstanding junior 215-pounder, will begin his quest for a PIAA Gold Medal today when the PIAA Wrestling Championships gets underway at the Giant Center beginning at 4PM. Below is the schedule for the championships. If you have a chance, travel on over to Hershey and cheer Antonio on.

AAA Preliminary Round- 4PM Thursday March 5th

AAA Quarterfinals- 1PM Friday March 6th

AAA Semifinals- 8AM  Saturday March 7th

AAA Finals- 8PM Saturday March 7th

Hopefully we will see Antonio put his opponent in this position on Saturday night and emerge as Warwick’s First Ever Wrestling State Champion!

It was a banner week-end for a couple Warwick Swimmers at this week-ends District III Swimming Championships at Cumberland Valley High School.

On Friday, Dain Bomberger, a sophomore, swam a school record 21.53 to capture the silver medal in the 50 Freestyle. Colin Schouten, a senior, also captured a silver medal with a 1:43.51 in the 200 Freestyle.

On Saturday, Dain added another silver medal in the 100M Freestyle with another school record. His time was 47.85 seconds. Colin also added more hardware by capturing the gold medal in the 500 Freestyle in a winning time of 4:37.54. Both Colin and Dain will represent Warwick in the PIAA Championships on March 13 and 14 at Bucknell University. Best of luck to both Colin and Dain.

Congratulations to our Warwick Warrior District Champions that were crowned this past week-end.

1. Justin Hammerstone, an 11th grade student, won the first ever District III Individual Bowling Championship with a 202-178 victory over Garden Spot’s Detrick. Justin qualified sixth for the finals and worked his way thru the field for the victory. His teammate and fellow classmate, Austin Kissinger placed 5th overall. Congratulations to both Justin and Austin for a job well done.

2. Antonio Giorgio has won back to back District III crowns in wrestling this year topping Ueberroth of Cocalico with a 3rd period pin to claim the 215 lb. title. Last year Antonio won District gold at the 189 lb. weight class. Antonio looks to claim Warwick’s first ever PIAA Individual title in two weeks at Hershey.

This past Saturday at Hempfield High School, Warwick wrestlers competed looking to advance to the District III Tournament held this coming week-end at Hersheypark Arena. The following wrestlers all won Sectional Crowns to advance to the District III Tournament.

1. Matt Myers: 135 lbs., Matt pinned his opponent in 19 seconds for the quickest fall in the finals.

2. Eric Resch: 160 lbs., Eric won 4-0 to advance to the District III tournament with an eye on making it back to the PIAA Championships.

3. Antonio Giorgio: 215 lbs., Antonio is 41-0 on the year and pinned his opponent in 1:16 in the finals. Antonio is looking to win his first PIAA Championship after placing 2nd last year.

Good luck at Districts on Friday and Saturday.

On Friday February 6th, Warwick was honored to see nine of its senior student-athletes sign National Letters of Intent to continue their athletic career at a Division I or II College or University. All of these young men and women are among Warwick’s finest on the athletic field as well as in the classroom. We wish them well and encourage them to make Warwick proud! Here are the student-athletes who signed, where they will be attending and for what sport.

• Emily Eidemiller- James Madison University- Swimming
• Colin Schouten- Georgia Tech Institute of Technology- Swimming
• William Mark Stuckey- Marist College- Baseball
• Zach Shank- Marist College- Baseball
• James Andrew Wenger- Duke University- Soccer
• Elyse Sultzbach- Kutztown University- Soccer
• Kate Rossman- St. Francis University- Field Hockey
• Kelsey Zeswitz- Lehigh University- Field Hockey
• Allison Weaver- University of Akron- Golf

Again congratulations and thanks for all the wonderful memories you have provided to Warwick.

Warwick vs. Manheim Twp. Girls Basketball Section One Game of the Week. Here is what is on the line: For Manheim Twp., their first Section One crown in many years. For Warwick, a chance to end the season on a three game win streak and qualify for the District III Basketball Tournament. Upend Township, and Warwick could also make a huge mess of Section One. It should be quite a game. Also, it is senior recognition night for the girls. Come out and support Ana, Carmen, Jen and Maddie as they take the floor for the final time in the regular season as a Warwick Warrior.

Jen Thomas driving for two.

Maddie Zimmerman looking to get past an Etown defender.

Last night Warwick hosted Penn Manor on senior recognition night. The Warriors entered the night in hopes of keeping alive their playoff dreams. After a hard fought game, the Comets prevailed 55-50. The night was not an entire disappointment, as Warwick said farewell to seven senior boys who played their final game on their home court.

#21- Tyler Eberly

#24- Kevin Esbenshade

#11- Matt Gavin

#1- Jermaine Gilbert

#0- Nate Hackman

#32- Casey Osborne

#13- Randy Yost

Congratulations to the senior boys and best of luck in all your future endeavors. Thanks for your hard work and the many memories you have provided us. And as always, Go Warriors!

Sitting here on a snow day, after all phone calls have been made to reschedule events, what do my thoughts turn to? Why spring sports of course. We are a mere 4+ weeks to the first day of spring practice (March 2nd). Preparation is already underway with open gyms, pre-season meetings and trying to figure out where to practice and play amidst all the construction with the Warwick Middle School project. Here is a rundown of practice and playing locations for the upcoming spring season.

Boys Volleyball: This one’s easy. Large gymnasium.

Boys Tennis: Another easy one. HS Tennis Courts.

Track and Field: You are starting to think anyone can be AD. Track events take place on the track, but where are the field events? Due to construction, there will be new shot put, discus and javelin areas. Shot Put now has two circles in its new home located near the Varsity Baseball Field. Discus’ new home will be on the south side of the track beyond the high jump/triple jump area. Javelin will be temporarily located for the 2009 season on the Varsity Hockey Field. There will be a grass runway for this season.

Softball: Things begin to get interesting. At this moment, JV Softball and Varsity Softball will practice and play in their current locations. JV is behind the Middle School and Varsity is at Ambucs Field. JV may need to relocate games to Bonfield Elementary. A decision will be made closer to March on this possibility. Night games will remain at Ambucs Field with JV at 5PM and Varsity at 7PM.

Baseball: Gone is the old JV field. The new JV field is located to the west of the track. However, it will not be ready for play until Spring 2010. This season, JV will practice and play at Bonfield Elementary. Transportation will be provided daily to the field. Parents can than pick up their child at Bonfield after practice or home games. No change for Varsity Baseball.

Both Baseball and Softball will benefit this spring from a new batting cage in the HS Auxiliary Gym that will be installed in February. The cage spans the width of the gym and will provide a great practice area for hitting for both teams.

Girls Soccer: As in the fall, the teams (Senior High and Junior High) will need to share facilities as a majority of soccer fields were lost due to construction. The fields along Limerock Road will again be used for games and Senior High practice. The lighted field behind the Middle School will be used mainly for Junior High practice. Night game locations have yet to be determined. If the lighted field is accessible for spectators, than night games will be played there. If not, night games will move to Grosh Stadium. This will be determined closer to March.

Girls Lacrosse: The team will practice and play all games on Field #2 which is next to the Varsity Field Hockey Field.

Boys Lacrosse: The team will practice and play all games on Field #3 which is to the east of the track.

If you have any questions on practice of playing locations, don’t hesitate to contact the Athletic Department at 626-3790 or ask a member of the coaching staff.