Chocolate Bingo

The Columbia K-9 Campaign and the Columbia Consolidated Fire Departent will host a Wolfgang Chocolate Bingo on Saturday, March 19.
The doors will open at noon, with bingo starting at 1 p.m.
For ore information, call 684-5435.

Chamber to host Gala

The Susquehanna Valley Chamber of Commerce will host an upcoming event: http://www.engleonline.com/AdDesk/Htmlfiles/Readers/article.epc?id=46927

Tide player recognized

From link on PennLive...
A team comprised of some of the best high school football players in Eastern Pennsylvania were able to place in the top 4 teams at the Badger Sport/New Level Athletics Elite 7 on 7 Camp at Rutgers University this past weekend. Their team, the Pennsylvania Playmakers, made it all the way to the semi-finals before losing to the eventual champions, Maryland Flex, 20-19 in a heartbreaking loss. This was New Level Athletic's Northeast Region Championship event and by placing in the top 4, they qualified to play at the National Championship Tournament at the University of Alabama during July 4th weekend. I was able to see and record a ton of action during the two-day event. The video won't be available for a few weeks but here are some thoughts on some of the "Playmakers".


Shawn Simmons (Linebacker) - Harrisburg H.S.- The 6'2", 250 pound linebacker impressed many with his speed and quickness for his size. Teams came to find out that Simmons was able to cover running backs coming out of the backfield as he made a lot of athletic plays on defense during the two-day event. Expect his stock to rise considerably on the recruiting circuit.

Dion Shaw (Defensive Back/Wide Receiver) – Ridley H.S. – 6'0", 170 LBS/Damiere Shaw (Defensive Back/Wide Receiver) – 5'11" 170 LBS – The Shaw brothers locked down their side of the field during the two day event. Dion impressed at the workouts last year and this year and did not disappoint with his performance this past weekend. Damiere made several noticeable defensive plays, especially on the second day where he had key breakups. Basically,no one was getting open on these guys. Their performance this weekend should add to their great reputations.

Max Ward (Quarterback)– Steel-High – 6'2", 175 LBS- You can officially add Ward to the list of one of the better quarterbacks coming back in the part of Pennsylvania. He had earned it with his performance over the weekend. Going against some of the best competition in the Northeastern part of the U.S., Ward was able to hit his receivers on all kinds of routes. Ward specialized with the long throws this weekend, showing an ability to hit his wideouts in stride. He helped lead the Playmakers to a top 4 finish and this performance should add to his confidence.

David Williams (Running Back) – West Catholic – 6'0", 180 lbs. Normally, running backs don't do much during 7 on 7 competitions, but the rules at New Level Athletics/Badger Sport events are different. The running back can run the ball and be effective. That's what describes Williams' performance, very effective. He scored on several TD runs during the two-day event and showed his versatility catching the ball out of the backfield. He's a sophomore right now but he is one of the top 5 running backs coming back for the 2011 season.

Mike Burke (Wide Receiver) – Columbia – Along with Simmons from Harrisburg, Burke has to be a kid whose stock rose during the two-day event. He was unstoppable for most of the two-day event, making all kind of catches. He beat his man several times for long touchdown catches and proved that he is one of the best wide receivers coming back for the 2011 season. There's no doubt he earned a lot of respect over the weekend. With his size and precise route running, there's no doubt he'll be on the recruiting radar soon enough.

Kyle Kerrick (Wide Receiver) – Coatesville – Kerrick showed up on the second day of the event and made an instant impact. He showed good hands and great route-running ability while making key catches during the Playmakers run during the second day of the event.

Blake Rankin (Quarterback) – Bloomsburg – Rankin was a kid already on the radar and definitely improved his stock over the weekend even more with his performance. Rankin picked apart defenses the whole weekend and was able to connect on numerous long touchdown passes during the two-day event. Rankin is one of the best QB's in the state.

Kevin Malone (Safety) – West Catholic – Malone manned the safety position for the Playmakers and got a key interception during the second day. Malone is part of a talented nucleus coming back for the West Catholic Burrs for the 2010 football season.

Larry Zimmerman (Defensive Back) – Pine Grove – Zimmerman had a good first day and stepped up his game during the second day with some key pass breakups. He saw a lot of time during the latter part of the single-game elimination tournament and more than held his own. Although he didn't get to showcase his skills at wide receiver, the All-State defensive back proved he belonged against top competition.

Leroy McClain (Defensive Back) – Susquehanna Township – McClain stepped up his game during the second day of the event, showing more aggressiveness and preventing receivers from getting open. McClain is also a wide receiver but defensive back is where he may end up at when he gets to the college level. He already has the speed.

West Hepfield honors officers

Rohrbaugh

Bowermaster

The West Hempfield Township Board of Supervisors presented two officers with awards as well as naming one of the officers as the 2010 Officer of the Year at their regular scheduled meeting on March 1. Officers Richard C. Bowermaster, Jr. and Bradley J. Rohrbaugh were each presented with
the Commendation Award and Officer Bowermaster was named Officer of the Year.
“These officers are being recognized for investigations that they conducted that went well above what is
expected of officers assigned to patrol.” stated Chief Mark G. Pugliese, “In both cases, their investigations
lead to arrests of several individuals and cleared multiple cases for several different jurisdictions. In one case, the investigation cleared cases in another county as well.”
The Commendation Award is awarded to any employee for an outstanding act that involved performance above and beyond the employee's basic assignment.
It is awarded to police officers of any rank for outstanding per-formance of duties under unusual, complicated, or hazardous conditions.
This year there are 2 recipients of the Commendation Award for 2010.
In the fall of 2010 the West Hempfield Township Police Department received two complaints of ATM machines being broken into at a Mountville Borough location. Officer Richard Bowermaster received some information while on patrol and with this information, he was able to developed several suspects and learned that the individuals may have perpetrated criminal acts in other jurisdictions as well. Through Officer Bowermaster’s actions, he along with officers from 6 other law enforcement agencies in both Lancaster and York Counties were able to arrest seven individuals for their involvement in eight thefts, six burglaries, one stolen vehicle as well as other criminal offenses.
Officer Bowermaster worked tirelessly including hours that he was scheduled off-duty to bring this case to prosecution. Officer Bowermaster coordinated the investigation so well that his work was complimented by a long time detective from a neighboring department.
In June of 2010, Officer Bradley Rohrbaugh received a report of a stolen vehicle from a residence in West Hempfield Township. This vehicle was subsequently recovered by the department in Mountville Borough. Officer Rohrbaugh received consent from the vehicle’s owner to search the vehicle and in doing so recovered several cell phones and a GPS that were determined not to belong to the vehicle owner. Using the phones and the GPS unit, Officer Rohrbaugh was able to locate victims and witnesses that ultimately lead to the arrests of three juveniles for offenses that included vehicle theft, burglary, defiant trespass and theft from a motor vehicle. The juveniles’ crime spree spanned over theee jurisdictions and in all, property was returned to seven  victims.
Officer Rohrbaugh’s diligent investigation started with a couple of cell phones and a GPS unit led him to several prosecution and clearing cases in three municipalities. Commendation Award is hereby awarded to Officer Bradley J. Rohrbaugh.

Officer of the Year

Officer of the Year is awarded to an officer who distinguished him/herself through either an accumulation of exceptional contributions or a single incident, and whose actions clearly place the individual well above others of equal rank or grade. Areas of recognition include, but are not limited to: extraordinary valor, positive community impact, administrative accomplishments, crime prevention, training programs, traffic safety and innovative approaches to public service. This individual shall have truly represented the department in a favorable light, having reflected the vision andmission statements in their daily actions.
The 2010 Officer of the Year is awarded to Officer Richard C. Bowermaster, Jr.
Officer Bowermaster is a 10-year veteran of the police department having been hired in 2003. Even though Officer Bowermaster is assigned to the Patrol Division, heconstantly and diligently handles investigations as a seasoned investigator would.
Officer Bowermaster can be relied upon to handle his investigation with dedication and tenacity. Officer Bowermaster’s investigative skills reflect credit upon himself and bring credit to the department.

Crime Stoppers need help

CRIME OF THE WEEK 11-05

Week of February 28th, 2011
FELONY GUN CRIMES
Lancaster City/County Crime Stoppers is offering a reward up to $1000 for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of the person(s) responsible for the listed crime.
Rodney Regan DUNHAM
29 Years of age
Also known as: Alan Everett LONG
557 Avenue H Columbia, PA
5 feet, 7 inches
165 pounds
On July 11th, 2008, the Columbia Borough Police Department investigated an incident of shots fired in the area of South Third Street and Union Street. Officers encountered Rodney Regan DUNHAM and a discarded Smith & Wesson handgun in the area of the incident. As a result of witness information policecharged DUNHAM with Persons not to Possess a Firearm, Possession of Firearms without a License, Recklessly Endangering another Person and False Identification to Law Enforcement. DUNHAM uses the name Alan Long and is a convicted felon in South Carolina.
Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of DUNHAM is asked to contact the Columbia Borough Police Department at (717) 684-7735, or Lancaster City/Lancaster County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-322-1913. Callers can remain anonymous and do not have to give their names.

Wrestling pictures

Fischer is second, two others advance

The wrestling season at Columbia High School continues this week as three wrestlers took another step toward a possible state title.
The Tide's Marcus Fischer, Jordon Halter and Derek Zercher all qualified for regionals this weekend at Wilson High School following top five finishes at this weekend's District Three Class AA championships at Hersheypark Arena.
Fischer was second at 285, Halter finished third at 135 and Zercher was a fifth-place finisher at 119.
Fischer, 31-10, advanced easily to the finals at5 285 pounds where he lost to Tylor Unger of Boiling Springs, 6-2. To get to the finals, Fischer, with a first round bye, opened with a 10-1 major decision over Lancaster Catholic's Evan Schnader. Now in the semifinals, Fischer made quick work of Adam Prohaska of Halifax with a pin in 1:28.
Halter, now 35-4, grabbed the bronze medal with a pin of Damon Becker of Bermudan in 2:39.
The Columbia junior opened districts pinning Kyle Dierolf of Oley Valley in 1:34 and followed that with a 10-6 win over Donny Peters of Susquenita. In the semifinals, Halter race into a major obstacle in Peter Renda of Brandywine Heights. Renda scored a 14-4 major decision over Halter.
Needing a win to medal, Halter got it with an 8-7 win over Andrew Mellot of Boiling Springs.
At 119, Zercher settled for fifth place when he scored a 4-2 sudden victory win over Colby Albright of Susquenita.
Zercher won his first won his first bout over Lancaster Catholic's Raul Gonzalez by a 4-3 score. Zercher then went to the consolation round when he lost 15-7 to Bryan Varra of Milton Hershey. He started his comeback toward a medal with a pin in 4:06 of Colby Starner of Bermudian and then beat Zach Huss of Newport, 6-4. That win put him into the medal round where he lost via a tech fall to Trevor Hernandez of Biglerville.
Columbia took seven wrestlers to districts. A fourth grappler, John Markley just missed advancing when he lost at 152 pounds to Bruce Mullen of Newport, 14-8. Had Markley won that bout, he would have advanced as well.
Others competing were Byron Germer, Bryan Flory and Josh Elliot.

Tide's season ends as buzzer-beater falls short

In a game of two different halves, the Columbia boys' basketball team couldn't overcome a bad first half and saw their season end in the quarterfinal round of the District Three Class AA playoffs Saturday afternoon at Hershey High School.


The Crimson Tide (10-13) couldn't overcome a poor shooting first half and lost to Wyomissing,50-49.

In the first half, the Tide, who was playing its first game in 17 days, shot six of 25 from the field and trailed the Spartans 23-16.

In the second half, the shots started to fall, which gave the Tide a chance to win the game at the buzzer. Dominique Johnson's buzzer-beating jumper from the right elbow fell short, ending a frantic second half for the Tide.

As cold as the Tide was in the first half, they connected on their first four shots from the field to open the second half to cut the Spartan lead to one, 27-26 on a jumper from Tre' Simms (18 points). Wyomissing (13-10) went on a four-point run, leading 31-27 on bucket in the paint by Stuart Kase with about two minutes left in the third quarter.

That's when the Tide got hot again. Olajuwon Michael (12 points) and Nick Nobile each scored four points allowing the Tide to take a 35-32 lead after three quarters.

The Tide extended their lead to five points early in the fourth quarter before Wyomissing scored seven of the game's next nine points to tie the game with five minutes left.

The game went back and forth over the next five minutes before the Spartans went up three points on a foul shot by Duval Singleton with 19.4 seconds left. Simms countered the score with two foul shots to pull the Tide within one with 17 seconds left. But Wyomissing thought they had iced the game on a bucket by Joe Cacchione (14 points) with four seconds left.

At that point, Wyomissing led 50-47 but with two seconds left, Simms was intentionally fouled on a three-pointer. With no one at the line, Simms made two of three and the Tide got the ball back. That's when Johnson's game-winning shot fell short.

The first half was not good for the Tide. They fell behind 9-1 in the first half, recovered to pull within 9-6 after eight minutes on a 2-10 shooting quarter. In the second quarter, the shooting was not much better as the Tide was 4-15 from the field, but only trailed in the game by seven at the half.

Four Tide wrestlers still alive

Day one of competition at the ancient Hersheypark Arena is over for Class AA teams in the District Three wrestling championships. There are still four Columbia wrestlers still alive.
In the semifinals are junior Jordon Halter (135) and senior Marcus Fischer (285). Alive in the consolation bracket looking for at least a third place finish are Derek Zercher (119) and John Markley (152).
The other Columbia wrestlers were eliminated. They were Josh Elliot (140), Bryan Flory (160) and Byron Gemer (215),
Wrestling begins tomorrow at 9 a.m.with the semifinals and second round of consolations. Fischer and Halter need at least one win to advance to next week's regional championships, the others need two.
Halter will face Zach Hess of Newport in his semifinal, while Fischer will face Adam Proshaska of Halifax in his semifinal.
More tomorrow.

The right thing vs. the wrong thing

Columbia Borough and the Safe Harbor Power and Water Company have enjoyed a long friendship. This friendship is due mainly do to the cooperative policing of Safe Harbor owned property by Columbia Borough.

In 2010, Safe Harbor apprcoached Columbia Borough with an offer to gift three parcels of land located along the Susquehanna River. These three parcels are commonly known as the cottage area along the river and are occupied by local cottage owners a nd several boat clubs, one of the boat clubs, the Columbia Canoe Club, is the second oldest canoe club in the country.

Columbia Borough has accepted the offer from Safe Harbor and discussion centered around once accepted, the borough would transfer the property to the cottage owners and the boat clubs. The cottage owners and boat clubs have been there for several generations and the borough felt transferring the property to those who have maintained and sometimes lived on the property is the right thing to do.

The property transfer is to be handled by the Columbia Economic Development Corporation, a local non-profit organization formed to create economic development opportunities within the borough. The transaction is to be similar to the transfer of the property for the Turkey Hill Experience. The proceeds from the transfer of property is to be used by the borough for economic development and quality of life enhancements within the borough.

Shortly after contact with Safe Harbor on the possible gifting, Columbia Borough was approached by the Columbia Water Company, a stockholder owned corporation, not affiliated with Columbia Borough. The Columbia Water Company expressed a need for additional land to expand the plant due to increased filtration requirements. The Columbia Water Company wanted to purchase the parcel of land next to their property. The parcel is currently hoe to several boat clubs and one private residence.

Not wanting to take land from these people, Columbia Borough tried to negotiate with the Columbia Water Company only got the land needed for the expansion. This would minimize the loss of property to those currently leasing the land. Columbia Borough has a solution that would allow the displaced boat clubs to relocate along the Susquehanna River and not infringe on any other leased property.

This option was not acceptable to the Columbia Water Company so the borough presented another idea to the water company, which would not infringe on any of the leased properties, not take river front land of which the dear Lord has only created so much, keep the river front open, allow the water company to locate along the access road and be further from river flooding.

The idea is for the borough to purchase the land from Norfolk Southern running from approximately the Veteran’s Memorial Bridge to Union Street. The land is currently used by Norfolk Southern as an access road. The sale of this land is to be in conjunction with the purchase of the land between the bridges and along the river. This land is to be incorporated into the River Park for public use.

The Columbia Water Company was to present the idea to engineers and give a response to the borough. Instead, the Columbia Water Company has decided to take the one parcel containing te boat clubs by eminent domain. This is not the right thing to do. There are other options that have not been given due thought.

Columbia Borough taxpayers, many of whom have leased propertu and are members of the boat clubs, need to understand the impact of this taking.

Columbia Borough has invested money in an appraisal of the three parcels. This is needed to establish the value of the gifting and subsequent sale. The borough has incurred legal fees associated with the gifting of the three parcels and have asked the Lancaster County Planning Commission to fund a phase one environmental study, needed to ensure the borough that no environmental problems exist on the property they are to own. Columbia Borough was to sell the three parcels a\nd the proceeds were to be used for the economic development and quality of life projects. With the taking by the water company, the value will be considerably less. The Columbia Water Company has incurred legal fees in preparing to take the property by eminent domain, which will be paid by the customers of the Columbia Water Company – Columbia Borough taxpayers. If the taking by eminent domain is challenged, the Columbia Water Company will incur additional legal expenses defending its action. These legal fees will be born by the customers. The Columbia Economic Development Corporation was to receive a fee for transferring the land. The CEDC by law must use any monies earned for economic development projects within the borough. Additionally, the borough’s administrative personnel have spent hours working on this project. Add to the $35,000 Columbia Borough pays the water company for fire hydrants and it is not hard to see that Columbia Borough taxpayers will have a considerable financial loss if this taking happens.

The bottom line is that this may be the easy thing for the Columbia Water Company to do but it is not the right thing to do.

Two from Wrightsville charged

Quarryville police have charged two men from Wrightsville following an accident: http://articles.lancasteronline.com/local/4/355147

Please shovel

On a shaky trip downntown today, discovered at least five properties on Locust Street that either weren't shoveled or barely had a path on their sidewalks. Where's the enforcement?

Frosty must have been thirsty

When the snow was falling yesterday, Frosty must have been thirsty dropping his beer in a snow pile in the 400 block of Locust Street.

Work being done on Smile Cam!

Caught this today during a trip downtown. Work being done to the security cameras on top of the traffic signals at Third and Locust streets.

Tattered old glory

Although today the winds were calm and it wasn't very noticeable, the American flag that flies above the bus stop next to the borough hall is badly in need of being replaced.

Time to order Fastnachts

It's time to order those famous and tasty fastnachts from Holy Trinity. Here is some information:
- Fastnachts are baked on Monday, March 7, Shrove Tuesday, March 8 and Ash Wednesday, March 9. After that, there are four weeks of bakes during Lent, on Mondays and Wednesdays only. The last bake is Wednesday, April 6th.
- Fastnachts must be pre-ordered by dialing 717-684-0487. Telephone lines are open between 9:00am and 6:00pm, Monday through Friday, beginning, Monday February 28th.
- Plain fastnachts sell for $5.00 per dozen and $2.50 per half-dozen. Glazed are $6.25 a dozen and $3.25 per half-dozen.
- Orders must be picked up at the Parish Center between 10:00am and 1:00pm on the designated days. All orders not claimed by 1:00pm will be sold.

Trip to Giant Center awaits

At anytime during a sports season, 17 days is a long time to have off.  For the Columbia boys' basketball team, that's how long its been between games.
The Tide, 10-12, finally returns to the hardwoods Saturday afternoon at 3 o'clock at Hershey High School where they will face Wyomissing, 12-10, in the District 3 Class AA quarterfinals. Win that one and the Tide goes to the Giant Center on Tuesday. Get beat and the season is over.
The Spartans last played last Monday when they were crushed by Reading in the Berks County League playoffs. They finished second in Division IV, well behind Class A power Reading Central Catholic.
The Spartans finished with a 9-4 league record, losing twice to RCC, once to Holy Name and another to Antietam. Wyomissing also lost to Coatesville, Upper Dublin and Octorara from District One and enter the playoffs with four losses in their last eight games.
Defensively, the Spartans will show a 2-3 zone and only average 48 points a game on offense. They have a big back line but are led by guards Joe Cacchione, 9.8 a game and Gerald Burta, 8-6. Forwards Skyler Lash, Stuart Kase and Daniel Helnick are averaging from 6.8 to 6.5 a game. Cacchione and Burta have combined for 46 three-pointers.

CHS playoff tickets

Tickets for Columbia’s District III boys basketball playoff game with Wyomissing on Saturday  at 3 p.m. at Hershey High School will be on sale in the Columbia High School office from 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. on Wednesday 2/23 and Thursday 2/24 and from 8 a.m. – 2 p.m. on Friday 2/25. 
Student tickets are $3 and Adult tickets are $5.  All tickets at the game are $5.

Musser's to get wine kiosk

Something new is coming to Musser's Market at Prospect Road: http://articles.lancasteronline.com/local/4/354729

Keeping it all in the family

This was in the York Daily Record: http://www.ydr.com/business/ci_17443752

Eastern considering stadium improvements

Eastern is considering turf for its footbqll stadium: http://www.yorkdispatch.com/ci_17432061

District 3 wrestling pairings

Here are the preliminaru pairings for this weekend's District Three tournament: http://www.rodfrisco.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/AA-Brackets.pdf

Fischer is sectional champ

The post-season for the Columbia High School wrestling team got off to a good start Saturday at Bermudian Springs High School. That was the site of the Class AA sectional tournament with the Tide grapplers battling teams from the York-Adams League and Mid-Penn Conference.


The Tide came home with and four others placing fourth to qualify for this weekend’s District Three Class AA championships at the old Hersheypark Arena.

Senior Marcus Fischer was the only Columbia wrestler to win a sectional title. Fischer, the top seed at 285 pounds, won the gold medal by beating Trevor Stover of Biglerville in the finals Fischer had the quickest match of the finals, scoring a pin over Stover in 45 seconds.

Fischer, who entered the sectional tournament with a 26-9 record had a pretty easy time advancing to the finals. In the tournament opener, Fischer scored an 8-0 major decision over Eastern’s Kasay Snell. In the semifinals, Fischer pinned Tony Aguilar of Littlestown in 4:54.

Placing second for the Tide were Derek Zercher (119) and Jordon Halter (135).

Zercher, who was the second seed at 119, lost in the finals to Trevor Hernandez of Biglerville, who was the top seed at the weight class, needed 65 seconds to put Zercher on his back.

The Columbia junior, who entered the tournament with a 25-6 record had a first round bye and then pinned Colby Starner of Bermudian Springs in 5:41 ro advance to the finals.

Halter, who was the top seed at 135 pounds, lost in the finals to Donald Minnier of Eastern by a 9-8 score.. It was the second time in about two weeks the two met on the mats. In the final dual meet of the regular season, Halter pinned Minnier, who was ranked 16th in the state at that time.

Halter, who had won 30 of his previous 32 bouts, had a first round bye then pinned Damon Becker of Bermudian Springs in the semifinals in 4:23.

Placing fourth for the Tide, losing in the consolation finals were Josh Elliot (140), John Markley (152), Bryan Flory (160) and Byron Germer (215).

At 140, Elliot (17-15) opened the tournament with a tech fall, 17-1 decision in 3:18 over Nathan Post of Delone Catholic before losing in the semifinals to Jesse Gardner of Biglerville, who scored a pin in 3:39.

Now in the consolation bracket, Elliot kept his season alive by beating Jared Spahr of Bermudian, 6-4 in overtime. In the consolation finals, Elliot was a tough luck 4-3 loser to Mitch Laratonda of Eastern.

At 152, Markley entered the tournament with a 15-14 record and upset third seed Alec Warner of Littlestown, 10-5 in the first match. Now in the semifinals, Markley was pinned in the first period by Tristan Sponseller of Bermudian. In the consolation bracket, Markley advanced with a 5-0 decision over Caleb Gerlach of Hanover before losing the third place match when he was pinned by Kevin Nichols of Biglerville in 4:08.

Flory, a late fill-in at 160 pounds, had the toughest ask of any Columbia wrestler at sectionals. He worked his way back through the consolation round to continue his season. The Tide sophomore lost his opening match to Kyle Bobo. The Biglerville wrestler scored a 52 second pin of Flory.

In the first round of consolations, Flory scored an 18-3 tech fall over David Zinn of Delone Catholic and then moved into the medal round with a pin of Robert Shafer of Hanover in 2:03. Flory then was pinned in the third place bout by Tanner Mitz of Littlestown.

At 215, Germer (21-10) scoed a pin in his first match by Joseph Post of Delone Catholic in 3:39. In the semifinals, Germer was a loser by a fall in 84 seconds to Matt Wolf of Bermudan. In the consolation round, Germer pinned Colin Rigney of Trinity before getting pinned in the third place match by Noel Aguilar of Biglerville.

The Tide took 13 wrestlers to sectionals and a few had a chance to advance.

At 103, freshman Jeff Carroll (14-16) lost his only two matches to Dan May of Biglerville by pin in 16 seconds and to Brandon McLasky of Eastern by a 7-2 score.

At 125, Ezar Bush fell a match short of advancing when he was pinned in the consolation semifinal by Tyler Shafer of Hanover in 2:34. Bush lost his first round match via a pin to Wayne Wivell of Fairfield in 51 seconds, and, then scored a 16-9win over Woodson Powell of Trinity to move within a match of qualifying for districts.

At 130, sophomore Alec Hooper went 0-2 for the tournament. In his first match, Hooper was pinned in 26 seconds by Barry Lewis of Eastern and then was eliminated from the sectional tournament when he was pinned by Austin Jackson of Bermudian in 59 seconds.

At 145, Todd Lingafelt, also went 0-2. In his first match, Lingafelt lost a 9-2 decision to Nick Mort of Fairfield and then was eliminated when he was pinned by Biglerville’s Tyler Lieberum in 3:28.

At 171, Johnny Vazquez was two and out. He was pinned in his first match by Justin Harrison of Littlestown in 3:18 and then lost a 9-3 decision to Brock Linebaugh of Bermdian.

At 189, Cain Warfel was eliminated in the consolation semifinals when he was pinned by Aaron Rooney of Delone Catholic in 1:30.

Warfel lost his first round match to Ryan Vaughn of Littlestown before advancing with a third period pin of Brendan Rigney of Trinity in 4:37.

Columbia finished fourth as a team..

Road to Hershey opens for Tide

The first step in the mythical "Road to Hershey" begins tomorrow with sectional tournaments across the area.


For the Columbia wrestling teams that means a trip to Western York/Adams county area for a Class AA sectional tournament involving nine teams from the York-Adams League, one from the Mid-Penn and Columbia, the lone Lancaster-Lebanon League team. The other L-L Class AA teams are headed to Wyomissing.

This week, the top four finishers in each weight class advance to next week's District Three Class AA championships at the old Hersheypark Arena. Teams competing at Bermudian Springs are the hosts, Biglerville, Eastern, Fairfield, Hanover, Delone Catholic, Littlestown and Trinity. Wrestling begins at 9 a.m., with the finals to begin around 3 p.m., according to the District Three web page.

Columbia has two top seeds in junior Jordon Halter at 135 pounds and senior Marcus Fischer at 285.

Halter, who is 30-2, received a first-round bye and will wrestle the winner of the bout between Damon Baker (21-14) of Bermudian Springs and Alex Randt (15-12) of Fairfield. A finals re-match between Halter and Eastern's Donald Minnier looks likely. Halter pinned Minnier last week in a dual meet.

Fischer, 26-9, faces Kasay Snell of Eastern in the first round. Snell is 8-18. Fischer is also ranked second in District Three according to rankings on PennLive.

Two Columbia wrestlers also drew second seeds. At 125, Derek Zercher, 25-6, is seeded second and will face the winner of the bout between Colby Starner (19-13) of Bermudian or Matt Lauer (2-12) of Eastern. Also seeded second is Nate Warner, 27-6, at 160. His first round opponent is David Zinn, 0-6, of Delone
Other Columbia pairings are:
103: Jeff Carroll, 14-16 vs. Dam May, 29-4, Biglerville.
125: Ezar Bush, 2-10 vs. Wayne Wivell, 24-7, Fairfield.
130: Alec Hooper, 6-24 vs. Barry Lewis, Eastern, 14-10.
140: Josh Elliot, 17-15 vs. Nate Post, Delone, 12-8.
145: Todd Lingafelt, 25-8, vs. Tommy Cassella, Delone, 10-6.
152: John Markley, 15-14 vs. Alex Warner,21-10, Littlestown.
171: Johnny Vazquez, 7-7 vs,. Justin Harrison,15-11, Hanover.
189: Cain Warfel, 14-16 vs. Ryan Vaughn 17-6, Littlestown.
215: Byron Germer, 21-10, vs. Joseph Peet, Delone, 13-10.

Columbia Police reports

JESSICA M. REISINGER, AGE 25, OF COLUMBIA, WAS CITED FOR ONE-WAY ROADWAYS AND ROTARY TRAFFIC ISLANDS, ON BARBER STREET, JAN. 24.
MELVIN R. GREEN, AGE 29, OF COLUMBIA, WAS CITED FOR DRIVING WHILE OPERATING PRIVILEGE IS SUSPENDED OR REVOKED, ON CHESTNUT STREET, FEB. 1.
JENNIFER L. HICKEY, AGE 27, OF COLUMBIA, WAS CITED FOR OBEDIENCE TO TRAFFIC CONTROL DEVICES AT FOURTH AND LOCUST STREETS, FEB. 3.
PAUL A. McCOY, AGE 41, OF COLUMBIA, WAS CITED FOR DRIVING WHILE OPERATING PRIVILEGE IS SUSPENDED OR REVOKED ON LANCASTER AVENUE, FEB. 4.

TATIANNA JACKSON, AGE 18, OF COLUMBIA, WAS CITED FOR DRIVERS REQUIRED TO BE LICENSED ON SOUTH FOURTH STREET, FEB. 5
ERIC ALLEN TORRES, AGE 19, OF MOUNTVILLE, WAS CITED FOR FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY REQUIRED; OPERATION OF VEHICLE WITHOUT OFFICIAL CERTIFICATE OF INSPECTION; UNAUTHORIZED TRANSFER OR USE OF REGISTRATION; AND FOR REGISTRATION AND CERTIFICATION OF TITLE REQUIRED, ON NORTH SEVENTH STREET, FEB. 5.

THE FOLLOWING PERSONS WERE CITED FOR OPERATION OF VEHICLE WITHOUT OFFICIAL CERTIFICATE OF INSPECTION, BETWEEN FEB. 6-9: GERI RACHELLE CLINTON-AMER, AGE 29, OF COLUMBIA; SIETA L. BETHEA, AGE 38, OF LANCASTER; KRISTIAN M. BROWN, AGE 24, OF LANCASTER; AND JOSHUA ALEXANDER RAMOS, AGE 29, OF COLUMBIA.

ARIEL SOLIS, AGE 33, OF LANCASTER, WAS CITED FOR OBEDIENCE TO TRAFFIC CONTROL DEVICES AND FOR DRIVING WHILE OPERATING PRIVILEGE IS SUSPENDED OR REVOKED, ON LINDEN STREET AT NORTH THIRD STREET, FEB. 7.

JOHN A. WALLING, AGE 63, OF LANCASTER, WAS CITED FOR STOP SIGNS AND  YIELD SIGNS, ON MANOR STREET, FEB. 8.

KENNETH PAUL HESS, AGE 60, OF WRIGHTSVILLE, WAS CITED FOR OBEDIENCE TO TRAFFIC CONTROL DEVICES, ON ROUTE 441 SOUTH, FOR TRAVELING 51 IN A 35 MPH AREA, FEB. 16.

PAMELA RENEE BRYANT, AGE 44, OF LANCASTER, WAS CITED FOR RESTRAINT SYSTEMS, AFTER BEING PULLED OVER AT 12TH AND MANOR STREETS FOR NO HEADLIGHTS, IT WAS DISCOVERED A 2 YEAR OLD WAS IN THE VEHICLE WITHOUT BEING SECURED IN A CHILD PASSENGER RESTRAINT SYSTEM, FEB. 17.
ALICEA CORALI MALDONADO, AGE 25, OF LANCASTER, WAS CITED FOR DRIVING WHILE OPERATING PRIVILEGE IS SUSPENDED OR REVOKED, ON LANCASTER AVENUE, FEB. 10.

RICHARD SAMUEL McLAIN, III, AGE 19, OF COLUMBIA, WAS CITED FOR DRIVERS REQUIRED TO BE LICENSED AND FOR TRAFFIC CONTROL SIGNALS AT THIRD AND CHESTNUT STREETS, FEB. 10.

DEANA A. OSUCH, AGE 37, OF MOUNT JOY, WAS CITED FOR PUBLIC DRUNKENNESS IN THE 500 BLOCK OF NORTH THIRD STREET, FEB. 10.

AMANDA E. MOORE, AGE 30, OF COLUMBIA, WAS CITED FOR OBEDIENCE TO TRAFFIC CONTROL DEVICES ON LANCASTER AVENUE, FEB. 12.

ERICA J. VICKERS, AGE 27, OF MOUNT JOY, WAS CITED FOR CHILD PASSENGER SAFETY LAW, BECAUSE A FIVE AND EIGHT YEAR OLD CHILD WERE NOT IN SECURED CHILD BOOSTER SEATS, AT SIXTH AND UNION STREETS, FEB. 13.
KRISTINE TI HIRSCHBECK, AGE 31, OF GLENN ROCK, WAS CITED FOR OBEDIENCE TO TRAFFIC CONTROL DEVICES AT THIRD AND LINDEN STREETS, FEB. 14.
SCOTT ALAN BLOUNT, AGE 47, OF COLUMBIA, WAS CITED FOR DRIVING WHILE OPERATING PRIVILEGE IS SUSPENDED OR REVOKED, ON UNION STREET, FEB. 15.