York County's top sports stories of 2023 include emotional triumphs, inspiring milestones

It was just the sixth day of 2023, and the Central York girls’ basketball team had just cruised to a Saturday afternoon victory over Cumberland Valley to improve to 12-0 for the season. Panthers coach Scott Wisner — who secured his 388th win across 24 high school seasons in two different stints — was feeling under the weather, so assistant coach Sean Potts and senior point guard Bella Chimienti spoke with reporters after the game instead. In the moment, it seemed like nothing more than a precaution.

In the ensuing days, however, Wisner was hospitalized and diagnosed with glioblastoma, a malignant and aggressive form of brain cancer that has a 6% survival rate among adults. Potts became the Panthers’ acting head coach for the rest of the season. Word traveled quickly, and a slew of Wisner’s former players dating back to the 1990s came out to show their support at Central’s next game. T-shirts reading “Win for Wisner” were sold not only within the community but across York County, with proceeds raising over $3,000 for the Wisner family. They were ubiquitous at the York-Adams League tournaments in mid-February.

The Panthers didn’t stay undefeated, but they certainly won plenty in Wisner’s honor. They rolled to the York-Adams Division I title, and after being stunned by a Dallastown buzzer-beater in the county final, they advanced to the District 3 Class 6A championship game, which Wisner watched from a suite at the Giant Center in Hershey. Central York dropped that game to Cedar Cliff but rebounded with a pair of wins in the state tournament, the first of which — a double-overtime triumph over Souderton — was credited as the 400th of Wisner’s career. He finished at 401.

The cyclical winds of change have since swept through the program. The Panthers graduated six seniors, including college-bound stars Mackenzie Wright-Rawls (D-I NJIT) and Chimienti (D-II Bloomsburg). They replaced Wisner with Kevin Schieler, who had coached the Central York boys’ team from 2011-20 and remained a teacher at the school. Potts, who didn’t aspire to be a head coach and didn’t apply for the job, is now on the coaching staff for division rival York High. But neither he nor anyone else involved with the 2022-23 Panthers will forget their historic, bittersweet journey together.

Perry, drought, prominent deaths:Here are York County's top stories of 2023

There was another Panthers program playing through heavy hearts this spring, as well.

Beloved Central York boys’ volleyball coach Todd Goodling died in January after a long battle with an illness. He was 63, and while he had only served as head coach for seven seasons, his time with the team dated back to 1984 and included 12 district titles and four state championships. John Feldmann and Landon Shorts, both former all-star players for the Panthers, assumed co-head coaching duties this spring.

It was an emotional campaign, but it brought plenty of unforgettable triumphs. Central earned a share of the York-Adams League’s regular-season title, then swept Northeastern for the league tournament championship. The Panthers finished second at districts — just like the girls’ basketball team — and knocked off reigning PIAA champion North Allegheny en route to a state semifinal appearance, Central’s deepest playoff run since 2019.

“This team wouldn’t be where it is today without Todd,” Feldmann said after the Panthers won the league title on May 16. And with four of six all-stars set to return in 2024, Goodling’s impact will continue to live on.

Both Wisner and Goodling were inducted into the Central York Athletics Hall of Fame in September before the football team’s home opener. Goodling’s family members stood in his place at the ceremony, while Wisner and his wife, Heather, rode to midfield in a golf cart driven by Potts. Both coaches received loud ovations from the stands when their names were called and accomplishments read over the PA system.

Goodling’s death and Wisner’s continuing battle have served as harsh reminders of how fragile life can be, and why it should never be taken for granted. But Central York’s responses in the face of tragedy, both on the court and throughout the community, are a touching example of the healing power sports can have.

It was a memorable year for sports in York County, from local high school fields to some of the biggest stages in the country and around the world. With the calendar set to turn over, here’s a look at some more of the area’s biggest sports stories of 2023.

Trinity’s historic perfection: Perhaps no local figure has captivated sports fans in recent years quite like Trinity Thomas. The former West York athlete claimed the NCAA all-around gymnastics championship for Florida in 2022, and she returned for her fifth and final season last winter with eyes on winning a team title. But the extra eligibility also allowed her to chase the career record for perfect 10s, a mark she tied at the national championships.

Thomas’ 28 perfect scores are tied with UCLA's Jamie Dantzscher and Kentucky's Jenny Hansen for the most in NCAA history, but her path to the number is one of one. In her career, Thomas completed the “Gym Slam” — a perfect 10 in all four events — five times; only 13 gymnasts have accomplished the slam even once and just two others did it twice before Thomas.

The super-senior was limited in the postseason after suffering a lower leg injury at regionals, but her 10.0 on the vault at nationals helped lift No. 2-seed Florida to a runner-up finish. Her competitive career isn’t over, as she announced in July she would pursue a spot on the U.S. Olympic team in 2024 following a retirement from elite gymnastics in 2021. She’s also currently pursuing her second master’s degree in entrepreneurship at Florida and serving as an assistant coach for the Gators.

Walker goes pro: Jarace Walker never played high school basketball in York County, but the local basketball community watched with excitement as the New Freedom native blossomed into a freshman phenom at the University of Houston, which was ranked as college basketball’s top team for portions of the 2022-23 campaign. The Cougars earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament and reached the Sweet 16; Walker, a 6-foot-8 power forward, averaged 11.2 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per contest in an American Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year campaign. He had 16 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and four blocks in his final college contest.

In June, Walker became the NBA’s highest-drafted player with York County ties when he was selected eighth in the association’s June 22 draft. While he was technically selected by the Washington Wizards, the Indiana Pacers had traded back into the No. 8 slot and selected him as part of a deal.

Walker made his unofficial pro debut in the NBA summer league, where he actually shared the floor in two games with Eli Brooks, the former Spring Grove superstar and Michigan standout. Brooks, who went undrafted in 2022 and spent most of last season in the NBA G League, signed a contract in July with a pro team in Italy. 

It’s been a relatively slow start for Walker in Indiana. Through Christmas, he’s appeared in just eight games and bounced between the NBA and the G League. The Pacers (15-14 through Dec. 26) are a burgeoning young squad who reached the finals of the In Season Tournament earlier this month, and Walker — whose offensive game remains a work in progress at this level — hasn’t broken into a crowded rotation. Still, coach Rick Carlisle has stressed that the athletic rookie forward is a big part of the franchise’s future.

College football frenzy: It was an incredibly busy year for former York-Adams stars on the gridiron. York High’s Jahiem White was a breakout star for West Virginia, becoming the Mountaineers’ top running back by the end of the season and breaking out for over 200 yards during a game in November. And at Division II Slippery Rock, quarterback Brayden Long (New Oxford) put up jaw-dropping numbers in his first season as a starter and finished fifth in voting for the Harlon Hill Trophy, D-II’s Heisman equivalent. The Rock went 12-2 and reached the national quarterfinals.

Central York’s Beau Pribula served as Penn State’s backup quarterback and third-leading rusher. Another ex-Panther, linebacker Carter Glassmyer, starred for FCS-level St. Francis and earned his conference’s Defensive Rookie of the Year. Slippery Rock’s Khalid Dorsey and IUP’s Dayjure Stewart, both former York High running backs, earned All-PSAC honors this fall. And Pittsburgh’s Kenny Johnson (Dallastown) highlighted an impressive freshman season with a 100-yard kickoff return in October.

Three more YAIAA stars — record-breaking Central York RB Juelz Goff (Pittsburgh), Spring Grove OL Michael Hershey (Maryland) and York High OL Michael McMonigle (Maryland) — signed with power-conference programs on Dec. 20, and several other seniors should find college football homes before the next signing period in February. Perhaps even more breakout seasons will be on the way next fall.

Parker pitches in World Series: Dallastown graduate Nick Parker, after spending four years with Coastal Carolina’s baseball program, enrolled at Virginia as a graduate transfer so he could prove himself against ACC competition. He ended up saving his best collegiate season for last and turned into an ace for a Cavaliers team that made it all the way to the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska.

The right-hander went 8-0 with a 3.64 ERA in 16 starts for UVA. He left the Hoos’ CWS opener against Florida with the lead, but Virginia ultimately went 0-2 in the tournament. Parker was not selected in the MLB draft but signed in late July with the York Revolution in the Atlantic League; he made 10 appearances for his hometown pro team, which posted an impressive 71-54 record under new manager Rick Forney.

This year was also the swan song for Central York’s Courtney Coppersmith, who closed perhaps the best career in UMBC softball history with another NCAA Tournament appearance. At D-III Penn State Harrisburg, meanwhile, Kendis Butler (Christian School of York) broke her program’s career scoring record in January and was named an NCAA Women of the Year nominee in the summer. Susquehannock’s Emma Stiffler broke the Shenandoah women’s lacrosse scoring record this spring.

A handful of YAIAA alumni captured national titles in 2023. Biglerville’s Levi Haines became a freshman starter for Penn State’s championship wrestling squad. Former Central York field hockey teammates Breann Craley and Grace Harrold celebrated a Division II title together at Kutztown. And Dallastown’s Sydney Ohl was on the court as Juniata secured its second straight D-III volleyball championship.

Marsteller goes worldwide: Chance Marsteller’s story is well known in this area. After going 166-0 and winning four state titles at Kennard-Dale, he chose Oklahoma State over Penn State but was kicked off the team during his second season. He enrolled at Lock Haven but was arrested in 2016 for public exposure and assault of police officers, later revealing he was addicted to opioids at the time. He eventually re-enrolled, finished college as a two-time All-American and has since used his story to inspire those struggling with addiction.

While he’s worked as a coach and mentor to young wrestlers in recent years, Marsteller is still at the top of his sport. And this June, he scored his biggest victory to date, an upset of six-time world champion Jordan Burroughs to clinch a spot on Team USA’s world team roster. He represented his country at the world championships in Belgrade, Serbia, this September.

Marsteller’s international debut didn’t go as planned — he went just 1-1 in the 79-kilogram (174-pound) weight class, losing in the quarterfinals and officially finishing 14th — but he’s hopeful for more international opportunities in the future. The top five finishers in each class punched tickets to the 2024 Olympics in Paris, but Marsteller is still fighting for his chance to achieve a lifelong dream (achieved by his older brother, John Stefanowicz, in Greco-Roman wrestling in 2021).

Loretta Claiborne Day: Few people have ever represented York County as well as Claiborne has over the years. The Special Olympics athlete and global speaker has won seven gold medals in a wide range of sports on the world stage, with her first coming in the one-mile run in 1983 and her latest coming in tennis this summer, just shy of her 70th birthday. (She also won a bronze medal in doubles tennis.)

Claiborne, who was born partially blind and intellectually challenged, won the Arthur Ashe Courage Award at the 1996 ESPYS and hasn’t slowed down. She was honored with a parade and ceremony in downtown York on Friday, July 7, which was declared “Loretta Claiborne Day.” City, county and state officials were on hand for the event, which featured speeches from Claiborne and other special guests.

On June 10, the morning Claiborne left for the Special Olympics World Games in Germany, she was assaulted while riding her bike home from a Turkey Hill. Damon Cole, 20, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor simple assault, criminal mischief and harassment charges earlier this month. Claiborne suffered only minor injuries and went on to win multiple medals at the games. She turned 70 on Aug. 14.

York Rose Bowl makes debut: The local high school football season began with a new look on Friday, Aug. 25, with York Suburban hosting five games across two days in the inaugural York Rose Bowl Kickoff Classic. The Trojans and York Tech both played Friday night, while York High faced Harrisburg in Saturday’s nightcap. The other games that day featured eventual PIAA champions Steel-High and Imhotep Charter.

Suburban athletic director Ronald Coursey had organized similar showcases at previous stops, but he plans to remain in the area and make the York Rose Bowl an annual opening-weekend staple. With a new PIAA scheduling cycle starting in 2024, he’s hopeful to add even more local squads. While the inaugural event had its sore spots, it’s clear the future of big-time football in York is bright.

Spring state supremacy: Spring Grove junior Laila Campbell has been a sprinting sensation her entire high school career, and she added her third consecutive Class 3A 100-meter and 200-meter PIAA gold medals at the state meet in May. But she wasn’t the only local gold medalist in 2023 — freshman teammate Ella Bahn won the 3A girls’ 400 meters, South Western’s Bernard Bell claimed the 3A boys’ 300 hurdles and Bermudian Springs’ Lily Carlson took the 2A girls’ pole vault.

Campbell also repeated as the 100-meter champion at New Balance Nationals in June. The senior signed with powerhouse LSU in November.

The YAIAA didn’t have a team state champion in 2023, but the Northern York softball team brought a PIAA title back to York County. The Polar Bears made an unforgettable run to the Class 5A state crown and won an extra-innings final when freshman Sabrina Paulin’s single scored sophomore ace Samantha Magee in walk-off fashion. Northern was just 16-4 in the regular season, but coach Emily Quatrale’s team went 8-0 in the playoffs.

National treasures: For some groups of local athletes, the lasting sports memory of 2023 came not in high school competition but with a traveling club team. And two of those squads can now call themselves national champions.

The Ballyhoo FC 07 Black soccer team, an under-16 squad filled with budding York-Adams stars, won the U.S. Youth Soccer U16 Presidents Cup in July after becoming the first team from York to even reach the national tournament. Head coach Bret Altimore’s team won its semifinal match in penalty kicks before Noah Brady (Eastern York) scored a hat trick in a 5-1 final triumph in Wichita, Kansas. The group, which has seen incredible continuity for a travel team, finished 34-3-1 across all competitions for the season.

On the basketball court, Kevin Glover’s Lady Raiders AAU squad won a pair of national tournaments in Louisville, Kentucky, in early July, going a combined 10-0 against talented squads from around the country. The group closed its time together later that month, and several of its stars — including Eastern York’s Arianna Seitz, York High’s Ciarra Gibbs, York Catholic’s Mariah Shue and Paige O’Brien and Dallastown’s Praise Matthews — are currently shining for their high school squads.

The achievements listed above were only a small sample of the sporting impacts made by local figures in 2023. And another banner year may very well lie on the horizon.