Star of the day. Player of the century. Team of the week.

Has the proliferation of participation awards watered down the local sports scene and served to undermine the hard work and dedication of deserving student-athletes?

Perhaps so, perhaps not. What’s not up for debate though: which superlative was first.

Dating back nearly 50 years, the all-Lebanon County football team was the first local all-star team, the original. You might say that makes it the best.

The all-Lebanon County football team is not a popularity contest, and it does not involve click bait of any kind. It is determined solely by a vote of the county’s six head coaches.

This week, the Lebanon County football coaches announced their 2023 all-Lebanon County team. Overall, it’s been a pretty good year for county football, one that is reflected on the all-star team.

  • All-Lebanon County Football Offense (Will Trostel)
  • All-Lebanon County Football Defense (Will Trostel)
  • Annville-Cleona all star team (Will Trostel)
  • Lebanon all star team (Will Trostel)
  • Palmyra all star team (Will Trostel)
  • Northern Lebanon all star team (Will Trostel)
  • ELCO all star team (Will Trostel)
  • Cedar Crest all star team (Will Trostel)

“There has to be some awards remaining that are meaningful,” said Cedar Crest head coach Rob Wildasin, who was tabbed by his colleagues as Lebanon County’s coach of the year. “This goes back to history and why. It’s done to recognize the kids because they had tremendous seasons.

Read More: Wildasin reaches milestone 50th win as Cedar Crest dominates Penn Manor

“It matters to us. It matters to the county,” he continued. “I take a lot of pride in it, and I think these kids should too. It’s a continual tradition. This is history to us.”

With a dozen members, Wildasin’s Falcons are well represented on the all-Lebanon County football team, as are ELCO and Annville-Cleona – all three of whom rode very good regular seasons to the District Three postseason.

All-Lebanon County Offense

All-Lebanon County Offense. All players listed left to right.
Front row: Palmyra’s Jon McDannell, Palmyra’s Beau Toler, Lebanon’s Corbett Brickle, and Lebanon’s Malachi Briddell.
Second row: Annville-Cleona’s Cael Harter, Annville-Cleona’s Darrian Holloway, Annville-Cleona’s Jon Shay, and Northern Lebanon’s Mo Gonzalez.
Third row: Cedar Crest’s Aiden Schomp, Cedar Crest’s Owen Chernich, Cedar Crest’s Fernando Marquez, Cedar Crest’s Logan Oriel, Cedar Crest’s Nicholas Lambros, Cedar Crest’s Cam Simone, and Cedar Crest’s Jackson Custer.
Fourth row: ELCO’s Tupac Vasquez-Disla, ELCO’s Jake Williams, ELCO’s Carter Kemper, ELCO’s Gavin Bicher, and ELCO’s Ira Gensamer.

Cedar Crest junior quarterback Jackson Custer heads the all-Lebanon County offense and is joined there by Falcon teammates Fernando Marquez at running back, Owen Chernich and Jack Waranavage at receiver, Aiden Schomp at tight-end, Nicholas Lambros at center and Cam Simone on the interior line. Rounding out the all-county offense are ELCO’s Jake Williams, Annville-Cleona’s Cael Harter and Northern Lebanon’s Mo Gonzalez at running back, Lebanon’s Malachi Briddell and Palmyra’s Jon McDannell at receiver, ELCO’s Tupac Vasquez-Disla at center and Annville-Cleona’s Damian Holloway, ELCO’s Carter Kemper, Lebanon’s Corbett Brickle and Palmyra’s Beau Toler on the offensive line.

The coaches chose Annville-Cleona’s Jon Shay as their offensive athlete, Titus Orlando of Palmyra as their utility player, Briddel as their kick returner, Waranavage as their punt returner and former Cedar Crest lineman Michael Rivera as their inspirational player. Rivera was killed in an automobile accident earlier this yer.

“Others might knock it because we’re a small county,” said Wildasin. “But it’s a tradition and we’re a tight-knit county. There’s been some big-time players who have sat in the bleachers and had their pictures taken. It’s history. It goes down in the history books, and it’s not something anyone can take away from you. It’s a bit of a club, a fraternity.”

All-County Defense

All-Lebanon County Defense. All players listed left to right.
Front row: Annville-Cleona’s Damien Miller, Annville-Cleona’s Cael Harter, Annville-Cleona’s Darrian Holloway, Lebanon’s Josiah Wright, and Lebanon’s Corbett Brickle.
Second row: Palmyra’s Kadin Jones, Palmyra’s Charles Stewart, Palmyra’s Nathan Eisenhooth, Palmyra’s Kyle Koennecke, Palmyra’s Logan Howard, and Palmyra’s Titus Orlando.
Third row: Cedar Crest’s Logan Oriel, Cedar Crest’s Aiden Schomp, Cedar Crest’s Owen Chernich, Cedar Crest’s Leo Tirado Jr., Cedar Crest’s Caleb Dorshimer, and Cedar Crest’s Tristan Long.
Fourth row: ELCO’s Elliott Kreider, Northern Lebanon’s Luke Shaffer, Northern Lebanon’s Tanner Fegley, Northern Lebanon’s Riley Messinger, Northern Lebanon’s Mo Gonzalez.

Manning the all-Lebanon County defensive front are Logan Howard of Palmyra, Damien Miller of Annville-Cleona, Tristan Long of Cedar Crest, and Cedar Brickle, and they are flanked by ends Tanner Fegley of Northern Lebanon, Josiah Wright of Lebanon and Falcon Schomp. The linebacking corps consists of Kadin Jones and Kyle Koennecke of Palmyra, Luke Shaffer and Gonzalez of Northern Lebanon, Elliott Kreider of ELCO, Caleb Dorshimer of Cedar Crest, and Dutchman Holloway.

The all-county defensive backfield features Charlie Stewart of Palmyra, Leo Tirado of Cedar Crest, and Kenyon Figueroa at cornerback, and Nathan Eisenhooth of Palmyra, Logan Oriel of Cedar Crest, Falcon Chernich and Dutchman Harter at safety. The coaches recognized Riley Messinger of Northern Lebanon as their punter, Gavin Bicher of ELCO as their snapper and Ira Gensamer of ELCO as their place kicker.

“That’s cool. It means a lot to me,” said Wildasin of his first ever coach-of-the-year award. “When we as a staff took over in 2014, I was told by an opposing coach that this is one of the two worst programs in the Lancaster-Lebanon League. To be in the mix now is awesome. We’ve come such a long way, just to be competitive. I’m really proud of my coaching staff.

“It’s been a great season, probably one of the best in school history, maybe in the top five,” Wildasin added. “The growth was there, we stayed healthy. We got better each week. We took care of business when it was time to take care of business. We measured ourselves up really well. We knew where we stood.”

Cedar Crest head coach and Lebanon County coach of the year Rob Wildasin flanked by his all-star players. (Will Trostel)

Despite his coaching honor, Wildasin is no stranger to the all-county football team. He was selected to the team as a player during his days at Annville-Cleona, in 1996 and 1997.

“I remember seeing it every year in the newspaper,” said Wildasin. “I thought to myself, ‘That would be awesome to make it.’ Honestly, I thought it was pie in the sky. It was a big goal, and I was blessed to be on the team for two years. It meant something to me. To these young men, it’s not just another award.”

Team Photos

Annville-Cleona Dutchmen

The Annville-Cleona all-star team. From left to right: Damien Miller, Cael Harter, Darrian Holloway, and Jon Shay. (Will Trostel)

Annville-Cleona Dutchmen

Read all our coverage of the Dutchmen here.

Roster

Head Coach: Matt Gingrich

Assistant Coaches: Joe Heckard, Greg Keener, Joe Shay, Jon Bopp, Drew Speraw, Cody Dodson, Jonathan Lum, Mike Miller

Jersey NumberNameGradePosition
1Miles Riehl11WR/DB
2Cash Watson12WR/DB
3Carson Grow12WR/DB
4Cael Harter12RB/DB
6Noah Riehl10WR/DB
7Wyatt Mase10QB/DB
8Liam Pulaski12WR/DB
9Gavin Martens10WR/DB
10Jonas Cupak11WR/DB
11Bryce Keller11RB/DB
13Ryan Barrientos11RB/LB
14Jonathan Moran10RB/LB
16Cameron Connelly12QB/DB
17Kaeli Pennington11WR/DB
19Yamaliel Navarro9RB/DB
21Mina Elzek12K
22Aidan Blauch11WR/DB
24Hudson Sellers10RB/LB
31Dominic Casciotti11WR/DB
33Luke Wentling10RB/LB
35Jack Getty11WR/DB
36Ivan Kreider11TE/LB
41Jonathon Shay11RB/DL
44Levi Heckard10TE/DL
50Dan Bright-Walck10OL/DL
51Alex Hemperly11OL/LB
52Damien Miller12OL/DL
53Anthony Gardner12OL/DL
54Malacai Victa11OL/DL
55Travis Wilk10OL/DL
59Jordan Nickens10OL/DL
64Armani Santos10OL/DL
68Nathanael Sanchez10OL/DL
70Blake Meyer10OL/DL
72Alec Tetzlaff12OL/DL
75Carter Smith12OL/DL
76Preston Bomgardner11OL/DL
77Jaxon Speece9OL/DL
87Darrian Holloway12TE/LB
89Timothy Montijo12RB/DL

Cedar Crest Falcons

The Cedar Crest all-star team. Front row, left to right: Owen Chernich, Leo Tirado, Jr., Caleb Dorshimer, Nicholas Lambros, Jack Waranavage, and Jackson Custer. Back row, left to right: Tristan Long, Logan Oriel, Aiden Schomp, Cam Simone, and Fernando Marquez. (Will Trostel)

2023 Cedar Crest Falcons

Read all our coverage of the Falcons here.

Roster

Head coach: Rob Wildasin

Assistant coaches: Nick Lambros, Brandon Kirsch, Brian Powers, Tom Gerhart, Shawn Rambler, Tom Waranavage, Logan Horn, Jona Padilla, Nevin Pagan, Bob Peebles, Bob Griffiths, Gary Wildasin

Jersey NumberNameGradePosition(s)
0Alex Abreu12RB/DB
1Leo Tirado Jr.12WR/DB
2Owen Chernich12WR/DB
3Asher Ford12WR/DB
4Jack Waranavage11WR/DB
5Cristhian Viveros11WR/DB
6Cameron Tirado10WR/DB
7Kayden Tirado11RB/LB
8Jackson Custer11QB/DB
9Seth Warren11TE/DL
10Fernando Marquez12RB/LB
11Logan Oriel12WR/LB
12Lucas Nolan11WR/DB
13Diego Yanez10WR/LB
14Connor McCracken10TE/DE
15Cameron Hansell10QB/DB
16Malachi Victor11WR/LB
17Kaeleb Fees11WR/DB
18Travis Kemberling10WR/DB
19Dillon Hoffman11WR/DB
20Yadi Rosario10WR/DB
21Caleb Dorshimer12TE/LB
22Kenyon Figueroa12WR/DB
23Josh Tricoche11RB/DB
24Preston Barton12WR/DB
25Noah Miller10RB/LB
26Richie Hernandez12FB/LB
27Landen Weaber10WR/LB
28Landyn Kline10RB/LB
29Liam Setcavage10WR/DB
30Justin Moreno10WR/DB
31Alex Thies11WR/DB
32Samantha Fink10K
33Kai Speaks9WR/LB
34Antonio Tirado9WR/DB
35Eli Beard9RB/DB
36Ethan Bowman11K
37Dominic Roth12RB/LB
38Isaiah Zimmerman9RB/LB
39Tre Wamsher11WR/DB
40Joe Arnt11RB/LB
41Jordan Eisenhauer12WR/DB
42Anthony Lantz11WR/DB
43Garrett Starry9TE/LB
44Skyler Sherman9WR/DB
45Conner Rowe11WR/DB
46Jackson Chernich9TE/DE
47Terrance Wilson9WR/DB
48Calvin Dash9WR/DB
49Gavin Berkheimer9OL/DL
50Aidan Arnold11OL/DE
51Keenon Hopple9OL/DL
52Caden Wolfe9OL/DL
53Nicholas Lambros12OL/DT
54Paxton Thomas10OL/DL
55Cameron Simone12OL/DE
56Christian Weaber12OL/DL
57Tyler Toscano10OL/DL
58Alex Kissinger11OL/DL
59Christian Simpson10OL/DL
60Wyatt Fox10OL/DL
61Jordan Cullen11OL/DL
62Brady Shobe10OL/DT
63Austin Brubaker11OL/DL
64Jayden Storm10OL/DL
65Evan Pierce11OL/DL
66Landen Gross10OL/DE
67Damarius Galarza10OL/DE
68Carter Eisenhauer11OL/DL
69Jimmy Trump10OL/DL
70Tristan Long11OL/DL
71Pal Bhavsar12OL/DL
72Carter Ober10OL/DL
73Ahmed Mohamed11OL/DL
74Isaiah Sepulveda12OL/DL
75Connor Shanaman10OL/DL
76Michael Rivera12OL/DL
77Nathanael Harbaugh11OL/DL
78Bruce Gonzalez10OL/DL
79Alex Contreras11OL/DL
80Ben Custer9TE/DE
81Jayden Marley10WR/DB
82Chase Warren9TE/DE
83Luke Oriel10QB/DB
84Cole Shanaman9OL/DL
85Cole Stevenson11OL/DL
86Nolan Brubaker9TE/LB
87Aiden Schomp12TE/DE
88Grayson Frankenstein11TE/DE
91Bryan Duffy10RB/LB
99Dylan Fuhrman11TE/DE

ELCO Raiders

The ELCO all-star team. Front row, left to right: Elliott Kreider, Jake Williams, and Carter Kemper. Back row, left to right: Tupac Vasquez-Disla, Gavin Bicher, and Ira Gensamer. (Will Trostel)

ELCO Raiders

Read all our coverage of the Raiders here.

Roster

Head Coach: Robert Miller

Assistant Coaches: John Carley, Robert Williams, Wyatt Hall, Earl Thomas, John Wetzel

Jersey NumberNameGradePosition
1Jordan HartzJr.WR/DB
2Justin SmuckerJr.WR/DB
3Steven RosadoJr.QB/DB
4Shane BoyerJr.WR/LB
5Jackson ConnersSr.WR/DB
6Gavin BicherJr.QB/LB
7Phillip HorstJr.TE/DE
8Austin YeskoJr.RB/DB
9Ira GensamerSr.RB/DB
10Elliott KreiderSr.RB/LB
11Dom HerzogSr.WR/DB
14Ethan BusserJr.WR/LB
15Dante JamesSr.WR/DB
16Sara MillerSr.WR/DB
17Josh BlairJr.QB/LB
19James ProsserSr.WR/DB
20Jude WeaverSr.WR/DB
21Jonathan FisherJr.WR/DB
22Jake WilliamsSr.RB/LB
23Zane TrostleJr.RB/DB
24Mitchell FrederickJr.RB/LB
25Lee TobiasSr.RB/DB
26Landon GoodisonJr.K/P
28Butch SavichSo.WR/DB
29Issac HarmsSr.WR/DB
30Griffin KreiderFr.QB/DB
32Ellis GensamerSo.RB/LB
33Brady StoopsJr.RB/DL
34Victor FelicianoSr.WR/DB
35Dom ShaakJr.RB/DB
38Isaiah AngleySr.RB/DL
40Rhyce FaustJr.WR/DB
41Hunter MehaffeySo.WR/DB
42Elejandro WeisterSo.WR/DB
44Connor ShowalterSo.WR/DB
45J.C. DejesusJr.RB/DL
50Luke BaileySo.OL/DL
51Paul WilliamsSo.OL/DL
52Avery KurtzJr.OL/DL
53Alex Muniz CruzSr.OL/DL
54Robert LubinJr.OL/DL
55Brayden MalloyJr.OL/DL
57Mason SipeSo.OL/DL
58Carter KemperSr.OL/LB
59Tupac Vasquez-DislaJr.OL/DL
60Lukas MorascoJr.OL/DL
62Griffin FisherSr.OL/DL
63Asher GrierSo.OL/DL
64Dominick LattaruloJr.OL/DL
65Riley McDonaldSo.RB/LB
66Chris BatemanJr.OL/DL
67Ty LandisSo.RB/LB
68Jason ArnoldSr.WR/DB
71James KuhneSo.WR/DB
72Dawson OckerSr.OL/DL
74Cole HaagSo.OL/DL
75Bryce MaizeJr.OL/DL
76Josie Lebron-MatosSo.WR/DB
77Tyler ShaakSo.OL/DL
78Dylan ReddingerSr.WR/DB
79Ethan BretziusSo.OL/DL
80Tyce FiddnerJr.TE/DE
81Michael BooksJr.WR/DB
82Bryant AukerSr.WR/DB
84Noah BurgessJr.WR/DB
85Landon LeonardJr.TE/DE
87Chase HessJr.TE/DE
88Bryce HaislipSr.WR/DB
89Dalton PyzkaSo.TE/DE

Lebanon Cedars

The Lebanon all-star team. From left to right: Josiah Wright, Corbett Brickle, and Malachi Briddell. (Will Trostel)

Lebanon Cedars

Read all our coverage of the Cedars here.

Roster

Head Coach: Frank Isenberg

Assistant Coaches: Greg Herr, Tyler Roth, Jason Capello, Nathan Myers

Jersey NumberNamePositionGrade
2Derek InfanteWR/DBSenior
4Riquelme EstevezWR/DBSenior
5Jack HerrWR/LBSenior
6Derrick BriddellWR/DBSenior
7Tayvian RiveraWR/DBSenior
8Malachi BriddellWR/DBSophomore
9Aidan FernandezTE/LBSenior
10Brandyn CastroQBJunior
11Braylon BeaverWR/DBSenior
12Jahkeim MedlockRB/DBSenior
13Benjamin FenstermakerWR/DBSenior
14Jeavon CortesWR/LBSenior
15Paul TraceWR/DBSenior
16Josiah WrightTE/DLSenior
17Kareem StonerQB/DBJunior
18Juan RiveraWR/DBSophomore
19Jovani Rivera-GonzalezWR/DBSophomore
20Kai RiveraRB/LBJunior
21Sebastian PolancoRB/LBSophomore
22Camron BuchmoyerRB/LBSophomore
24Anthony KlishWR/DBSophomore
25Nathan BorderRB/LBSenior
26Jesucristo Echevarria FigueroaWR/LBJunior
27Jamil GordonWR/DBSophomore
30Messiah WilsonTE/LBJunior
32Josean WrightWR/LBFreshman
33Issac CortesWR/LBJunior
34Reinaldo RiveraRB/LBJunior
50Colin DaughertyKSenior
52Omar Aguilar-OrtizOL/DLJunior
54Ethan RiveraOL/DLSophomore
60Dujhan BaezOL/DLJunior
62Daniel HersheyOL/DLSophomore
64Derryck BrickleOL/DLSophomore
65Mahkye CortesOL/DLSenior
65Colin JohnsenOL/DLSenior
70Elis Bentez JimenezOL/DLSophomore
72Cayden ClentimackOL/DLJunior
75Cameron HarbaughOL/DLSophomore
76Omar MileteOL/DLJunior
78Corbett BrickleOL/DLSenior

Northern Lebanon Vikings

The Northern Lebanon all-star team. From left to right: Riley Messinger, Mo Gonzalez, Tanner Fegley, and Luke Shaffer. (Will Trostel)

Northern Lebanon Vikings

Read all our coverage of the Vikings here.

Roster

Head Coach: Jason Rice

Assistant Coaches: Mark Rice, Josh Thompson, John Heisey, Josh Wolfe, Rusty Wallace, Hunter Wallace, Collin Wall

Jersey NumberNameGradePosition
2Bryan Mitzel10WR/DB
3Moises Gonzalez12WR/LB
4Kael Erdman10QB/LB
5Julian Rivera9QB/WR/DB
7Brendan Ryan11WR/DB
8Luke Shaffer12TE/LB
10Bryce Yocum9TE/LB
11Tanner Feagley12WR/DE
12Kaleb Barr10WR/DB
14Riley Messinger11K/P
17Owen Dohner9WR/DE
18Sincere Perez10RB/LB
19Garrett Bohn11K
20Jack Kleisath9RB/LB
21Corey Jackson11RB/DE
22Kade Erdman12WR/DB
23Eli Ostermayer12RB/LB
25Brady Ryan9WR/DB
27Jaxin Bush9WR/LB
29Myles Watson11RB/DB
30Raheim Rushton11WR/DE
42Joe Billig9WR/DB
43Jasper Uhler10WR/DB
51Matthew Chernich10OL/DL
52Russell Beers11OL/DL
55Kyle Hitz12OL/LB
57Eli Thompson11OL/DE
60Christian Peiffer10OL/DL
62Hayden Adams11OL/DL
66Caleb Wright10OL/DL
68Bryce Wimer11OL/DL
73Ethan Hughes11OL/DL
74Kale Loser11OL/DL
77Andrew Stohler11OL/DL

Palmyra Cougars

The Palmyra all-star team. Front row, from left to right: Kadin Jones, Charlie Stewart, Nathan Eisenhooth, and Jon McDannell. Back row, left to right: Kyle Koennecke, Logan Howard, Titus Orlando, and Beau Toler. (Will Trostel)

Palmyra Cougars

Read all our coverage of the Cougars here.

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Jeff Falk is a seasoned journalist based in Lebanon, PA. He's a graduate of Cedar Crest High School, Penn State University, and a lifelong resident of Lebanon, born and raised. Currently, he is a feature writer for Engle Publishing in Lancaster, the editor of LebCoSports.com, sports director at WLBR...