Antietam off to 12-1 start, looking for more challenges
Mike Green was looking forward to Monday’s scheduled crossover match-up against Division III-leading Fleetwood. His Antietam Mounts are off to one of the best starts in program history and in first place in Division IV of the Berks Conference, but haven’t had too many close games.
He knows the Tigers would have provided one.
“We’re extremely ready for a game like that,” Green said after the Mounts improved to 12-1 with a 71-36 win at Annville-Cleona Friday night. “We need to get pushed. We need a team beat (on us) a little bit.”
That battle of division leaders will have to wait another 10 days; Monday’s game was postponed because of COVID issues at Fleetwood. They’ll play Jan. 26.
Until then the Mounts will look to extend their current nine-game winning streak and build their resume for the upcoming District 3 Class 2A Tournament. They’re currently ranked No. 1 and in good position to reach the championship game for the third time in four seasons.
| Mounts’ top records | Season | Coach |
| 28-1 | 1967-68 | Bill Davis |
| 26-3 | 1970-71 | Bob Wheeler |
| 22-7 | 1971-72 | Bob Wheeler |
| 20-6 | 1993-94 | Chris Gery |
| 19-7 | 1969-70 | Bob Wheeler |
| 19-11 | 1983-84 | Mike Zuber |
Their only loss this season came to Lancaster Mennonite, the team that beat them in last year’s district championship. That’s a secondary thought, for now.
Foremost, said Green, is securing the Berks IV title. The Mounts haven’t won a division title in seven years and have just one over the last 27 seasons. They almost earned one last year but lost to Oley Valley in double overtime on the final night of the season.
“That bothers the kids more than anything, not winning that division last year,” Green said. “That sits in the back of their minds. That’s goal No. 1. We’re not even looking past that right now.”
The Mounts are well-positioned to get it. They’re 5-0 in league play, two games up on second-place Tulpehocken in the loss column after holding off the Trojans 50-48 nine days ago.
They’ve got the best player in the division in senior Hector Tiburcio, who topped 1,000 points last season in a district semifinal against Greenwood. He was a third-team All-State pick after finishing second in the league in scoring at 18.3 points per game. He leads the team in rebounds, at eight per game, in assists and steals.
Tiburcio’s scoring is down a little this season but that’s not a bad thing, Green said. The Mounts are striving for more scoring balance and have found it, with sophomore Josh McKoy stepping up.
“(Hector) is drawing more attention (this year),” Green said. “I know that’s frustrating him but it’s helping the team out a lot. He’s a smart kid; he realizes he’s going to get double-teamed against a lot of teams.”
McKoy, a 6-3 sophomore, has been the beneficiary. He’s averaging 15.3 points per game and leads the team with 12 3-pointers. He’s led the team in scoring in five different games, including a career-high 29 in the win over Tulpehocken.
McKoy came on strong late last season and got his first start in the district championship game.
“He grew an inch or more since then,” Green said. “He has long arms, great athleticism; he used to be a high jumper, so he can really get up. If he keeps developing at this rate he’s going to be a problem for a lot of teams.”
| Scoring leaders | |
| Hector Tiburcio | 17.3 |
| Josh McKoy | 14.9 |
| Jovan Hollis | 8.8 |
| Alejandro Montero | 7.3 |
| Noah Archambault | 7.0 |
Jovan Hollis, a 6-3 junior, gives the Mounts another athletic, multi-sport athlete. He was a starting linebacker on Exeter’s District 3 Class 5A championship football team. Hollis is averaging 8.5 points and is second in rebounds at 5.7 per game.
Guards Carson Lubas and Noah Archambault were top players on Antietam’s soccer team; Lubas was second on the team in scoring and earned all-division honors.
“This is probably the most athletic team I’ve had,” said Green, in his 10th season at Antietam.
The Mounts are two wins away from matching the best 15-game start in school history. Three years ago they won their first 12 games and were 13-1. In 1967-68, when they won their first of three PIAA titles, the Mounts opened 9-0, lost to Daniel Boone, then won the rest of their games to finish 28-1. That established the program record for wins in a season.
Mount Penn went on to win PIAA championships again in 1971 and 1972.
This group has a chance to become just the second Antietam team to win 20 games, and the first since 1994.
At this point Green just wants to see more competitive games. The Mounts have been winning on average by more than 20 points. They figure to be challenged next Saturday against Shenandoah Valley, which is 9-2. Or the following week at Fleetwood, and against Wyomissing. They play Mount Calvary, which is unbeaten, Feb. 5. Then there’s the season finale at Tulpehocken.
“We need to see a team that plays at the level Fleetwood does,” said Green. “Hopefully Shenandoah will give us a taste of that. We’ve got a test coming up the next (few) weeks.”
