On March 26, the OLSH boys basketball team took home the PIAA 2A State Championship, the first in school history.

Heading into the game, the Chargers were undefeated, coming off of a semifinal win by a big margin. The team found out that they would play the same team that beat them in the 2017 State Championship. Facing a tough team out of Philly, OLSH knew that they had to prepare for a tougher game than those in the past. Although ranked #1 in the state, the team knew that some people were favoring Constitution, but that didn’t phase them.

Of course, nothing comes easy. One day before the game, it was found out that Constitution was exposed to COVID in their semifinal game. However, everyone tested negative and after a long few hours of nervously waiting, they learned that they will indeed play.

The game started out close, but after the first quarter, OLSH did what they do best. The Chargers took a good lead and held that lead for the rest of the game. Jake DiMichele got player of the game with 21 points.

OLSH joined a select group of teams to go undefeated an entire season and win the state championship. Winning last year’s WPIAL championship and having a good chance at states before the shutdown, the Chargers had a big target on their back and had to live up to big expectations. Junior Nolan Randal said, “We were ranked number one in the state for the majority of the year and we really lived up to the hype. It feels great to be a state champion.”

While a select few dedicated Charger fans did make a showing in Hershey, most students supported by watching the game at home on TV. One fan, Emily Schuck–who plays on the girl’s basketball team–said, “Watching the guys’ hard work pay off and to achieve such a successful season was definitely something well deserved. Congratulations, guys!”

It was indeed a well-deserved and successful season. Congratulations to the boy’s basketball team on their amazing, historic season!