Athlete of the Year finalist: Aaron Enterline oozed athleticism in multiple sports for Manheim Central

Talk about starting your senior year off on the right foot.

It was Sept. 1 last fall, and Manheim Central's football team was playing against one of the top squads from Delaware — state-champ Smyrna — in Wilmington, and the Barons were trailing, facing a must-have fourth-down play with time running out.

But here's the rub: Central all-star QB Zac Hahn went down with an injury, and he was helped off the field. The Barons had to complete their miracle comeback with a backup QB at the wheel.

"Ray Lewis, man," Aaron Enterline said. "My legs were shaking. I looked over at Ray, and he looked as cool as ever."

Lewis, the backup QB thrust into action, took the snap and lobbed a Hail Mary. Enterline, all 6-foot-3 of him, went up over two defenders, who collided on the play. At the very tippy top of his leap, Enterline snatched the ball out of mid-air, made a safe landing, spun around, saw nothing but green, and made a beeline to the end zone.

It went in the books as a 38-yard TD reception. And it was nothing short of stupendous.

"I was in shock," Enterline said. "It was insane."

Central won 37-36. Manheim Magic made an out-of-state appearance. And Enterline went on to have a monster season, with 80 receptions — an eye-popping 25 for touchdowns. He and Hahn seemingly broke one pass-catching or TD record on a weekly basis, and Enterline's name now sits atop practically every receiving record in Barons' pigskin history.

Enterline's success continued with an all-star season on the basketball court, where he helped Central win 20 games, go to the league semifinals and to the district and state playoffs.

And if his senior year wasn't already jaw-droppingly great enough, Enterline went out for the Barons' track and field team for the first time, and in May he won the Lancaster-Lebanon League high jump crown.

"He's got some raw athleticism," Central football coach Dave Hahn said. "He's got a great build and physique — and all of that athleticism that some kids just don't have."

When it came to the top freakishly athletic, multi-sport talents in Class of 2024 L-L League circles, Enterline was arguably at the top of that list.

"100%" Central basketball coach Charlie Fisher said. "Sometimes you're thinking about how fast they are or how high they can jump. But Aaron is so coordinated with being able to catch the ball and how to move and how to handle it.

"On the basketball court, a lot of it was just his will to want to win, and his athleticism. Once Aaron saw a goal, he busted his butt. I truly enjoyed coaching him."

For his efforts on the football field, the basketball court and the high jump runway, Enterline is an LNP/LancasterOnline Male Athlete of the Year finalist.

His football numbers absolutely popped off the page: There were the 80 receptions and 25 TD grabs, plus 1,508 receiving yards, good for 18.9 yards per grab. Enterline chipped in with 35 tackles and five interceptions from his defensive back spot, and he amassed 2,146 all-purpose yards.

Central went 11-2 overall, won the Section 2 championship, and went back to the District 3 Class 4A title game for the second year in a row.

After earning all-star and all-state honors across the board, Enterline had two catches in the prestigious Big 33 game, and he's headed to Penn State as a preferred walk-on to play receiver for the Nittany Lions.

That means no scholarship — yet. But Enterline is betting on himself.

"Always," he said. "I know what I can do. I'll give everything to them, because I think they'll get the best out of me."

"I still think he's got a lot of raw talent in him," Dave Hahn said. "He's got a lot of ability, and now he has to work at that next level. He's going to be challenged. He'll need to accept that challenge."

Enterline's basketball numbers: He averaged a team-best 13 points a game, marched to the foul line 89 times, and knocked down 15 3-pointers. He was known for his powerful up-and-under move and his graceful ability to swoop to the hoop, unfurling his wing span.

Central fell to eventual champ Cedar Crest by just three points in the league semifinals, then finished eighth in the District 3 Class 5A tournament and went to the PIAA playoffs.

"We kind of jumped on Aaron's back as our leader, and we started winning games," Fisher said. "Some kids shy away from being a leader like that. He didn't."

And about that PR 6-4 clear to win L-L high jump gold?

"I had no thoughts in my mind at all that I'd win that," Enterline said with a chuckle. "I had no expectations. I never thought I'd win anything with track. I just wanted to get faster and stay in shape."

He ended up atop the medal stand, with gold dangling from his neck.

"Talk about the cherry on top," Fisher said. "That cemented what type of a kid you have."

Enterline was going to be an athlete from the jump.

"October 14, 2005, right when I was born," he said. "I remember I missed the age cutoff for football by a month. I was so mad. But the second I could play football, I played football."

Enterline looked up to the older kids, like so many other players in Central's tradition-rich football pipeline.

"I'd go to the games on Friday night," Enterline said. "It was everything. If they lost in the playoffs, I'd cry so hard. It's all I cared about."

It drove him to become one of the best all-around football players in Central's storied gridiron history. Basketball came around in the third grade, and he ended up excelling on the court. Winning the high jump title in his first try cemented it.

Now, Enterline is one of those multi-sport standouts that the younger players in Central's athletic program look up to.

"We had a senior walk at the elementary school," Enterline said, "and to hear those little kids calling your name ... that was pretty awesome. That's how I was when I was younger. Is that Evan Simon? Is that Judd Novak?"

That's how important athletics are at Central, with the older kids setting good examples for the next generation.

Enterline has now run that gamut. And he loved every minute.

"Now that I look back at everything, and if I had to do it all over again," Enterline said, "I'd do it the exact same way. I'm proud of what I did here."

"He absolutely left his mark," Fisher said. "I know there are a lot of big-time athletes in the history of Manheim Central. But when you're talking about the success Aaron had in three different sports, he has to be in the conversation as one of the best ever."