These kids never expected to be attached to such a label. It’s a cross they’ll bear, but it was not earned.
The Lebanon football team established a new state-record 57 consecutive losses Friday with an 64-8 setback to Muhlenberg. The Cedars, trailing 14-0 at the end of the first quarter, succumbed to an eventual 51-0 halftime deficit.
South Philadelphia held the previous state benchmark, dropping 56 straight games from 1990 to 1996.
The 2026 Cedars have done what they’ve been asked. They’ve shown up every week. They’ve put their best foot forward every Friday night.
A score doesn’t define a team’s effort.
“We have a special group of guys,” Lebanon head coach Brett Sylve said. “It takes a strong person to continue to show up and work each day knowing the odds are stacked against them.”
It wasn’t long ago that Lebanon was a competitive program. The Cedars forged a 7-4 campaign in 2019 and nearly qualified for the District 3 Class 6A playoffs. In a truncated 2020 season, they settled for a 3-3 record.
It’s largely understood that football teams go through ebbs and flows. Some years yield more turnover. Some seasons generate more success. It’s part of the sport, part of the process.
Lebanon has spent the last seven years processing and resetting. The Cedars have introduced four head coaches in that span.
“At this point, they are playing against more than just 11 guys across the line of scrimmage,” Sylve said. “It’s outside noise, mental battles and a heavy burden to do the unthinkable. But our kids continue to show up and be resilient.”
Every Friday, the Cedars show a spark — their reason why they keep playing.
Lebanon and Reading football play at Shiner Field on Sept. 11, 2026.Bob Howard Photography
In an 85-6 Week 4 loss to Elizabethtown, Lebanon trailed 54-0 at the end of the first quarter. The Bears returned four interceptions for touchdowns and recorded four rushing scores.
Lebanon’s Henne Cortes kept throwing the ball amid the onslaught. He logged 38 pass attempts, one connecting with Trae Quinones for a 5-yard score in the second quarter.
There’s something to be said about that. The willingness, despite the insurmountable deficit, to keep pushing. To keep scratching. To claw for any form of silver lining.
“The scoreboard tells only part of the story,” Lebanon athletic director Paul Blackburn said. “Showing up week after week with that kind of grit and resilience takes a level of toughness most adults never learn. Much respect to our players and coaches. They keep working, keep believing in each other and keep building that unbreakable grit.”
The light at the end of the tunnel could show any moment. It could shine next Friday. It could beam at the conclusion of the season.
Ephrata was in Lebanon’s shoes in 2018. The Mountaineers snapped a 52-game skid — the previous Lancaster-Lebanon League record — with a 61-14 victory over Northern Lebanon.
They’re now one of the top programs in L-L Section 2, touting a 4-1 start. Three years ago, they reached their first District 3 5A final in program history.
Columbia, located in Huntsville, Alabama, erased its national-record 101 consecutive losses in August. Led by former NFL wide receiver Sammie Coates, the Eagles knocked off Greensboro 41-14. They’re now 2-4 and jockeying for postseason entry.
Lebanon takes the field every Friday with the hope of channeling its Ephrata or Columbia. Because all it takes is one win.
The 2026 Cedars didn’t ask for this. They don’t deserve to be attached.
But their resilience is to be commended.
Listen to the Pa. High School Football Report podcast