Trojans may be doomed by weird Dist. 3 rankings
I won't pretend to be a math expert.
There's a reason I got into journalism. I'm a writer, not a mathematician. Just ask Forbes Road boys hoops scorekeeper Olivia Hall - I can't even figure out quarter scores without using a calculator.
But here's what I do know - Chambersburg's boys basketball team deserves a spot in the District 3 Class AAAA playoffs.
Now before you tell me that the Trojans may have dug their own grave by going on seven-game skid midway through the season, I know. Chambersburg did not make it easy on itself, and the intense mathematical formula that is the District 3 power rankings put the Trojans just below the cut with one day left in the regular season.
Numbers mean something; I'm not saying they don't. They have to count for something, but there's also a little something called the eye test that works wonders in sports. Simply put: the Trojans are playing like a playoff-caliber team.
Let's also talk about the weirdness of Chambersburg's journey through the District 3 rankings. Two weeks ago, the Trojans weren't even in the top 25. They then moved up to 22nd in last week's updated rankings. After beating Central Dauphin East, they reached as high as 18th. But then they beat Greencastle-Antrim and dropped to 20th. After falling to Carlisle on Tuesday, the Trojans are 22nd, with the top 20 teams advancing to the postseason.
"I try not to focus on it too much," Chambersburg coach Shawn Shreffler said. "We're just focusing on what's ahead of us and trying to be successful. I try not to look at it too much, but if that's what happened, it's certainly a little frustrating. People behind us must've won and jumped over top of us."
It also has be a bit frustrating for Chambersburg to be on the outside looking in at Greencastle, a team it has beaten twice by a combined score of 103-77. I don't want to take anything away from the Blue Devils, because I also think they are postseason-worthy, but it's a little mind-boggling as to how this could happen. Chambersburg is also seven spots behind CD East, with which it split, and two places away from Cumberland Valley, which has a losing record (although it did beat the Trojans twice)..
That's not to say there's not still hope for the Trojans. Chambersburg hosts Northern York, a Class AAAA team with an 8-13 record, on Thursday, but it may need some help from teams around it to secure a chance at the playoffs.
"What's in front of us is Northern and coming out and playing well on Thursday," Shreffler said. "We want to send our seniors out on a positive note in our last home game, and hopefully get ourselves in."