Getting ready for a wild sports Saturday
It's hard to imagine more jam-packed weekend of YAIAA sports. Tonight, we had the final Friday of the high school football season, complete with one of the most anticipated -- and thrilling -- regular season games in recent memory. And amazing as it might sound, that may end up being just an appetizer to what we have going on Saturday. In the course of 24 hours, as many as four local teams could win District 3 championships. A few of the areas best runners, along with two of its top tennis players, will compete for state championships. Oh, and there's a pair of football games on the schedule, too. Yikes. Here's a very brief breakdown of all the events on tap for Saturday... PIAA Cross Country Championships, Parkview course in Hershey Several local runners will be competing individually, while the Central York girls' team qualified for the Class AAA field with a third-place finish at districts. The runner to keep an eye on will be Kelsey Ibarra. The sophomore overtook Cumberland Valley's Leigha Anderson in the final 400 meters to win the District 3-AAA championship a week-and-a-half ago, and could be contender to finish in top 5 or 10 on Saturday. For some perspective, Anderson won districts last year, and went on to take third in states. Ibarra finished 40th in states last year, but improved her time at Parkview this year by more than a minute. Kennard-Dale's Brandon Taylor will be the runner to watch on the boys' side. He finished fourth at districts last week, but was part of a four-man sprint to the finish. He could certainly challenge for a top 10 or 15 finish. District 3 boys' soccer championships, Hersheypark Stadium Two YAIAA schools will go for district championships on Saturday. First, seventh-seeded York Catholic will vie for the Class A title when it meets 13th-seeded Reading Holy Name at 3:30. The Irish outlasted Camp Hill, 2-1 in overtime, in their semifinal last Wednesday, while Holy Name knocked off top-seeded Halifax. York Catholic is led by forward Chris Sosa, who converted the game-winning penalty kick against Camp Hill. Then, at 7:30, Dallastown will go for its second district title in program history, when the second-seeded Wildcats will face ninth-seeded Central Dauphin. Dallastown got into the finals in dramatic fashion, topping third-seeded Mechanicsburg in penalty kicks on Wednesday at Cedar Crest. Keep an eye on Christian Kaschak, the Wildcats speedy, exciting forward. I'll be live at Hershey for both games tomorrow, and will hopefully be tweeting updates over on the GameTimePA account. District 3 girls' volleyball, Class AA and AAA championships The YAIAA is guaranteed a finalist in both the double- and triple-A brackets. In Class AAA, Dover and Dallastown will play in the semifinals at 3 p.m. at Dallastown. Dover won the YAIAA championship last week, and has been playing extremely well of late. You won't find a more complete player than Eagles junior Sammie Strausbaugh. The winner of that game will play the winner of Carlisle-Hempfield at 4:30 p.m. In Class AA, Susquehannock and Eastern York will meet in the semis at 3 p.m. at Central York. The winner of that game will play the winner of Brandywine Heights and Greencastle-Antrim at 4:30 p.m. Susquehannock and Brandywine met in last year's district final, with the latter winning in four games. The top three finishers in the Class AAA bracket advance to states, while the top two from the Class AA bracket advance. PIAA tennis doubles championships, Hershey Racquet Club York Catholic sisters Ava and Anna Spoden can cap their incredible two-year run in doubles with a state championship on Saturday. The two-time defending YAIAA and District 3 Class AA champions will compete in a PIAA semifinal Saturday morning at 9 a.m., when they face Robyn Ferraro and Morgan Oechsle from Southern Lehigh. The winner of that match will play in the Class AA final at 1 p.m. The Spodens narrowly missed a state championship last year, losing in three sets in the title game. This could be a shot at redemption. Football season wraps up Oh, and if that wasn't enough, there are a pair of fairly noteworthy football games on the docket tomorrow. Kennard-Dale (4-5) can likely lock up a District 3 Class AAA playoff spot with a win at home against Northeastern (2-7). That would be a nice accomplishment for a Rams program that many probably left for dead when they were 1-4 after five games. Meanwhile, York Country Tech will host the first night game in that program's history at 7 p.m. when Eastern York pays a visit. The school will bring in 12 30-foot portable light stands for both teams season finale. Even if neither program has had a season to remember, this should be a worthwhile even for Tech and its fans.