Weekly Rewind (Nov. 5-10)
At this point in the fall, the high school sports have been whittled down to only a few. Entering the week (not including football, which opened its playoffs Friday), only the Biglerville boys' soccer team, the York Catholic girls' soccer team and the Delone Catholic girls' volleyball team were playing.
Everyone else was getting ready for the start of winter sports.
So, who made it out of the week alive and whose seasons ended? Keep reading.
1. How about we begin with one of the crazier District 3 football playoff games of the weekend? Central York survived an intense battle with Mid-Penn Commonwealth visitor Chambersburg, 33-28, Friday night.
It took a safety and a field goal that bounced off both uprights and the crossbar in the second half for the Panthers (8-3) to punch their ticket to the quarterfinals, where they will meet top-seeded Wilson (10-1) at 7 p.m. Friday at Gurski Stadium in West Lawn.
Our sister paper, the Chambersburg Public Opinion, was also on hand for this one. You can read their version here.
2. Transitioning from one of the crazier games in the district to one of the bigger upsets, which was Biglerville's stunning 28-26 win over Trinity in the 3-AA quarterfinals.
The Canners (9-2) won this game despite allowing Brandon Kuntz to run kickoffs back 70 and 88 yards for touchdowns.
The difference? After Trinity's third touchdown -- a 4-yard run by Adam Geiger -- Biglerville blocked the extra point and led, 21-20. The Canners scored three minutes later, but then Kuntz ran the kickoff back 88 yards to make it 28-26. The Shamrocks misfired on a two-point conversion pass to set the final.
Biglerville will travel to No. 2 Bermudian Springs (11-0) on Friday at 7 p.m. for a rematch of their Week 10 game, won by the Eagles, 37-21. Bermudian won its playoff game, 42-7, over Susquenita on Friday.
3. Spring Grove continued its incredible season with a thorough 24-0 rout of Mid-Penn Colonial Division champion Shippensburg. QB Matt Runge completed 7-of-17 passes for 159 yards and two touchdowns in the win.
A familiar opponent now awaits the 8-3 Rockets. Spring Grove will travel to YAIAA rival West York, the No. 2 seed, Friday at 7 p.m. The Bulldogs (11-0) thumped Northeastern, 49-20, behind 240 passing yards from Brandon Kinneman.
West York beat Spring Grove, 21-17, on Sept. 14.
4. Switching gears now to soccer, the Biglerville boys' team continues its magical season Tuesday when the Canners (17-7-1) meet District 7 third-place finisher Sewickley Academy (20-1-1) at Hollidaysburg's Tiger Stadium. Kickoff for the PIAA Class A semifinal is set for 6 p.m.
Biglerville didn't win the District 3 title -- Greenwood beat the Canners in the final -- but still harbors dreams of a state title thanks to wins vs. Windber (3-0) and Greensburg Central Catholic (4-1).
Jake Martin scored twice for the Canners in Saturday's triumph vs. the Centurions.
The other half of the bracket has District 2 champion Mountain View (16-0) playing District 1 winner New Hope-Solebury (10-6-5) at Salisbury High School in Allentown at 5 p.m.
5. The York Catholic girls' soccer team wasn't as fortunate as Biglerville. Playing at the same location (Altoona's Mansion Park Stadium) and against the same opponent (Greensburg Central Catholic), the Fighting Irish had a vastly different result from their YAIAA neighbors.
A historic season came to a close with a lopsided 6-0 loss to the powerful Centurions on Saturday in the PIAA Class A quarterfinals.
But, that loss won't define what was an otherwise successful season for York Catholic, which won its first state playoff game in program history earlier in the week with a 2-0 victory vs. District 6 champion Bishop McCort.
6. Last, but certainly not least, is the Delone Catholic girls' volleyball team, which won two PIAA Class AA matches this week to stay undefeated and reach the state semifinals.
The Squirettes swept previously unbeaten Holy Redeemer, the District 2 champion, Saturday, 25-17, 26-24, 25-19, and will meet District 1 champion Pope John Paul II on Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Garden Spot.
The winner advances to Saturday's 1 p.m. final at Central York vs. either District 7 champion Mars or District 10 winner Fort LeBoeuf.