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Early YAIAA boys' volleyball lookahead


Coming off the league's second state champion in three years -- Northeastern's 2013 PIAA Class AA title follows Central York's 2011 Class AAA championship -- York County boys' volleyball doesn't look like it's going to let up in the coming years.

Here's a look why:

1. Northeastern (21-1, 11-0 in 2013): Start with ... well, that's not easy either. The Bobcats return YAIAA Player of the Year Luke Braswell, who will again be setting up sophomore Reese Devilbiss. Braswell's final set of the 2013 season allowed the then-freshman to slam home the final point in Northeastern's state championship win vs. Ambridge. Devilbiss wasn't the only freshman to crack coach Matt Wilson's lineup. Chris Lee made contributions and three other freshmen were on the PIAA tournament roster. The Bobcats lose two powerful players at the net, Malik Jefferson and Stephen Braswell, but a seemingly endless list of returning players on the roster should keep them going. Devin Soop entered last spring as the libero and changed positions, allowing Matt Hollinger to take that spot. They will both be back, too.

2. Central York (15-4, 10-1): The Panthers lost to Northeastern twice, once in the regular-season finale and again for the YAIAA tournament championship, but they did best the Bobcats in pool play at the Koller Classic. Brad Livingston will return all-stars Dylan Hose, the setter, and outside hitter Royce Clemens, among others.

3. York Suburban (10-7, 7-4): Jacob Kauffman will be back and is an imposing force. Lars Dalemar also should be there to set him up, as both enter their senior years. Jamie Evans, a year after taking a team to the state championship game, came back with a relatively young squad. A bounce-back 2014 should be in order for the Trojans.

4. Red Lion (5-6, 5-6): One trend is teams with returning setters. Red Lion has one in Dan Longnecker who, along with middle hitter Jared Warner, will give the Lions a set of three-year starters.

5. Susquehannock (6-7, 6-5): The Warriors will have senior hitter Nathan Rohrbaugh and junior AJ Schaeffer back for 2014.