YAIAA mid-season report: How do divisions stack up?

We are at the halfway point of our 2014 fall sports season, and while a sport (golf) has already begun postseason play, most sports are right in the thick of divisional play with championships aplenty to be decided over the next few weeks.

Let’s take a look at how the divisions stack up at the midway point of the season.

The division championships in golf have already been decided as Central York (Div. I), Eastern York (Div. II) and York Catholic (Div. III) have all walked away with titles. The Fighting Irish also walked away with the YAIAA team championship, edging the Panthers and Golden Knights 303 to 308 to 314.

Girls’ Tennis has a pair of teams, Dallastown and York Catholic that have each clinched a share of their respective titles in Divisions I and II. The Wildcats can clinch the title outright with a win over visiting Susquehannock Thursday, while the Fighting Irish can clinch their title at Hanover on Thursday.

Not a whole lot to report so far on the gridiron, as we are just one game through the divisional slate with six more weeks of action to go.

Onto the sports with not as clear a picture, and we start with Cross Country.

In the boys’ portion, Division I is a 3-horse race as Red Lion, Dallastown and Central York each have yet to receive a divisional loss. Red Lion leads the division with three wins. Don’t expect any clarity until these three teams meet on Oct. 7 at Spring Grove.

Division II is led currently by Gettysburg at 4-0, but York Suburban at 2-0 will figure heavily into this race. The two teams will each be competing in the Carlisle invitational this Saturday and will again matchup next week at Spring Grove.

Division III is under control by Bermudian Springs at 4-0. A victory Monday over Delone Catholic at West York will make the Eagles 5-0 and grant them AT LEAST a share of the title.

Onto the girls’ portion, Division I is led, currently by Central York at 2-0, but Red Lion (1-0), Dover (2-1) and Dallastown (2-1) are all a game back to various degrees. Red Lion will meet Dover on Tuesday, while Red Lion, Central York and Dallastown will all meet on October 7th at Spring Grove. Central York has knocked off Dover thus far while the Eagles have knocked off the Wildcats.

Division II features a 3-way tie between York Suburban, Susquehannock and Kennard-Dale. Both the Trojans and the Rams are both undefeated for the season at 13-0. All three teams will meet October 7th at York Suburban.

Division III is currently led by York Catholic (2-0), but Delone Catholic (1-0) and Bermudian Springs (2-1) are also in the mix. Delone and Bermudian will meet Tuesday at West York before the Squirettes meet the Fighting Irish on October 7th at York County Tech. The Irish have already beaten the Eagles.

Next we will move on to the pitch, where the soccer teams have been battling every other day for the past two plus weeks. We are now moving onto the second time through the section slate and some clarity is beginning to form.

On the boys’ side, Division I is firmly controlled, currently, by Central York at 8-0-0. Dallastown and Spring Grove each have 15 points. Crucial game next week on Thursday as the Rockets will travel to Dallastown. With a handful of divisional games between now and then a lot could change. The Panthers will host the Wildcats on Oct. 7 and then the Rockets the following night in their YAIAA finale.

Division II is down to a two-horse race as Susquehannock (8-0-0) and Gettysburg (6-1-0) have separated themselves from the pack. The two Warrior sides will face off again next Thursday in Gettysburg in what could ultimately decide the division championship.

Division III could be clinched as early as Thursday for the Canners as they hold a large 9-point lead in the division. The Canners (7-0-0) could be caught by as many as five teams, but with one more victory, Thursday at Fairfield could clinch a share. Bermudian Springs, Littlestown, York Catholic, Delone Catholic and the Green Knights are all chasing Biglerville.

Central York's Sheayna Pamplin, left, receives congratulations from teammate CJ Dickison after Pamplin scored the game-winning goal during overtime of Tuesday's girls' soccer game. The Panthers won, 1-0. (Kate Penn -- GameTimePA.com)

On the girls’ side of things, Division I is being controlled by Central York, as they have jumped out to an 8-0-0 record. Dallastown is the next closest team at 5-1-0. The Wildcats will play two more Division I games before the Panthers get back to the Division I grind. The two teams will play each other on October 7th in what could likely be for the outright Division I title or a share as each team will have just one game remaining after that battle.

Division II has been a tight race between Susquehannock, Dover and York Suburban thus far. The Warriors lead currently at 7-0-0, but the Eagles (6-1-0) and Trojans (5-2-0) are both very much alive. The Eagles host the Trojans next Thursday, Oct. 2 in what will be a key matchup. The Trojans will have to turn around two days later to face the Warriors at home.

Division III will likely come down to York Catholic and Fairfield. The Fighting Irish are 6-0-0 while the Green Knights are 5-1-0. The Irish beat the Knights 3-0 on September 16th and will meet each other again on October 7th in what will likely decide the Championship.

Moving inside, we’ll take a look at what’s happening on the volleyball courts as all divisions are largely wide open as we begin the second go-around through.

Division I got turned upside down as Dallastown knocked off Red Lion on Tuesday evening. The Lions are currently tied with Central York at 5-1, but the Wildcats aren’t too far behind at 4-2. Dallastown and Central York will face each other on Thursday, October 2nd while Red Lion won’t see either team until October 14th when it travels to Central York.

Division II is currently led by West York at 7-0, but York Suburban (6-1), and Gettysburg (5-2) lurk not too far behind. The Trojans and Warriors will face each other Thursday at Suburban. The Warriors will then host Gettysburg next Tuesday in a key match while York Suburban will host a 4-3 Susquehannock team the same night.

Division III is controlled by Delone Catholic at 6-0. Bermudian Springs is at 4-1 and will host the defending PIAA Class AA Champions next Thursday in a key divisional match.

Over in field hockey, Dallastown controls Division I with an 8-0-0 mark. Central York is just one back in the loss column while Red Lion, Northeastern and South Western all lurk with two or three divisional losses. The Wildcats travel to the Panthers Thursday for a key Division I contest that could boost the Wildcats to within two victories of at least a share. A Panther victory would make things rather interesting.

Photo collage from West York field hockey-football challenge - Steve Navaroli

Meanwhile in Division II, Gettysburg could clinch the Championship within the next week. The Warriors are 6-0-0 with 18 points while West York, Kennard-Dale and Susquehannock all need to win out to have a realistic chance. Gettysburg travels to York Suburban Thursday while West York visits Kennard-Dale and Susquehannock visits Eastern York. A Gettysburg win, coupled with a West York loss or tie will give the YAIAA newcomers at least a share.

Over in Division III, Bermudian Springs leads the division with 18 points and a 6-0-0 record. Hanover is second at 4-2-0 with 12 points while both Fairfield and Littlestown at 3-3-0 for nine points both remain alive. The Eagles travel to Hanover Thursday for a Division III match that could clinch them a share of the crown with a victory.

What games are you most looking forward to over the next week and a half?  Sound off in the comments section below.