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F-F 5 things to watch, Oct. 31- Nov. 5


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Although all of Franklin County's teams have been knocked from the post season, this week has a full slate of Fulton County teams competing in District 5 playoffs. Plus, a pair of PIAA events to close out this week's F-F Five Things to Watch.

MONDAY

District 5 Class 1A playoffs

McConnellsburg girls soccer at Berlin, 4: McConnellsburg continues its District 5 playoff journey Tuesday in a semifinal game against second-ranked Berlin. The Spartans will travel to enemy territory, as Berlin earned a first-round bye, thanks to a 14-3-1 record in the regular season.

No. 6 McConnellsburg squeezed past Conemaugh Township,  2-1 in the quarterfinals after an outstanding performance by keeper Kellyn Perry, who had 16 saves including a potential game-tying penalty kick with 10 minutes left.

Monday's winner will move on to play either No. 1 Windber or No. 4 Nothern Bedford in the District 5 Championship game on Wednesday.

Windber girls volleyball at McConnellsburg, 7: The McConnellsburg girls volleyball team is fresh off a tough loss to West Branch in the ICC Championship, but will look to start fresh in the District 5 tournament.

Saturday's 3-0 loss to West Branch was the first time the Spartans have been shutout all season as the offense could not keep up. McConnellsburg coach Heidi Johnston said the loss was good preparation for district competition this week.

Top-seeded McConnellsburg hosts Windber, which enters the District 5 tournament as the No. 8 seed with a 9-9 regular season record.

Monday's winner will move on to play either No. 5 Shade or No. 4 Meyersdale in the District semifinal.

TUESDAY

District 5 Class 1A soccer

Fannett-Metal boys soccer vs. McConnellsburg (site and time TBA): The District 5 boys soccer semifinal looks to be a rematch of the century for two area teams, as McConnellsburg and Fannett-Metal meet for the third time this season.

The first two times these teams met in the regular season, McConnellsburg walked away with wins in double overtime - but a 2-1 loss to the Spartans on Oct. 5 was the last time the Tigers lost a game.

Fannett-Metal is riding an eight-game winning streak, and has outscored opponents 42-17 since its last loss. McConnellsburg (16-2-1) has won 13 of its last 14 games and earned the No. 1 seed in the district.

Tuesday's winner will move on to play either No. 2 Windber or No. 3 Berlin in the District 5 Championship game.

FRIDAY

PIAA Class 2A girls singles tennis at Hershey Raquet Club: McConnellsburg's Bronwyne Mellott returns to her fourth PIAA singles championship, starting Friday at 9 a.m., as she takes on Brenna Magliochetti from Bethlehem Catholic in the first round.

Mellott placed second in the state her freshman and sophomore season's, but last year the District 5 champion was upset in the first round. And there's no doubt that last year's first-round loss will be on her mind Friday.

Magliochetti, a sophomore, is the champion out of District 11, who, like Mellott, found success in the sport early. Magliochetti is 24-2 on the season. Mellott earned her fourth district gold in a straight-set victory over Bedford's Allison Shuke in early October.

SATURDAY

PIAA Cross Country at Parkview Cross Country Course, Hershey: Four individual runners and three teams will represent the area Saturday at the PIAA Championships.

The event begins with 1A girls at 9:30, then the 2A girls race will begin at 10:15, followed by 3A girls at 11. The boys 1A race begins at 11:45, 2A starts at 12:30, followed by 3A at 1:15.

Saturday will be a blast from the past for the Chambersburg girls team, which will return to the tough Parkview Course that the team has learned to love.

"We're strength runners as a team because our course has a lot of hills," Chambersburg senior Cadie Kiser said. "So I think our team is really going to excel in this one, I think we are going to do awesome."

Greencastle-Antrim's Taryn Parks will attend the biggest race of her short career Saturday after winning the District 3 2A title. For Parks, who has had little to no competition this year, the PIAA championships will be a whole new ballgame, with top competition from across the state.

However, based on time at districts, Parks is already in good shape to make an impression. Parks is one of three district champions across the state to finish under the 19-minute mark, and her 18:21 is the best time of any district champion. Rebecca Bierly from District 6 (18:56) and Kayla Connelly from District 12 (18:58) look to be Parks' top competition.

James Buchanan's Dalton Leab and Chambersburg's Andrew Feldman will also be making their first appearances at states, and Greencastle's Lauren Hirneisen will also compete.

Southern Fulton's boys team returns for the third time in a row after winning District 5, and the Indians will be joined this year by their female counterparts, as SF's girls team also won the district crown.