YAIAA lacrosse playoff preview
The boys' and girls' semifinals will be Tuesday at Red Lion and Susquehannock. Central York will host both championships on Thursday.Playoff time is officially here for lacrosse and before we dig into the district postseason, YAIAA fans will be treated to an always-entertaining league tournament that includes two rematches of overtime games on the boys' side of the action.
Here are a few things to keep an eye on in the semifinals:
Boys' semifinals
No. 1 Red Lion vs. No. 4 Susquehannock
7 p.m. Tuesday at Red Lion
These teams met in late April at Susquehannock, when Dorian Faster's game-winner in overtime helped the Warriors prevent the Lions from winning the regular-season title outright. The Warriors have lost their last two since that dramatic victory and now have to play at Horn Field, where Red Lion hasn't lost all season.
Two of the league's best offensive duos will be on the field in Red Lion's Jac Gemmill-Sam Emig combination and Susquehannock's combo of Anthony DeVincent and Faster. The Warriors' top two playershad the better performance in the first meeting, combining for seven goals and four assists.
In their last meeting, Red Lion was playing its seventh game in 11 days. So this will be a more well-rested Lions team, but Susquehannock has the offensive talent to hang with anyone.
No. 2 York Catholic vs. No. 3 Central York
7 p.m. Tuesday at Susquehannock
Coming off their first-ever regular season title (shared with Red Lion), the Fighting Irish enter their first YAIAA tournament since 2011. Their first test? A rematch with Central, who the Irish beat in overtime less than a week ago.
In that game, Central overcame deficits of three or more goals three times, but the Panthers fell when York Catholic's Eli Doyle scored in overtime.Coming off the program's first regular season title (shared with Red Lion), the Fighting Irish enter their first YAIAA tournament since 2011. Their first test? A rematch with Central, which lost to the Irish in overtime less than a week ago.
The Irish have never been to the league title game. They'll need another big performance out of Alex Reichart, who made 14 saves in the last meeting, to hold off the Panthers.
For Central, keep an eye on Gavin George, who had his best game of the season (5 goals, 1 assist) against the Irish.
Girls' semifinals
No. 1 York Catholic vs. No. 4 Red Lion
5:30 p.m. Tuesday at Susquehannock
Coming off their second-straight winning season, the Lions get a rematch with the team that handed Red Lion its most lopsided loss of the season.
The Fighting Irish beat Red Lion, 22-4, and held the Lions' high-scoring duo of Alyssa Adams and Peyton Shima to a combined two goals and one assist. The Lions have won seven of nine since that game, but they will need a much better offensive performance this time around if they hope to advance to their first YAIAA title game.
Offense is hard to come by against York Catholic, however. Rob Linthicum's squad has yet to give up double-digit goals in a game all season and is limiting its opponents to less than five goals per game.
Keep an eye on York Catholic's Lindsey China, who racked up a season-best 10 goals at Red Lion in the first meeting.
No. 2 Kennard-Dale vs. No. 3 Susquehannock
5:30 p.m. Tuesday at Red Lion
Similar to the Central vs. York Catholic boys' matchup, these teams will be playing for the second time in less than a week when they meet in the semifinals.
The Rams beat the Warriors, 17-6, on Thursday for Kennard-Dale's 19th straight victory, snapping Susquehannock's 15-game winning streak. Maddie Day and Emmie Dressel combined for eight goals and five assists for Kennard-Dale in an unexpectedly one-sided game.
This game will be on turf, however, which the Warriors are a little more accustomed to as opposed to Kennard-Dale's deep, natural grass field. The turf might make a slight difference, but the Warriors will still need more consistent offense and more defensive discipline if they hope to finally knock off the Rams, who have won four of the last five YAIAA championships.