York lookahead for volleyball, lacrosse
We've previewed both the baseball and softball district playoffs for York-Adams teams, so let's take a look at boys' volleyball and girls' lacrosse heading into this week's action.
Boys' Volleyball
District 3 Class AA
Northeastern vs. Cocalico, 7:30 p.m. Monday at Penn Manor: The three-time defending state champions start their quest for a fourth-straight district title against Cocalico, who beat Garden Spot in the opening round on Thursday. Northeastern swept Cocalico easily in a district semifinal last year, 25-10, 25-6, 25-15. The Bobcats haven't dropped a game in non-invitational play all season and don't look to be slowing down anytime soon after winning the YAIAA title last week. Look for them to be heavily-favored in this one.
York Suburban vs. Palmyra, 7:30 p.m. Monday at Northern York: The good news for York Suburban is it is on the opposite side of the bracket as Northeastern. Since winning the district title in 2012, the Trojans have been eliminated by Northeastern in three straight district tournaments. So a break from the Bobcats, at least until a potential matchup in the final, is a nice reprieve for the Trojans.
First up for York Suburban is Palmyra, who the Trojans beat, 21-25, 25-23, 25-16, 25-21, in April. Kaleb Ansell had 30 assists and Jack Shultz had 16 kills in that matchup.
District 3 Class AAA
Central York vs. Red Lion, 7:30 p.m. Monday at Dallastown: Can Central York secure a district title three-peat?
Here are the facts: Central has won 22 district titles. Red Lion has never won. Central beat Red Lion, 21-25, 25-22, 25-18, 25-17, in mid-April, then didn't drop a game again until the regular-season finale against Northeastern. Behind Dillon Hildebrand and Cole Brillhart, Red Lion reached the YAIAA championship, then beat Lower Dauphin in the opening round of districts.
The winner most likely faces top-seeded Hempfield in the next round.
Girls' Lacrosse
District 3 Class AA
No. 2 Kennard-Dale vs. No. 6 Manheim Township, 5 p.m. Tuesday at Hershey High School: Game 1 in the playoff doubleheader is a rematch of a semifinal from 2015 when Manheim Township beat Kennard-Dale, 16-9, on its way to a seventh-straight district title. The Blue Streaks also beat the Rams in the 2014 semifinals, so these two teams are no strangers.
Is this the year Kennard-Dale finally gets past Manheim Township? Despite coming in as the the six seed, the Blue Streaks still look like the team that has won every District 3 title since lacrosse started having district tournaments. They've ran through two straight YAIAA teams, New Oxford and Susquehannock, by a combined score of 42-18. The Rams are coming off back-to-back impressive wins against Lampeter-Strasburg and Lancaster Country Day. They've reached this point four times in the last seven seasons but have only advanced to the title game once.
These two squads are also the two highest-scoring teams in the district, so expect a high-scoring affair.
No. 1 York Catholic vs. No. 5 Exeter Township, 7 p.m. Tuesday at Hershey High School: York Catholic is riding high, having finally reached the district semis for the first time in program history after a 13-10 win against Hempfield Thursday. Exeter Township has also never reached this point, but it breezed by Cumberland Valley and Wilson. The Eagles lost to Kennard-Dale, 15-6, in their only meeting with a YAIAA team this season.
Both teams pride themselves on defense with York Catholic only giving up 5.4 goals per game (second in the district) and the Eagles are allowing 6.5 per game (fifth in the district). So expect a 12-10 or 10-8 type of game here, with the winner clinching a trip to the district title game at 5 p.m. Thursday at Hersheypark Stadium and a trip to states.