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Dallastown grabs big win, in driver's seat for No. 4 seed


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The Dallastown Wildcats have the “inside track” on claiming the No. 4 seed in the YAIAA tournament, according to league chairperson Arnie Fritzius.

The Wildcats certainly helped themselves Friday with a 10-9 double-overtime win over Eastern York.

It was a resumed game between the two teams, who met earlier in the season only to have the contest postponed because of rain with 9:53 remaining in the second quarter and the score tied 4-4.

Play picked up right then and there Friday. Dallastown head coach Joe Slessinger said it was a challenge getting the team's engine going without the traditional national anthem or player introductions to start things off. Halftime quickly followed after play resumed.

The contest eventually went to overtime, with Ryan Dodson netting the game winner.

The Wildcats finally got a close win after losing all four of their games this year by one goal each.

"You get so close to those top-three teams all year," Slessinger said. "It's very gratifying to get in."

It was a three-way tie entering the evening for the fourth and final spot in next week’s YAIAA competition. Dallastown, York Suburban and Susquehannock each had four losses on their league records, with the Wildcats and Trojans taking the field Friday in their season finales.

While Dallastown topped Eastern by a goal to move to 9-4 on the season, Suburban was upset by West York 18-10. That sets up a two-way tie for the fourth seed between the Wildcats and Warriors, with Dallastown winning the regular-season tiebreaker, 11-10 in overtime, on March 28.

It's been established for some time that Central York is the No. 1 seed in next week's YAIAA tournament. The Panthers hold a 13-0 league record.

York Catholic appears to be No. 2 after a 15-14 win over Dallastown on Thursday. The Irish are now 10-2 in league play and wrap up the regular season Monday at New Oxford.

Red Lion also clinched a berth in the tournament field, following a 9-8 double-overtime win at Susquehannock on Thursday. The Lions close their regular season with a 10-3 YAIAA mark.