Central York boys' volleyball wins District 3 Class 3A title
The Central York Panthers made quick work of Central Dauphin in the District 3 Class 3A boys' volleyball championship on Thursday.
The Panthers, seeded No. 2, beat No. 1 Central Dauphin 3-0 (29-27, 25-21, 25-16) on Thursday at Dallastown Area High School to claim the district title. It's the 22nd district title in the history of the Panthers' boys' volleyball program.
It was a dominant performance by the Panthers. Central York won a tightly-contested first set, which saw the team trail 24-22 before battling back for the win.
From there, it was downhill running.
"It showed the heart we had to win that first set," said senior setter Carter Luckenbaugh. "From there, we just got momentum, kept things rolling and played as a team."
Said junior Cole Johnson: "The first game for sure was definitely competitive. But out there on the court it didn't really feel as competitive going into the second and third game. Obviously we made less errors and they made more errors. It just made it easier and lightened up the mood."
Central York got 14 kills from Johnson and nine more from sophomore Braden Richard. Zak Kakos recorded 15 digs and Kyle Mehl had nine of his own. Luckenbaugh had 28 assists for the Panthers.
Central York head coach Todd Goodling said his team controlled the serve-pass game which kept Central Dauphin out of system and led to the convincing win.
"Central Dauphin is a great team...One of the top two or three teams in the state," Goodling said. "I think it's great for both of us to play in this environment in preparation of next week."
Central York has had an elite season to this point. The Panthers held a 16-0 regular season record and won YAIAA divisional and tournament championships.
The team received a first round bye in the district tournament before beating No. 7 Cumberland Valley and No. 6 Dallastown to advance to the championship match.
The Panthers now have their sights set on capturing their seventh state championship in program history.
"We had four goals: Division, counties, district and states," Luckenbaugh said. "We're looking to check off the state title on June 10."