Steve Navaroli: What to watch for in this week's District 3 tournaments
As the District 3 brackets were finalized, some thoughts popped into my head about what we can expect, or in two cases what we may miss, when tournament play commences early this week.
Click here to see the latest District 3 playoff brackets
Baseball
WEST YORK ENTERS CLASS AAA TOURNAMENT AS A HIGH SEED >> With that being said, the Bulldogs' first-round opponent is a team it lost to back on May 5.
Still, one would think West York will have revenge on its mind when it hosts Daniel Boone to open its 2015 district tournament on Monday at 4:30 p.m.
The Bulldogs (16-4) are on a high coming off their 3-2 YAIAA tournament championship victory over Eastern York last week. The win came on a Cash Gladfelter walk-off squeeze bunt — a perfect example of how West York coach Roger Czerwinski always seems to push the right buttons when games mean the most.
WHAT DOES SPRING GROVE HAVE LEFT IN THE TANK? >> It's easy to think the Rockets, who graduated a slew of players from its 2014 YAIAA championship squad, overachieved this season.
Despite a slow start, Spring Grove found its way and went on to a Division I regular-season title. Plus, being able to at least start the postseason at home — as the No. 4 seed — could get the squad moving in the right direction for the AAA playoffs.
While it took a lot of energy to make such strides in one season, this postseason experience will prove to be invaluable regardless of the outcome against Monday's opponent Bishop McDevitt.
RIVALS REMATCH >> After spliting a pair of one-sided Division IV contests, No. 4 Delone Catholic hosts fifth-seeded York Catholic on Thursday.
Perhaps the question is, will this game be close? The Irish won the first meeting at home, 13-5, while the Squires took the rematch on their field, 11-1.
BIGGEST SURPRISE >> The fact both Eastern York and Northeastern did not make the Class AAA tournament, as each team saw their season end, in a sense, prematurely.
The Bobcats made it to the PIAA quarterfinals last season, and looked poised to make a similar run in 2015.
As for Eastern York, with the pitching duo of Colby Shimmel and Brandon Knarr, the Golden Knights could have made serious postseason noise as well.
From this perspective, either team would have been a tough opening-round matchup for a higher seed.
ALSO TOURNAMENT BOUND >> Dallastown, No. 13 in Class AAAA, will play at Penn Manor. Also, Christian School of York grabbed the eighth and final seed in Class A, and will play at Millersburg.
Softball
PRIMED FOR A POSTSEASON RUN >> Although Delone Catholic lost to Central York in the YAIAA title game, the Squirettes are looking to live up to their top seed in Class AA.
Delone learned something about itself in an 11-6 loss to the Panthers. The team not only pounded out nine hits, but six of those went for extra bases.
Squirettes' pitcher Cassie Rickrode said playing Central tough — Delone Catholic fought back from a pair of early deficits in the contest — should give her team confidence in this week's District 3 tournament. Delone opens District 3 play at home on Thursday, vs. the Upper Dauphin-Fairfield winner.
Speaking of Fairfield, this will be the Green Knights' first trip to districts since 2008, when they lost to Upper Dauphin.
DOVER A DANGEROUS FOE >> As an 11th seed entering the District 3 Class AAA softball tournament, the Eagles feature two talented pitchers in Lexi Gohn and hard-throwing freshman lefty Taylor Lamparter, plus have a lineup keyed by shortstop Natalie Cutright.
I felt at the end of the season that Dover could be a sleeper in the tourney and saw nothing during the YAIAA semifinal loss to Central that made me change my mind. The Eagles travel to Greencastle-Antrim for Tuesday's opening-round game. Whatever happens, coach Lauren Craig did a terrific job with the Division II regular season champs this season.
EXPERIENCED PANTHERS REMAIN HOPEFUL >> Fresh off its YAIAA title, senior-laded Central York — seeded No. 7 in the District 3 Class AAAA bracket — hosts Chambersburg in a first-round game Tuesday.
Central boasts one of the top defenses in the area, but must take advantage of scoring opportunities like it did during the YAIAA tournament. A potential third meeting with Division I rival Dallastown could await in the second round, although the No. 15 Wildcats would have to get past a very good No. 2-seeded Daniel Boone squad.
ALSO IN THE AAA TOURNAMENT >> Kennard-Dale is seeded eighth and will host Bishop McDevitt; Littlestown is a seventh seed and the Thunderbolts will be at home to take on Big Spring; and No. 15 Susquehannock heads to Twin Valley.
Girls' lacrosse
CAN KENNARD-DALE CAPTURE THAT ELUSIVE DISTRICT TITLE? >> Eventually some school not named Manheim Township will win the District 3 girls' lacrosse championship and the Rams enter the 2015 tournament as the No. 1 seed.
Call me crazy, but I'm thinking this is the year.
Kennard-Dale will face the six-time defending champion Blue Streaks at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Hershey High School. A win would send the unbeaten Rams to their second district final in three years.
Prior to that contest, second-seeded Susquehannock will play in the 5 p.m. semifinal against No. 3 Hempfield in Hershey.
Volleyball
HOW WILL THE YAIAA'S TWO DEFENDING DISTRICT CHAMPS FARE? >> Northeastern and Central surprised no one last year when each ran through the competition en route to respective Class AA and Class AAA district titles, respectively, before both did the same thing at the states.
The expectations differ for each squad this season. Northeastern, currently ranked No. 1 in the state, figures to capture its third-straight District 3 title, which would also be an eighth-straight District 3 Class AA championship for the YAIAA (York Suburban won it in 2011, while Eastern York took home the title in 2008). Holding a perfect record in best-of-five match play this season, the Bobcats will be hard to stop.
Meanwhile, it would be foolish for any team to look past this experienced Central York bunch, which also has multiple titles in recent years. While the road will be difficult, coach Brad Livingston's team knows how to win.
Steve Navaroli covers prep sports for GameTimePA.com. Reach him at 771-2060.
This week's local District 3 games
A look at which YAIAA teams will take the field — and who they'll play — in this week's District 3 tournaments:
Baseball
First round
Class AAAA
Monday
No. 13 Dallastown at No. 4 Penn Manor, 4:30 p.m.
Class AAA
Monday
No. 14 Daniel Boone at No. 3 West York, 4:30 p.m.
No. 13 Bishop McDevitt at No. 4 Spring Grove, 4:30 p.m.
Class AA
Thursday
No. 5 York Catholic at No. 4 Delone Catholic, 4:30 p.m.
Softball
First round
Class AAAA
Tuesday
No. 15 Dallastown at No. 2 Daniel Boone, 4:30 p.m.
No. 10 Chambersburg at No. 7 Central York, 4:30 p.m.
Class AAA
Tuesday
No. 13 Spring Grove at No. 4 Conrad Weiser, 4:30 p.m.
No. 11 Dover vs. No. 6 Greencastle Antrim, 4:30 p.m.
No. 10 Big Spring at No. 7 Littlestown, 4:30 p.m.
No. 9 Bishop McDevitt vs. No. 8 Kennard-Dale, 4:30 p.m.
No. 15 Susquehannock at No. 2 Twin Valley, 7 p.m.
Class AA
Tuesday
No. 9 Fairfield at No. 8 Upper Dauphin, 4:30 p.m.
* No. 1 Delone Catholic has a first-round bye and will play in Thursday's quarterfinals round at 4:30 p.m.
Girls' lacrosse
Semifinals
Tuesday
No. 2 Susquehannock vs. No. 3 Hempfield at Hershey High School, 5 p.m.
No. 1 Kennard-Dale vs. No. 5 Manhaim Township at Hershey High School, 7 p.m.
Volleyball
Quarterfinals
Class AAA
Monday
Central York vs. Cumberland Valley at Dallastown High School, 6 p.m.
Class AA
Monday
Susquehannock vs. Schuylkill Valley at Hempfield High School, 6 p.m.
Spring Grove vs. Lancaster Mennonite at Central York High School, 7:30 p.m.
Northeastern vs. York Suburban at Dallastown High School, 7:30 p.m.