MID-PENN PREVIEW 4/1

CUMBERLAND VALLEY (3-0) AT CARLISLE (2-0)

*RESCHEDULED FROM 3/31

The Eagles have been on an absolute tear to start the season out scoring their opponents 36-10. They travel to Carlisle to face the defending Commonwealth Champion Thundering Herd Wednesday night. Carlisle has had two one goal games already and looks more vulnerable than in seasons past. This will be a critical game for both team's Mid-Penn Championship hopes. For the Herd, Drew Amsley and George Faller will need to keep pace with CV's high powered offense. John Miller, Rod Jamieson, Steve Peters, and CJ Sherlock are all capable scorers. We expect to see Carlisle look to control possessions and the clock in an effort to slow CV down and take them out of rhythm.

TRINITY (3-0) AT LOWER DAUPHIN (1-3)

Both the Shamrocks and the Falcons are playing back to back but under very different circumstances. For the Rocks it is after a 17-0 victory with East, for the Falcons after a 7-8 road loss to State College. LD has been in tight games with four very good teams to start the season and we expect that trend to continue at home Wednesday night. Garrett Schug will aim to lead the Falcons offensive attack. Trinity has played very well to open the season out scoring their opponents 39-9 in the first three games. A well balanced offense has a number of weapons who can hurt you. 

CENTRAL DAUPHIN (2-1) AT BISHOP MCDEVITT (0-3)

McDevitt comes off their second one goal loss of the season to Mechanicsburg and has a big Keystone Division matchup with the Rams. CD has won two straight including an OT victory over Chambersburg. Damien Koussis and Chris Martin will be heavily featured for CD as the Crusaders will look to answer with Cole Bevan, Nick Lokitis and Griffin Hanes.

* McDevitt is hosting an ORANGE FOR OWEN NIGHT to help raise funds and awareness for prevention of distracted drivers. Attendees are asked to wear orange. More information on the cause here: http://orange4owen.org/

MID-PENN PREVIEW 3/31

CUMBERLAND VALLEY (3-0) AT CARLISLE (2-0)

POSTPONED TO 4/1

LOWER DAUPHIN (1-2) AT STATE COLLEGE (1-2)

LD has been in three close games already to start the season having lost to Carlisle and Governor Mifflin by one goal each. A tough road trip means they could be in for number four Tuesday night. State College and Brady Franks grabbed their first win over CD East and will work to keep that momentum moving forward. Garrett Schugg and Brennen Foster will lead the Falcon offense. Nick Mattis will look to slow down Franks and company on defense.

PALMYRA (0-3) AT NORTHERN YORK (1-2)

POSTPONED

CHAMBERSBURG (1-1) AT HERSHEY (2-0)

Hershey is off to another great start and seems set on winning their 5th straight Keystone Division Title. They have outscored their first two opponents 30-11 led by Jake Wilson's amazing 15 goals in those games. For Chambersburg to have a chance they must find a way to slow Wilson down and get Jake Pierson and Grant Swisher in a position where they can match goals. It should be a great game at the face-off X between Collin Bricker and Matt Stewart.

MORE AFTER THE BREAK

UPCOMING SCHEDULE, STANDINGS, & STATS 3/27

SATURDAY MARCH 28TH
Central York (0-1) at Hershey (1-0) 10:00am
Trinity (1-0) at Elizabethtown (2-0) 10:00am
Chambersburg (1-1) at Red Lion (1-1) 10:00am
Mechanicsburg (0-1) at Spring Grove (1-1) 10:00am
Lancaster Country Day (1-1) at Central Dauphin (1-1) 10:00am
Lower Dauphin (1-1) at Governor Mifflin (2-0) 11:00am
Exeter Township (0-1) at Cumberland Valley (2-0) 11:00am
Northern York (1-2) at Dallastown (1-0) 2:00pm

STANDINGS & STAT LEADERS AFTER THE BREAK

MID-PENN REPORT 3/26

CARLISLE 7 PALMYRA 6 (OT)

The Herd moves to 2-0 after another 1 goal thriller. This one would need extra frames to complete. Carlisle got the early 2-0 lead when Palmyra was able to come back and knot things up at 3-3 at the half. It would remain close through regulation with Justin Moore scoring the deciding goal in OT for the Herd. Sophomore George Faller led all scorers with 4 goals for Carlisle.  Ethan Gain busted onto the scene for the Cougars has he put up 3 goals and assist on the afternoon. This marks two straight tightly contested bouts for the Herd and seems to indicate the Commonwealth will be a season long race. Excellent bounce back game for Palmyra following  difficult loss to CV.

CENTRAL DAUPHIN 9 CHAMBERSBURG 8 (OT)
Rams move to 1-1 in this over time thriller on the road over Chambersburg. Trojans fall to 1-1 with back to back one goal games. Chambersburg led 7-5 headed into the 4th quarter when CD went on a 3-1 run to tie and send the game into OT. After a couple of great CD saves Damien Koussis hit the game winner with 54 seconds left in OT. Ian Harper led CD with 3 goals and Grant Swisher had another excellent night for the Trojans with 3 goals and 3 assists.

LOWER DAUPHIN 11 NORTHERN YORK 8
A tight one through out saw a 2-2 score at the end of the first quarter and a 5-4 Northern lead at the end of the half. LD got back in control during the 3rd quarter to lead 9-7 and then pulled away in the 4th for their first victory of the season (1-1). The Polar Bears will fall to 1-2. Garrett Schug led the Falcons with 3 goals and 1 assist. Derek Myers and Josh Petery did the heavy lifting for the Polar Bears as each had 4 goals on the night. Jared Hayes had an excellent night in the net for Northern with 25 saves.

MORE AFTER THE BREAK

MID-PENN PREVIEW 3/26

Another jammed pack day in the Mid-Penn as 12 of the leagues 13 teams play in conference games. 

HERSHEY (1-0) AT TRINITY (1-0) 

 Trinity faces another tough opponent after Tuesdays come from behind victory over CD. The Shamrocks will look to avoid the first half slow start as they face one of their more difficult match-ups of the season. Offensively look for Jesse Altmeyer to continue to distribute while Mark Mandack and the Hergenroder brothers (Mark and Steve) look to score. Hershey's Jake Wilson had a monster day with 7 goals on 1 assist as the Trojans opened strong against State College at home. This will be an early test on the road for Hershey.

CENTRAL DAUPHIN (0-1) AT CHAMBERSBURG (1-0)

Chambersburg looks to get to 2-0 after a fantastic come from behind victory against McDevitt on Tuesday. Look for Jake Pierson and Grant Swisher to be heavily involved in the offensive game plan. For CD this is a prime opportunity to erase memories of their loss to Trinity. Damien Koussis and Chris Martin will be a big part of their attack.

MORE AFTER THE BREAK

MID-PENN REPORT 3/24

Carlisle 8 Lower Dauphin 7
LD jumped out to a 3-0 lead at the end of the first quarter. Carlisle answered with a 4 goal run to make it 4-3 Herd at the half. Carlisle would continue scoring to move it 8-5 at the end of the third and hold on for the 8-7 victory. LD Junior Brennan Foster bursts onto the MP lacrosse scene with 4 goals on the night. Drew Amsley led Carlisle with three scores of his own.

Trinity 9 CD 5
 CD lead 5-1 in the second quarter as Trinity would go on to out score the Rams 8-0 in the rest of the way for the come from behind victory. Mark Hergenroder returns after missing last season to lead the rocks with 3 goals and 3 assists. Damien Koussis led the Rams scoring effort with 3 goals and 2 assists.

Cumberland Valley 9 Palmyra 3
 CV got going early and never looked back. Leading 5-1 at the end of the first the Eagles seemed to have the Cougars under control all afternoon. Seniors Rod Jamieson and John Miller lead all scorers with 3 goals each.

MORE AFTER THE BREAK

MID-PENN PREVIEW - 3/24

A whole lot of action on Tuesday as every Mid-Penn team will play, most of them openers for both squads. Typically teams prefer to open out of conference but due to weather related issues on Friday and Saturday all teams had to post pone their opening games and will need to hit the ground running today.

Trinity at Central Dauphin 4:15pm

The Rams just missed the district post season but did manage to defeat the Shamrocks in their final game of the 2014 season. CD has defeated Trinity's in four of their last five meetings including the district playoffs.  Both teams lost a lot to graduation but certainly have pieces capable of stepping in and producing right away.

For CD look for Chris Martin and Derek Quaid to be involved in the offense right away. For the Rocks we expect Junior Jesse Altemeyer to continue to produce goals and assists along side his fellow classmates Vinny Oliverio, Mark Mandack, and Bryce Amos. Senior Mark Hergenroder returns to play after missing last season with a leg injury and should be a major factor all game.

MORE GAMES AFTER THE JUMP

PENN LIVE MID-PENN PREVIEWS

COMMONWEALTH DIVISION PREVIEW

KEYSTONE DIVISION PREVIEW

THE SENTINEL - LACROSSE PREVIEW

FROM CUMBERLINK.COM

CARLISLE THUNDERING HERD

Coach: Steve Kidder

Division: Commonwealth

Last year: 18-4, 14-1

Key losses: Max Breschi, Sid Ewell, Mark Bowser, Hunter Scott, Colin Wallace, John Mundell

Key returnees: Drew Amlsey, sr.; George Faller, so.; Tim Roesler, sr.; Derrick Coleman, jr.; Bryce Stevenson, jr.; Nate Barnes, so.; Dean Zagorica, sr.; Trevor Weis, so.; Justin Moore, jr.; Matt Fuller, sr.; Levi Negley, sr.; Conor Bremer, sr.

Key newcomers: Dom Gaito, so.; Ethan Blum, so.; Ryan Godfrey, so.; Connor Amsley, so.; Phil Weis, so.

Next Match: Friday at Penn Manor, 4

Breakdown: Carlisle’s offense was gutted by graduation, but the returning players will aim for another run to the district championships if they can help the new players grow.

MORE AFTER THE BREAK

STATE PLAYOFFS - UPDATE

Over the weekend both Avon Grove and Radnor (the teams who beat Hershey are Carlisle) were able to advance to the semi-finals will they will face one another on Tuesday night (6:00pm at West Chester Hanover HS).

Penn Crest and Mt Lebanon were also able to advance to the Semi's were they will play each other on Tuesday at CV.

It should be noted that Carlisle had defeated Mt Lebanon handily earlier in the season (3/28) 11-2. With the state having such varying levels of lacrosse from east to west it would be impossible to devise a perfectly "fair" bracket, but something ought to be done to have better seeding systems. Both Hershey and Carlilse had extremely difficult opening round matchups where other teams had far easier paths to advance.

We'd love to hear your thoughts on State seeding, district seeding, and Mid-Penn Playoffs in the comments section.

PIAA STATE PLAYOFF REPORT - RD1

(From pennlive.com)

Only one very talented team will win their final game of the season at this point and it will not be either Hershey or Carlisle from the Mid-Penn. That should not take away from the incredible seasons both squads have had which included the Mid-Penn's first ever District 3 Title. Both teams have played incredibly well all season and the debate as to who was better could go on for a very long time. Fittingly both have a lot of hardware to show for their accomplishments and were led by tremendous senior classes

(Game reports after the jump)

PIAA BOYS LACROSSE STATE CHAMPIONSHIP BRACKET

CARLISLE VS RADNOR

May 28th, 6:00pm Exter Twp. High School

HERSHEY vs AVON GROVE

May 28th, 6:00pm, West Chester Henderson High School

(Previews after the jump)

CARLISLE WINS PIAA DISTRICT 3 TITLE

(Herd celebrating a time expired)

CARLISLE 11 WILSON 8

What a GREAT night of lacrosse. To be honest we are still on cloud nine. The district final between Carlisle and Wilson was everything a lacrosse fan could hope for. Two excellent squads fighting till the very end. The Herd has had a tremendous run through the post season and has beaten all their competitors in impressive fashion. This is a great team built on senior leadership and deserves all the praise they will receive for this land mark victory. No Mid-Penn team, or team outside of Lancaster-Lebanon, has ever won a PIAA District 3 Title and we can not think of a better group to get over the hump.

There were a number of coaches, players, and parents from other schools in the crowd and by the fourth quarter every single one of them was pulling for the Herd. We tried to maintain objectivity but following these young men the past few months, and knowing the story-lines and hard work/commitment they give to the game, made it impossible to not cheer for the green and white.

(Much more after the jump)

DISTRICT PLAYOFF PREVIEW - FINALS

CARLISLE (2) vs WILSON (1)

May 22nd, 7:00pm

Hershey Park Satdium

If you were fortunate to be at Lower Dauphin Middle School on Tuesday than you got to see some of the finest players in the district fighting to make it to the championship game. Wilson returns for the second straight season (last year they lost to Manheim Township) while Carlisle makes their second district championship  game in the past three seasons. This marks the first time the District III title game will not have team from Lancaster-Lebanon since 2002. These would be the first District III title for either squad.

(Previews after the jump)

DISTRICT PLAYOFF REPORT - ROUND 3

CARLISLE 12 MANHEIM TOWNSHIP 6

Everything went exactly as it needed to for Steve Kidder and the Herd on Tuesday night. Carlisle seemed to be in total control of the game from the first whistle and was able to control the ball on offense, dominate ground balls, and play excellent one on one defense to keep Township at bay through out the game.
     The idea that Carlisle could win the game was not all that far of a stretch, but that they could win it so handily would have most likely surprised a lot of local lacrosse fans. Excellent preparation by the players and staff should leave little doubt in anyone's mind moving forward that the Herd could challenge for the district title.

(More after the jump including Hershey vs Wilson)

DISTRICT PLAYOFF PREVIEW - SEMIFINALS

     The Final Four starts tomorrow night and promises to be another excellent evening of Central PA high school lacrosse. For the second straight year Wilson, Carlisle, Manheim Township, and Hershey will meet to determine who plays Thursday night for the district title at Hershey Park Stadium on Thursday. All four teams will play in the state tournament as well. This is truly one of the best nights of local lacrosse and a must see for fans of the game.

     We will be doing live scoring updates from out twitter page (CLICK HERE TO FOLLOW) starting at 4:45pm and will have coverage of both games.

(Previews after the jump)

DISTRICT PLAYOFF PREVIEW - ROUND 2

Survive and advance is the name of the game as we enter round two of the PIAA District III Playoffs. Trinity fell last night to West York in a hard fought 11-9 contest while Hershey and Carlisle were able to advance with relative ease. Round two should be more interesting for both winning squads and with a victory here they would advance to the semi-finals and earn a birth in the State Tournament.

(Previews after the jump)

DISTRICT PLAYOFF REPORT - ROUND 1

WEST YORK 11 TRINITY 9
-   Trinity's third straight trip to districts will end with their third straight loss in round one. Coach Heisey's team has seen more than it's fair share of injuries and a depleted midfield which put the Shamrocks in a tough spot from the word go. This one will sting as Trinity had bested West York less than two weeks ago 15-6.
     West York got out to an early 2-0 lead and the Shamrocks would be fighting back from their all evening. Senior midfielder Connor Bailey (2 goals) would answer early in  the second to bring the score to 2-1 but the Bull Dogs would quickly regain their two goal lead. Trinity would work the ball to sophomore midfielder Mark Mandack (3 goals) for a score to bring it to 3-2 as he started a break out evening. Again West York would score their own goal to get the separation back to two goals and then score shortly after that to take a 5-2 lead to the half.

(More after the jump)

MID PENN COACH AND PLAYER OF THE YEAR

     Congratulations to Coach Steve Kidder and Max Breschi on receiving Coach and Player of the Year honors for the 2014 season! Both are with the Carlisle Thunder Herd program and it is a tremendous honor for them, their team, their school, and their program to receive this acknowledgement from their peers.

(More after the jump)

DISTRICT PLAYOFF PREVIEW

We will be doing LIVE tweets from both the Hershey/Susquehannock and Trinity/West York games. Follow us on twitter HERE.

All three games will be played tomorrow, Tuesday (5/13), at 7:00pm.

Previews after the jump.