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 REPORT 3/30

CENTRAL DAUPHIN 9 EXETER TOWNSHIP 3

HERSHEY 16 CENTRAL YORK 5
Hershey moves to 2-0 with a dominant win over a quality opponent in Central York. Jake Wilson led all scorers with a remarkable 8 goals (15 in just two games) and Michael Gadd had 5 scores of his own. The Trojans got out early to a 6-2 lead which they extended to 13-3 by the half as they cruised to victory the rest of the way. Hershey will get right back to the grind as they face Chambersburg (1-1) tomorrow night.

EPHRATA 8 PALMYRA 7
 The Cougars drop another one goal game and fall to 0-3. Cam Ihli would lead Palmyra with two goals while a well balanced attack found them with 6 different scorers on 7 goals. Justin Hoover would lead all scorers with 3 goals on the night. The Cougars held a 5-4 lead at the half but would be out scored 4-2 in the final frames.

MID-PENN PREVIEW 3/30

CENTRAL YORK (0-2) AT HERSHEY (1-0) 7:00PM

Rescheduled from Saturday, Hershey aims for win number two against a quality opponent in Central York, A well balance team who made the District III playoffs in 2014 and lost their 2015 opener to Eastern York 10-8. For the Panthers we'd keep an eye out for Janton Yantek and Chrisitan Hock. Hershey had a couple extra days to prepare due to the cancellation Saturday and the cancellation of their game with Trinity on Thursday. The Trojans will continue to utilize the one-two combo of Jake Wilson and Brook Briggs on attack.

EXETER TOWNSHIP (0-2) AT CENTRAL DAUPHIN (1-1) 4:00PM

Exeter Township will play their second straight Mid-Penn opponent after getting defeated by CV 15-5 on Saturday. The Rams are looking to continue to build momentum following their overtime victory against Chambersburg last week. Look for Damien Koussis and Chris Martin to continued to featured heavily in the offense.

PALMYRA (0-2) AT EPHRATA (1-1) 7:00PM

The Cougars will travel out of conference to face the Mountaineers in hopes of getting win number one the early season. Ephrata is a strong club coming of a 17-13 victory against a quality Lampeter-Strasburg team. Dustin Fisher, Brandon Adams, and Justin Hoover lead a balanced offense. For Palmyra standout Junior Longpole Tyler Gallagher will have his work cut out for him but he has been dominant all season and should help to slow things down. Look for Ethan Gain who scored three goals on Carlisle to continue leading the Cougar offense.

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

PIAA DISTRICT 3 PLAYOFF SEEDING

     The field is set!

     Saturday is the Mid Penn Championship and then for several Mid Penn teams it will be off to the district playoffs.
     Carlisle (2), Hershey (5), and Trinity (8) have had their sites set on the post season all spring and have had little to worry about as top ten finishes were hardly in doubt the past few weeks. For the Trojans and Herd it will be their fourth straight trips to districts and this will be the Shamrock's third straight.
     CV (17) and CD (18) rankings did not move from yesterday and they were squarely on the bubble but will miss out this year. Northern's (20) late season 8 game winning streak gave them hope but would ultimately would not be enough to get them in as their 2-7 start left to much ground to make up. Palmyra (25), Chambersburg (26), and Lower Dauphin (27) all managed top 30 finishes.

We will be doing live twitter scoring updates from as many district games as possible (Follow Here) and we will update you on which ones we will be covering shortly.

(More after the break)

MID PENN REPORT - 5/8/14

(UPDATE)
District III playoff brackets are set and can be found here: PIAA DISTRICT 3 PLAYOFFS

CENTRAL DAUPHIN 6 TRINITY 5

- This was a must win for the Rams to keep hope alive for a district playoff birth. Currently ranked 18th (behind #17 CV and #16 York Suburban) the Rams must now wait until the committee releases the final seedings later today. A quality win over #7 Trinity gives Coach Driscoll's teams a serious shot at getting in. The Rams have now won eight of their final ten games and placed second in the Keystone Division for the second straight season. A remarkable season and turn around for CD.
     For Trinity this loss ends a six game win streak where they were on an absolute tear. Historically the Shamrocks have had difficulties with Rams going 1-4 over the past four seasons. Coach Heisey's squad will still have decent district seeding but a win last night would have bumped them up into a less difficult opening match-up.
     The defensive tone in this one was started early. Austin Bailey and Scott Kelly led both their respective defenses to first quarter shut outs. Rarely would a scoreless first be of benefit to one team verses the other but given the fact that Rams had concerns keeping up with Trinity's high powered offense the 0-0 tie was good news for CD. Mitch Kleist would open the scoring for Trinity off a feed from Jesse Altmeyer (2 goals, 1 assist) early in the second and the goal for goal battle had begun. We would end the half 3-3 as CJ Sherlock (1 goal)  hit a shot with time about to expire. CD was able to get separation in the third quarter off  Carson Wolford (2 goals) and Nate Beard (3 goals) scores.
    Entering the final frame Beard was again able to score giving the Rams a 6-4 lead and letting their defense carry them the rest of the way. Connor Bailey (1 goal, 1 assist) was able to score off a Kyle Scott feed with under two minutes remaining and the excitement had reached a peak. Trinity was able to gain possession of the ball with under 10 seconds and called a timeout to set up their play. A last second shot sailed wide and the Rams were able to celebrate and keep hope alive for one more day (at least).
     Both these teams have had excellent regular seasons and are good enough to make runs in districts. Coaches Heisey and Driscoll are two of the best in the Mid Penn and both deserve serious recognition for coach of the year honors.

NORTHERN YORK 8 BISHOP MCDEVITT 5

- The Polar Bears were able to make it eight straight wins to finish the season at 10-7. McDevitt did not make it easy for them to keep the streak alive but this talented senior group at Northern wanted to make a statement win in their last game. Currently ranked 20th we do not see enough movement in front of the Polar Bears for them to get into districts but that should not take away from a very good season.
     The Crusaders were able to get out to an early 1-0 lead at the end of the first quarter and showed they would not back down to the winning streak. Northern was able to regroup and shake off some of the rust a jam packed end of season schedule had put on them and out score McDevitt 6-1 through the end of the third. McDevitt and their tightly bonded senior class continued to fight but came up a bit short. A competitive game and a sign that the Crusaders were on the way up as the season concluded.
      Northern was led by Zach Martich (2 goals, 3 assists) who again showed how unselfish he is with the ball. Derek Myers (2 goals) and Luke Lyons (2 goals) were also leading scorers. It is great to see Lyons back on the field and producing as a knee injury cost him much of his senior season. The Crusaders again saw senior Jackson Hanes at the top of their scorers sheet with 2 goals. Jackson will now pass the torch to his younger brother Griffin and the rest of the Crusaders under class man.
      

HERSHEY 14 STATE COLLEGE 2

- Hershey has now won five straight to end the regular season and is poised for a great post season run. Their last district ranking had them at 5th and in good position to get the two wins needed for a state playoff birth. The Trojans are in an advantageous spot as they have played two quality opponents in Chambersburg (5/6) and State College (5/7) and looked very sharp. Carlisle on the other hand played Mechanicsburg (5/5) and will have had a lot of time to wait for Saturdays game. Momentum is a funny thing and with both teams being led by excellent coaches we are sure they will make the most of their situations leading into the game.
     Jake Wilson was dominant all day for the Trojans as he led all scorers with 6 goals and 3 assists. Wilson will end the season as the leading goal scorer for the Mid Penn at 48. Logan Calhoun continued his strong play with 3 goals and 1 assist and senior LSM Dave Sickler was able to find the net with 2 goals of his own. Calhoun caps a great senior year with 46 goals and 26 assists for 72 points (3rd in Mid Penn total points). Dave Sickler's all around game is remarkable at LSM and a lot of times stats don't show the full picture. Even still Sickler was continually a threat to score in transition and managed 8 goals on the season. A talented senior class looks to recapture the Mid Penn title for Hershey and make a solid run in districts and beyond.
    For State College it was a difficult end to the regular season. Brady Franks and PJ Bachman were each able to score but they were over matched all afternoon. Franks will finish as the Little Lions leading scorer with 29 goals on the season. State College was in an excellent position a few weeks ago to contend for the Commonwealth Division but dropping five of their last six cost them a shot at a lot including a winning record.

STANDINGS
Commonwealth Division

TEAM	LEAGUE	OVERALL
*Carlisle	12-0	14-2
Trinity	9-3	14-3
Northern York	8-4	10-7
Cumberland Valley	7-5	10-8
State College	7-5	8-9
Chambersburg	5-7	8-8
Mechanicsburg	1-11	2-15

Keystone Division

TEAM	LEAGUE	OVERALL
*Hershey	11-1	16-2
Central Dauphin	7-5	10-6
Lower Dauphin	5-7	7-9
Palmyra	4-8	9-9
Bishop McDevitt	2-10	3-14
CD East	0-12	0-16

MID PENN PREVIEW - 5/7/14

Final night of regular season play in the Mid Penn!
*Games played through tonight qualify for District III Playoff Rankings

TRINITY (14-2) at CENTRAL DAUPHIN (9-6) 7:00PM
- As the years move on rivalries start to develop in unexpected places. CD verse Trinity is definitely becoming one of those. The Rams bested the Shamrocks twice in 2013 including knocking them out in a great first round game of last years district playoffs 8-6. Trinity will look to return the favor as CD is currently ranked 18th in district seeding and most likely needs a win in their final game at home tonight to get in.
     Trinity has been on an absolute tear as of late aiming to close the season out with seven straight wins and put themselves in an excellent spot to make some serious noise in districts and possibly beyond. They have a number of players who can score and we are going to simply list them by name Bailey(25 goals), Sherlock(27), Altmeyer (22), Kleist (22), and Scott (34). That kind of production from five players is unmatched in the Mid Penn. Senior poles Hickey, Behnke, and Whiteman have led a very underrated defense that will make it difficult for CD to keep pace.
    The Rams had won seven of eight games until a one goal lose (7-6) at Northern York on Friday. A tremendous mid season turn around hangs on the brink as they could miss out on the post season if they suffer a loss tonight. Coach Driscoll must find a way for his offense to produce enough scoring to give his defense and goal keeper Scott Kelly a chance to win. Look for Colton Nye, Eli Hudson, and Nate Beard to continue to be the focal point of their offensive game plan.

STATE COLLEGE (8-8) at HERSHEY (15-2) 4:00PM
- Hershey is in an advantageous situation for Saturdays game in that they will have played two quality opponents in Chambersburg (last night) and State College tonight to stay sharp for the MPC. Carlisle on the other hand played Mechancisburg on Monday and will not have had a game in 4 days in the lead up for the title game. Most teams would rather stay active and in rhythm and that is just what Hershey aims to do in their final regular season game.
    Hershey will look to senior attackman Logan Calhoun and Joe Olives to lead the scoring from the attack with Karl VanBlargen on the midfield. Finishing the season with five straight wins will give them a lot of momentum headed into the post season.
     For State College a 7-4 season with a shot at the Commonwealth title has fallen apart as they have lost four of their last five games. Brady Franks (29 goals) and Luc Michaels (26 goals) have been their 1-2 combo all year. Hershey's defense is to complete for a 2 man game to work so they will need to get more players involved if they hope to finish the season with a win.

BISHOP MCDEVITT (3-13) at NORTHERN YORK (9-7) 7:00PM
- Eight straight wins is a remarkable feet for any squad and Northern head coach Jeff Miller should be getting serious consideration for MP coach of the year after turning his squad around from a 2-7 start. The Polar Bears have played extremely well and have quality wins over CD and CV in their last two games. We expect Zach Martich to be heavily involved with the offense as a feeder while several scoring options in Haak, Myers, and Rutter look to find the back of the net.
    For the Crusaders they will need senior Nick Suknaic and Griffin and Jackson Hanes to to take over the scoring to have a shot at slowing down a good team at home.

MID PENN REPORT - 5/03/14

NORTHERN YORK 7 CENTRAL DAUPHIN 6 (OT)
- This rescheduled game at Bostic was well worth the wait. Two very good teams playing great lacrosse as of late clashed in an over time showdown. Northern will move to 7-7 on their 5th straight win and keep their long shot district playoff (currently 25th) hopes alive. The loss will hurt CD as they are currently 17th and face a must win against Trinity on Tuesday.
    This game was a tight  defensive battle through out. The first and second quarters saw the squads go goal for goal bringing it to a 4-4 tie head into the second half. The Polar Bears got some separation at 6-4 but CD was able to battle back in the 4th to tie it up and send it to over time. Andrew Sade would get his second goal of the night in the extra frame and lead the Polar Bears to the 7-6 victory. Sam Haak also had two goals on the evening and Zack Martich managed one goal with four assists. Northern jumps right back into the frying pan this morning against CD East (11:00am) as they look for 6 in a row.
   The Rams could have used more on the offensive end last night and were led by Colton Nye's with 2 goals and Eli Hudson (1 goal, 1 assist).

PENN MANOR 7 LOWER DAUPHIN 6
- The Falcons have had an up and down streaky season to this point. A four game losing streak to open the year, a mid season turn around with a four game win streak, and now a three game skid that has cost them a shot at a .500 season and a district playoff birth. They finish the season with McDevitt on Tuesday and hope to go out on a win.
     LD was in control at the end of the first quarter up 3-1. An even second quarter sent us to a 4-2 halftime score where Penn Manor was able to come out in the third and even things up at 4-4 headed to the fourth. The Comet's would ride their three leading scorers Kyle Madonna (3 goals), Wyatt Barnett (2 goals), and Ryan Black (2 goals) to a 3-2 final frame and a one goal victory.
    Mike Mattis (3 goals) and Garret Schug (1 goal, 2 assists) put up decent numbers in a defensive battle. Out of LD's last five losses, four of them have come by a total of 9 goals against quality opponents.



STANDINGS
Commonwealth Division

TEAM	LEAGUE	OVERALL
*Carlisle	11-0	13-2
Trinity	8-2	12-2
Cumberland Valley	7-4	10-7
State College	7-4	8-7
Northern York	5-4	7-7
Chambersburg	5-5	7-6
Mechanicsburg	1-9	2-12

Keystone Division

TEAM	LEAGUE	OVERALL
*Hershey	9-1	13-2
Central Dauphin	6-5	9-6
Lower Dauphin	4-7	6-9
Palmyra	2-8	7-9
Bishop McDevitt	2-8	3-12
CD East	0-10	0-14

*Division Champion

PIAA DISTRICT III POWER RATINGS - 5/03/14

MID PENN PREVIEW - 5/02/14

CENTRAL DAUPHIN (9-5) at NORTHERN YORK (6-7) 7:00PM
*Rescheduled from yesterday due to grass conditions at Bostic.
- Northern has had a ton of games rescheduled this year due to inclement weather (which is unavoidable) but also due to not wanting to damage the grass on Bostic Field. Trinity has had similar issues at COBO. We are not sure what the solution here is but it is becoming clear that school's/AD's overly concerned with grass conditions need to find alternate solutions. Northern will have 4 games in 6 days which is a very difficult way to end the season for a team hoping to make an outside push at districts (currently 26th).
      The Mid Penn Championship is not a possibility for either squad but districts is. Each team would need a win here as they are both (CD is 15th, Northern 26th) not guaranteed a spot at this point. A loss for Northern would end their long shot hope to get in. CD needs to take advantage of quality win opportunities today at Northern and Monday at home against Trinity.
     Northern has be resurgent winning four straight. They need a win here and Monday against CV for quality of opponent strength wins. Look for their offense to continue to be one led by committee with Grant Rutter (18 goals), Derek Myers (18), Sam Haak (17), and Zach Martich (14) all being capable scorers.
    The Rams have won seven out of their last eight to turn around a 2-4 start. Coach Driscoll is our choice for Mid Penn Coach of the Year if he can pull off a win today and than Monday against the rival in the making Shamrocks. The Rams offense is also similarly one with a few different scoring options.Specifically Eli Hudson (24 goals), Nate Beard (21), and Colton Nye (23). They also have a very strong defensive unit with Scott Kelly in the net.

LOWER DAUPHIN (6-8) at PENN MANOR (9-7) 7:00PM
-Our only other game tonight is an out of conference matchup for the Falcons. Currently rated 28th it would take them winning out (today and then McDevitt at home Tuesday) and a whole lot of good luck to make districts. LD has made a full turn around in 2104 and looks to be a program on the rise. After a 0-4 start they managed to win 6 out of 8. Recently they haven fallen off with two straight losses to CD and CV.
    The Comets are also a team who is finishing much better than they started. Opening the season 1-4 they have battled back and currently in the middle of a five game winning streak. 0-2 against the Mid Penn with losses to Carlisle and CV it is difficult to see exactly where they fall. Currently rated 19 for the district playoffs this game will mean a lot to them.
    The keys for success for Lower Dauphin are the same they have been all year. Strong play by Justin Guevarez (118 saves on the season, 3rd in the MP) is a must. Mike Mattis will need to get the offense going with Albert Gremmel and Garret Schug helping out. Penn Manor, like LD, does not have an overwhelming single player who they rely on for scoring. Kyle Madonna (22 goals), Wyatt Barnett (20 goals), and Kauffman (15 goals) lead a balanced offensive game plan.
   

PIAA DISTRICT III POWER RATINGS - 5/01/14

MID PENN PREVIEW - 5/01/14

CARLISLE (12-2) at STATE COLLEGE (8-6) 4:00PM
- Carlisle can lock up the Commonwealth and trip to the Mid Penn Championship game on May 8th with a win at State College this afternoon. The Little Lions will represent the last hurdle for Coach Kidders squad in an effort to repeat as MP champs and get to the title game.
     The Herd has been on a mission all season and they should be able to achieve one of their many goals today. With only Mechanicsburg waiting on Monday we expect Carlisle to keep or move up from their number six district ranking as well. As with previous games we know Max Breschi will be involved in scoring and it is just a matter of who else (between Mundell, Faller, and Wallace) steps up into the lead score role. Ewell and Bowser should play well today in an effort to stay sharp for the post season.
    State College was on the cusp two weeks ago of making a serious run at the Commonwealth after an eye opening 15-4 victory over Northern York. At the same time Carlisle had beat Trinity and the State College vs Carlisle game had the look of an MPC semi-final. Trinity however spoiled SC's hopes by beating them 10-5 (out scoring the Lion's 5-1 in the 4th quarter) on April 22nd. Glimmers of hope still exist for both SC and Trinity if the Lions can pull off the upset here today. Look for Luc Michaels and Brady Franks to again lead the Lions offense.
   

HERSHEY (12-2) at MECHANICSBURG (2-11) 4:30PM
- Hershey would officially seal up the Keystone Division with a win at Mechanicsburg today. That's the headline in this one. In reality it feels like Hershey sealed up the division back in March as they have steadily carved their way through the Mid Penn with one exception. Mechanicsburg looks to be their next victim as these are two programs at two very different stages.
     We fully expect George Briggs, Jake Wilson, and Logan Calhoun to have good days on attack for the Trojans. These three all have legitimate stats to be first team all conference and/or League MVP. The truth is they probably all hurt one another's chances by being on the same team. Look for Sickler and Kondracki to play tough on defense as well.
     For the Wildcats looking to improve and build for the future should be their focus the rest of the way. Their are some talented under classmen on their roster who have been getting a lot of experience as of late. Goalie issues and changes continue to be a concern as they have now started six different keepers. We expect senior's Eddie Martin, Aaron Heisey, Donnie Houseal, and sophmore Sam Shipman to factor in on scoring. Sophomore stand out long-pole Reagan Pritchett will have his hands full on defense.

PALMYRA (7-8) at CHAMBERSBURG (6-6) 7:00PM
- If you are chasing a .500 or better season these are must wins for both squads. Palmyra has had a long list of close losses this year and is going to miss districts because of it. Mentally they have to get over the hump and close out a tight game and Chambersburg represents an excellent opportunity to do that on the road.
     The Trojans have been up and down this season with some strong wins and curious losses. They have completely bounced back from their four game losing streak to win three out of four. They have a very difficult end of season schedule which starts today with the Cougars followed by Hershey and Trinity. Look for Nick Lombardozzi, Jake Pierson, and JT Hopple to continue to lead on offense. The Trojans love to isolate and dodge from the top and all three of these players can hurt you from there.
     Palmyra has weapons of their own highlighted by top MP scorer Joey Hess. Hess's role has changed this season as he is now more of a distributor from the X position and Nick Mazzocca is the beneficiary with an impressive 29 goals. Hess has an impressive 30 goals (tied for 5th in the league) 31 assists (2nd in the league) and is one of two players to be in the top 5 in both categories (the other is Hershey's Calhoun). He sits at second in Mid Penn scoring with 61 total points and is making a strong case for league MVP. Sam Wasson is also off to a great statistical year as he leads the MP in saves with 163 total saves, 32 more than second place.


CUMBERLAND VALLEY (9-7) at BISHOP MCDEVITT (3-11) 7:00PM
- With the district seeding results through Monday the Eagles are the last team in at number 16. After a big win against Lower Dauphin they are poised to finish out the season very strong and get in. They can not afford a misstep on the road today against the Crusaders and then will have a must win at home against Northern on Tuesday.
    We expect Coach Bogazyck's boys to get the W today with the continued strong play of Tommy Lehman (36 goals) and Nick Zumbrun (27 goals) on offense. Nic Brown is becoming a stand out goalie as he has 117 saves on the year (4th in the Mid Penn) all while having missed significant time to injury and competition for his starting spot.
    The Crusaders have been improving and the Haines brothers, Jackson (16 goals) and Griffin (20 goals), have become a force. Senior Nick Suknaic (21 goals) is looking to cap off his career and what better way to do that than an upset of CV. Coach Walters team has been having a difficult time as of late losing four of their last five and has a very difficult end of season schedule with CV today followed by Lower Dauphin and Northern next week.

CD EAST (0-13) at TRINITY (11-2) 7:00PM
- The Shamrocks may be more interested in the State College verses Carlisle game today at 4:00pm than they are in their own match up with the Panthers tonight. Any hope Trinity has at the Mid Penn Championship rests squarely on the Little Lions shoulder's. Trinity has all but locked up a third consecutive district birth as they are currently ranked 7th.
      The Panthers represent an interesting reunion as both Trinity Head Coach Dave Heisey and Head Assistant DJ Healey were once CD East's head coaches. Each had success in the position as you might expect. The Panthers of today are quite different and one has to wonder were the program is headed. Senior Chrystian Hess and Will Gingrich are talented and represent what is possible. Getting their young players more involved in the Central Dauphin area youth program, meant for both the Rams and Panthers, would be a good first step.
     Tonight is senior night for Trinity adding some extra incentive for the Shamrocks. They are a team with a lot of scoring threats as they have 4 players with 20 or more goals, and 6 players with 15 or more. Their leading point scorer is rising star sophomore Jesse Altmeyer who has 37 points (17 goals, 20 assists). Altmeyer is an excellent facilitator from X and we only expect him to get better with time.


CENTRAL DAUPHIN (9-5) at NORTHERN YORK (6-7) 7:30PM
* POSTPONED UNTIL 5/02
- Northern has had a ton of games rescheduled this year due to inclement weather (which is unavoidable) but also due to not wanting to damage the grass on Bostic Field. Trinity has had similar issues at COBO. We are not sure what the solution here is but it is becoming clear that school's/AD's overly concerned with grass conditions need to find alternate solutions. Northern will have 4 games in 5 days which is a very difficult way to end the season for a team hoping to make districts.

- The final game of the day is one of the best games of the day with a lot on the line. The Mid Penn Championship is not a possibility for either squad but districts is. Each team would need a win here as they are both (CD is 17th, Northern 27th) on the outside looking in. A loss for Northern would end their long shot hope to get in. CD needs to take advantage of quality win opportunities today at Northern and Monday at home against Trinity.
     Northern has be resurgent winning four straight. Due to weather and field issues early in the season they must finish out with four games in seven days. They need a win here and Monday against CV for quality of opponent strength wins. Look for their offense to continue to be one led by committee with Grant Rutter (18 goals), Derek Myers (18), Sam Haak (17), and Zach Martich (14) all being capable scorers.
    The Rams have won seven out of their last eight to turn around a 2-4 start. Coach Driscoll is our choice for Mid Penn Coach of the Year if he can pull off a win today and than Monday against rival in the making Trinity. The Rams offense is also similarly one with a few different scoring options.Specifically Eli Hudson (24 goals), Nate Beard (21), and Colton Nye (23). They also have a very strong defensive unit with Scott Kelly in the net.

PIAA DISTRICT III - POWER RATINGS

2014 PIAA District III Boys Lacrosse Power Rating

Official Rankings

Includes all results reported as of April 28th

 Top 16 Qualify

 

1st Round - May 13th

Quarterfinals - May 15th

Semifinals -May 20th

Finals - May 22nd

* 4 teams from District III will advance to the State Tournament starting May 28th.

RANK			SCHOOL NAME			POWER RATING
1	Wilson (16-0)	0.779278		1.000000	(16-0)		0.509506	(134-129)
2	West York Area (14-1)	0.732522		0.933333	(14-1)		0.487085	(132-139)
3	Manheim Township (13-1)	0.716134		0.923077	(12-1)		0.463203	(107-124)
4	Carlisle (11-2)	0.705656		0.846154	(11-2)		0.533937	(118-103)
5	Hempfield (13-2)	0.699060		0.866667	(13-2)		0.494208	(128-131)
6	Hershey (12-2)	0.693862		0.857143	(12-2)		0.494297	(130-133)
7	Trinity (11-2)	0.690385		0.846154	(11-2)		0.500000	(120-120)
8	Dallastown Area (13-2)	0.681686		0.866667	(13-2)		0.455598	(118-141)
9	Governor Mifflin (14-2)	0.678231		0.875000	(14-2)		0.437736	(116-149)
10	Central York (12-2)	0.678136		0.857143	(12-2)		0.459350	(113-133)
11	Ephrata Area (12-4)	0.638356		0.750000	(12-4)		0.501901	(132-131)
12	Susquehannock (12-4)	0.638330		0.750000	(12-4)		0.501845	(136-135)
13	York Suburban (12-4)	0.618404		0.750000	(12-4)		0.457565	(124-147)
14	Berks Catholic (10-4)	0.588509		0.714286	(10-4)		0.434783	(110-143)
15	Warwick (10-6)	0.578977		0.625000	(10-6)		0.522727	(138-126)
16	Cumberland Valley (8-7)	0.566825		0.533333	(8-7)		0.607759	(141-91)
17	Central Dauphin (8-5)	0.559444		0.615385	(8-5)		0.491071	(110-114)
18	Red Lion Area (9-6)	0.535814		0.600000	(9-6)		0.457364	(118-140)
19	Penn Manor (8-7)	0.530880		0.533333	(8-7)		0.527881	(142-127)
20	Lampeter Strasburg (8-6)	0.508929		0.571429	(8-6)		0.432540	(109-143)
21	Wyomissing Area (7-8)	0.502789		0.466667	(7-8)		0.546939	(134-111)
22	Exeter Township (7-9)	0.493106		0.437500	(7-9)		0.561069	(147-115)
23	Chambersburg Area (6-6)	0.489888		0.500000	(6-6)		0.477528	(85-93)
24	Cocalico (8-8)	0.483868		0.500000	(8-8)		0.464151	(123-142)
25	Elizabethtown Area (7-9)	0.482259		0.437500	(7-9)		0.536965	(138-119)
26	Palmyra Area (7-7)	0.473214		0.500000	(7-7)		0.440476	(111-141)
27	Northern York (6-7)	0.472311		0.461538	(6-7)		0.485477	(117-124)
28	Lower Dauphin (6-7)	0.466793		0.461538	(6-7)		0.473214	(106-118)
29	Eastern York (6-10)	0.450488		0.375000	(6-10)		0.542751	(146-123)
30	Kennard Dale (5-10)	0.419627		0.333333	(5-10)		0.525097	(136-123)