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

MID-PENN REPORT 3/28

Trinity 13 Elizabethtown 4

Shamrocks move to 2-0 on the road in convincing fashion. The score was close at the endof the first quarter as the Shamrocks led 3-2 bu they opened thing sup in the second half taking a 8-3 lead and never looked back. Jesse Altmeyer led the way with 3 goals and 3 assists, followed by another impressive day from the Hergenroeder brothers Mark (3 goals, 2 assists) and Steve (4 goals).

Cumberland Valley 15 Exeter Twp 5

Eagles continue to dominate now 3-0 with 36 goals in 3 games. CV got out early to a 4-1 lead in the first quarter that they extended to 10-3 at the half. After that it was cruise control as they went up 15-3 headed into the 4th quarter. John Miller (4 goals, 2 assists) and Rod Jamieson (3,2) continue to have big days on offense. Stevie Peters (3,1) and CJ Sherlock (3) were also major factors.

Governor Mifflin 8 Lower Dauphin 7

Falcons fall to 1-2 with their second 1 goal loss of the season. LD found themselves in an earl 3-0 whole but clawed back to make it 5-2 at the half and then 8-4 headed into the fourth, The would out score the Mutangs 3-0 in the 4th but could not find the equalizer before the clock hit 0:00. Garret Schugg (3 goals, 1 assist) and Michael Yarrish (2 goals, 2 assists) led the falcons in scoring.

MID-PENN PREVIEW 3/28

A lot of action Saturday with 8 games, all of them out of conference.

Exeter Township (0-1) at Cumberland Valley (2-0) 11:00am

The Eagles look to continue their hot start outscoring both their opening opponents by a combined 26-5. Look for a continued balanced attack with John Miller, CJ Sherlock, and Stevie Peters. Rod Jamieson will again work to score and control things from the face-off. Exeter hails from the Berks League an suffered a 11-9 loss in their opener to Unionville. 

Trinity (1-0) at Elizabethtown (2-0) 10:00am

Like Hershey the Shamrocks are coming off a few extra days rest/preparation and look to take on another quality opponent in Elizabethtown. Having defeated Garden Spot (15-6) and Lancaster Country Day (13-3) first year head coach Allen Shissler has the Bears rolling early. Tom Poulos, Derek Swift, and Gage Bootay should factor in heavily for Etown. For Trinity keep an eye on Juniors Jesse Altmeyer and Mark Mandack.

Lower Dauphin (1-1) at Governor Mifflin (2-0) 11:00am

The Falcons are coming off a big win against Northern and came with in one goal of beating Carlisle. Governor Mifflin will be another challenge as they are off to an excellent start beating Cedar Crest (15-5) and Ephrata (18-5). Players to watch for the Mustangs will be Eric Dupell, Darren Schlegel, and Aaron Grill. For the Falcons Brennan Foster and Garret Schug should factor in to the offensive plan heavily with Nick Mattis anchoring the defense.

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

BRINE ALL-AMERICAN NATIONAL LACROSSE CLASSIC

                      

Congratulations to Cumberland Valley Senior Thomas Arentz, CV sophomore Steven Peters, and Trinity sophomore Payden Masaracchia on being selected to participate in the Brine All-American Lacrosse Classic.

From NationalLacrosseClassic.com:

The 1,900 participants for the 2014 Brine National Lacrosse Classic have been selected from a pool of candidates from across the nation. The selected individuals will play July 1-3 in a three-day event at the Maryland Soccerplex in Boyds, Maryland. 

The players earned their positions on the roster by attending Brine regional tryouts that were conducted throughout the nation.  Highly regarded lacrosse coaches tested the players’ skills and selected the top-ranked high school and middle school lacrosse players to participate in the 2014 Brine National Lacrosse Classic and Brine National Lacrosse Academy.

(MORE AFTER THE JUMP)

Friends Raising Funds for Former CV Lacrosse Player

23 year old Brandon Lyons was paralyzed May 25th after a tragic accident in Maryland. Lyons is from Mechanicsburg and a 2008 graduate of CV where he played lacrosse as a defense-man and was also a team captain.

Friends of his have setup a donation website to help his family pay for medical bills and any rehabilitation expenses down the line. The site is called "Bucks for Brandon."

To donate Click Here

#bucksforbrandon #ironlyons

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 - 5/7/14

NORTHERN YORK 7 CUMBERLAND VALLEY 5
- Northern Yotk strikes again as they have now won eight straight games and have put a serious damper into CV's and CD's district playoff hopes. The Polar Bears finish the regular season tonight at home against McDevitt where they will look to win their ninth straight game and end the season 10-7.  The last district ranking had them at 21 and we expect them to move up a few slots. We are not sure if they will have enough to get into the top 16 at this point.
    CV opened the scoring in the first quarter with Nick Zumbrum getting his lone goal of the evening. Northern would go onto score four straight to end the half up 4-1. They extended that lead to 6-2 at the end of the third quarter. The Eagles attempted to fight back but could only bring it within two scores. CV will finish the season at 10-8 after going 3-3 down the stretch. They were ranked 15th for districts but this loss puts their playoff hopes up serious jeopardy.
     Andrew Sade continues to be impressive in the ladder half of the season for the Polar Bears scoring 3 goals. Grant Rutter followed with 2 goals and Zach Martick is one of the best distributors in the Mid Penn as he garnered 4 assists on the night. Goal Keeper Gerald Slothhower (10 saves) for Northern led a great defensive effort against a high powered Eagles offense.
     The Eagles and Coach Bogazyck will be forced to wait and see for districts. CV managed a nice turn around this year from their disappointing 6-11 campaign last year.

HERSHEY 16 CHAMBERSBURG 4
- Hershey continues their resurgence after losing to Carlisle by winning their fourth straight game. Their margin of victory is now 56-11 over that stretch. The Trojans are clearly getting back to form against a quality Chambersburg team and look to be firing on all cylinders in anticipation of Saturday's Mid Penn Championship Game.
     The scoring was early and often for Coach Schein's team as they scored the first 14 goals of the game. Chamberssurg did not find the net till the fourth quarter. Hershey was led in scoring by senior Logan Calhoun who had 3 goals and 4 assists. Karl VanBlargen netted 3 goals and 2 assists while attack-man Joe Olives scored a pair of his own. Hershey looks finish the regular season with 5 straights wins tomorrow at 4:00pm against State College at home.
     Nick Lombardozzi was the only player for Chambersburg to find the stat book as he had 2 goals unassisted. Clearly Coach Flohr's team had some difficulties on the offense end last night. They will finish the regular season with a record of 8-8. They were ranked 20th headed into this week and had a long shot at districts. With back to back losses to Trinity and Hershey we do not expect them to make the post season.

LOWER DAUPHIN 17 BISHOP MCDEVITT 4
- The Falcons snapped their three game losing skid and will end the season at 7-9. They are to far back (ranked 28th) to be able to get into the playoffs but the fact we have talked about them to this point is a victory for a program coming off a 4-12 season last year. Their 2014 campaign was highlighted by a mid season stretch that saw them win six of eight games were they put together a four game winning streak. A win over State College and 1 goal losses to Northern, Palmyra, and CD show you that this is a much improved team who was very close to a district run.
    McDevitt has now lost four straight and will finish the season against red hot Northern on the road tonight. The Crusaders have had a difficult season where they could never really seem to get things going on both sides of the ball. Coach Walter is one of the better young coaches in the league and we expect them to continue to improve and build in the future.
   This game belonged to LD early and often. With a 7-3 halftime lead the third quarter was were the Falcons were able to open the game up scoring 6 unanswered goals in route to a great offensive evening. Garrett Schugg played excellent lacrosse with 4 goals and 3 assists. Mike Mattis put a nice finishing night on his season with 4 goals of his own. For the Crusaders it was Nick Lokitus with 2 goals and 1 assist who lead them in the scorers book.

PALMYRA 17 CD EAST 3
- The Cougars finished the season strong with back to back wins by a margin of 32-3 after losing four straight. A monstrous stat sheet was highlighted by senior attack-man Joey Hess and his 3 goals/5 assists. Trevor Frye (3 goals, 1 assist) and Nick Mazzocca (2 goals, 2 assists) were also prominently featured. This was the Cougars final regular season game in a year that will see them go 9-9 and miss out on the district playoffs. Had it not be for a series of close losses (7 losses by a total of 12 points) who knows how far they might have gone. Hess continues his strong late season push for league MVP as he now has a league leading 83 points (39 goals, 44 assists).
     Coach Gatano's team got going early and never looked back. An 8-2 first quarter would extend as Palmyra scored 9 more unanswered goals. East showed some fight early with Chrystian Hess and Shawn Stickle each scoring early but ultimately they were over matched. The Panthers will have their last shot at avoiding a win less season against Mifflinburg tonight at 6:00pm.

CEDAR CREST 17 MECHANICSBURG 4
- The Wildcats season comes to an end with a 13th straight loss to Cedar Crest. Their 2-15 mark is a disappointment in season that had a lot of hope coming into it. Senior goal keeper Joe Becker's early season injury was a blow that the then 2-2 Cats could never recover from. In what ultimately became a goalie by committee approach they never seemed to get things going on either side of the field. There were some bright spots and the team has had a great attitude despite the losses. Sophomore long-pole Reagan Pritchett, sophomore midfielder Sam Shipman, and freshman attack-man Alec Martin represent the building blocks for the future of a program that is committed to making serious efforts to move in the right direction.
      Cedar Crest would win the first quarter 4-1 and that would be the trend the rest of the way as they would out score Mechanicsburg 5-1, 5-1, and 3-1 in the remaining frames. Seniors Aaron Heisey, Eddie Martin, and Donnie Houseal all ended the game with a goal a piece. All three of these players have fought hard through out the year and played virtually every quarter.

STANDINGS
Commonwealth Division

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

Keystone Division

TEAM	LEAGUE	OVERALL
*Hershey	10-1	15-2
Central Dauphin	6-5	9-6
Lower Dauphin	5-7	7-9
Palmyra	4-8	9-9
Bishop McDevitt	2-9	3-13
CD East	0-12	0-16

MID PENN PREVIEW - 5/6/14

CHAMBERSBURG (8-7) at HERSHEY (13-2) 4:15PM
- After last nights loss to Trinity, Chambersburg's district playoffs hope are all but gone. They will fall from their 20th ranking and have a very difficult match-up with a Hershey team looking to stay sharp for Saturday's MPC as well as improve there own seeding for districts (currently 6th).
  The Trojans had a suffered a couple tough defeats to Wilson and Carlisle but seemed to have regrouped nicely last week. With Chambersburg today and State College tomorrow they will be looking to keep all their parts finely tuned while Carlisle has four days off before the big game. In order for Hershey to win the MPC and have a good post season run Jake Wilson, Logan Calhoun, and George Briggs will need to be on point at attack. This is the most talented attack unit in the Mid Penn and when they are in rhythm they seem to be unstoppable. When teams get them out of rhythm, as we saw against Carlisle and Trinity, they can get sloppy and that is something we are sure Coach Schein is working to fix.
    Chambersburg has three main threats in Hopple, Pierson, and Lombardozi. They will all need big nights here if they hope to pull off the upset and keep their district playoff chances alive. This will be the Trojans final regular season game of the year and even if they fall to 8-8 it is still a very impressive season after what many thought would be a down year losing 2013 graduate Taylor Tolbert.

CD EAST (0-15) at PALMYRA (8-9) 4:15PM
- This is the Panthers last shot at avoiding an 0-12 Mid Penn season and unfortunately we don't expect them to get the win on the road at Palmyra. The Cougars have been through a difficult season of their own losing a lot of close games but should be able to put together back to back wins to finish at .500.
    Joey Hess is making a serious play for league MVP and we suspect today will be another chance for him to push his stats upward. Hess has shown a tremendous ability to score and feed and is a critical component to his offense. Nick Mazzocca is a capable scorer of his own and clearly benefits from playing with Hess. Look for both of them to be involved early and often in the scoring. Sam Wasson is one of the better keepers in the MP and should finish the year with the most saves in the league.
     CD East will continue to rely on Chrystian Hess and Will Gingrich. We've been saying all season that this program's goals are different than that of most other Mid Penn clubs and we truly hope they can start the rebuilding process this off season.

BISHOP MCDEVITT (3-12) at LOWER DAUPHIN (6-9) 4:30PM
- The Falcons were in the midst of a mid season turn around with four straight wins and were eyeing their first winning season since 2009. A three game skid will prevent that from happening but it is still a spring that has seen this club make some major strides into the middle of the Mid Penn pack. A season ending win against Keystone opponent McDevitt would be a nice cap on year everyone in Hummelstown can be proud of. Mike Mattis will again be the Falcons main player to keep an eye on scoring wise and Justin Guevarez is an underrated goalie with the ability to change games.
     For the Crusaders it has not been an ideal follow up to a 2013 season that saw them go 7-10 after going 1-14 in 2012. For a younger program just starting to come up regression is expected and Coach Walter lost a lot of fire power in the off season. Senior Nick Sukniac and the Hanes brothers have put forth great efforts and despite the poor W-L record they have been a better team then they were earlier in the program's history. Despite losing five of their last six games their offense seems to have a found a sync against quality opponents. Their final game of the spring will be Wednesday night at Northern York.

NORTHERN YORK (8-7) at CUMBERLAND VALLEY (10-7) 7:00PM
- The Polar Bears may be on the outside (currently ranked 21st) looking in on districts but that does not mean they can't crush some dreams on the way. After beating the Rams at home on Friday to jeopardize their district chances they will head to Cumberland Valley and look to do the same to a 15th ranked Eagles squad. Cumberland Valley needs to win this game to control their destiny as it is their final match of the regular season.
     Northern has an excellent shot at finishing .500 or better with CV tonight and McDevitt at home tomorrow night. Although the playoffs are becoming a long shot we expect Coach Miller to have his team giving 100%. Northern has won 6 straight games and is aiming to finish the year on an 8 game winning streak. Zach Martick is leading the Polar Bears with 51 points courtesy of his 35 assists on the year. He can score but is one of the better assist men in the league. Derek Myers, Grant Rutter, and Sam Haak are all 20+ goal scorers and it is apparent they can hurt you from a number of different spots.
     The Eagles have won three out of their last four and have had a nice turn around after a disappointing 2013. Coach Bogazyck team is one that has improved a lot since the start of the season and a very difficult opening schedule. They have won seven of their last nine games and a win here would allow them to advance to post season play. Tommy Lehman (41 goals) and Nick Zumbrum (29) have been an absolute force as of late and if their defense and Nic Brown are on their game who knows how far they could go. A possible first round game with West York would be an excellent setup if the chips fall that way.

MECHANICSBURG (2-14) at CEDAR CREST (5-12) 7:00PM
- The Wildcats venture out of conference tonight with a shot at a winnable game against Lancaster-Lebanon opponent Cedar Crest. The Falcons have a 76.2 laxpower.com ranking (Mechanicsburg is 71.4) and have lost six of their last seven games only scoring 43 points in that span.
    Offensive and defensive woes have plagued the Cats all season. Coach Brisbane will be doing everything in his power to get his seniors a win in their final game and bookend the season with victories. Having lost 12 straight and only scored 30 goals in that period this is a team that is looking to put the building blocks in place to develop a program structure and change the culture on Broad Street. Senior Aaron Heisey is an underrated player with an excellent outside shot. He has led the Cats all year (17 goals) in scoring and we have little doubt his numbers are not a true reflection of his abilities.

PIAA DISTRICT III POWER RATINGS - 5/03/14

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)