York-Adams teams set for District 3 playoffs in lacrosse, boys' volleyball

It’s a busy time on the local high school calendar, as big tests and final exams give way to proms and graduations. And there’s even more chaos to be found on the field, as spring sports playoffs are in full swing.

A busy stretch of PIAA District 3 tournaments began last Friday with the first round of the baseball playoffs. District softball action kicked off Monday, with the opening round coinciding with the second round of baseball. Tuesday, meanwhile, marks the beginning of tournaments in three more sports — boys’ and girls’ lacrosse and boys’ volleyball — as a bevy of York-Adams League teams look to push for championships.

Local schools will be in action across six different tournaments Tuesday. The primary exception to this week’s schedule is York Catholic, which had graduation ceremonies scheduled for Monday and Tuesday night. As a result, three different Fighting Irish teams were in Class 2A tournament action Monday afternoon. The girls’ lacrosse team handled Cocalico, 19-7, and the boys’ volleyball team swept Fleetwood at home. Boys’ lacrosse fell 9-4 at Twin Valley to end its season.

All five sports are in action Thursday before a break for Memorial Day weekend. The district baseball finals are slated for Tuesday, May 30, with semifinals in other sports on that date. The district finals for softball, boys’ volleyball and boys’ and girls’ lacrosse will all be held Thursday, June 1.

Lacrosse and boys’ volleyball will crown champions in two classifications (2A and 3A). All tournaments except one (3A volleyball) will feature exactly 12 teams, and the top four teams from all but one tournament will advance to states in early June (the 2A volleyball tournament will send only three). 

Here’s a look at each local squad’s playoff path.

BOYS’ LACROSSE

Class 3A: York-Adams regular-season champion Dallastown (17-2) is the No. 2 seed, but No. 3 Central York (17-2) may be the hottest team in the field. The Panthers have won 17 straight after an 0-2 start, including last Friday’s 17-3 decimation of Dallastown in the league final. Both teams have first-round byes and will play Thursday with a chance to set up a rubber match in next week’s semifinals. Top-seeded Manheim Township (14-1, 14-0 in PIAA games) is on the other side of the bracket.

MORE:York-Adams League coaches select 2023 boys' lacrosse all-stars

No. 6-seed South Western (15-4) hosts No. 11 Cumberland Valley (12-5) on Tuesday, with the winner advancing to play Central York. And No. 10 Red Lion (11-4) will travel to No. 7 Carlisle (13-4) with a visit to Dallastown up for grabs.

Class 2A: Defending district champion Susquehannock (14-3) is seeded second, behind only Cocalico (17-1, undefeated in regular season). The Warriors won’t play until Friday, when they’ll host the winner of No. 7 New Oxford (9-6) and No. 10 Wyomissing. The Colonials will hope for another shot at Susky after losing 20-2 on March 30.

Eastern York and York Catholic snuck into the field as the No. 11 and 12 seeds, respectively. The Fighting Irish were eliminated from the postseason with Monday’s loss at No. 5-seed Trinity and finished their campaign 8-10. The Golden Knights (10-8) will visit No. 6-seed Twin Valley (12-5) on Tuesday evening, with the winner to play No. 3 Lampeter-Strasburg (15-4) on Thursday night.

GIRLS’ LACROSSE

Class 3A: Red Lion (12-3) is the No. 2 seed in the 12-team bracket, but the Lions could be underdogs in their first playoff game against No. 7-seed South Western (14-5) or No. 10 Mifflin County (12-3). The Mustangs beat Red Lion both in the regular season and league tournament, but they’ll first have to get through the Huskies at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday.

No. 9-seed Dallastown (11-5) will pay a Tuesday visit to No. 8 Penn Manor (13-5), with the winner earning a shot at top-seeded Manheim Township (14-1).

Class 2A: Three local squads are in the field, although none received first-round byes. No. 5 Susquehannock (12-5) just missed the top four and will host No. 12 Trinity (10-7) at 4 p.m. Tuesday on South Western’s turf. A win would send the Warriors into the quarterfinals against No. 4 Lower Dauphin.

No. 9 Kennard-Dale (12-5) will visit No. 8 Red Land (13-5) on Tuesday, with top-seeded Hershey awaiting the winner. No. 6 York Catholic’s win Monday advances the Irish to a quarterfinal clash against No. 3 Wyomissing (19-2).

BOYS’ VOLLEYBALL

Class 3A: With only two squads receiving byes in this 14-team bracket, No. 3 Central York (14-1) and No. 4 Northeastern (13-3) will both be in action Tuesday night. The Panthers are set to host No. 14 Penn Manor (9-9), with the Bobcats welcoming Elizabethtown (9-7). 

This tournament features four of the top 10 teams in the PVCA’s statewide Class 3A rankings. Top-seeded Cumberland Valley (15-0) ranks third, followed by Central at No. 4, Northeastern at No. 6 and second-seeded Warwick (16-1) at No. 8. The four district semifinalists will advance to states.

Eighth-seeded Dallastown (11-5) hosts No. 9 Carlisle (11-7) on Tuesday night, while No. 10 Red Lion (9-7) is at No. 7 Hempfield.

Class 2A: No. 4-seed York Suburban (13-4) has a bye into Thursday’s quarterfinals, with Northern York and Hershey playing for a spot in that matchup. No. 6 York Catholic advanced to play No. 3-seed Manheim Central (14-0) with Monday’s 25-21, 25-9, 25-14 win over Fleetwood.

Only three teams from District 3 will advance to states, and five of the PVCA’s top 10 in the class are in this tournament. Manheim Central was No. 3 in the most recent rankings, followed by top-seeded Lower Dauphin at No. 4 and second-seeded Exeter Township at No. 5. York Catholic was ranked seventh and York Suburban eighth.