VOLLEYBALL

Central York boys' volleyball tops Dallastown to enter win column

Ryan Vandersloot

For The York Dispatch

EMIGSVILLE — The Central York boys’ volleyball team was well on its way to closing out Dallastown in a three-set sweep Tuesday evening. The Wildcats, however, were not about to go down silently. Rallying back, the visitors roared back to send their York-Adams League battle with the Panthers to a fourth set.

That set the Panthers up for a test of their mettle, and it was one they passed with flying colors.

Despite the disappointment of missing out on a sweep, the Central York boys remained calm and focused in setting down the Wildcats for a 25-19, 25-22, 28-30, 25-18 triumph.

Central York vs. York Suburban during boys’ volleyball action at Central York High School in Springettsbury Township, Tuesday, March 28, 2023. York Suburban would win the match 3-0. Dawn J. Sagert photo

“We definitely were able to finish the match like we wanted to,” CY outside Ryan Roberts said. “We know that they were a really good opponent — we just played them (Saturday) at the Bobcat — and they gave us a run for our money.”

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It was a good experience for both sides, as the Panthers were able to celebrate victory No. 1 for co-coaches John Feldmann and Landon Shorts in the process. For the Wildcats, it was proof that they could play with the best of the best, as Central York entered the night ranked No. 5 in the latest Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association Class 3A rankings.

“It’s been difficult with Todd (Goodling’s) passing,” Roberts said. “But I think (Feldmann and Shorts) have grown into their roles and we’re starting to thrive all together.”

The Panthers were coming off a strong showing at the Bobcat Invitational, where they won their pool and play-in contests before advancing to the semifinals before falling to No. 2-ranked Emmaus.

Like Central, Dallastown is also under new leadership with former Spring Grove standout Drew Blecher at the helm. The Wildcats hope to enter the top section of the league — which has been run by Central, Northeastern and York Suburban over the past decade — in the near future.

“We played well,” Blecher said. “What we saw (from the team) at the Bobcat was good, and we’re just going to get better.”

Central York's Trevor Ketrick, center, hits the ball across the net while York Suburban's Jordan Weaver, left, and Matthew Torres defend during YAIAA boys' championship volleyball action at Dallastown Area High School in York Township, Tuesday, May 17, 2022. York Suburban would win 3-0. Dawn J. Sagert photo

The Panthers (1-1 overall, 1-1 league) didn’t play their best game last week in a season-opening loss to Suburban. Avoiding hitting errors and other mental mistakes has been a focus since then, and Tuesday was evidence that the extra attention paid off. Central York finished with 59 kills in the victory, which was a sharp turnaround from a 40-error showing against the Trojans.

The Panthers also avoided allowing the momentum of dropping Set 3 to carry over into Set 4, something that the team was also focused on.

“We knew they were going come out with some extra energy with the fourth set,” CY senior attacker Donovan Burris said. “We knew we had to step it up, and it was really great for us to be able to take another step up and overcome that.”

Trevor Ketrick led the way with 14 kills for Central, while Mason Boyer (13), Burris (12) and Christian Bucks (10) all reached double figures. Roberts led the defense with a 25-dig effort to go along with two assists. Setter Lance Shaffer finished with 45 assists.

The Wildcats (2-2, 1-1) got a big night from Jaiyden Bethel, who finished with 17 kills. Setter Evan Schmidt dished out 27 assists while Luke Fureman tallied seven digs.