Mechanicsburg's Nicole Coons, seen here returning a shot in last week's Mid-Penn singles title match, won both her matches Saturday at Hershey Racquet Club to advance to the District 3-AAA semifinals. File photo 10-9-12. CHRIS KNIGHT, The Patriot-News

Saturday proved to be an afternoon of redemption for Mechanicsburg tennis ace Nicole Coons at the District 3 tournament in Hershey.

Five days after losing the Mid-Penn Conference singles title to Hershey’s Libby Nolan, Coons won both her matches at the D-3 Class AAA singles tournament at Hershey Racquet Club to reach Monday’s semifinals, where she’ll play top-seeded Katie Wagner of Susquehannock.

Coons handily beat Mid-Penn Keystone rival Morgan Asmrud of Northern 6-2, 6-1 in the first round Saturday before dispatching upstart freshman Ali Snyder of Exeter 6-3, 7-5.

 
Coons was a different player than the one who took the court at CD East last Tuesday. It may have been as simple as laying down some early winners, and thereby regaining some of the confidence that was shaken a bit last week. Her forehand was sharp, with bite, and balls that were flying long against Nolan at East found their mark with sink on HRC’s indoor surface. She also mixed up her shots and placements, something that was largely missing from her game last Tuesday.

In any event, Coons is playing Monday, with a shot. That’s all you can ask for.

 
 “Today, I decided to be aggressive but patient,” Coons said. “I decided to mix up pace. I didn’t want to hit every ball hard, because I noticed a lot of players were standing behind the baseline against me. So I was throwing in drop shots, mixing pace, slicing some, and that really made a difference.”

Exeter’s Snyder dumped the fourth-seeded Nolan from the field in the first round with surprisingly one-sided 6-1, 6-2 verdict. Afterwards, Nolan admitted it was mentally tough to gear back up for districts after accomplishing her preseason goal of winning Mid-Penns.

 
 “My match with Nicole, I was very ready; I knew what I had to do,” Nolan said. “I was focused. ... The MPCs were my goal. But I don’t really get upset about too much. ... Today, Ali did really well. I just wasn’t ready.”

 
Nolan’s season is not over, as she will spearhead top-ranked Hershey’s effort in the AAA team semifinals on Tuesday.

 
Chambersburg’s Mandy Bell fell in a AAA first-round epic to Dallastown’s Emily Westenberger 4-6, 6-0, 6-7(5) in a match that lasted nearly three hours.

The other AAA semifinal will pit Wilson’s Sruthi Kampath against Katina Jones of Penn Manor.

 
In Class AA, Camp Hill sophomore Eleanor Gerhard, the MPC champ, saw her sparkling season came to an end in a quarterfinal loss to Lancaster Catholic’s Lil Veronis 6-3, 6-1. A competitive first set was followed by a lopsided second in favor of the L-L AA runner-up, to hand Gerhard her only loss of what was a superb campaign for the transfer from Lewisburg.

 
 “I wasn’t used to playing someone who is able to get to a lot of the shots I’m hitting,” Gerhard said. “She’s [Veronis] a really good player with a good forehand. I tired to attack her backhand, but she was athletic enough to get to those shots. I wasn’t as consistent as I wanted to be, but I definitely put my all out there.”

Gerhard had beaten Maddie Kepner of York Catholic 6-4, 6-0 in her first-round match.

 
Maddie Shaak, Cedar Crest’s AA singles champ from the Lancaster-Lebanon League, made it through to the semifinals with wins over Kutzown’s Monika Volk (6-1, 6-0) and Greta Koch of Wyomissing (6-1, 6-0).

Shaak’s reward will be facing a Spoden sister from York Catholic for the fourth straight season. Anna Spoden beat Trinity’s Cara Sandri 6-0, 6-0 in her opener, followed by Carlee Brumgard of Biglerville by a 6-2, 6-0 count. Shaak faced Ava Spoden as a freshman; Monday’s semifinal will mark her third straight district meeting with Anna.

 
 Brumgard had defeated Bishop McDevitt’s Allie Tully 6-0, 6-0 in the opening round before running up against Spoden in the quarters.

Veronis, meanwhile, will face Audrey Ann Blakely of Wyomissing in AA’s other semifinal on Monday. Blakely dropped two games total in rolling Harrisburg Academy’s Claire Gianakas 6-0, 6-0, and Berks Catholic’s Mariah Wardius 6-2, 6-0.

JEFF DEWEES: jdewees@pnco.com 
  
ON TWITTER: @pn_jdewees

Alec Werner threw for 346 yards and two touchdowns in Bishop McDevitt's 32-14 win over Lower Dauphin. - (CHRIS KNIGHT, The Patriot-News)

Lower Dauphin took appropriate measures to subdue high-profile Bishop McDevitt. What the Falcons couldn’t do Saturday night was slow down Crusaders quarterback Alec Werner.

Werner threw for 346 yards and targeted Brian Lemelle and Gevante Elam for two touchdowns apiece as Bishop McDevitt scraped together a 32-14 Mid-Penn Keystone Division victory over the gritty Falcons.

At Henry Hershey Field, Werner wrecked a determined Falcons defense over 32 attempts, connecting with seven different receivers while the usually-seamless McD running game had trouble finding a groove. The root cause was up for debate.

“We didn’t try to take away one or the other, but they’re a good team,” said LD skipper Rob Klock, who didn’t disguise his base defense beyond several blitz packages.

“They showed up and that’s part of it. When you play McDevitt, you’ve got to play the McDevitt mystique. We actually did have some opportunities and we didn’t take advantage."

The heavily-favored Crusaders (7-0, 4-0) only led 12-0 at intermission following a pair of Werner-to-Lemelle exchanges. Lemelle, who grabbed his 200^th career reception in the first quarter, hauled in eight catches in all for 112 yards.

But minutes after RB Andre Robinson put the Crusaders up 20-0 with an 8-yard scamper early in the third, Lower Dauphin (5-2, 2-2) finally parlayed a positive drive into points.

Quarterback Troy Spencer and RB Travis Morrill (22 rushes, 92 yards) led LD on a 13-play, 78-yard series capped by an 11-yard swing pass to Nate Miller.

Elam’s first career touchdown grab, a brilliant, sliding catch near the sideline, quickly restored order for McD. Morrill, running behind lineman Jimmy Marks most of the night, chipped in a 29-yard scoring run deep in the fourth quarter.

“We were bad from the start of the week. We had no enthusiasm and it went right through to our effort today,” said Crusaders coach Jeff Weachter, less than thrilled about his team’s pace and those 10 penalties for 107 yards.

“I don’t want to take anything away from Lower Dauphin. They played hard. But our effort tonight was absolutely horrendous.”

Later, Elam would deliver the knockout blow just two minutes after Morrill’s strike. The sophomore broke behind LD’s secondary for a 38-yard score with 3:16 remaining.

With an assist from LB Que’Shawn Jenkins and defensive lineman Myles Turner, Lower Dauphin was turned away three times in McD territory in the opening half.

“Unfortunately, that’s been our Achilles heel all year. Our offense doesn’t click right away,” Klock added. “We came to play in the second half, and Travis ran the ball pretty hard, too.”

Werner finished 24 of 32 to help the Crusaders total 23 first downs.

EPLER ON TWITTER: @threejacker

Class AAA

First round

(1) Katie Wagner, Susqhk d. Sarah Sambrick, L-S 6-1, 6-0

Emily Mann, MT d. Brittany Smith, Eph 6-1, 6-1

Ali Snyder, Exe d. (4) Libby Nolan, Her 6-1, 6-2

Nicole Coons, Mech d. Morgan Amsrud, North 6-2, 6-1

Emily Westenberger, DT d. Mandy Bell, Cbg 6-4, 0-6, 7-6(5)

(3) Sruthi Kamprath, Wil d. Mackenzie Bortner, SW 6-1, 6-0

Katina Jones, PM d. Catherine Bond, CCr 6-0, 6-1

(2) Emily Kuhn, C York d. Ruth Anne Millen, McC 6-4, 6-0

Quarterfinals

Wagner d. Mann 6-0, 6-4

Coons d. Snyder 6-3, 7-5

Kamprath d. Westenberger 6-2, 6-1

Jones d. Kuhn 6-3, 6-1

Semifinals (Monday)

Coons vs. Wagner

Kamprath vs. Jones

Class AA

First round

(1) Audrey Ann Blakely, Wyo d. Claire Gianakas, HA 6-0, 6-0

Mariah Wardius, Berks Cath d. Steph Gainer, Don 4-6, 6-1, 6-3

(4) Eleanor Gerhard, CH d. Maddie Kepner 6-4, 6-0

Lil Veronis, Lanc Cath d. Lin Robertson, Berks Cath 6-3, 6-1

Greta Koch, Wyo d. Jenny Seaborne, BrH 6-2, 6-2

(3) Maddie Shaak, Elco d. Monika Volk, Kutz 6-1, 6-0

Carlee Brumgard, Bigl d. Allie Tully, McD 6-0, 6-0

(2) Anna Spoden, York Cath d. Cara Sandri, Trin 6-0, 6-0

Quarterfinals

Blakely d. Wardius 6-2, 6-0

Veronis d. Gerhard 6-3, 6-1

Shaak d. Koch 6-1, 6-0

Spoden d. Brumgard 6-2, 6-0

Semifinals (Monday)

Blakely vs. Veronis

Shaak vs. Spoden

JEFF DEWEES: jdewees@pnco.com

ON TWITTER: @pn_jdewees

Carlisle's Gabe Stasyszyn (left), pictured earlier this season against Red Land, assisted on Keanan Wilson's overtime goal as the Herd downed Cumberland Valley 1-0. - (PAUL CHAPLIN, The Patriot-News)

COMMONWEALTH DIVISION

CARLISLE 1, CUMBERLAND VALLEY 0 (OT)

Keanan Wilson's deflected finish with 5:32 gone in extra time pushed Brandon Eiserman's Thundering Herd past CV at Eagle View, enhancing Carlisle's chances at getting into the District 3-AAA playoffs.

Gabe Stasyszyn had a chance to win it moments earlier, but his pop glanced off the post and caromed toward Wilson. Wilson corralled the loose ball, then fired a shot that ricocheted off a CV defender.

Christian Pavlovich finished with six saves for Carlisle, which won its fifth in a row. Ben Steele wound up with seven stops for CV, which collared the Mid-Penn Commonwealth Division championship on Thursday night.

Carlisle came into Saturday's game ranked 19th in the District 3-AAA power rankings -- the top 20 gain entry -- while CV was second.

STATE COLLEGE 2, RED LAND 2 (OT)

Sam Bollinger buried a penalty kick with 2:45 remaining in regulation, forging a 2-2 deadlock that lasted through 20 minutes of extra time.

Bollinger also scored with one second left in the first half, pocketing a restart that made it 1-1.

Keegan Willson and Ben Kunkel racked up finishes for the host Patriots -- Kunkel converted a penalty kick with 13:37 to play -- who owned leads of 1-0 and 2-1 before State College found a set of equalizers.

KEYSTONE DIVISION

PALMYRA 2, LOWER DAUPHIN 1

Robby Hanosek's score with nine minutes to play -- off a Griffin Mitchell assist -- snapped a 1-1 deadlock and pushed Craig Tyrrell's Cougars past LD at In The Net. The win prevented LD from clinching a share of the Keystone crown.

Colten Nagy bagged the lone goal for Gerry Lynch's Falcons, pulling the visitors even in the sixth minute. An early own gave Palmyra a 1-0 edge.

TRI-VALLEY LEAGUE

UPPER DAUPHIN 1, LANCASTER COUNTRY DAY 1 (OT)

Bobby Paul's finish with 12:07 remaining in the second half pulled the host Trojans into a 1-1 stalemate that OT could not settle. Carson Hassel staked LCD to a 1-0 lead on a penalty kick with 9:54 gone in the second half.

Madison Crum-Burger fashioned a six-save effort for UD, matching the six-stop performance posted by LCD's Ethan Jenkins.

GREENWOOD 11, MILLERSBURG 0

Hunter Wirth rang up four goals and assisted on a fifth -- Wirth posted a natural hat trick early in the second half that upped Greenwood's lead to 9-0 -- as Tom Magill's Wildcats pasted the host Indians.

Josh Ferguson (3g, 4a), Jarrett Fortenbaugh (2g, 3a) and Seth Ferguson (2g) also uncorked multi-goal efforts for a Wildcats side that owned a substantial advantage (22-2) on the shot chart.

JUNIATA 5, LINE MOUNTAIN 1

Jose Lopez banked three goals, while Logan Aurand and Andrew Clouser chipped in one apiece as Clint Brackbill's Indians eased past Line Mountain in Mandata by rattling off the game's first five finishes.

Carl Pollard bagged the lone goal for the Eagles, spoiling Matt Coldren's bid for a shutout. Coldren finished with five saves.

ELSEWHERE

BOILING SPRINGS 1, WEST PERRY 0

Josh Ly pocketed a fifth-minute finish and Colin Frownfelter piled up 10 saves as the visiting Bubblers edged West Perry on the rug in Elliottsburg.

Ben Brashear registered 10 stops for the Mustangs.

GETTYSBURG 1, NORTHERN 0 (OT)

Tyler Weikert's score with 3:24 to play in overtime propelled Scott Hancock's Warriors past Northern, running Gettysburg's winning streak to nine games. Michael Heeschen preserved the shutout by making five saves.

Noah Richwine and Brendan Heasley shared five stops for the Polar Bears.

EAST PENNSBORO 11, SUSQUEHANNA TWP 0

Adiv Lift found the back of the net three times, while Fred Lewis and Vlad Bruce chimed in with two apiece as the host Panthers pummeled Rich Adams' Tribe. East Penn led 6-0 at the halftime break.

Niko Lewis, Noah Campomizzi, Mohamed Boukhars and Marvin Ta chipped in one score apiece for East Penn, which owned a 19-9 edge in shots. Kyle Miller and Thariq Idroos combined for seven saves and the shutout.

BIBLE BAPTIST 4, HARRISBURG ACADEMY 2

Timmy Pintarich rolled in four scores -- two in each half -- as Justin Randolph's wrapped up regular-season play by doubling up the host Spartans. Bible Baptist will open the CCAC's six-team tournament on Tuesday at home against Lancaster County Christian.

Nathan Walborn bagged both goals for the Academy.

JAMES BUCHANAN 4, LITTLESTOWN 0

Nathaniel Truett scored two goals, while Jordan Lichty and Tico Witter checked in with one apiece as JB claimed the nonleague W. Ben Troupe needed to make just one save for the Rockets, who outshot the Bolts 15-1.

Logan Kram finished with 11 stops for Littlestown.

FAIRFIELD 2, WAYNESBORO 1

Shane Schlak's goal with 6:39 to play proved to be the difference as the Green Knights turned back visiting Waynesboro. Gabe Clarke also connected for Fairfield, which pulled in front with 8:50 gone in the second half.

Conor Short, with help from Ethan Mohn, pulled the Indians even with 10:32 to play in regulation.

Nativity BVM 32, Carson Long 19: Gino DiMicola caught a touchdown pass and ran for another as the Green Wave (2-4, 2-0) slowly subdued a conference foe in New Bloomfield.

The 19 points and 234 yards of offense were big numbers for the host Warriors (0-6, 0-1).

Tyler Baptiste ran for a pair of scores for Carson Long, Demar Watson rushed for 98 yards, QB David Oliver threw for 127 yards and ran for a score, and Cornulius Pixley totaled 79 yards receiving.

Marisa Yeager scored the only goal Red Land needed against State College. - (SEAN SIMMERS, The Patriot-News)

GIRLS’ SOCCER
Commonwealth: Marisa Yeager scored 1:14 into the second overtime period to give Red Land a 1-0 win over State College. ... In one 13 minute stretch of the second half, Cedar Cliff and Chambersburg each scored two goals, but the Colts had more overall offense in a 5-3 win. ... Savannah Hall scored three goals in the second half of a 5-0 win for Cumberland Valley over Carlisle.

Tri-Valley: Jayme Verman made five saves to help Lancaster Catholic to a 4-0 win over Millersburg.

Others: Kayla Hughes’ second half goal was the difference in Hershey’s 2-1 win over Cedar Crest. ... West Perry’s Erica Hile and Boiling Springs Mikayla Snyder both scored in the first 12 minutes of the game, but the contest ended in a 1-1 tie. ... Kalina Jenkins scored her second goal in the second overtime to give Harrisburg Christian a 2-1 win over Milton Hershey.

FIELD HOCKEY
Others: Maddie Parish scored with 4:49 remaining for the only goal of Hershey’s 1-0 win over Milton Hershey. ... Lydia Koser and Steph Dressler each scored two goals as East Juniata defeated Huntingdon 7-0.

Central Dauphin and Cumberland Valley had their Commonwealth Division race come down to the last day, but they were not alone in down-to-the-wire finishes. - (CHRISTINE BAKER, The Patriot-News)

FIELD HOCKEY
The Mid-Penn knows drama
It is no secret that the Mid-Penn Conference plays a high-quality brand of high school field hockey. But its not just that several teams are good — they are also well matched against each other.

Well enough that, out of four division in the league, one title will be determined in a tie-breaker and two others were determined in the last game of the season.

The tie-breaker game will be between Big Spring and Boiling Springs at Memorial Field in Mechanicsburg at 4:30 p.m. Monday for the Colonial Division. That became necessary when the Bubblers downed the Bulldogs 2-0 on Friday, putting both teams at 9-1 in division play.

Boiling Spring’s one loss was a 1-0 defeat against Big Spring on Sept. 20.

Lydia George is the leading scorer for the Bulldogs with 22 goals and nine assists. Lindsay Bower and Kylie Brandt have eight goals each.

Across the field from them on Monday will be the Bubblers’ Jill Susi (14 goals) and Morgan Speakman (12 goals).

Likely starters in goal would be Jordan Yaukey for Big Spring and Delaney Gitt for Boiling Springs.

Also on Friday, Central Dauphin took the Commonwealth Division title with a 6-0 blanking of Cedar Cliff. That victory allowed the Rams to jump over Cumberland Valley for the crown. Central Dauphin finished 12-1-1, while Cumberland Valley was 12-2.

Like the top teams in the Capital, the Commonwealth leaders split with each other. Cumberland Valley won 1-0 in overtime on Sept. 12, but Central Dauphin won 6-1 on Oct. 2.

The Rams will host the winner of the Colonial Division in the Mid-Penn semifinals on Tuesday.

In the Capital Division, Milton Hershey defeated Northern 2-0 on Wednesday, allowing the Spartans to clinch the title in their last division game. Milton Hershey finished at 11-1 and held off second place West Perry, which was 9-1-2.

The Keystone Division was the lone division not to come down to the last day, but that may have reflected the order of games on the schedule more than the differential between the teams. Lower Dauphin won the title with a 12-0 division mark. Palmyra finished 10-2, with both losses to the Falcons.

If Lower Dauphin and Palmyra had met to end the season, instead of having their last game against each other on Oct. 1, the Keystone would have had as much drama as the other divisions.

Lower Dauphin will host Milton Hershey in Tuesday’s Mid-Penn semifinals.

ON TWITTER: @PN_David_Bohr

Conestoga Valley senior Anthony Brown returned the opening kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown Friday in the Buckskins' 24-0 win over Solanco. - (JEFF REINHART, PennLive.com L-L League Blogger)

SCORING MARGIN
Penn Manor - 270 points for, 55 against - plus-215

Donegal - 314 points for, 100 against - plus-214

Cocalico - 276 points for, 89 against - plus-190

Wilson - 235 points for, 58 against - plus-177

Garden Spot - 249 points for, 78 against - plus-171

Manheim Central - 270 points for, 119 against - plus-151

Manheim Township - 184 points for, 120 against - plus-64

Lampeter-Strasburg - 181 points for, 149 against - plus-32

Elco - 165 points for, 152 against - plus-13

Lancaster Catholic - 170 points for, 165 against - plus-5

Cedar Crest - 176 points for, 186 against - minus-10

McCaskey - 163 points for, 202 against - minus-39

Northern Lebanon - 114 points for, 169 against - minus-55

Pequea Valley - 109 points for, 173 against - minus-64

Annville-Cleona - 127 points for, 205 against - minus-78

Conestoga Valley - 119 points for, 201 against - minus-82

Columbia - 114 points for, 203 against - minus-89

Ephrata - 68 points for, 187 against - minus-89

Elizabethtown - 134 points for, 225 against - minus-91

Warwick - 103 points for, 207 against - minus-104

Hempfield - 104 points for, 277 against - minus-173

Solanco - 63 points for, 240 against - minus-177

Lebanon - 65 points for, 321 against - minus-256

FIRST DOWNS
Penn Manor - 144
Manheim Central - 137
Cedar Crest - 108
Cocalico - 108
Donegal - 106
Manheim Township - 106
Garden Spot - 103
Lancaster Catholic - 103
Warwick - 102
Lampeter-Strasburg - 96
Wilson - 94
Conestoga Valley - 93
Lebanon - 93
McCaskey - 86
Annville-Cleona - 82
Elco - 82
Northern Lebanon - 80
Elizabethtown - 79
Columbia - 73
Hempfield - 72
Solanco - 70
Ephrata - 67
Pequea Valley - 64

PENALTIES
Ephrata - 22 for 142 yards
Solanco - 22 for 199 yards
Cocalico - 26 for 196 yards
Donegal - 26 for 230 yards
Pequea Valley - 29 for 247 yards
Elizabethtown - 33 for 248 yards
Annville-Cleona - 34 for 324 yards
Elco - 34 for 298 yards
Hempfield - 35 for 341 yards
Lebanon - 35 for 286 yards
Manheim Central - 35 for 291 yards
Conestoga Valley - 37 for 335 yards
Columbia - 38 for 297 yards
Lampeter-Strasburg - 38 for 275 yards
Penn Manor - 38 for 337 yards
Northern Lebanon - 41 for 391 yards
Cedar Crest - 45 for 397 yards
Warwick - 47 for 383 yards
Garden Spot - 48 for 439 yards
Manheim Township - 50 for 462 yards
Lancaster Catholic - 51 for 371 yards
McCaskey - 57 for 441 yards
Wilson - 58 for 372 yards

TURNOVER RATIO
Garden Spot - 10 give, 25 take - plus-15
Penn Manor - 2 give, 17 take - plus-15
Pequea Valley - 10 give, 22 take - plus-10
Donegal - 8 give, 19 take - plus-11
Wilson - 11 give, 20 take - plus-9
Cocalico - 7 give, 15 take - plus-8
Elco - 9 give, 14 take - plus-5
Elizabethtown - 12 give, 17 take - plus-5
Manheim Central - 9 give, 13 take - plus-4
Manheim Township - 7 give, 10 take - plus-3
Cedar Crest - 14 give, 15 take - plus-1
Lancaster Catholic - 9 give, 10 take - plus-1
Annville-Cleona - 9 give, 9 take - EVEN
McCaskey - 14 give, 14 take - EVEN
Hempfield - 14 give, 12 take - minus-2
Northern Lebanon - 12 give, 10 take - minus-2
Conestoga Valley - 12 give, 9 take - minus-3
Warwick - 13 give, 9 take - minus-4
Lampeter-Strasburg - 18 give, 11 take - minus-7
Solanco - 15 give, 7 take - minus-8
Columbia - 17 give 8 take - minus-9
Lebanon - 18 give, 9 take - minus-9
Ephrata - 19 give, 8 take - minus-11

FIELD GOALS
47-yarder – WRIGHT, Lampeter-Strasburg – Week 4 vs. Solanco
41-yarder – HAAS, Garden Spot – Week 3 vs. Conestoga Valley
33-yarder – STAUFFER, Manheim Central – Week 3 vs. Daniel Boone
32-yarder – RUBRIGHT, Wilson – Week 3 vs. Reading
32-yarder – STAUFFER, Manheim Central – Week 3 vs. Daniel Boone
32-yarder - SVANIDZE, Penn Manor - Week 7 vs. Manheim Township
32-yarder - CLAPPER, Conestoga Valley - Week 7 vs. Solanco
31-yarder – SVANIDZE, Penn Manor – Week 3 vs. Dallastown
27-yarder – WOOLLEY, Manheim Township – Week 3 vs. Carlisle
27-yarder – RUBRIGHT, Wilson – Week 4 vs. McCaskey
27-yarder – BIEMESDERFER, Warwick – Week 4 vs. Cedar Crest
27-yarder – HAAS, Garden Spot – Week 6 vs. Annville-Cleona
26-yarder – BIEMESDERFER, Warwick – Week 3 vs. Ephrata
25 yarder – RUBRIGHT, Wilson – Week 4 vs. McCaskey
24-yarder – ARNOLD, Elco – Week 1 vs. Hamburg
24-yarder – WOOLLEY, Manheim Township Week 3 vs. Carlisle
23-yarder – BONNALLE, Cedar Crest – Week 1 vs. Lebanon
21-yarder – BONNALLE, Cedar Crest – Week 4 vs. Warwick
21-yarder – WRIGHT, Lampeter-Strasburg – Week 5 vs. Ephrata
18-yarder – UNDERWOOD, Hempfield – Week 2 vs. Manheim Central

FUMBLE RETURNS FOR TOUCHDOWNS
99 yards – MOSER, Cocalico – Week 4 vs. Conestoga Valley
50 yards – SCHMITT, Pequea Valley – Week 1 vs. York Tech
49 yards – PETRI, Conestoga Valley – Week 1 vs. Cedar Cliff
35 yards – SMITH, Pequea Valley – Week 1 vs. York Tech
20 yards - HAAS, Garden Spot - Week 7 vs. Pius X
18 yards – SMITH, Donegal – Week 3 vs. Palmyra
End Zone – PICKEL, Lampeter-Strasburg – Week 4 vs. Solanco
End Zone – TEIJARO, Pequea Valley – Week 5 vs. Northern Lebanon

INTERCEPTION RETURNS FOR TOUCHDOWNS
100 yards – BREAULT, Elizabethtown – Week 5 vs. Conestoga Valley
96 yards – CARTER, Manheim Central – Week 3 vs. Daniel Boone
91 yards – BROOKS, Wilson – Week 5 vs. Cedar Crest
80 yards – SWEED, Garden Spot – Week 3 vs. Conestoga Valley
55 yards – TRIMBY, Donegal – Week 5 vs. Columbia
53 yards – BROOKS, Wilson – Week 5 vs. Cedar Crest
52 yards - CHERRY, McCaskey – Week 2 vs. York
46 yards – SWARR, Garden Spot – Week 3 vs. Conestoga Valley
39 yards – KELLY, Garden Spot – Week 3 vs. Conestoga Valley
35 yards – MANN, Pequea Valley – Week 1 vs. York Tech
30 yards – REHRER, Garden Spot – Week 2 vs. Ephrata
30 yards – FARRELL, Pequea Valley – Week 2 vs. Kutztown
28 yards – CARTER, Manheim Central – Week 4 vs. Elizabethtown
27 yards – PICKEL, Lampeter-Strasburg – Week 6 vs. Elizabethtown
5 yards – GROFF, Solanco – Week 5 vs. Cocalico

PUNT RETURNS FOR TOUCHDOWNS
75 yards – KARPINSKI, Manheim Township – Week 6 vs. Cedar Crest
71 yards – BROOKS, Wilson – Week 5 vs. Cedar Crest
70 yards – KARPINSKI, Manheim Township – Week 6 vs. Cedar Crest
68 yards – BROWN, Conestoga Valley – Week 5 vs. Elizabethtown
60 yards - BROOKS, Wilson - Week 7 vs. Lancaster Catholic
53 yards – HAAS, Garden Spot – Week 2 vs. Ephrata
48 yards – BROOKS, Wilson – Week 4 vs. McCaskey

KICKOFF RETURNS FOR TOUCHDOWNS
99 yards - LAWLER, Lampeter-Strasburg - Week 7 vs. Manheim Central
90 yards - BROWN, Conestoga Valley - Week 7 vs. Solanco
89 yards – STRAUSE, Elco – Week 3 vs. Lebanon
89 yards – YOST, Northern Lebanon – Week 2 vs. Lebanon
75 yards – SWINTON, McCaskey – Week 4 vs. Wilson
60 yards – ODNEY, McCaskey – Week 3 vs. Exeter

JEFF REINHART: jreinhart@pnco.com
ON TWITTER: @JeffReinhartPN

Conestoga Valley's Marc Oliveri is one of 12 L-L League golfers set to tee it up in the PIAA Eastern Regional on Tuesday at Golden Oaks in Fleetwood. - (JEFF REINHART, PennLive.com L-L League Blogger)

LANCASTER - And then there were 12.

An even dozen L-L League golfers are still standing with the PIAA Eastern Regional on tap for Tuesday at Golden Oaks in Fleetwood.

Eight boys' golfers and four girls' golfers from the L-L League will tee it up Tuesday in a 9 a.m. shotgun start.

In the field ...

Craig Hornberger, Manheim Township
Andy Butler, Manheim Township
Ryan Dornes, Manheim Township
Marc Oliveri, Conestoga Valley
Aaron Fricke, Garden Spot
Connor Sheehan, Solanco
Drew Baker, Warwick
Dylan Beiler, Pequea Valley
Lacy Bensing, Ephrata
Haley Goodling, Manheim Central
Mary Beth Palic, Manheim Township
Meg Palic, Manheim Township

CHIP SHOTS: Of the boys entrants, Drew Beiler will compete in AA and the other seven golfers are in the AAA field; the top 24 AAA finishers advance to the PIAA finals while the top 16 AA finishers will go to States, set for October 22-23 at Heritage Hills in York. ... All four L-L League girls' golfers in the field are AAA competitors; the top six advance to the PIAA championships. ... Craig Hornberger is fresh off his third District 3 championship in a row. He won his sophomore season representing Conestoga Valley before transferring and winning the last two for Manheim Township. He shot a two-day 3-under to win last week at Briarwood East in York, overcoming teammate Andy Butler down the stretch for the three-peat. Butler was the first player in at 1-under, and he ended up beating overnight leader Josh Rinehart from West York, also at 1-under, in a one-hole playoff for second. ... Ryan Dornes is the two-time reigning L-L League champ, and he shot 1-over in Districts, good for a fifth-place finish, giving the Blue Streaks a 1-2-5 finish and their second district title in a row and eighth overall. ... Butler also finished second in the L-L League championship, behind Dornes, the soph lefty who is now 2-for-2 in league finals. ... Garden Spot's Aaron Fricke and Warwick's Drew Baker each shot 75 and tied for thid and CV's Marc Oliveri shot 76 and finished fifth in the L-L League finals. ... Oliveri and Fricke both cashed in with top-10 finishes in Districts: Oliveri, who shared the lead at one point in on the back nine in the final round, finished sixth with a 3-over and Fricke was eighth at 5-over at Briarwood East. ... The L-L League produced seven of the top 12 finishers in the District 3 AAA boys' tournament. ... Manheim Township won its third L-L League championship in a row; Streaks have won six in seven years and 13 overall, and they'll be out to defend their PIAA AAA state title on October 24 at Heritage Hills in York. ... PV's Dylan Beiler finished tied for second at Districts with a 3-over. ... L-L League girls' champ Megan Esterbrook from Ephrata failed to make Regionals; she missed the cut at Districts by two shots. Esterbrook shot 83 to win the league title at Foxchase; her teammate and L-L League runner-up, Lacy Bensing, finished sixth at Districts and moved on to Regionals. ... Top L-L League girls' finisher at Districts: Manheim Township's Mary Beth Palic shot 16-over and took the bronze behind 2011 district champ Allison Cooper from Central Dauphin and winner Lizzie McGarrigle from Conrad Weiser. McGarrigle will get some home Berks County cooking at Golden Oaks on Monday. ... Fricke shot a school-record 63 earlier this season for Garden Spot. ... Oliveri finished third in the PA Junior in July at Heshey Country Club. ... Hornberger tied for fourth in Regionals last fall with a 75 at Golden Oaks. ... Mary Beth Palic finished seventh with an 80 in Regionals last fall. ... This is the first year where two classifications - AAA and AA - will be contested; last year, Pittston's Brandon Matthews (70) won the boys title and Pennsbuy's Jackie Rogowicz (74) claimed the girls title in the Eastern Regional, also at Golden Oaks. ... The Western Regional is Monday at 9 a.m. at Tom's Run Golf Courst at Chestnut Ridge Golf Resort and Conference Center in Blairsville.

JEFF REINHART: jreinhart@pnco.com
ON TWITTER: @JeffReinhartPN

Manheim Township senior QB Brennan Scott is up to 6,078 career passing yards - fourth-most in L-L League history. - (PAUL CHAPLIN, The Patriot-News)

LANCASTER - Some L-L League football items for your reading pleasure ...

* Elizabethtown blanked Ephrata 35-0 on Friday. It was the Bears' first victory via shutout since a 28-0 Section 2 whitewash at Garden Spot on October 9, 2009.

* Lancaster Catholic dropped a 14-7 home decision to Wilson on Friday. It was the fewest points the Crusaders scored in a game since Trinity pinned a 20-0 loss on Lancaster Catholic on August 29, 2008. Since that game, the Crusaders are 58-7, including this season's 4-3 start.

* Lancaster Catholic is breaking in new uniforms this season. Was chatting with coach Bruce Harbach on Friday prior to the Crusaders' home game vs. Wilson, and he said Lancaster Catholic had used its previous uniforms that past six seasons. The Crusaders' record in those duds? How about 76-8 with a pair of PIAA AA state championships.

* Conversely, Wilson's 14 points were the least amount of points the Bulldogs scored in a victory since (drum roll please) Wilson edged Altoona 7-6 on November 9, 2007 in a District 3/6 sub-regional playoff game. That's the same season Wilson lost its last Section 1 game; Manheim Township topped the Bulldogs 26-7 in Week 9 in Neffsville. Wilson is 33-0 in Section 1 games since.

* As mentioned Friday, Manheim Township senior QB Brennan Scott has joined the 6,000-yard passing club. Against Penn Manor, Scott completed 14-of-25 attempts for 141 yards, giving him 6,078 career passing yards. Scott leapfrogged three former L-L League quarterbacks in the Penn Manor game - Elco's Zac Kulp, Lebanon's James Capello and Pequea Valley's Ben Myers - and became the fifth league QB to reach 6,000 yards:

1. Kyle Smith, Lancaster Catholic - 8,545 yards
2. Pat Bostick, Manheim Township - 7,260 yards
3. Chad Henne, Wilson - 7,071 yards
4. Brennan Scott, Manheim Township - 6,078 yards
5. Ben Myers, Pequea Valley - 6,028 yards

Scott needs 922 yards to join the elite 7,000-yard club. Manheim Township has three regular season games to go. At least one more victory and the Blue Streaks should punch their tickets to Districts so - best-case scenario - Scott should get four more games. He'd have to average 230.5 yards per game to hit 7,000.

* Two L-L League teams have suffered three shutout losses apiece already this season, and they both call Section 2 home: Ephrata and Solanco.

* Garden Spot has intercepted a league-best 14 passes, including a pair on Saturday in the Spartans' 35-21 non-league win at Pius X.

* Pequea Valley has recovered a leauge-best 14 fumbles; seven of those came in a Week 1 victory over York Tech.

* Six L-L League players accounted for three or more touchdowns in Week 7 games ...

Cedar Crest RB Grant Boehler had TD runs of 45, 2 and 12 yards, respectively, in the Falcons' 42-9 romp over Hempfield.

Manheim Central QB Colin Fry hooked up twice with Andrew Seiverling (15 yards and 24 yards) and twice with Taylor Geib (16 yards and 14 yards) for touchdowns in the Barons' 28-7 win over Lampeter-Strasburg.

Garden Spot RB Adam Haas had TD runs of 5, 14 and 12 yards, respectively, in the Spartans' 35-21 win over Pius X.

Donegal RB Dylan Maxwell had TD runs of 9, 2, 10 and 2 yards, respecitvely, in the Indians' 53-12 victory over Pequea Valley.

Elco QB/RB Cameron Strause had TD runs of 7, 16 and 16 yards in the Raiders' 28-13 win over Northern Lebanon.

And McCaskey's Aaron Swinton had a 4-yard TD run, and he caught a 47-yard TD pass and a 28-yard TD pass from C.J. Gantz in the Red Tornado's 42-7 runaway win over Warwick.

And yes, all six of those performances came in victories.

* Longest current winning streaks: Garden Spot (7), Penn Manor (7), Wilson (5), Cocalico (4), Donegal (3), Columbia (2), Conestoga Valley (2).

* Longest current losing streaks: Lebanon (7), Hempfield (5), Northern Lebanon (5), Annville-Cleona (3), Ephrata (3), Warwick (3).

* Looking ahead to Week 8 ... Go ahead and circle Manheim Township at Wilson and Lampeter-Strasburg at Cocalico. ... Bulldogs hope to take care of business on their end with a Week 9 trip to Penn Manor lurking; Comets (7-0) are at Warwick on Friday. ... Eagles are alone in first place in Section 2, and a win over L-S, the two-time reigning Section 2 champ, would really put Cocalico's in the driver's seat. The Eagles have not won a Section 2 championship since coming up from Section 3 in 2004. ... And the Week 8 non-league game is a tasty one: Donegal (6-1) is at Schuylkill Valley (6-1). The Panthers, a AA program that competes in Section 2 of the Berks County League, are enjoying one of their best seasons. Schuylkill Valley got off to a 5-0 start before suffering a 21-20 setback to unbeaten Berks Catholic. The Panthers bounced back with a 17-7 win over Blue Mountain last week. ... Garden Spot (7-0) looks to stay perfect with a home date vs. Northern Lebanon; the Spartans' final two games are on the road (Columbia, Pequea Valley).

JEFF REINHART: jreinhart@pnco.com
ON TWITTER: @JeffReinhartPN

Shippensburg junior tailback William Burt popped a 203-yard, three-touchdown game Friday against Greencastle-Antrim. - (DAN GLEITER, The Patriot-News, 2012)

The Patriot-News presents the team-by-team individual leaders in Week 7 games for rushing, passing and receiving for midstate high school teams.
Statistics are provided by Patriot-News reporters in game coverage, or by the schools' statisticians on game call-ins.
Rushing lines are attempts-yards. Passing lines are completions-attempts-interceptions-yards. Receiving lines are receptions-yards. Also, click on team name to go to its PennLive.com team page.

Camp Hill is still the No. 1 Class A team despite losing to Susquenita last Friday - (MARK PYNES, The Patriot-News, 2012)

The fourth edition of the District 3 Power Rankings have been released over at piaadistrict3.org.

The Berks County powers Wyomissing and Berks Catholic maintained their places at the top of the District 3-AA power ratings with decisive wins on Saturday.

Wyo topped Fleetwood 52-6 while Berks Catholic toppled Hamburg 35-7. The Hawks loss dropped them out of the Top 8, allowing Littlestown to sneak into tentative playoff positioning.

The only other change in AA involved the Mid-Penn pair of Susquenita and Trinity. The Shamrocks flipped places with the Blackhawks after Trinity beat the AA Boiling Springs Bubblers 35-14 while Susquenita beat Single A No. 1 Camp Hill 38-0.

Despite the loss, Camp Hill remained at No. 1 but their lead has shrunk as the teams currently ranked 2-5 all posted wins.

8 teams qualify for the District 3-AA and A high school football playoffs.

Click on each team for schedule, news, and stats.

Click here for complete high school football rankings and ratings.

Week 7, District 3, Class AA

Week 7, District 3, Class A

Susquehanna Township's Jordan Banks breaks a diving tackle by Cedar Cliff's Nathan Orris for a touchdown. - (JOHN C. WHITEHEAD, The Patriot-News)

The fourth edition of the District 3 Power Rankings have been released over at piaadistrict3.org and No. 1 Bishop McDevitt just keeps winning. On Saturday they defeated AAAA No. 8 Lower Dauphin 32-14.

Fellow Diocese of Harrisburg AAA school Lancaster Catholic hasn't been as successful against larger opponents as their Crusader counterpart. The Red Rose Crusaders fell to Wilson 14-7 last Friday and moved from No. 4 to No. 9 in the power rankings.

McDevitt's Mid-Penn Keystone foe Susquehanna Twp. still must be wondering what it can do do move up in the standings. The Indians defeated the then-No. 5 AAAA team Cedar Cliff. Nevertheless, the Progress Ave. school was leapfrogged by Hershey who topped the then-No. 10 AAAA squad Mechanicsburg.

This week's highest climbers are New Oxford (up five spots) and Gettysburg (up four).

The top 16 teams will qualify for the District 3-AAA playoffs.

Remember to click on each team for schedule, news, and stats.

Click here for complete high school football rankings and ratings.

Week 7, District 3, Class AAA

Wilson West Lawn is currently sitting at No. 2 and must be looking ahead to a Week 9 showdown with Penn Manor - (JEFF REINHART, The Patriot-News)

The fourth edition of the District 3 Power Rankings have been released over at piaadistrict3.org and Penn Manor, the District's lone remaining undefeated squad, is still No. 1 after an emphatic 30-6 win over Manheim Twp.

The Comets' win over the Streaks should go far toward convincing the doubters that this team is for real. District 3 football fans surely have their eye on Penn Manor's Oct. 26 showdown with No. 2 Wilson which could go a long way in deciding the playoff's No. 1 seed.

There were three big risers in the rankings with McCaskey, York and Exeter Twp. all leaping up into playoff positions. They took the slots that had been occupied by Dallastown, Reading and CD East. There's still a lot of time left in the season and we're sure to see a lot of change in the next three weeks.

The top 16 teams will qualify for the postseason.

Remember to click on each team for schedule, news, and stats.

Click here for complete high school football rankings and ratings.

Week 7, District 3, Class AAAA

Penn Manor sophomore Katina Jones finished third in the District 3 AAA singles tournament and advanced to States. - (JEFF REINHART, PennLive.com L-L League Blogger)

HERSHEY - Greetings from Hershey Racquet Club.

The District 3 AAA and AA girls' tennis singles semifinals are about to get started.

The championship matches - and third-place matches - will begin about 30 minutes after the semifinals are complete.

AAA SEMIFINALS
Katie Wagner, Susquehannock vs. Nicole Coons, Mechanicsburg

Sruthi Kamprath, Wilson vs. Katina Jones, Penn Manor

AA SEMIFINALS
Audrey Ann Blakely, Wyomissing vs. Lil Veronis, Lancaster Catholic

Maddie Shaak, Elco vs. Anna Spoden, York Catholic

Keep checking back here for updates ...

* No. 1 seed Audrey Ann Blakely from Wyomissing downed Lancaster Catholic's Lil Veronis 6-1, 6-0. Veronis suffered an ankle injury during the first set, but continued. Just checked with her, and she said she's OK and that she will play in the third-place match.

* FYI: Top three finishers in AAA and AA today advance to the PIAA singles tournament.

* In a highly entertaining AAA semifinal, No. 1 seed Katie Wagner from Susquehannock survived Mechanicsburg's Nicole Coons 7-6 (7-4) in a first-set tiebreaker. These two are slugging it out.

* Elco's Maddie Shaak, the reigning L-L League AA champ, blanked Anna Spoden 6-0 in the first set and is closing in on a straight-set victory.

* And it's a final ... Shaak stops Spoden 6-0, 6-2. Shaak advances to her first District 3 singles final. Don't forget: Lancaster Country Day grad Julia Casselbury dominated this final the previous three years.

* Another L-L League casuality: L-L League AAA champ Katina Jones was ousted by Wilson's Sruthi Kamprath 6-2, 6-0. Jones goes to the must-win third-place match.

* Wagner vs. Coons is the last match still on the court; they're slugging it out in the second set; Wagner is up 7-6 (7-4), 4-3.

* Wagner vs. Coons is 5-all in the second. Terrific match.

* You guessed it: Wagner vs. Coons goes to second-set tiebreaker. Impressive. Feel bad for whoever loses this.

* Thankfully we're inside; it's pouring outside. Rain pelting off the roof in here. Wow.

* It's over. It's finally over: In a classic serve-and-volley match with plenty of powerful shots, Wagner survives Coons 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (9-7) in an instant classic. Beauty.

Coming up next ...

AAA finale: Wagner vs. Kamprath.
AAA third: Jones vs. Coons.
AA finale: Shaak vs. Blakely.
AA third: Veronis vs. Spoden.

Stay tuned for those updates ...

* Blakely is making quick work of Shaak, bolting to a 5-0 first-set lead. By the way: This is Blakely's fourth District 3 AA finals appearance in a row; she lost to Casselbury in the last three district championships. Needless to say, she's extremely focused on winning her first gold.

* Just the AA matches on the court at the moment; AAA matches heading down to the hardcourts pretty soon.

* First set over: Blakely wins 6-0. Just a hunch, but assuming Shaak hasn't lost a singles set 6-0 in a long, long time. Blakely, a sweet-hitting lefty, is tough as nails.

* AAA matches starting at 2:20 p.m. Gonna be here a while.

* AA state-qualifier: Spoden over Veronis 6-2 in the first set. And in the title match, Blakely still in charge, up 2-1 in the second.

* Blakely up 4-1 in the second.

* Wyomissing senior Audrey Ann Blakely is your 2012 District 3 AA singles champ. She tops Elco's Maddie Shaak 6-0, 6-1.

* FYI: Blakely committed to Pitt last week. The Panthers are jumping to the ACC, which is one of the top women's tennis conferences in the country.

* Lancaster Catholic's Lil Veronis has been eliminated. She fell to York Catholic's Anna Spoden 6-3, 6-2 in the AA third-place match. So Spoden goes to States; Veronis, who will play Spoden tomorrow in a District 3 AA team semifinal event right back here, can now play in district doubles with her partner, Julia Davis. That twosome reached the L-L League finals last week.

* Wagner is cruising in the AAA finale; she leads Kamprath 6-0, 3-1 and is closing in on the title.

* In the PIAA AA tournament, Shaak will take on District 9 champ Maria Gismondi in the first round. The first two rounds are slated for November 2 at Hershey Racquet Club.

* Kamprath with a nice comeback; she leads Wagner 5-4 in the second. Wagner won the first set 6-0.

* Katie Wagner from Susquehannock is your 2012 District 3 AAA singles champ. She topped Wilson's Sruthi Kamprath 6-0, 7-5.

* Penn Manor's Katina Jones in line for a PIAA bid; she leads Coons 6-4, 4-1 in the last match of the day. Stick and stay.

* Jones is heading to States; she ousts Coons 6-4, 6-1 in the AAA third-place match and will play in the PIAA tournament.

* Tough first-round draw for Jones, who will get the District 1 champ in the first round of States on November 2.

Thanks for checking in from District 3 tennis ... more wrap-up coverage coming a little later.

L-L League girls' soccer quarterfinals

LANCASTER - The first round of the L-L League girls' soccer playoffs are being contested Monday night.

Here are the match-ups and results - as they become available ...

Hempfield 3, Elco 0 (FINAL)

Cedar Crest 2, Elizabethtown 1 (FINAL)

Cocalico 3, Conestoga Valley 1 (FINAL)

Lampeter-Strasburg 0, Donegal 0 (FINAL; L-S wins 5-4 PK)

WEDNESDAY'S SEMIFINALS
Hempfield vs. Cocalico, 5 p.m. @ Manheim Central

Cedar Crest vs. Lampeter-Strasburg, 7 p.m. @ Manheim Central

* Championship is set for Saturday, as part of a double-header with the L-L League boys finale. Games are 5 p.m. (girls) and 7 p.m. (boys) at Manheim Central, unless there are homecoming conflicts, then the games will be played earlier in the afternoon. Stay tuned.

* Conestoga Valley topped Warwick in last spring's championship game, so there will be a new champ this season.

* This is the first fall season for L-L League girls' soccer.

* More coverage coming up a little later tonight, including video interviews with Hempfield's Tallie McMurtrie, Cocalico coach Dan Hogan and Eagles' standout Emily Zwiercan, who scored a pair of goals in Cocalico's win over CV.

Big Spring goalie Jordan Yaukey made 12 saves to earn a shutout in the Colonial Division tiebreaker against Boiling Springs. - (DAVID BOHR, The Patriot-News)

Big Spring field hockey goalie Jordan Yaukey said that a goalie can not win a game for her team, just give her team a chance.

Perhaps that is technically true, but Yaukey did as much as anyone to make sure the Bulldogs won the Mid-Penn Colonial Division title with a 1-0 victory over Boiling Springs in Monday’s tiebreaker game at Memorial Field in Mechanicsburg.

The Bulldogs (16-1) will play Central Dauphin in the Mid-Penn semifinals today at 5:30 p.m. back at Memorial Field. The other semi between Milton Hershey and Lower Dauphin will follow at 7:30.

Yaukey made 12 saves, and none of them were on soft rollers that lost their momentum on the way to the net.

Her game began by making a save on shot flipped high on net by Mary Spisak by pushing it over the cage six minutes into the game.

“I feel those are like short jokes,” Yaukey said. “I’m not that tall.”

VIDEO: See Jordan Yaukey's entire post-game interview here

Her effort was no joke, though. Yaukey also needed to make two point blank saves on Morgan Speakman and make a sliding save out in the middle of the scoring circle to stop Shannon Susi.

Yaukey was not as pressured in the second half, but she still had to make three saves on one corner with 3:40 left in the game to preserve the lead and shutout.

Her only other save of the second half was a stop of Spisak’s low liner on a corner with her right leg.

Although the Bubblers (15-3) had a 9-3 shot advantage at halftime, they were down 1-0 at intermission.

“I felt our offense played better tonight than it did in the game we beat them,” Boiling Springs head coach Kim Spisak said, referencing the 2-0 win the Bubblers had on Friday to force the tiebreaker.

But the Bulldogs had the advantage because Lydia George was able to dribble downfield quickly and set up a shot for Kylie Brandt on the right side of the circle, making it 1-0 with 2:00 left in the first half.

“We had a minor let down in the first half, and that’s when they scored their goal,” Spisak said.

Big Springs’ head coach credited part of her team’s improvement to adjusting to artificial turf after playing all season on their home grass field.

“We struggled a little bit going on to turf,” Carol Kuntz said. “This time we were more confident. ... We changed our game a little bit playing on turf.”

Bubbler goalie Delaney Gitt made five saves.

Boiling Springs had an 11-1 advantage in corners.

ON TWITTER: @PN_David_Bohr

Mechanicsburg's Nicole Coons returns the ball during the final point of the third-set tiebreaker in a loss to Susquehannock's Katie Wagner in their District 3-AAA girls' tennis singles semifinal at the Hershey Racquet Club. - (PAUL CHAPLIN, The Patriot-News)

It was a day of close calls for the two local tennis players left in the District 3 singles tournament, but in the end both came up just short.

 
Nicole Coons of Mechanicsburg dropped a hotly contested Class AAA semifinal to Katie Wagner of Susquehannock 7-6(4),7-6(7) Monday at Hershey Racquet Club. Elco’s Maddie Shaak, meanwhile, finally conquered the Spoden Wall (more on that later), only to fall to Wyomissing powerhouse Audrey Ann Blakely 6-0, 6-1 in the AA championship.

 
Coons’ high school career later came to a close in the third-place match when she lost to Penn Manor’s Katina Jones 6-4, 6-1, falling one slot shy of qualifying for the PIAA tournament. Shaak getting through to the district finals Monday ensured her of a state playoff berth.

 “I had Nicole since ninth grade and I saw her mature and blossom into a really good player,” Mechanicsburg coach Linda Till said. “She put her heart and soul into the match with Katie and I think all her adrenaline stayed in that first match. ... She was an anchor for us, and it will be sad to see her go. It was an absolute joy to coach her.”

 
The top-seeded Wagner went on to claim the AAA gold with a 6-0, 7-5 win over Wilson’s Sruthi Kamprath.

 
Mechanicsburg’s ace ran into a mirror player in Wagner, a baseline slugger with a heavy forehand sink. The two traded wicked volleys during the entire run of their match, one so close that it required tiebreaks to decide both sets.

Coons stayed with the plan established during Saturday’s first two rounds by mixing it up, charging the net and attempting drops and slices when the moment felt right. Unlike Saturday, however, when her game was humming, Monday’s match semifinal with Wagner saw an increase in the number of unforced errors, with several falling short at the net.

 
 “The tiebreakers didn’t go the way I wanted, obviously,” Coons said. “She’s a great player and has a lot of upside to her game and deserves it. I thought I played really well, battling with a player who’s that good.”

Coons clawed her way back from 3-6 in the second-set tiebreak to win four straight and get to set point, but Wagner closed it out with her own rally by winning the next three and the match.

 
Shaak beat Anna Spoden of York Catholic in the AA semifinal rather convincingly by a 6-0, 6-2 count, an eye-popping linescore given that she had lost to either Anna or her older sister Ava in districts three straight years. This time, however, Shaak seized control from the go and never really let off the gas pedal.

 “I was very motivated,” Shaak said. “I tried not to think about it too much, I just let my emotions take over. I was very focused.”

 
Facing Wyomissing’s Blakely in the final was another matter. Pouncing on everything like a caged tiger, Blakely suffocated Shaak’s game by keeping her pinned deep most of the match and executing her return shots with very few unforced errors.

It was a fearsome display of power tennis from the Wyomissing legacy, who was herself shut out of district titles by Lancaster County Day concrete roadblock and three-time state champ Julia Casselbury, since graduated.

Spoden went on to clinch the third and final state berth in AA with a 6-2, 6-1 win over Lancaster Catholic’s Lil Veronis.

The D-3 tournament continues Tuesday with the team tennis semifinals at HRC. Top-ranked and unbeaten Hershey plays Wagner’s Susquehannock squad at noon in AAA, while Cedar Crest takes its shot against L-L champ Manheim Twp.

JEFF DEWEES:jdewees@pnco.com

  
ON TWITTER: @pn_jdewees

Lower Dauphin's Hunter Bracale is unable to score after getting by Milton Hershey's Keemyia Pourmonir. - (JOHN C. WHITEHEAD, The Patriot-News)

Lower Dauphin defeated Milton Hershey 5-0 in the Mid-Penn field hockey semifinals Tuesday night at Memorial Park in Mechanicsburg.

The victory for the Falcons (17-1-1) sets up a championship game against Central Dauphin, who gave Lower Dauphin their only loss of the season on Sept. 25.

Although the final score was lopsided, Milton Hershey (14-5) hung with the Falcons until the midway point of the first half. That was when Hunter Bracale opened the scoring with a goal on a corner. Anna Smuda assisted.

“In playoff field hockey, it’s important who scores first,” Lower Dauphin head field hockey coach Linda Kreiser said. “Milton Hershey’s defense was very strong. When we scored the first goal at the 15-minute mark, I think that allowed us to put more pressure on and gain momentum.”

After Bracale’s goal, Lower Dauphin did have more control of the flow of the game, ultimately generating 20 shots and 14 corners.

“We played more defensively and back on our heels than usual,” Spartan head coach Gina Allessie said. “It’s that we were playing Lower Dauphin. ... I think we could have made it closer. After 15 minutes, we weren’t marking.”

The Falcons picked up two more goals before the end of the half to carry a 3-0 lead into intermission.

Taylor Lister dribbled the ball around Spartan goalie Keemiya Pourmonir and put a shot in to the left of the goal for a 2-0 lead.

Gini Bramley scored her first goal of the season with 26 seconds left in the half on a rebound during a corner to make it 3-0. Maddie O’Neill had the original shot.

VIDEO: Linda Kreiser talks about putting her younger players in scoring situations

Brittany Shaffer scored off of a rebound as well with 11:54 left in the second half to make it 4-0.

Taylor Bracale scored her first goal of the season with 4:36 left in the game. Abby Julius assisted.

Lindsay Cassel was in goal during the first half for the Falcons and did not face a shot. Analisa Scott played the second half in net and made four saves to preserve the shutout.

Milton Hershey finished with four shots and two corners. Pourmonir made 15 saves.

“We’re not going to see a game like this right now,” Allessie said. “It gets us prepared for our game next week against Bermudian Springs [in the District 3-AA tournament].”

Soni Stitt had two defensive saves in the first half for the Spartans.