Cumberland Valley blocks Central York in District 3 boys' volleyball final

Central York players and coaches knew Cumberland Valley had a good boys' volleyball team.

But they didn't realize how good until the teams met Tuesday night in the District 3 Class 3A final. The Eagles played up to their No. 1 seed in sweeping Central York 25-21, 25-20, 25-16 in front of a raucous home crowd.

"They played extremely well, hats off to them," Central co-coach Landon Shorts said. "Volleyball is a game of momentum, and that was definitely a hostile gym. They had the competitive edge tonight."

CV had an answer for everything Central tried.

Well-placed serves were received and set up for powerful spikes that whipped the Eagles faithful into a frenzy. Many Central attack attempts were denied at the net in the form of monstrous blocks.

"They were better than we expected," Central setter Lance Shaffer said. "We had to run our offense faster than usual to try and avoid their blocks."

A team of roofers

Cumberland Valley's Jax Unterbrink almost equaled Central York's blocking output by himself. He finished with six blocks, compared to the Panthers' seven total blocks.

Unterbrink led the Eagles' blocking crew, which combined for 14 blocks. Many blocks went straight down to the floor, earning the "roof" call from the CV bench and fans.

"I don't think we played against a team that blocks that well," Shaffer said. "They made it difficult to pick up the ball on defense."

Rallies fall short

After trailing for most of the first game, the Panthers took early leads in the second and third games. They just couldn't keep the momentum going.

Shaffer said the constant threat of a CV block forced him to alter how and were he set his teammates.

The Panthers' offensive stats back that up.

Shaffer finished with 25 assists, well below his average for a three-game match. None of the Panthers finished in double digits for kills. Trevor Ketrick led the way with seven and Donovan Burris had six.

Mason Boyer and Logan Fontes both recorded two blocks for the Panthers.

End of finals drought

Central York's incredible boys' volleyball history makes it hard to believe that no one on this year's team had experience playing in a district final. The Panthers were eliminated in the first round the last two seasons, and there was no season in 2020 because of the pandemic.

Central has won more District 3 boys' volleyball titles than any other school, 24 as Central, and four as North York High, the school's original name.

All four of the team's coaches won a district title in a Central York uniform. Brock Anderson was on the last district championship team in 2019.

"I've loved being a coach this season," Anderson said. "I see the work the kids put into this every day and I feel so good for them when they win. And I feel worse when they lose."

What's next?

As the district's runner-up, Central York will play in the west part of the bracket, and face District 7 runner-up North Allegheny in the first round on Tuesday.

Central York coaches were told their state opener will be at home, but that could change.

They said it

"We can only tell them so much about playing in the final. They might not have the experience, but they have played all of the state teams in tournaments and know we can play with them." -- Central York co-coach Brock Anderson

York Suburban's season ends

York Suburban saw its season come to a close on the road against Manheim Central.

The teams met in the District 3 Class 2A third-place match, with the winner advancing to the state tournament. Manheim Central won 3-1 (25-23, 25-23, 24-26, 26-24).