With PIAA Class 2A volleyball title hanging in the balance, Manheim Central must clear Meadville for state gold (2024)

For Manheim Central’s boys volleyball team, there is one last hurdle to clear this season.

Granted, it’s a big one. And it will be on the largest stage in the state. But climb that mountain, and the Barons will hoist a coveted PIAA gold championship trophy.

Central, the back-to-back reigning Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 2 and league champ, will play for the state Class 2A title on Saturday at 11 a.m. in Penn State’s venerable Rec Hall against undefeated District 10 champ Meadville.

The Barons, fresh off a riveting five-set victory over previously undefeated and top-ranked Exeter in the state semifinals — getting some revenge against the Eagles, who blanked Central in the district finale last month — will be making their second trip to a state title match; the Barons fell to Northeastern York in the Class 2A finale back in 2018.

This is the seventh season in a row that Central (20-1 overall) is traversing a state playoff bracket; after three straight quarterfinal-round exits, the Barons cleared that speed bump, and they were back in the Final Four for the first time since 2019.

Meadville is no stranger to Rec Hall; the Bulldogs played for state gold in 2019, 2021 and 2022, with a win over York Suburban in the 2019 finale. Meadville, which missed states last spring, fell to Lower Dauphin in 2021 and 2022, when LD went on a run of three straight state crowns.

Interestingly, Central KO’d LD in the district semifinals earlier this season, and Meadville (20-0) dethroned LD with a 3-1 victory over the Falcons in the state quarterfinals. The Bulldogs beat District 7 runner-up Armstrong 3-0 in the quarterfinals and they topped District 7 champ Mars 3-1 in the semifinals.

Meadville went 14-0 in league play this spring, and beat Saegertown in the District 10 finale. The only blip for coach Nick Bancroft’s squad: The Bulldogs fell to Class 3A finalist Shaler — which ousted L-L League runner-up Warwick in the state semifinals — in a tournament back on March 23. Tournament results don’t count toward your overall record.

Coach Craig Dietrich and his Central squad, meanwhile, opened states with a flourish, rolling District 12 winner Lansdale Catholic 3-0 before zooming past District 2 runner-up Holy Redeemer 3-0. Then came Tuesday’s epic 3-2 win over Exeter, when the Barons couldn’t hold a 1-0 lead, but rallied valiantly in the fifth to punch their tickets to Happy Valley.

There, Central must contain a trio of front-row heavy hitters; Meadville features pin swingers Luc Sorensen (15 kills vs. Mars; 19 kills vs. LD) and Parker Gornell (12 kills vs. Mars; 10 kills vs. LD) plus middle Tymir Phillips (10 kills vs. Mars; 10 kills vs. LD). Setter Jack Brown (40 assists vs. Mars; 37 assists vs. LD) makes the Bulldogs tick, and he’s a Mount Union College recruit.

The Barons counter with plenty of firepower of their own, spearheaded by electric hitters Jacob Moyer, Peter Burkhart and Reagan Miller, who is also one of the top serving specialists around. Tack on active middles Toby Frey and Landon Mattiace, and Central has a very formidable front row.

Setter Dylan Musser, the reigning Section 2 MVP, is the glue; his clean ace capped the exhilarating win over Exeter, and he has a knack for setting up the hot hand up front. Libero Colin Rohrer is the Barons’ defensive spark plug.

In the PVCA Class 2A state rankings, Central is No. 2 and Meadville is No. 3. One of them will emerge from this journey at No. 1. And it culminates Saturday at Penn State.

The Class 3A title match, set for 1:30 p.m. on Saturday in Rec Hall, will pit District 7 winner Shaler against District 11 champ Parkland. That’s a rematch; Parkland picked off Shaler in last year’s finale.

TWITTER-X: @JeffReinhart77

More LNP volleyball coverage