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Quartet chases state gold starting today

Three soccer, one field hockey team still playing

It takes four wins from this point in the season to win a state championship in soccer or field hockey.

Of the four area teams still alive, three of them made it past the first day of play a year ago (the fourth was not a state qualifier); two of them played in the final four of their respective tournaments and one — Greenwood field hockey — won the fourth game for a state title.

If there’s a team that has a right to be nervous as play begins today it’s the East Juniata girls soccer team. But instead of nerves, the Tigers seem to thrive on pressure.

East Juniata’s perfect record (21-1) was spoiled in the District 4 Class A final, the same place they had a hiccup a year ago. Last fall, the Tigers began the tournament by upsetting defending state champion Fairfield, the District 3 winner. This year, they face not only the District 3 champ — and returning state runner-up — but the team that knocked them out of the state bracket by a 3-2 margin a year ago: Camp Hill.

The two meet at Northeastern High School in Manchester (York) at 7 p.m.

Camp Hill (18-3) dispatched Fairfield to the runner-up spot in their district this year. The Lions’ biggest threat this time around might be their prowess in the second half, where they score nearly two-thirds of their goals — a lead doesn’t mean a win against that, especially when the Tigers’ scoring trends downward after the break.

It’s fair to note, of course, that they have the game in hand at that point more often than not.

East Juniata remains a formidable opponent with its multiple-threat offense. Any of half a dozen players have been the go-to for scoring all season, most notably senior and 100-goal scorer Hailey Swartz.

The Midd-West girls (17-3) welcome the District 2 Class 2A champion again this year. The visitor in the contest, which kicks off at 5 p.m. at Williamsport’s Balls Mills complex, is Wyoming Area (16-5).

The Mustangs, who won the District 4 crown, fell in the quarterfinals a year ago as District 1 prep school St. Basil solved two-time all-state selection Kelli Beiler. The teams could meet again in this year’s tournament, but no earlier than the semifinals.

Wyoming Area lost two of its last three games, and neither of the regular-season ending losses were terribly close. The Warriors fell 5-1 to Crestwood and 6-3 to Holy Redeemer — complete records are not available for either — before putting away Lake Lehman in the District 2 final.

Midd-West needs to watch senior Aleah Kranson — also the kicker for the football team — who has 49 goals and 23 assists to her credit.

The Midd-West boys, who were out of the mix last year, sustained their second loss of the season in their Class 2A District 4 final; both losses came against Central Columbia. The tournament difference was an overtime penalty kick.

The Mustangs (19-2) travel to Crestwood to play Wyoming Seminary (14-1-2) in the second game of a two-sport doubleheader at Crestwood; the soccer contest kicks off at 7 p.m.

Midd-West will rely on Carter Knepp and his 32 goals to fill the net. His team is ranked fourth in the state and just outside the top 100 according to MaxPreps.

The Blue Knights’ lone loss — they had two ties — was to Lake Lehman earlier in October, and that was reversed when the two met again at the end of the month. They advanced past Scranton Prep on penalty kicks in the District 2 bracket after playing out regulation and overtime without a goal.

And then there’s Greenwood. The Class A field hockey team that is the smallest in powerhouse District 3 and the sixth-smallest in the state won’t have to travel far to open the state playoffs — the Wildcats (19-1) and District 4 runner-up Lewisburg will meet at West Perry tonight at 6.

Greenwood’s only loss this year came at the hands of Lower Dauphin, the top team in Class 3A in their district.

Lewisburg (15-6) lost only to playoff teams this year, but among them were two the Wildcats took care of — Selinsgrove and Tri-Valley League challenger Line Mountain.

The Green Dragons’ strategy will be to find a way to stop phenom Paityn Wirth, but when Oley Valley did well at that in the District 3 final, the ‘Cats just found someone else to score.

Greenwood needs to avoid looking ahead, though — the semifinals, if it makes it that far, would be a rematch of last year’s state championship game.

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