Monday represents a crossroads in the fall sports season.
District 2 playoffs begin in field hockey.
The Lackawanna League turns to a one-match playoff to decide its Division 1 girls volleyball title.
Regular-season finales are likely to decide two division titles in boys soccer, although there are scenarios that could lead to playoffs.
Monday represents a crossroads in the fall sports season.
District 2 playoffs begin in field hockey.
The Lackawanna League turns to a one-match playoff to decide its Division 1 girls volleyball title.Regular-season finales are likely to decide two division titles in boys soccer, although there are scenarios that could lead to playoffs.
Girls soccer merely proceeds toward the rapidly approaching end of its regular season.
The stakes have been raised for the District 2 Class A field hockey tournament that begins today.
In the last two seasons when the district was allowed two representatives in the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association Tournament, both have advanced to the state semifinals. Wyoming Seminary has won the last four state titles, but it’s best competition for that title has often come locally, including Wyoming Area, which played in the 2019 and 2021 state semifinals.
The district is back down to a single representative, meaning the top three teams in the Golden Dome Abstract Super Six Power Rankings of District 2 teams and the fifth-ranked team will all be chasing a single berth.
Some of the best small school field hockey in the state – and, often, the entire country – is played right in the Wyoming Valley Conference, but only one will get a chance to prove it.
WVC Division 1 champion Wyoming Seminary is No. 1 in the Super Six, but just the third seed in the district power rankings because of the impact of losses taken in the non-league portion of its schedule against other top programs from around the nation.
No. 2 Wyoming Area is the top seed and has the bye. Its only two losses were in one-goal games with Wyoming Seminary, one in overtime in league play and the other Sunday in a playoff for the division title.
Third-ranked Lake-Lehman, which this season became the only District 2 team in six years to defeat Wyoming Seminary, has the No. 2 seed, which would mean a home field for Wednesday’s likely rematch.
No. 5 Lackawanna Trail is the district’s fourth seed and is hosting Nanticoke at 4 p.m. with the winner moving on to play at Wyoming Area Wednesday.
Wyoming Seminary, playing for the second straight day, hosts Holy Redeemer at 6.
Lake-Lehman is home with Hanover Area, also at 6.
Blue Ridge and North Pocono went 13-1, splitting home-and-home matches, to tie for the top of Division 1 of the Lackawanna League. The Lady Raiders moved up after winning Division 2 last season and will take their shot at claiming the higher division when the teams play again at 7 p.m. at Mountain View.
Both teams are ranked in the Electric City Volleyball Academy Elite Eight Power Rankings of District 2 teams. Blue Ridge (17-1 overall) is fourth and North Pocono (17-3) is sixth.
The Holy Cross boys have the only unbeaten record in District 2 soccer, but it is not a perfect record because of a tie with Dunmore in the first meeting.
Another tie would cause the teams to remain deadlocked for the lead, but otherwise the winner of Monday’s 6:30 p.m. game at Schautz Stadium claims the Lackawanna League Division 2 title.
The game matches the top two Small School boys teams in the Riverfront United Super Six Power Rankings. Both are also leading races to be the top seeds in district tournaments.
No. 2 Dunmore (15-1-1) suffered its only loss against Class 3A Honesdale, 3-2, in the non-league opener. It is aiming for a top seed in Class 2A.
Top-ranked Holy Cross is 12-0-1 and will be the top seed in Class A.
Both teams are 10-0-1 in the division.
A high-scoring game is a possibility.
The first meeting, at Dunmore, resulted in a 3-3 tie.
Although Holy Cross features two veterans who recently passed career scoring milestones, Dunmore is actually the higher-scoring teams.
The Bucks have outscored opponents by an average margin of 6.5-1.7.
The Crusaders are also shutting opponents down, winning by an average of 6.1-0.6.
Playing through an ankle injury suffered three days earlier, Ron Prislupski scored five goals Oct. 14 in a 10-0 victory over West Scranton, making him the eighth player in state history to reach 150 career goals, according to the Pennsylvania Soccer Coaches Association website.
Prislupski has 43 goals and 12 assists. His milestone goal was assisted by his younger brother, Jamie.
Midfielder Drew Smith has added 15 goals and 20 assists.
After distributing his 50th career assist earlier this season, Smith also recently surpassed 50 goals.
Louis Ciampi’s overtime goal Saturday lifted Wyoming Area over Dallas, 2-1, and into first place in Wyoming Valley Conference Division 1.
Wyoming Area (7-3-1, 12-4-1) prevented Dallas from clinching and gave itself a chance to take the title today at Wilkes-Barre Area (6-5, 10-7).
The Warriors are a half-game in front of Dallas (7-3-2) and Hazleton Area (8-4), which have already completed their division schedules.
Like the Blue Ridge girls volleyball team, Wyoming Area is trying to go from being its conference’s Division 2 champion to taking the Division 1 title this season. The Warriors are the No. 4 Big School in the Super Six.
