The Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association state playoffs continue Saturday with four events involving District 2 teams trying to advance from the quarterfinals into the semifinals.
The programs involved bring varying degrees of past playoff experience to the challenge.
Wyoming Seminary has won the last three state titles in Class A field hockey.
North Pocono had never won a state boys soccer game prior to Tuesday when it broke through after three previous losses in the PIAA playoffs.
The Holy Redeemer girls volleyball and Wyoming Area field hockey teams fall in between.
Holy Redeemer is in its 15th straight state tournament and is the only District 2 girls volleyball team to ever reach a state final, but it still chasing that first title.
Wyoming Area won its first field hockey state playoff game ever in 2018 and followed it up with two wins and a trip to the semifinals in 2019.
The Lady Warriors can get back there with a win in a noon game at Whitehall, the site of next weekend’s state finals, against Christopher Dock Mennonite from Lansdale. The District 1 runners-up (15-5) defeated Archbishop Wood, a team with a losing record, 2-0, in the first round.
Wyoming Area is 18-2 with 13 shutouts. Its only losses are to Wyoming Seminary.
Wyoming Seminary plays Boiling Springs (20-3) at 2 p.m. at Selinsgrove. The District 3 third-place finisher defeated District 1 champion New Hope, 3-0, in the first round.
The only Wyoming Seminary losses in a 19-2 season have come against nationally ranked Episcopal Academy and Hill School.
Holy Redeemer also has an early start in girls volleyball, playing Allentown Central Catholic in Class 2A at Hazleton Area at noon.
Allentown Central Catholic (12-7) is the District 11 champion. It swept Conwell Egan in the first round, never allowing more than 16 points in a set.
North Pocono plays Archbishop Wood in Class 3A boys soccer at Catasauqua Middle School at 2 p.m.
The Trojans are on a roll. They scored in the first minute of overtime in a 2-1 victory over Abington Heights in the district semifinal and have defeated their other three postseason opponents by a total of 22-1, including Tuesday’s 4-1 victory over Danville.
North Pocono is 19-1-2 and unbeaten in its last 18 games. It has shut out 10 opponents and held 10 others to a single goal.
District 12 champion Archbishop Wood defeated Fleetwood, 2-0, in the first round.
