After a long wait and much uncertainty, fall sports have arrived in the YAIAA. 

Golf and girls’ tennis have already started. So has football. But soccer, field hockey, volleyball and cross country start play Thursday. 

This season will obviously look different. 

There are no scheduled YAIAA championships in soccer, volleyball or field hockey, with the regular season ending at the end of October and the District 3 playoffs scheduled for Nov. 10. Tennis, cross country and golf still have championships planned. 

In team sports, only the District 3 champion will advance to the state playoffs. Here’s a look at how the District 3 playoffs will be structured this season. 

Here’s a look at some of the storylines for those sports this year. 

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Boys’ soccer: Dallastown looks to continue dominance 

The Wildcats were the class of the YAIAA last season, racking up an undefeated regular season on the way to a league title. 

Their dominance caught the attention of soccer experts around the country. Dallastown was ranked No. 10 in the country in USA Today’s Super 25 expert rankings in late October. The Wildcats were the only Pennsylvania team in the rankings. Many local coaches expected them to go on a deep playoff run. 

They entered the District 3 title game with a 23-0 record while outscoring opponents by a 55-9 margin. But the season came to a halt there. The Wildcats lost to, 1-0, to Central Dauphin and then were eliminated in the first round of states. 

But Dallastown still has high expectations for this season. Head coach Andrew Foust said in a preseason survey that the team’s goals are to win the division, District 3 and state titles this fall. 

The Wildcats bring back seven returning starters, including league all-stars Gavin Connors, Mitchell Groh and Joey Thomas. They did graduate a number of standouts including last season’s Player of the Year, Gabe Wunderlich. 

Susquehannock is always a threat in Division II under head coach Brett Maxwell, though the Warriors did graduate a number of standouts from last season’s team that went 21-3–2 and reached the state playoffs. West York and York Suburban were also District 3 playoff teams last season. 

Biglerville has owned Division III in recent years, but York Catholic is bring back five starters from a team that reached the District 3 Class 1A title game last season. 

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If there’s an under-the-radar contender in YAIAA Division I this season, Nate Trimmer hopes it’s his Panthers squad. 

That might sound strange since Central York is coming off four straight league titles. But if teams are taking the Panthers lightly after they graduated some star players, Trimmer hopes his kids can prove they are still the class of the division. 

“I think we’re the sleeper team,” Trimmer said with a slight laugh over the phone Tuesday. “Hopefully things fall into place and we can make some noise in districts and be the team that comes out of there.”

A longtime Central York assistant, Trimmer enters his first season as the program’s head coach. He takes over for Eric Webb, who led the Panthers to consistent success during his tenure. He’s also the son of Central York athletic director Marty Trimmer. 

A former Central York boys’ player, Trimmer played for both Webb (then a Panthers boys’ coach) and current Panthers boys’ coach Frank Lenno. He’s also coached on both of their staffs during his time as a teacher at the school. 

“I’m incredibly thankful that they gave me the opportunity to work under them,” Trimmer said. “I’ve gotten so many insights from them. They’re probably two of the greatest coaches to come through this area.” 

The Panthers did graduate a lot of talent from last year’s league-title team, including all-state defender Maddie Davis and striker Chloe Carns. But they return Player of the Year and Division I William & Mary commit Morgan Wood at goalie. The Panthers also feature returning league all-stars in midfielder Makenzie Stephens, forward Ava Myers and defender Kaitlyn Naylor. 

YAIAA Division I has been competitive in recent years, with Dallastown, Northeastern and Red Lion all coming off winning seasons. Gettysburg and Susquehannock were both successful in Division II last season, with the Adams County Warriors reaching the league title game. Gettysburg brings back Player of the Year Lora Bertram. 

Fairfield has been an annual contender in Division III and has challenged bigger programs in the league tournament, taking Central York to double overtime in the semifinals last season. The Knights just graduated an outstanding senior class that helped the program win a state title as freshmen in 2016. 

Girls’ volleyball: Local teams expected to remain dominant during strange season

The biggest storyline for local volleyball teams is the same one for every team across the state: How will they navigate the state’s 25-person indoor limit?

It remains to be seen if that rule will apply for the entire season. On Wednesday, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives did not vote to override Gov. Wolf’s veto of a bill that would have given school districts the right to set crowd limits for sporting events.

However, a federal judge ruled on Sept. 14 that Wolf’s order on crowd limits was unconstitutional. Wolf sought a stay of the ruling, but U.S. District Judge William Stickman rejected the stay request Tuesday. Wolf is appealing that stay.

That means there is no current crowd limit for schools, but it could be put back in effect if Wolf’s appeal on the stay is granted, which could come next week. PIAA executive director Robert Lombardi said Wednesday that schools can go past the previous limits for now, but that “they should exercise caution and good judgment in setting numbers for attendance at indoor and outdoor sports.”

The YAIAA requested that schools abide by the 25-person indoor and 250-person outdoor limits in a press release on Sept. 16. 

“It’s pretty disappointing,” York Suburban girls’ volleyball coach Sonia Guyer said last week about the current 25-person restrictions. “There’s the idea of playing without your parents there. But we consider ourselves a family with the boys’ program, so not having our brothers and managers there is another kick in the teeth. So there are a couple of things we need to deal with.”

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Teams have currently been planning to have some reserve players stand in the hallway or behind a divider in the gym, since two teams plus coaching staffs will easily go past 25 people. It’s possible games could be played with fewer than the standard number of four officials. 

As for what’s expected on the court, local teams should be contenders at the district level once again. 

Central York is coming off a trip to the District 3 Class 4A title game and state quarterfinals and could be the favorite in Division I once again. But Dallastown upset the Panthers for the league title last year and brings back setter Izzy Ream and all-state hitter Sydney Ohl. Spring Grove will also be competitive with hitters Hailey Wolfe and Angalyn Strouse.

Currently ranked No. 7 in the state in Class 3A, York Suburban is the favorite in Division II, led by Division I Sacred Heart commit and junior outside hitter Eliana Rodgers. West York is currently ranked No. 10 in Class 3A and breaks in a new coach in Barb Fretz after graduating an excellent senior class. 

Division III will once again be a battle between York Catholic and Delone Catholic. However, the Squirettes are young and the Irish might be the favorite after consistently losing to Delone in the District 3 Class 2A playoffs in recent years. The Irish feature all-state players in senior outside hitter Hope Leavy-Gaskins and senior setter/libero Madeline Walker. 

Field hockey: New coach looks to keep Bermudian’s winning ways

After 19 years, more than 300 wins and 15 division titles, Neil Bixler retired as Bermudian Springs field hockey coach at the end of last season. 

The Eagles will still have familiarity with longtime assistant Kristy Zehr taking over as head coach. Zehr actually served as the program’s head coach for 10 years in the 1990s. The Eagles also move down to Division IV after dominating Division III for years. 

Central York remains the favorite in Division I after winning the league title last season. The Panthers bring back a number of starters including reigning Player of the Year Victoria Whitehead, who scored 22 goals last season as a sophomore. 

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Red Lion and Dallastown are typically competitive teams in Division I. The Lions bring back eight starters from a squad that went 13-7 last season. Longtime Lions coach Carol Gillmen needs two wins to reach 300 for her career. 

South Western, New Oxford and Susquehannock all made the league tournament out of Division II last season. Eastern York could be the favorite in YAIAA Division III with eight returning starters, including goalkeeper and Division I Lock Haven commit Kelsey Felix. 

Other storylines 

York Suburban’s boys’ cross country team is coming off a second-place finish at the state championships and features returning league champ Cole Adams. 

Dallastown is the reigning girls’ champ, but Northeastern is also coming off an excellent season and returning individual champion Margaret Carroll. 

The YAIAA cross country championships are scheduled for Oct. 24 at Gettysburg High School. 

In YAIAA golf, Central York, Susquehannock and Delone Catholic are currently leading the three divisions. The YAIAA golf team championships are scheduled for Sept. 30 with the individual championships on Oct. 1. 

In girls’ tennis, Dallastown, New Oxford, and South Western are undefeated in Division I. Kennard-Dale and Gettysburg are undefeated in Division II. The singles championships are Oct. 8-9 and the doubles championships are Oct. 12-13. 

Matt Allibone is a sports reporter for GameTimePA. He can be reached at 717-881-8221, mallibone@ydr.com or on Twitter at @bad2theallibone. 

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