Pennsbury earned a spot in the PIAA Class AAA title game, thanks to Tuesday’s 3-0 sweep of District 3 champion Hempfield at Coatesville High School.
By Mary Jane Souder
The celebration began the moment Neil Helsel’s kill for match point hit the floor.
The Pennsbury Falcons, thanks to their 3-0 sweep of District 3 champion Hempfield (25-20, 25-23, 28-26), had earned a spot in Saturday’s PIAA Class AAA title game where they will face the winner of Wednesday’s North Allegheny/Central Dauphin match. The Falcons got there not because of their five-pronged offensive attack but rather because they played the kind of tenacious, gutsy defense that simply would not allow the Black Knight kill attempts to touch the floor.
Anything less would not have been good enough against an undefeated Hempfield squad.
“That was crazy,” coach Justin Fee said. “Offensively, we did not play well. We only hit .192 as a team, but defensively, that was the game of a lifetime for us.
“When you can dig number three, Garret (Simm), as much as we did, that makes a difference. He’s up there on the lines of that Mitch Stahl kid from Chambersburg. He’s really good, and we slowed him down.”
Pat Merrick led the stellar defensive effort with 19 digs while Troy Pereira had 15.
“Those two did a fabulous job digging,” Fee said.
Chris Spano (eight digs), Jeff Yasalonis (seven digs) and Sean Kropp (six digs) also made important contributions.
“We’re not usually a strong blocking team, so we have to make up for that by playing strong floor defense,” Pereira said. “We always have the mentality of never let the ball touch the floor, and I think that’s what propels our defense and wins us games.
“We made it this far, and we knew if we lost, our season was over. We made sure that we came out strong, we made sure we sided out right away, and that’s how we won the game.”
The Falcons’ defensive philosophy, according to Pereira, is a simple one – ‘Fight or flight,’ and their inspired play was apparent from the outset.
“It was a good feeling coming out,” the Falcons’ libero said. “I knew right away that once we were digging up the first couple that we were going to have a great game.”
The Falcons’ relentless defense not only compensated for their offensive struggles, it also negated the effectiveness of St. Francis-bound Garret Dimm, who finished with 18 kills but never was able to take control of the match.
“We knew Garret could hit the ball anywhere, and our goal was to stop him,” Merrick said. “I think we did a pretty good job.
“Everyone wants this so bad. Everyone wants to be in the final. They want to play for that gold medal.”
The Falcons, who had a fan bus make the trip to Coatesville, effectively silenced the partisan Hempfield crowd by winning the first set 25-20. The fans came to life when the Black Knights opened up a 5-0 lead in the second set and still led 7-2 before the Falcons mounted a comeback. Pennsbury knotted the score 8-8 after a Kropp block only to watch the Black Knights open up a 16-12 lead.
A Merrick kill was followed by a Helsel kill on first contact, and back-to-back Hempfield hits out of play knotted the score 16-16. The Black Knights went on top 21-19 and still led 22-20, but a Kropp kill was followed by a Merrick kill, and the Falcons led 23-22 after another Kropp kill. The Falcons won it on a Merrick kill to go on top 2-0.
In the third set, the Falcons raced out to a 16-6 lead after a Kropp kill only to watch the Black Knights rally to tie the score 22-22. Hempfield fought off a pair of match points, but after Spencer McCullough delivered a first contact kill, Helsel closed it out with a kill from the middle for match point.
“They served tough,” Merrick said. “Our passing didn’t come as easy. It’s hard to keep in-system, but we did the best we could.”
The Falcons find themselves back in the state title game for the first time since 2010 when they finished second.
“To me, looking back, it’s still like those guys were way better than we were, and all those teams were amazing,” Merrick said. “To be in the same position they were, it means a lot.
“It means our ultimate objective is right there. There are no more obstacles to get past. It’s this one last game to play for the title.”
Kropp led the Falcons’ offensive attack with 13 kills while Spano had 10. Merrick added nine and Helsel, seven. While it might not have been the Falcons’ best offensive showing, it was good enough to propel Pennsbury into Saturday’s title match at Penn State University’s Multi-Sport Facilty at 3 p.m.
“It’s awesome,” Pereira said. “As freshmen, we watched our seniors make it to the state final. They came up just short.
“To play up to their level of play, it’s crazy. It’s crazy to think we’ve come this far and we can compete as the best team in the state.”
“I’m just thrilled to be back in the state championship,” Fee said. “I want to get a win one of these times.”
- Log in to post comments
