The District Three Class 4A girls' volleyball trophy is staying with Hempfield.
On Tuesday, November 10, the Knights defeated Wilson 3-1 (25-16, 23-25, 25-19, 25-19) to win their second straight district championship, doing so on their home court.
The victory puts Hempfield (16-0) into the PIAA 4A state playoffs while Wilson's season ends at 15-3.
Emma Bitner registered four aces and 29 assists. Ashley Weaver collected 11 kills while Allison Cummings added 14 digs. Morgan Minnich, Joslene Morgan, and Weaver each had one block.
Hempfield reached the championship match with a 3-1 victory over a Cumberland Valley on Saturday, Nov. 7. The top-seeded Knights hosted the match, taking a 2-0 lead with 25-17 and 25-21 scores in the first two sets. The Eagles stayed alive with a 25-23 victory before the Knights clipped their wings 25-15.
FOOTBALL
There is the show business phrase, "Always leave them wanting more."
Translate that into the unforgettable performance of a high school quarterback - one who wraps up his junior year and leaves everyone anticipating more as a senior - and you have the kind of night Cameron Harbaugh had against Cocalico on Friday, November 6.
The Hempfield junior threw for 300 yards and four touchdowns as the Knights won a wild contest at home, 51-28.
"He was confident and comfortable and you could see it in his play," said head coach George Eager. "Cam has worked very hard to be where he is."
The Eagles (4-4) who had averaged 36 points over their previous three games, put up three touchdowns in the second quarter. Hempfield (4-4) responded by scoring four touchdowns, including a 48-yard fumble return by senior defensive back Shaun Hammer.
Leading 34-28 going into the second half, the Knights blanked the Eagles the rest of the way.
"Our defense did a tremendous job in the second half, shutting down an explosive offense," Eager said. "In the half we grabbed two more turnovers - one of them was while they were driving and on our 25-yard line. That was huge."
Harbaugh, who also ran for a touchdown, distributed the passing yardage among five different receivers. David Almodovar, Hempfield's leading receiver with 485 yards on the year, caught four passes for 85 yards.
Eli Hinton hauled in a pair of catches for 107 yards, including a 51-yard touchdown. Tanner Hess, who scored as a rusher and a receiver, caught two passes for 72 yards. Gordy Hoover grabbed a pair of passes for 21 yards and Adam Acker had 15 yards on two catches.
The Eagles scored first - a one-yard keeper by Carson Nash. He finished with 97 rushing yards on 18 carries, including two touchdowns, and 91 passing yards.
Steven Flinton ran up chunks of real estate in Landisville, gaining 94 on the ground and 81 aerial yards (6 receptions). He caught both of Nash's TD passes.
Harbaugh ran it in from nine yards out to make it 7-6 Cocalico. Hammer's defensive touchdown and Almodovar's 52-yard TD catch were sandwiched around Nash's 16-yard rushing TD as the teams went back-and-forth in a 49-point second quarter.
"It was a shootout," Eager remarked. "It was good to keep answering every time they would score.
"We were able to take advantage of the passing game," added the coach. "The linemen protected Cam long enough."
Hess and Almodovar caught TD passes of 74 and 51 yards, respectively. Hess also had a five-yard rushing TD while Hempfield capped another scoring drive on a Spencer Biscoe 35-yard field goal.
In looking back on this .500 season, Eager believes the Knights are setting the foundation for future success.
"I would like to think we are, but we're not there yet," he said. "Something to motivate us is how well we competed against top-tier teams like Wilson and Warwick - that's something to build on in the off-season. We had a shot in each of those games. We can compete and if we execute, we do have a shot."
CROSS COUNTRY
The boys' cross country team competed in the PIAA Class 3A championship race on Saturday, November 7 at Parkview in Hershey. The Knights finished fourth with 85 team points. North Allegheny's runners ran away with 49 points while LaSalle and Downingtown West grabbed the next two spots.
Hempfield completed an undefeated regular season and went on to claim team titles in both the Lancaster-Lebanon League and District Three.
Hempfield coach Curt Rogers credits the entire team, including the senior captains, for setting the high standards and working hard.
"Their goal was to be undefeated, to be league champs and to make the state meet," he said. "Since we lost out on spring track [due to COVID-19] the kids were hungry."
On a beautiful morning in Hershey, Aiden Hodge, a sophomore, raced across the finish line in 21st place, registering a time of 16:50. Evan Eshleman was a couple of strides behind at 16:55, taking 23rd place.
"Last year, Aiden was the highest placing freshman in the district meet," Rogers pointed out. "He's a self-motivated guy. He's humble, but when he sees someone in front, he wants to get him."
Eshleman, Steven Sauer, Owen Jackson and his twin brother David carried out the summer workout programs the coach organized.
"The captains got the kids together and made sure everyone was doing their part," Rogers said. "It organically flowed from the captains to every individual."
Among those individuals were under classmen, including freshman Sam Freedman.
"Every single upper classman agreed that Sam worked very hard over the summer," Rogers said. "Early in the season, especially, he was always there among our top five runners."
Joe Fahrney (40th, 17:15) Dale Winand (65th, 17:44) and Isaiah Hollinger (76th, 18:11) rounded out the top five finishers. David Jackson's 18:18 earned him 80th place. Freedman (18:29) finished 88th.
"Joe Fahrney is a quiet guy but with a 'never-say-die' attitude," said Rogers. "He will push himself and cross the line. He has a good work ethic.
"Dale Winand has already been picked as one of the captains for next year," added the coach. "He really packed in the miles over the summer."
BOYS' SOCCER
Hunter Green and Nate Schwartz scored in the first half, giving Hempfield a 2-0 lead in Saturday's (Nov. 7) District Three Class 4A semifinal match played at Eagle View Middle School in Mechanicsburg.
The eighth-seeded Knights upset top-seeded Wilson three days earlier with Green scoring one goal and Schwartz adding two for a 3-2 upset win.
On Saturday at CV, there was not another upset left for this tenacious Knights' team, however. Dan Erickson scored twice in the second half and completed his hat trick with a goal 20 seconds into the second overtime, giving the Eagles (15-1) a 3-2 victory.
Hempfield's (8-5) defense held CV scoreless until the 66th minute. Erickson scored the equalizer with only four minutes remaining in regulation.
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