5 York-Adams boys’ volleyball teams make loaded district playoff field

The league will have three representatives in the District 3 Class 3A tournament, with two others in the 2A bracket.

Each week during the Pennsylvania high school boys’ volleyball season, a statewide panel of coaches ranks the top teams in both PIAA classifications. And each week, a new District 3 team seems to enter the fray.

Ten of the 20 ranked teams in the most recent Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association poll are in the district, including seven of the top 10 in Class 3A. Only two of those squads can walk away with district titles later this month, and state tournament berths will be scarce resources.

District 3 officially revealed its playoff brackets Friday, although most area teams concluded their regular seasons at least a week ago. A 16-team tournament in Class 3A and a 14-team draw in Class 2A will commence Tuesday, with quarterfinals Thursday. Semifinals and championship matches are set for May 27 and 29, respectively. Higher seeds will host all matches.

Only five York-Adams League teams made the cut, although several others just missed out. Regular-season league champion Central York is the No. 6 seed in Class 3A, while YAIAA tournament champion Northeastern is seeded 13th and Dallastown is 14th. York Suburban, meanwhile, finished No. 2 in the district’s Class 2A power rankings. York Catholic was a last-minute addition to the field.

Central York won the District 3-3A title a year ago, and the Panthers — ranked No. 5 in PIAA Class 3A — have the talent to make another deep run. So does ninth-ranked Northeastern, which is finally at full strength has swept Central twice in the last two weeks. But the competition is as stiff as ever. 

Cumberland Valley is ranked first in the state, seeded first in the district and hasn’t dropped a set in official competition this season. Other PVCA-ranked teams in the D3-3A bracket include No. 2-seed Governor Mifflin (fourth), No. 3 Cedar Crest (seventh), No. 4 Warwick (eighth) and No. 7 Central Dauphin (10th). Additionally, No. 9-seed Hempfield and No. 11 Exeter Township have been ranked during multiple previous polls this season.

In Class 2A, No. 1-seed Manheim Central is ranked second in the state, while No. 2 York Suburban is ranked fourth. Manheim Central swept the Trojans in three close sets on May 5 in a potential district championship preview. Third-seeded Brandywine Heights joined the state rankings this week, slotting 10th.

Both tournaments expanded by two teams this spring, and the 3A bracket will now send a fifth team to states. The cutline wasn’t kind to local teams, though. York-Adams League semifinalist Red Lion and quarterfinalist New Oxford finished 17th and 19th, respectively, in the 3A power rankings, with Spring Grove 22nd behind the Mid-Penn’s Northern York. West York closed the year 15th in the 2A rankings, and York Catholic was 15th before the late disqualification of Trinity.

The surplus of top teams has produced marquee matchups even in the opening rounds. Here’s the path forward for all five remaining YAIAA programs.

(Editor’s note: All matches are at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Listed team records include league tournament results.)

Class 3A (16 teams, 5 spots at states): Central York topped these power rankings for much of the season, but now the No. 6 Panthers (13-2) will have their hands full from the jump. They’ll take the court Tuesday against No. 11 Exeter Township (14-5), whose only losses have come to Cumberland Valley, Hempfield and Governor Mifflin (three times, including in Thursday’s Berks County final). Central York, led by all-state seniors John He and Lance Shaffer, was the PVCA’s top-ranked team in the preseason after going 20-1 with a state semifinal appearance in 2024.

In the same quadrant of the bracket, No. 14 Dallastown (12-5) is looking to pull a road upset of No. 3 Cedar Crest (18-2) on Tuesday. The Falcons ousted Manheim Central for the Lancaster-Lebanon League title on Thursday night. Dallastown won its lone district championship in 1990.

Northeastern’s visit to Warwick on Tuesday will be a top-10 matchup, per the PVCA poll, and the loser’s season will be over. The No. 13-seed Bobcats (14-3) have dealt with injuries throughout the spring, but senior outside hitter Koltrin Forry returned at the league tournament to give the attack another boost. The No. 4 Warriors (10-3) were the district runner-up to Central York last year. Either fifth-seeded Palmyra or No. 12 Red Land will await the winner in the quarterfinals.

Class 2A (14 teams, 3 spots): York Suburban and Manheim Central separated themselves from the pack this season, with the Barons locking up the top seed by beating the Trojans (14-3) late in the Spring. Manheim Central (17-1) was unbeaten before falling in four sets to Cedar Crest in Thursday’s L-L League final.

Suburban, which made a large leap this year after going one-and-done at districts as the 11th seed in 2024, will await the winner of No. 7-seed Berks Catholic and No. 10 Schuylkill Valley for its quarterfinal match Thursday.

No. 14 York Catholic (7-12) had been on the right side of the bubble before dropping five of its final six regular-season matches. But the Fighting Irish received a new lease on life with Trinity — who was eighth in the power rankings — falling out of the field. York Catholic will visit No. 3 Brandywine Heights (15-3) on Tuesday, with the winner advancing to face either No. 6 West Shore Christian or No. 11 New Covenant Christian.