PETERS TOWNSHIP – In many ways, the WPIAL Class 2A boys’ volleyball championship could have been considered a clash of the Titans. Both teams entered the finals, held at Peters Township’s AHN Arena, with a 15-1 record.  

by Kevin Cody

Mira Costa High defeated Huntington Beach High at Mira Costa Saturday night to win the CIF Division 1 Southern California Regional Volleyball Championships. 

Next Saturday, Costa will compete against Archbishop Mitty, of San Jose, for the first ever, CIF State Boys Volleyball title at Fresno City College.
Mira Costa previously defeated Huntington, just a week ago, in a hard fought, five-set match to claim the CIF Southern Section Division 1 title.

At home this past Saturday, Mira Costa swept Huntington 3-0, but the win was more difficult than the score suggests.

In the first set, Huntington jumped out to a 5-1 lead. Mira Costa Coach Greg Snyder called a time out when Huntington extended its lead to 9-4. But Huntington continued to control the game by containing Costa outside hitter Cooper Keane. 

Coach Snyder’s second time out, when the set appeared lost, at 17-8, produced better results. Costa spread around its offense, and outscored Huntington 13 to 4 to finally catch Huntington, at 21-21. A dink by Costa setter Andrew Chapin gave his team its first lead, prompting Huntington coach Craig Pazanti to call a time out. But that opened the door for Costa to deploy its home court advantage. Fans began singing along to Queen’s “We will rock you,” blasting over the sound system. Costa had 28 consecutive home court victories coming into Saturday night.

After the time out, Huntington tied the score at 24-24. But a kill by Keane, and a block by Alex Heins completed Costa’s surge, 26-24.

Despite Huntington’s first set collapse, the second set was similarly close, though the early scoring was reversed. Huntington trailed until tying the score 14-14, and then taking the lead after chasing down a ball deflected past the back of the court. Huntington held on to the lead until 20-19, when it served into the net. Huntington didn’t score again.

Costa retook the lead by chasing down an errant pass, and then scoring the next five points. 

Huntington continued to be competitive in the third set, causing eight lead changes before Mira Costa took the lead permanently, at 8-7. From there Costa’s Keane, Grayson Bradford and Heins scored seemingly at will. Costa won the decisive match 25-16. 

Keane finished with 16 kills and Bradford with seven kills and 5 blocks. ER

This past weekend, DreamHack Dallas was the ultimate nostalgia trip, thanks to a viral tweet asking gamers for their first-ever gamertags. The responses ranged from cringe-worthy to very creative to downright uncensored er**middle-school-ish!** The official @Dexerto account got the ball rolling with *”What was your first gamertag and why?”* while also hyping up the @AmericasNavy booth at the event, where they were giving away freeifying personalized gamertag bags and merch.

No bonding really happens faster among gamers than the sharing of memories about their first and utterly embarrassing user IDs. And the replies? Pure gold! From *”Osama Bin Laggin”* (I swear it’s true) to *”MonkeyChunk13″* (“I was 13 and retarded,” in the words of the contributor), the thread turned into a time capsule of immensely questionable choices! And then we had jewels like *”xX_ShadowSlayer_Xx”* (twelve-year-old edgelord spirits), *”THA CARTER 712″* (shoutout to fans of Lil Wayne), and *”Russian rock sloth”* (I honestly do not want to explain).

Bragging worthy names came into this thread too. For example, *”Waterdragon”* needs no more explanation other than to define a Socom 2 player who has a passion for water polo and dragons—what a legendary combo! *”defaultking,”* on the other hand, was a Halo player who proudly used the default settings. Then we have someone going by *”xxSn1p3rJesusxx”* who duly confessed, *”12-year-old me thought headshots were holy.”* Fair enough.

Of course, not everybody was bold enough to spill the beans. *”Yea… not gonna self-report,”* one user said, while another made the joke, *”If you didn’t have either ‘xX Xx’ or the word sniper in it, what was the point?”* Tru.

Meanwhile, @AmericasNavy’s booth at DreamHack Dallas was ready for the sudden formation of a gathering spot for the gamertag history spillers and for those seeking free swag. The promo set a witty military-themes gamertag, with one particular user giving kudos to *”Thalassic”* for sounding like *”a sea monster you’d fight in an RPG.”* Very appropriate, given that the Navy, after all, is involved.

However, not every response was all-fun-and-games. Some skeptics dismissed the tweet as *”self-doxxing”* or *”propaganda,”* while others just went right ahead and slipped into the lists with no explanation (*”BadAssNath”*—we see you). Then came the youthful chaos of *”NoobMaster3000,”* a name that, as the user admitted, *”peaked in middle school.”* So relatable.

DreamHack Dallas will be there all weekend. If you do find yourself there, Navy’s booth might well be worth a visit just to have your gamertag and a free bag immortalized. For those that will decide to stay on the sidelines, this big-time thread is a reminder: your first gamertag will haunt you forever, no matter how cool you think you are.

So, what was it? (No judgment…okay, maybe a little.)

By: Paul Schofield


Saturday, May 24, 2025 | 6:13 PM

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Derry senior Sophia Mazzoni and Greensburg Central Catholic junior Jerry Davis achieved their goals Saturday at the PIAA track and field championships.

They returned to Westmoreland County with gold medals.

It was the second gold for Mazzoni in the Class 3A javelin and a first for Davis in the 2A 400 meters at Shippensburg University’s Seth Grove Stadium.

Mazzoni, who was the reigning Class 2A champion, won the 3A title with a throw of 158 feet, 2 inches. The winning toss came on her third attempt.

Mazzoni came into the competition seeded third behind two girls — Blue Mountain senior Makayla Keck and Perkiomen Valley junior Ava Flicker — who had thrown more than 160.

But neither girl could stay with Mazzoni. Flicker finished fifth with a throw of 145-5, and Keck did not make the finals. Her best throw was 132-10.

“Being where I was placed, it definitely got my wheels turning,” Mazzoni said. “It gave me something to fight for, just having that determination and just knowing what I can do and trust the process.

“Knowing I had two girls in front of me, I wanted to set the tone and get a throw out there. I executed it well. I got a throw out there, and I made them nervous.”

Mazzoni said she was glad to throw first, especially with the wind.

“The wind was there,” Mazzoni said. “It affected all of us. I wanted to set the tone; I did it well.”

The Auburn commit said she will miss nationals and head to college in late June.

“Having this competition was a good warm-up for college, and I think that is what I needed going into the SEC,” Mazzoni said. “I got to compete against some new faces.”

Davis dominated the 400. He was seeded first, and he finished first.

He had a strong kick during the final 25 meters to pull away from the pack.

“Always at the end there, I know if anyone’s near me, I definitely got them in the last 100,” Davis said.

Davis placed fifth last year, but he came back more determined.

“It was great to see improvement, even meddling in the 200,” Davis said. “I have a right will of not to lose. I was hoping to break 47, but the wind was too strong.”

Davis also got a seventh-place medal in the 200.

Greensburg Central Catholic seniors Eva Denis and Sasha Hoffman each returned home with two medals. Both were on the 1,600 relay team that placed seventh.

Denis also placed fifth in the 2A 100 dash, and Hoffman was seventh in the 100 hurdles.

“I am pleased,” Denis said. “I felt I ran my hardest. I am definitely proud how far I came. I was seeded sixth coming in.”

Hoffman showed her mettle competing after twisting her ankle and slicing her foot during the 300 hurdles preliminaries.

She placed eighth in last year’s state meet.

“Despite the injuries, I still wanted to compete and get a medal,” Hoffman said. “I was proud how I finished.”

Norwin shines

Senior Ryan Schiller did not return home with a gold medal, but he did earn a silver medal and won a bet.

Schiller finished second to Palmyra’s Tyler Burgess, who broke a state record in the Class 3A 110 hurdles.

The bet was with junior Annie Czajkowski, who finished fifth in the 3,200 and lowered her personal record by 32 seconds.

Czajkowski was hoping to run in the 10:40s. She ran a 10:32.

She broke the school record held by Leslie Kovach of 10:35 in 2009.

“I was seeded 27th and started in the second row,” Czajkowski said. “I never want to say the 3,200 is my race, because I did not enjoy running (it). It was so fun (Saturday). I loved the slow burn.”

Schiller said he, Annie and a couple of teammates went to a creek near the Shippensburg campus.

“She told me she’d be mad if she did not break 10:40, and I bet her $20 her she’d run faster,” Schiller said. “I am happy for her.”

Senior Brandi Brozeski placed seventh in the 100 hurdles.

Penn-Trafford senior Aidon Lett returned home with an eighth-place medal in the 300 hurdles.

Paul Schofield is a TribLive reporter covering high school and college sports and local golf. He joined the Trib in 1995 after spending 15 years at the Daily Courier in Connellsville, where he served as sports editor for 14 years. He can be reached at pschofield@triblive.com.

Tags: Derry Area, Greensburg C.C., Norwin

A $5,000 donation from the local Safeway is helping Prince Rupert Middle School replace volleyball equipment that’s nearly 30 years old.

“Volleyball is such a growing sport in the community,” said Safeway’s manager Ranjit Gill. “Kids are starting off playing younger, and it’s getting pretty big.”

He noted that middle schoolers have shown a strong interest in the sport to their coaches, and their involvement is helping to keep them more positively engaged.

The school applied to the supermarket’s community funding program, which periodically reviews and supports meaningful projects in the city.

“Volleyball is a sport that our students are able to pursue that allows them to develop sportmanship and teamwork while improving their mental and physical wellbeing,” said the school. 

The school is optimistic that by providing the right environment and resources to develop students’ skills, they can participate in competitions across the province. This would be a valuable opportunity, especially for students who have not otherwise had the chance to experience new places.

“As we work to grow the sport of volleyball in our community, it is imperative that we have safe, modern equipment for our students,” said the school.

Gill was happy to share that the school will now be able to replace the aged setup with new nets, poles, balls and other training equipment.

“It’s a valuable thing to invest in our community,” he said.

It should come as no big surprise that the Lancaster-Lebanon League’s last two links to the District 3 playoffs are Cedar Crest and Manheim Central.

The Falcons clipped the Barons in the league championship match back on May 16, and those two teams will resume district play on Tuesday.

It was a surprise, however, how many L-L League squads were eliminated so quickly in the district brackets. Four Class 3A teams alone suffered first-round exits.

Section 1 runner-up Warwick (3-2 heart-breaker to Northeastern York), Hempfield (3-1 to Mechanicsburg), Penn Manor (3-0 to top-seeded Cumberland Valley), and Section 2 runner-up Cocalico (3-0 to Central Dauphin) were all sent packing on the first night.

Two L-L teams picked up first-round victories in the Class 2A bracket; Northern Lebanon beat Harrisburg Christian Academy 3-1 and Lancaster Mennonite blanked Hershey 3-0.

But the Vikings and the Blazers were eliminated in the quarterfinals; NL fell to top-seeded Manheim Central 3-0, and Mennonite was ousted by Linville Hill Christian by a 3-1 count.

That leaves Cedar Crest (19-3 overall) and Manheim Central (18-1) still standing — the Barons in the Class 2A semifinals and the Falcons in the Class 3A win-or-go-home consolation bracket, after Cedar Crest fell to 25-time district champ Central York 3-1 in the quarterfinals.

It was the second year in a row CY KO’d CC in the district quarterfinals.

On Tuesday, Manheim Central will welcome Linville Hill for a Class 2A Final Four clash in Derbyshire Gymnasium at 7 p.m.

The same night, No. 3 Cedar Crest will host No. 7 Central Dauphin, also at 7, with coach Monica Sheaffer and her Falcons needing a victory to get to the fifth-place match, with that survivor earning the last golden ticket to the PIAA playoffs.

It’ll be do-or-die for the Falcons against the Rams in a matchup of state-ranked teams; Cedar Crest is at No. 5 and CD is at No. 8 in the PVCA Class 3A poll.

The other consolation-bracket match on Tuesday pits No. 8 Mechanicsburg at No. 5 Palmyra. That loser is out; the survivor gets Cedar Crest or CD for the final PIAA slot.

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Tuesday’s Class 3A semifinals will feature No. 13 Northeastern York at No. 1 Cumberland Valley, and No. 6 Central York at No. 2 Governor Mifflin.

CV, the top-ranked Class 3A team in the state, and Mifflin are both undefeated. Sizzling CV has yet to drop a set this spring.

Meanwhile, top-seeded Manheim Central and No. 4 Linville Hill — the tiny school in Gap that has had an unbelievable year in the athletics department — still have some work to do to make states.

The top three finishers in Class 2A snare a ticket to the PIAA playoffs; Tuesday’s other semifinal features No. 3 Brandywine Heights at No. 2 York Suburban.

The higher seed will host the championship match on Thursday. Manheim Central, the three-time reigning L-L Section 2 champ, fell to Exeter in last year’s Class 2A finale, so coach Craig Dietrich and his Barons have plenty of motivation to slam the door this time around.

York Suburban and Manheim Central have been on a collision course for the finale since the Barons blanked the Trojans 3-0 in a nonleague bash back on May 5 in York. Manheim Central is No. 2 and York Suburban is No. 4 in the PVCA Class 2A state rankings.

The Barons are aiming for a return trip to the state finals, after falling there against Meadville last June.

END OF AN ERA

Kudos to Gary Martin for a fine career on Lancaster Mennonite’s bench. The Blazers’ longtime coach has stepped down after guiding Mennonite for the last 12 years.

His final match was last Thursday, when the Blazers fell to Linville Hill 3-1 in the district quarterfinals. It was the ninth time Martin took one of his teams to the district playoffs.

Martin was honored by the school last Tuesday prior to Mennonite’s final home match, a 3-0 win over Hershey in the district opener.

TRUE WARRIORS

Linville Hill (18-2) ousted Millersburg and Lancaster Mennonite on the way to Tuesday’s clash at Manheim Central. That’s after the Warriors’ boys basketball team captured PIAA Class 2A state gold back in March.

There is one player off the hoops team — senior Derian Petersheim — who is now taking swings on the volleyball squad this spring for Linville Hill, which calls the Commonwealth Christian Athletic Conference home.

TOP PERFORMERS

* Two great stat-lines for Lancaster Mennonite senior hitter Nik Martiny. He boomed eight kills and added 14 digs, three blocks and two aces in the first round against Hershey. And in the quarterfinals against Linville Hill, he had seven kills, 16 digs and two more aces for the Blazers.

* Cedar Crest senior setter Ryder Rohrer teed up 32 assists in the Falcons’ 3-0 first-round victory over Dallastown. And he set up 41 assists against Central York in the quarterfinals.

* Manheim Central senior hitter Reagan Miller was clutch in the attacking and defensive departments in the Barons’ 3-0 quarterfinal victory over Northern Lebanon with 11 kills and 13 digs — plus a pair of aces on the service line.

* In Warwick’s gut-punch 3-2 setback against Northeastern York, Warriors’ junior heavy hitter Thomas Mejia waffled 21 kills. Alas, Warwick was ousted, one year after reaching the district finals and the state semifinals.

X: @JeffReinhart77

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