Repeating is hard to do

Of the eight teams to set foot on the field at Blair County Ballpark in Altoona last June 13, not even half qualified for this season's state playoffs.

Only Camp Hill and Carmichaels in Class A and Loyalsock in Class AA have a shot to return to the state finals. The other five teams had anywhere from ugly seasons in 2009 to not-so-bad campaigns. Below is a look at where last year's finalists finished this season:

Class AAAA

Champion: Canon-McMillan

This year: Finished with a 9-9 record and missed the District 7 playoffs.

Runner-up: Spring-Ford

This year: Lost to Great Valley, 9-4, District 1-AAAA second round.

Class AAA

Champion: Berwick

This year: Beat North Pocono, 13-0, in 2-AAA first round; lost to eventual district champion Abington Heights, 16-6, in quarterfinals.

Runner-up: Somerset

This year: Top seed in 6-AAA field and beat Forest Hills, 7-5, in semifinals before falling to Bellefonte, 9-4, in championship.

Class AA

Champion: Loyalsock

This year: Enters PIAA first round as District 4 champion with a 20-3 record.

Runner-up: Burrell

This year: Lost to Beaver, 2-1, in District 7-AA first round.

Class A

Champion: Camp Hill

This year: Enters PIAA first round as District 3 champion with a 19-3 record.

Runner-up: Carmichaels

This year: Enters PIAA first round as District 7-A runner-up with an 18-3 record following a 7-1 loss to Serra Catholic on Friday.

(Pictured: Canon-McMillan celebrates its PIAA Class AAAA title at Blair County Ballpark last June. Photo courtesy of Tom Elling.)