District 3-AAA bracket busted

As is the case nearly every thing, there's a host of double-digit seeds are clamoring for a District 3 Class AAA title.

Hershey, seeded 12th, can't be included in this discussion because the Trojans were a trendy preseason pick to land one of the four PIAA bids.

Susquenita, at least in this writer's opinion, had the talent to make a serious run at district gold so we aren't going to spend much time talking about the 10th-seeded Blackhawks, either.

Honestly, those teams were expected to be in the final eight despite their seeds.

But there are two other clubs that have taken the Cinderella hat and worn it well. East Pennsboro and West Perry, seeded 20th and 25th, respectively, are still playing baseball less than a week before Memorial Day. Neither team truly challenged Northern, Susquenita and Waynesboro for a Colonial Division title yet, two days before the quarterfinals, the Panthers and Mustangs are alive.

It's a credit to the both the players and coaches that these teams have made it to this point. West Perry was 7-10 and seemed destined to miss the postseason for a second straight year but coach Jeff Sanno's crew ripped off three straight wins to close the regular season and then smashed No. 8 New Oxford, 13-3, in five innings to open district play.

The Mustangs (12-10) followed that by scoring all eight of their runs via home run in Monday's two-run victory over No. 24 seed Eastern York.

East Pennsboro returned a solid nucleus of starters from 2009 but never really put it all together until recently. The Panthers (12-9) were actually mercy-ruled four times during the regular season but have won four of their last five.

What might be even more impressive is that East Penn has done this while Zach Nye, their staff ace, hasn't pitched more than three innings since April 1 and hasn't been on the mound at all since April 19.

Both stories are outstanding yet there is a down side to each.

Despite the magic they've created in the last few days, a loss Thursday will quickly end their seasons. In Class AAA, all four semifinalists advance to the PIAA tournament, which means all three area AAA teams are 27 outs from securing at least two more games. But they're also 27 outs from having their seasons come to a close.

We're not here to make predictions on how these teams will fare but all three have tough opponents coming up. Susquenita battles Berks County Tournament winner and No. 2 seed Conrad Weiser at Wenger Field in Fredericksburg at 6:30 p.m.

East Pennsboro has a date with pitching-rich Hershey at Creekview at 6:30 and West Perry travels to Northern for a battle with top-seeded West York.

Those three teams have minimal flaws and, at least judging by their seeds, Weiser and West York will be favored to win. But if history is any indication -- last year three double-digit seeds made the semifinals -- don't be stunned to see at least one punch its ticket to the state field.

Mid-Penn Conference Tournament update

Boiling Springs athletic director and Mid-Penn baseball chairman Scott Govern confirmed the vital information regarding the 2010 Mid-Penn Conference Tournament.

All four division champions advance to a four-team, single-elimination tournament at Northern beginning May 18. Games will be played at 4 and 7 p.m.

The winners return May 20 for the championship at 7 p.m.

Govern said the Capital champion will meet the Commonwealth champion while the Colonial champion faces the Keystone champion. Exact times for which team will play when will be announced when the pairings are known.

At this date, first-round matchups would be Greencastle-Antrim (Capital) vs. Cedar Cliff (Commonwealth) and Northern (Colonial) vs. Lower Dauphin (Keystone).

Last year, Northern captured the title with a 6-3 victory over Mechanicsburg.

Time to talk playoffs

Believe it or not, but we're just under three weeks away from the start of the District 3 baseball playoffs. A few teams have clinched a playoff berth while others will be scrambling into the final week of the season. Below is a breakdown of which area teams will playing postseason baseball and which will gearing up for the American Legion season.

Big Spring (7-7) -- Only three wins from a guaranteed trip to the 3-AAA playoffs but those aren't going to come easily. The Bulldogs won't be favored to win against Waynesboro, Susquenita or Northern but if they can scratch out victories against Bermudian Springs, Shippensburg and West Perry, Big Spring will qualify. Plus, this team already beat Susquenita once. Prediction: Big Spring will qualify with a 10-10 record.

Boiling Springs (8-7) -- Tuesday's game is huge for this team. If the Bubblers slip up against Camp Hill, the postseason is likely to be lost. Two games remain against Trinity (12-1) and another against Greencastle-Antrim (12-2) with Steelton-Highspire (3-11) also on the late-season slate. The Bubblers haven't been to the postseason since their appearance in the 3-AA field in 2007. This time, they're trying to crack the 3-AAA field. Prediction: Big Spring will qualify with a 10-10 record.

Camp Hill (3-10) -- Yes, the two-time defending PIAA Class A champions have struggled to replace seven starters but the 3-A field is nearly an open bracket, meaning anyone can enter. We still think coach Brad Shover can get enough out of this team to make a run at a district title. Prediction: Camp Hill will qualify with a 6-13 record.

Carlisle (6-6) -- This team may have shown the most improvement of any in the area. But it's going to take an incredibly strong closing kick to make the 3-AAAA field for the first time since 2005. The Thundering Herd has a brutal schedule down the stretch and is going to have to spring an upset or two just to get in. Of the six opponents that remain -- including a suspended game against Waynesboro that the Indians lead, 6-0 -- five have a winning record: Prediction: Carlisle will miss the playoffs with an 8-11 record.

Cedar Cliff (13-1) -- Clinched a spot in the 3-AAAA field with a 14-4, five inning win against Red Land on April 21.

Cumberland Valley (7-5) -- Riding a three-game winning streak that includes a win over previously unbeaten Cedar Cliff, CV is peaking at the right time. This team might just have enough in the tank to seriously challenge for a Mid-Penn Commonwealth title. We'll know a lot more about these guys after Wednesday's home date with Chambersburg. Prediction: CV will qualify with a 15-6 record.

East Pennsboro (8-7) -- Only two wins out of the 3-AAA postseason, the Panthers will have to battle for those two clinching wins. If East Penn drops its next three to Northern, Waynesboro and Susquenita the Panthers will be forced to beat Shippensburg and Camp Hill to qualify. If these guys make the field, they could be dangerous. Prediction: East Penn will qualify with an 11-9 record.

Mechanicsburg (10-4) -- After losing its first two last week, Mechanicsburg rallied to beat Hershey in nine innings Friday to clinch a berth in the 3-AAAA field.

Northern (13-2) -- Thanks to a 12-3 romp over Waynesboro on April 23, the Polar Bears locked up a 3-AAA spot. Northern has outscored its last three opponents, 37-5.

Red Land (10-5) -- The three-time defending Mid-Penn Commonwealth Division champions clinched a spot in the 3-AAAA field with a 5-4 win over Central Dauphin in eight innings Friday. Now, about that 12-2 home loss to Dallastown the next day ...

Shippensburg (3-10) -- One more loss and the Greyhounds are out. With powerful and angry Susquenita up next, Shippensburg's postseason hopes will likely come to an end this afternoon. But if the Greyhounds can emerge with a win, winnable games remain with James Buchanan, Big Spring, West Perry and East Pennsboro. Prediction: Shippensburg will miss the playoffs with a 4-14 record.

Susquenita (9-5) -- After a 7-1 start, the Blackhawks have dropped four of their last six to nearly fall out of the Mid-Penn Colonial Division race (Northern has a four-game lead on them with five to play). But the schedule sets up nicely for Susquenita to turn it around and finish strong for a third straight 3-AAA appearance. Prediction: Susquenita will qualify with a 13-7 record.

Trinity (12-1) -- Shamrocks clinched a spot in the 3-AAA playoffs with a 9-1 win over Camp Hill on April 21. We'd love to see what Trinity could do if it were correctly classified as a Class AA school.

West Perry (6-8) -- Jeff Sanno's crew has its work cut out for it down the stretch. The Mustangs need to finish 4-2 or better to make the 3-AAA field after a one-year absence. It's a tough final six games for West Perry, which should win at least two of those against James Buchanan and Shippensburg. Northern, Waynesboro, Susquenita and Big Spring are the other remaining games. Ouch. Prediction: West Perry will miss the playoffs with an 8-12 record.

Austin could be out at West Perry

In a bit of shocking news this offseason, West Perry is searching for a new wrestling coach.

Friday night, West Perry athletic director Cory Hoffman confirmed that 21-year veteran head coach Roger Austin's position was opened following the completion of the 2009-10 season in March.

Hoffman said he has accepted applications from interested candidates and will begin an interviewing process soon. One of those applicants is Austin himself, who hopes to return as wrestling coach. Austin (right) plans to continue teaching physical education at West Perry regardless of the ultimate decision.

"I'm not the best wrestling coach or the most knowledgeable but I know how to make it work at West Perry," Austin said. "If they want to go in another direction ... I've heard of that happening in professional and college sports but I don't hear of that too much in high school."

The complete story that ran in Saturday's edition of The Sentinel can be found here.

Games of the Week (May 3-8)

Carlisle at Central Dauphin, Monday, 4 -- With a 6-6 record as the calender flips to May, Carlisle (left) has a legitimate shot at the District 3-AAAA playoffs. The Thundering Herd needs to complete the sweep of a down Central Dauphin club to keep dreaming of postseason baseball.

Cedar Cliff at Chambersburg, Monday, 4:30 -- Colts rallied from an 8-2 deficit for a 12-8 win in the first encounter. A win by Cedar Cliff, which holds a three-game lead with four to play over Red Land, Chambersburg and Cumberland Valley in the Commonwealth Division, will make it hard for the Colts to not be division champions.

Boiling Springs at Camp Hill, Monday, 4 -- The Bubblers are finally back above .500 with an 8-7 record but they can't sleep against Camp Hill (3-10). The Lions have an outstanding coach in Brad Shover and nearly beat Boiling Springs the first time before falling in extra innings. Expect this one to be close.

Chambersburg at Cumberland Valley, Wednesday, 4:15 -- The Eagles should be sitting at 8-5 overall and 5-3 in the division entering this game. Depending what happens elsewhere this year, CV still has a shot at winning the Commonwealth. But the Eagles most likely have to win out, which means beating the defending District 3-AAAA champions.

West Perry at Susquenita, Thursday, 4:15 -- So far, these two Perry County rivals have split two games this spring. Susquenita seems to be going through a tough time and can't get on a roll. There were high expectations for the Blackhawks, who likely won't win the Colonial but need one more victory to guarantee themselves three straight appearances in the District 3-AAA postseason.

Cedar Cliff vs. Red Land at Sovereign Bank Stadium, Friday, 6:30 -- The last meeting went to Cedar Cliff, 14-4, in five innings. This time, Red Land ace Nick Chester awaits the Colts, who have only been completely shut down once this year. It's always fun when these two rivals get together and by this day, Cedar Cliff could be looking to clinch the Commonwealth Division title.