It’s almost time for fall sports, and while the focus has been primarily put on football, the Mid Penn has a ton to offer in other fall sports. Field Hockey delivered three state titles, as well as boys and girls soccer each hoisting a PIAA championship in the postseason. Lots of boys soccer teams have the potential to have success in this coming season.
1. Hershey Trojans
Hershey were the PIAA 3A champions in 2022, as well as earning their third straight District 3 4A title.. The Trojans outscored opponents 21-3 in District and State playoff play. That’s thanks partly to Hannes Budde, the Hershey goalie who shut it down in the playoffs, who will return for another year in 2023. The Trojans will lose Ian McGrorty, who was the Trojan hero in the state final, scoring the overtime game winner. The Trojans will visit Manheim Township for their second game of the year, whom they beat 2-1 last season, as part of the Blue Streaks 1 for 3 performance against Mid Penn teams last season. Manheim Township then went on to finish second in the L-L Section 1 standings, and earn a #6 seed in the District 3 4A standings, only to get upset in the first round by Warwick, an #11 seed. Hershey’s biggest matchups will come in divisional play when they make the short trek to Palmyra in just their third game of the year, then the second of the two game set, welcoming Palmyra to their pitch on October 4th. Despite the titles, Hershey failed to add “Keystone division Champions” to that list last season, and Hershey’s visit to Palmyra will make the 4th time in 2 seasons, as the two sides met twice last season. Palmyra dominated the regular season meetings, winning 2-1 and 1-0, but the Trojans got the last laugh in the postseason, winning the District 3 3A semi-final by a score of 4-1. Hershey will look to continue the success this season
2. Central Dauphin Rams
CD’s girls team was ranked in the top spot on the girls bracket, and their boys are also close to the top on this list. Not to harp too much on Palmyra, but the Rams will start off the year with Palmyra, then host Manheim Township, a game they lost 1-0 last year. Big in-division play between Central Dauphin and Cumberland Valley is always a focus, and this year is no different, as CD takes on CV on September 11th and October 5th. Chambersburg on September 7th and October 3rd is another big game, not only because the two squads are top dogs in the Commonwealth, but they also met in the District semi-finals, and Central Dauphin escaped with a 1-0 OT victory. Finally, to round out the big games, CD hosts Hempfield for their third game of the season on August 29th at 3:45, a District 3 4A championship rematch that ended 1-1, with CD winning 4-2 in Penalty Kicks to win the 4A District title. A big part of that PK win was the goalie work to limit Hempfield to 2, done by Carter Fitzgerald who will begin a career at St. Joseph’s University this fall.
3. Palmyra Cougars
Matt Bordner will step up big time for the Cougars in 2023 after the graduation of key piece Brayden Sunho, now playing in Middletown as part of the Penn State Harrisburg team. Palmyra will have a lot to prove after last year’s Keystone division title, a division that now holds a defending state champion team. Also a division which holds two more top 10 teams of Lower Dauphin and Mechanicsburg. The Cougars will get some good work in a scrimmage on August 21st with the 1A District 3 champions, Tulpehocken, and again on the 24th with 4A District champs, Central Dauphin.
4. Cumberland Valley Eagles
In my eyes, CV has the most motivation to get back to District and State glory. They have the pieces to create a winning team, but finished third in the commonwealth. Nonetheless, they took a 3 seed spot in the 2022 4A District playoffs, and suffered a devastating loss to 13 seed Conestoga Valley in a 3-2 PK loss. Then, the District and State championships were played on their home field, which both CV boys and girls teams mention provide a lot of motivation for the season. Michael Selan and Jake Snyder will provide the veteran leadership for the Eagles, while they begin the season with a Saturday scrimmage with #1 ranked Hershey on August 19th. They’ll have a big one on September 1st with 4A District runner-ups Hempfield.
5. Chambersburg Trojans
The Trojans are another squad involved in the tight and competitive Commonwealth division standings, which were led by State College last season. Chambersburg finished 4th, sporting a 6-5 divisional record, but a 14-8 overall record, meaning ⅝ losses for their season came from familiar foes. Chambersburg was seeded 5th in the 4A District 3 playoffs and won their first game at home against Wilson, 3-1. They went on to win against Northeastern in a 3-0 shutout, and ultimately lose 1-0 in overtime to the eventual champs, Central Dauphin. They’ll get their first chance at redemption at CD on September 7th at Landis Field. Despite the semi-final loss, their top 4 finish landed them a spot in the PIAA 4A State playoffs, where they fell in the first round to Lower Merion, 4-0. Cohen Redding is the big graduate loss for Chambersburg, which opens a role for senior Michael Cespedes to take over scoring for the Trojans.
6. Mechanicsburg Wildcats
Tai San will be a big piece for the Wildcats once again in 2023, even more so this season after his follow scorer Liam Stockbauer graduated. The Wildcats will open up with a home scrimmage against the 2022 1A District champs, Camp Hill. They’ll welcome Northern for their home opener in the regular season on Saturday, August 26th, a big game for the Wildcats. Mechanicsburg held the 8 seed spot in the 4A District playoffs last season, where they won their 8 vs. 9 seed matchup with Ephrata, dominating a 6-1 victory, which led them into a second round game with Central Dauphin, losing 4-1 to close the year. Despite a 10-6-1 record on the year, the ‘Cats finished 4th in division, which should provide all the motivation they need to climb the Keystone this season.
7. Lower Dauphin Falcons
The Falcons were one of those squads ahead of Mechanicsburg last season, placing 3rd behind Palmyra and Hershey. The Falcons teams in soccer, field hockey, and even football mentioned how competitive that three way race with Palmyra, Lower Dauphin and Hershey can be given the ten minute proximity between the three campuses. Speaking of other sports, the LD soccer teams should both have plenty of chatter around Northern, as both the girls and boys teams faced the Polar Bears in the District playoffs last season. For the girls, it was LD beating Northern, and same case for the boys, defeating Northern in the first round, 2-1 in OT, then going on to beat Elizabethtown 3-2. It was Cocalico that stopped the Falcons from reaching the District championship, which was ultimately taken by Hershey in the 3A sector.
8. State College Little Lions
State College took home a Commonwealth division title last season in a division with teams like Cumberland Valley, Central Dauphin, and Chambersburg, all ranked in this pre-season top 10. As far as those 3 go, the Little Lions went 4-2 against the trio in 2022, and will look to continue that divisional success in 2023. They’ll also have a big one against Lewisburg on October 8th. State College will also look to continue success in District playoffs, defending a District 6 2022 championship. The Little Lions took an unfortunate 7-3 loss in the first round of the 4A PIAA tournament to Seneca Valley.
9. Northern
The Polar Bears have a lot to look forward to in 2023, like Garrett White, who is expected to make a big jump after being named PennLive’s Boys Soccer Player of the Year for 2022. Northern will travel to COBO field to scrimmage Trinity on Tuesday, August 22nd and then travel to Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Park to open the season with Mechanicsbug, two solid Mid Penn teams that will get the Bears acclimated to opponents for the season. The biggest in-division games for Northern will be West Perry, who they’ll have at Lobar Inc Field on September 2nd and travel to Elliottsburg on September 18th.
10. Camp Hill
Camp Hill has a big question mark next to their name until we can see them in action in 2023, starting with a scrimmage with Mechanicsburg on August 23rd. They lost less Seniors than this time last season, after a huge hit in 2022. Freshman Ian Gamber and Miller Nelson will step up for the Lions, while Seniors Cole Nelson and Richard Lutkins will fill veteran roles. Lewisburg traveling to Siebert Park will be a big matchup for the Lions, and a big in-division game with September 28th will headline their Capital division match-ups.
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