Parkland, Northmpton win and advance to championship game
The early match of an Eastern Pennsylvania Conference semifinal doubleheader pitted two historically successful programs against one other, as Parkland and Whitehall added to its storied rivalry on Wednesday evening.
The nightcap, however, saw a pair of up-and-coming teams looking to climb to the top of the EPC. Northampton and Easton locked up in an exciting battle that delivered some intense moments at Allen High School’s Sewards Gymnasium.
When the night was over, the No. 3 seeded Trojans earned a four-set victory over the No. 2 Zephyrs, 3-1 [17-25, 25-23, 25-22, 25-16]. And it was the top-seeded Konkrete Kids who found a way to stave off a relentless Rover defense, resulting in a 3-2 win [20-25, 25-18, 23-25, 25-14, 17-15].
Parkland and Northampton will meet in Friday’s EPC final at 6 p.m., also at Allen High School.
Heading into the semifinals, the Zephyrs were on a two-match win streak against the Trojans, and appeared to be on their way to three in a row.
Down 17-13 in the second set, Parkland won five of the next six points to tie the score. From there, the Trojans switched gears and never looked back as they claimed a tight second set and cruised through the next two to advance to the finals.
“It’s not like we lack confidence. The first two matches just didn’t fall our way this season against Whitehall,” Parkland coach Scott Trumbauer said. “We had to put together a complete match and gain some confidence, and that’s what we did tonight.”
The Trojans were paced by their big guns against Whitehall. Owen Rodgers led the offensive attack with 15 kills, while Chase Robbins had 12 kills, 12 digs and 23 assists.
Matt Bauer also impressed with 10 kills, 10 digs and a pair of blocks. Luke Smith helped the Trojans find the finish line with seven kills and four blocks.
The Zephyrs were led by Torrey Tyson (14 kills, 10 digs), Jack Kocher (13 kills, 13 digs), Ethan Ringenburger (39 assists, 15 digs), and Aiden Sommer (21 digs).
Parkland now looks ahead to its finals matchup with an energized Northampton squad. The Konkrete Kids have just one loss this season, coming at the hands of the Trojans in the beginning of April.
A wealth of postseason experienced players will look to continue their contributions to the Trojan cause.
“Northampton is a very emotionally driven team and I’m curious to see how they play throughout the postseason,” Trumbauer said. “We have a number of guys who were on the court in last year’s district final and I believe we are the most experienced team in the area in that aspect. But on any given day… it’s all very exciting. I don’t know if anyone could predict this year’s standings.”
Later in the evening, No. 5 Easton came ready for action. Not only did the Rovers players start strong, but they involved their raucous student section.
Backed by a deafening crowd, Easton jumped ahead early and cruised to a one set lead. But Northampton came storming back when the second set was tied at 14-apiece. The Konkrete Kids went on an 11-4 run to claim the set and tie the match.
The Rovers did not go away in the third, bouncing back with an early lead, one they would not relinquish to take another one set lead.
The fourth set saw a new energy from the Konkrete Kids as they breezed to 25-14 win, tying the match score one final time.
In the deciding set, Northampton jumped out to a commanding 10-5 lead, but again, the Rovers would not bow, going on a 10-4 run of their own and even served a match point.
Northampton held tough and won the next three points and the match.
“Easton came to play. I told the kids that we can’t look past anyone and it’s go hard or go home time,” Northampton coach Sue Arndt said. “We’ve taken it one match at a time all year, and it’s a moment like this that describes the brotherhood culture the team has.”
Leading the Konkrete Kids was Alex Schoenen (18 kills, 11 digs), Jackson Fehnel (6 kills, 17 digs), Duane Milnes (7 kills, 9 digs), and Keller Repasch (46 assists, 7 digs).
Easton’s top performers were Christopher Mellor (14 kills), Justin Caceres (11 kills), Andrew Perhamus (40 assists, 17 digs), and Alejandro Ramirez (16 digs).
While Northampton is thrilled with the victory, it knows this is just the start. The Konkrete Kids will get back to work in practice to prepare for Friday’s showdown with the Trojans.
“This next matchup is another true test for us,” Arndt said. “We are going to work hard on serving and blocking. I think both teams are prepared and will be ready to play.”
EPC VOLLEYBALL SEMIFINALS 2-Whitehall (17-3) 25232216- 1 3-Parkland (16-4) 17252525- 3 ———————————— 1-Northampton (18-1) 2025232517- 3 5-Easton (14-7) 2518251415- 2