BLUE DEVIL DISPATCH 10-6-10
CROSS COUNTRY
The Blue Devil cross country teams were pushed by Big Spring in a Mid-Penn Conference Colonial Division meet on the home course, but came through with flying colors to capture both ends of the event.
In the process of leading G-A’s undefeated girls’ team (6-0, 4-0 MPC-Colonial) to a 25-30 win, freshman Nikki Garns broke the course record with a time of 21:07. In the absence of Lauren Powers, the rest of the Blue Devil girls’ team rose to the occasion to get key points in the second pack for the win. Mary Ward was second in 21:52 and Caitlyn Hetrick was third in 22:54 to position the Devils with a solid front.
After the five Big Spring scoring runners come in, G-A got the needed points in the second pack for the team win. Placing ninth through 12th were as follows: Gretchen Westley (24:41), Hannah Lougheed (26:08), Melissa Holmes (26:10) and Desirae Shaffer (26:22). Heidi Stein was 15th in 27:35 and Kitana Reese was 16th in 28:51.
The boys’ meet was even closer at 26-30. Despite a course record time by the top Big Spring runner for the win, the G-A boys (5-1, 3-1 MPC-Colonial) also made good use of two packs. Brandon Thrush (18:26), Daulton Monn (18:44) and Gabe Martin (18:57) finished two, three, four ahead of three Bulldog runners. However, the Blue Devil trio of Brandon Garlitz (19:29), Zach Husband (19:39) and Michael Hohl (19:57) packed in at eight, nine and 10 to nail down the win.
Other G-A finishers were Cody Carbaugh, 13th (21:08); Ben Hockman, 17th (24:02); and Logan Zehrung, 18th (24:30).
G-A followed the solid dual meet with Saturday’s Frank Keyser Invitational in Boonsboro with boys finishing seven out of 16 in the small school race and the girls claiming ninth in a field of 16.
The Blue Devil boys placed four in the top 50 in the large race with Thrush 18th (17:01), Monn 33rd (17:40), Garlitz 38th (17:48) and Martin 42nd (17:56). The winning time was 15:40. Completing the G-A contingent were Husband in 77th (19:18), Hohl in 85th (19:44) and Carbaugh in 88th (19:59).
Williamsport won the meet with 67 points. G-A’s 205 points each just behind Boonsboro’s 190.
In the girls’ race, Powers was back in action and placed seventh in 20:08.02. Hetrick was 16th in 20:41.90. The winner clocked an 18:40.71. The other five G-A runners finished as follows: 54. Westley, 22:55.47; 58. Holmes, 23:19.51; 91. Stein, 25:13.71; 93. Reese, 25:38.96. Middletown scored 54 points for the team win. G-A’s 226 was just behind Oakdale with 215.
GOLF
A soggy Chambersburg Country Club course marked the final Mid-Penn Conference Capital Division match for the Greencastle-Antrim golf team (8-34), however several members will continue in the postseason.
The links in Chambersburg served as the home meet for Shippensburg. Weather limited the play to nine holes. G-A’s team score of 238 placed it sixth, besting Big Spring by 42 strokes. Chambersburg won the meet with 196.
Individual scores for G-A were Jared Grove with the lowest score of 42, followed by Ben Powers at 46. Freshman Eli Kotrady scored well with a 49, followed by Danny Combs (50), Jason Reuter (51), Ryan Blair (52) and Eli Englehart (52).
Kotrady continued her season Saturday at the girls’ Mid-Penn Championship Tournament on the Armitage Golf Club course. With the cutoff to qualify for districts at 115, Kotrady carded a 110, good for 20th place and the postseason berth. With a consistent effort that carded a 55 on the front and then again on the back nine, the freshman earned a trip to York Friday where she will compete in the District 3 Championships at the Briarwood Golf Club.
Two G-A boys will be in the mix in hopes of district berths. Seniors Ben Powers and Jared Grove are representing G-A in the Mid-Penn Championship Tournament at The Links at Gettysburg.
FIELD HOCKEY
G-A’s varsity field hockey squad (11-2-0, 7-0 MPC-Colonial) may have started the week by suffering just its second loss of the season, but the Blue Devils regrouped well to stay unbeaten in the Mid-Penn Conference Colonial Division with wins over Waynesboro and Northern.
Non-divisional Camp Hill used its home turf to take a 1-0 lead over the Devils at the half Monday. The teams traded goals in the second half before time ran out for the Devils. Tache Smothers got the Devils on the board on a Sarah Gipe assist.
“We played defensively during the first half,” said G-A head coach Jenniffer Everetts. “We shifted the momentum of the game in the second half. Unfortunately we ran out of time.”
Camp Hill led, 10-7 in shots on goal, while each team had six corners. Emiley Maiorana made eight saves in goal.
The Blue Devils had to regroup quickly as Waynesboro came to town for a divisional contest Wednesday. The Maidens challenged the Devils early on, however G-A took control with two second-half goals. With 11:15 left in the game Brooke Daley found the goal on a Sarah Gipe assist. Gipe provided late insurance with a goal as Daley had the assist.
Everetts said, “We played very flat in the first half....Thankfully, Brooke and Sarah were able to finally finish the ball.”
G-A held the lead in shots on goal, nine to three, while both teams had six corners. Maiorana deflected three shots on goal.
The doors opened on the Devil offense Friday when Northern came to town. G-A collected a 5-1 rout as five different Devils scored. Dustina Miller, Gipe, Smothers, Kortney Gipe and Danae Timmons racked up the goals. Assists came from Smothers, Heather Sanders, Miller and Daley.
The Devils led 16-7 in shots on goal and 11-4 in corners. Maiorana added six more saves in the cage.
In junior varsity action, the Blue Devils (10-1-2) collected a 2-0 win over Camp Hill on goals by Moriah Woods and Kara Timmons and a 3-0 shutout of Waynesboro. Woods, Bret Morgan and Ashton Rockwell had the goals against Waynesboro and Kaitlyn Burkett had an assist. The Devils forged a 2-2 tie with Northern. Rockwell scored both goals and had assists from Burkett and Kasey Sweitzer.
VOLLEYBALL
With dominance on the agenda, the G-A volleyball team (10-0, 7-0 MPC-Capital) played Williamsport, Md., Waynesboro and James Buchanan last week and kept its unbeaten streak alive.
With the first match last week against Waynesboro, the team did not disappoint. With a perfect 3-0 mark for the win, the sets were 25-13, 25-11 and 25-6. Individually Lauren Varhoef did very well, with seven kills, followed closely by Nakita Gearhart at five kills and Sami Rudy and Chloe Hoover scoring four each.
Rivals kept coming up on the schedule as James Buchanan was next up. G-A posted the victory and it was a gratifying win.
“It was a good last game against JB, seeing as this is the last time seniors will play against them,” said senior Rudy.
James Buchanan fought well in the first set, losing only by seven. “JB had a good defense this year, and that made it a good game,” added Rudy. In the second and third set the Devils took any momentum the Rockets had away, scoring 25-13 both times to set the G-A volleyball team with another win.
For their third and final match of the week, the Devils traveled to Williamsport to take on the perennially strong Warriors. The first two games proved competitive for the unbeaten Blue Devils as expected, with G-A posting the wins as 25-17 and 25-20. The Devils gained steam and finished off the Warriors 25-13 in game three for the 3-0 sweep.
The junior varsity Devils (7-2, 6-1 MPC-Capital) toppled Waynesboro and James Buchanan 2-0 before dropping a 2-1 slate to Williamsport.
Scores in the Waynesboro victory were 25-16 and 25-19. Amanda Hammer, Miranda Sharp and Abbey Pool each had three kills. Nikki Garns put up three assists and Sharp added three digs. Wins over JB came by scores of 25-21 and 25-23. Sharp led statistically with three kills and four digs. Dakotah Pine added four digs and Tiffany Briggs rang up four assists. Against Williamsport, after a 19-25 loss in the opening game the Devils evened the match at 25-12. The Wildcats clawed back with a 15-11 win in the deciding game. Ashlynn Schaeffer put down four kills and Garns had five assists. Bailey Hopkins recorded seven digs.
SOCCER
Starting the week off with an overtime stalemate put stress on the G-A soccer team (4-7-1, 3-4 MPC-Capital), and weather kept them pinned down until next week.
For the majority of the G-A versus Big Spring game, the ball was on Big Spring’s side of the field. This looked promising to the G-A soccer team, but the stalemate continued into overtime. Unfortunately in overtime Big Spring earned a penalty kick to win the game, 1-0.
“It was very tiring,” said Kyle Crider. “It was a rough call and a rough loss. Overall it would’ve been a nice win.”
The G-A junior varsity team (2-5-3) had just about as much luck, with their game ending in a 0-0 stalemate as well.
MIDDLE SCHOOL
Field hockey
The middle school varsity squad knocked off Big Spring 3-2 to start the week. Haley Appleby scored a pair of goals for the Blue Devils and Whitney Singhas scored the tying goal. Appleby had the game winner in the second half on an assist from Rachel Monninger. G-A led in penalty corner opportunities, 9-1, and in shots on goal, 6-2. Ashley Bair had two saves for G-A.
Shippensburg shut out the Devils 3-0 as G-A trailed in shots on goal, eight to one, and in corners, seven to three. Jillian Barr had two saves.
The junior varsity team got rained out against Big Spring and worked to a scoreless stalemate against Ship. G-A had four shots on goal and Barr made four saves. G-A trailed in corners, seven to three.
