GRR: HS Girls
Last weekend was an important one in Pennsylvania. Four of the top four high schools competed, and the results helped sort the upper tier of division I. The Valkyries (North Penn) defeated North Bay 36-17, and Downingtown beat State College 26-17.
On the one hand, Armstrong looked the same. The Minnesota powerhouse opened up its high school season last week with a 109-0 win over Rogers. But the reigning state champ looked different, too, as the 25-player team included 10 freshmen.
There’s a lot of finger-pointing within the Pennsylvania girls high school league – the good kind. When North Bay beat both Downingtown (19-12) and Doylestown (51-10), coach Scott Hoffman was humble in victory and pointed toward North Penn as a potential state powerhouse.
Why is Kent well known? The Crusaders have won the last 15 Washington state championships, competed in five national title games, and continue to send alumni to national teams and scholarship-awarding colleges. Some of the program’s most impressive accomplishments aren’t acknowledged by awards, but they are nonetheless noteworthy.
Suzi Dillon did something that she never thought she’d have to consider: The North Central head coach held tryouts for this year’s varsity and JV sides. The nine-time Indiana state champion has claimed the previous six titles, and the lure of wearing the Panther jersey is being reflected in surging participation numbers.