Top row, from left: Pat Donohue, Jeff Strait, Zach Hosler, and Mike Becker. Bottom row, from left: Goran Skinder, Kevin Wile and Steve Strait.
Manheim Central's boys' volleyball team made its deepest run into the postseason this past spring, thanks in part to a trio of key contributors.
Seniors Steve Strait, Jeff Strait and Zach Hosler led the Barons to the pool play round of the PIAA Class AA Tournament and were honored for their effort by being named to the 40-player Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association Class AA All-State team.
The Manheim Central trio was joined by Garden Spot senior Goran Skinder, who was named to the All-State team for the second straight year.
Also repeating was Conestoga Valley's Kevin Wile, who earned the honor on the Class AA team last season but was named to the Class AAA team this season. Joining Wile as Class AAA All-State players were the Hempfield duo of Mike Becker and Pat Donohue.
Steve Strait, a middle blocker/outside hitter, led the Barons in kills with 375 and had a team-high hitting percentage of .365. Jeff Strait, a setter/outside hitter, led Central in blocks with 72 while posting 205 kills and 22 aces. Jeff was named to the Class AA All-Tournament team.
Hosler, a middle blocker, was tops on the team in digs with 378. He also contributed 311 kills and 24 aces.
Skinder, a middle hitter, did a lot of scoring for the Spartans, putting up 4.81 points per game. He led the team in kills (3.85 per game) and aces (.54 per game) and posted . 46 blocks per game.
Becker, a setter, was the engine that made the Black Knights go. He was credited with 1,398 assists. He led Hempfield in aces with 75 and was third on the team in blocks with 76. He also had 62 kills.
Becker, also named to the Class AAA All-Tournament team, ended a stellar four-year volleyball career in which he led the Black Knights into the state tournament all four years, winning titles in 2006 and '07.
Many of Becker's sets went to Donohue, a middle hitter who led Hempfield with 398 kills while hitting .345. He was also tops on the team in blocks with 117.
Wile, an outside hitter who was voted by L-L coaches as the league's Player of the Year, led the Buckskins with 502 kills while hitting .473. He had 63 aces and 59 blocks. From the back row, he posted 198 digs and 522 passes of serve.
E-mail: kfreeman@lnpnews.com