Grim was certainly the outlook on the Lancaster Mennonite bench when Manheim Central took a 13-11 lead in the fifth and deciding game of the District Three Class AA Tournament semifinals Friday night at Central York High School.

Trailing by two — and remember, the first team to 15 (must win by two) wins the fifth game — was only part of the problem. The Blazers' top hitter, Matt Lauver, had just turned his left ankle.

That Lauver stayed in the match was one thing. That he managed to lead Mennonite to an improbable victory was quite another.

Central committed a serving error to narrow its lead to 13-12. From there, Lauver put down three straight balls to give Mennonite the game, 15-13, and a 3-2 victory in the match, putting the Blazers in the championship match.

The question is, why did Lancaster Mennonite setter Nick Weaver set the ball for Lauver if he knew he was hurt?

"Matt told me that his ankle was a little hurt by I didn't know how bad it was," Weaver said. "And, he's still our best hitter, even if he's injured. So, I had to set him."

The championship match, however, was a bit anti-climatic. Lauver was unable to play due to his injury and the Blazers were facing Northeastern, a two-time defending district champ.

Make it three-time, now. The Bobcats showed why they are one of the top teams in the state in beating Mennonite 3-0 (25-20, 25-12, 25-13) for the title.

Manheim Central, meanwhile, also took Dover to five games in the consolation match, used for state tournament seeding. The Barons came back from a two-game deficit in that match but fell in five (25-21, 25-19, 15-25, 19-25, 15-9).

Lancaster Mennonite and Manheim Central locked horns for the fourth time this season with the Barons having won two of the first three meetings. The Barons appeared headed for a third win in the series after taking a 2-1 lead in the match.

But Mennonite battled back to win the fourth game — an Austin Nissley kill sealed it — 27-25.

The Barons led 10-7 in the fifth game with sophomore middle Josiah Hershberger (19 kills for the match) doing the damage for Central. The Blazers closed the gap and then won it on the strength of Lauver's swings.

"Lauver rolls his ankle and we're up 13-11 and I felt pretty good," said Manheim Central coach Craig Dietrich. "Then (Lauver) came back and made three huge swings. He had the heart of a champion at the end."

Lauver finished with 22 kills and two blocks in the match and the Blazers got 15 kills from Sam Stoner. Jon Snader had a pair of blocks.

Most times, the championship match is the ultimate of contests. But this one was different, due to Lauver's injury and the caliber of the teams. Not that Mennonite should take a back seat to any team, but it was a bit of a mismatch.

"It's a weird position to be in," said Lancaster Mennonite coach Brian Smith. "This particular year, I was OK with it. I knew Northeastern is a dominant team and we're very young.

"There's a lot of parity in Double-A but there are a few teams that are a notch above some other teams and Northeastern's one of them.

Notes: The PIAA Championships open Tuesday at sites and times to be determined. The Blazers will play the District 12 (Philadelphia area) champ while the Barons will take on District Seven champion, either Deer Lakes or Montour.

kfreeman@lnpnews.com