When it comes to a battle between two strong, evenly matched teams in a given sport, it's a question of which team can tip the scales in its favor.

If it's a championship match between two teams that split their regular season matches, then it becomes even more intriguing and exciting. Thus was the case with Hempfield and Warwick squaring off for the Lancaster-Lebanon League boys' volleyball championship match on Wednesday, May 19 at Garden Spot High School.

"They took the first one and we took the second," Mike Vogel, the Black Knights' head coach, noted prior to the match. "To be honest, it's a 50-50 match. This is why we play."

Leading up to that match, the Knights had done away with Lancaster Mennonite in the opening round of the league playoffs. On Friday, May 14, the Knights won 25-9, 25-6, and 25-13.

"We handled them pretty easily," Vogel said. "I think I played everyone on the team."

Hempfield's Ryan Givens pounded 20 kills while Mason Orth led in digs with 15.

Hempfield faced Manheim Central in the league semis on Monday, May 17 at Garden Spot. Though they dispensed with the Barons 3-0, the second set was a close battle.

"We won the first set convincingly," Vogel said, referring to the 25-13 final score. "We were up by five or six points in the second set and the wheels fell off. They didn't have us, but it got to 23-23."

Hempfield did right the ship and won 25-23 before completing the sweep in a 25-10 blowout.

Givens registered 17 kills and four blocks. Orth came away with 20 digs while Gimenson served two aces.

And that brought us to the championship game.

On Wednesday May 19, the Knights came through with a 3-1 victory, earning the L-L League trophy for the 24th time in the program's history.

Givens racked up 22 kills and had a match-high seven blocks while Orth collected 16 digs.

The Warriors bounced back from a 25-19 defeat to top Hempfield 25-20 in the second set. Hempfield won the third set 25-19 and managed to eke out a 29-27 victory in the fourth set.

BOYS' LACROSSE

The L-L League boys' lacrosse finale once again came down to Hempfield and Manheim Township. The top two teams in Section One met at Conestoga Valley on Thursday, May 13 for the L-L League trophy.

With three goals in the fourth quarter, the Knights came back from a 10-9 deficit to beat the Streaks 12-10.

The offenses were evenly matched with Hempfield out-shooting Township 27-25. Matty Weist grabbed 15 saves as did Township goalie Tyler Moritzen.

Hempfield was led by Max Grube with six goals. Toby Marco scored twice and assisted once. Zack Antesberger (1g) led with three assists. Ryan Heuston had a goal and an assist. Jason Hilton and A.J. McAlpine each scored one goal. Aidan Hindenkamp contributed with one assist.

Hempfield charged into the District Three Class 3A playoffs as the fourth seed. After a first-round bye, the Knights played host to Exeter Township on Wednesday. The result was12-2 victory and a spot in the state playoffs.

Antesberger led with four goals, Grube registered a hat trick while Marco scored twice.

McAlpine dished off one assist and netted one goal. Ryan Hilton came away with the same figures while Heuston and Jason Hilton each finished with two assists. Stephen Pitts also scored.

Weist made 12 saves on the 14 shots he faced.

GIRLS' LACROSSE

The girls' lacrosse team reached the district playoffs as the seventh seed. In the opening round of the District Three 3A playoffs, the Knights (13-6) defeated tenth seed Mechanicsburg 15-3 at Hempfield on Tuesday, May 18.

Multiple goals were scored by five Hempfield players, including a four-goal game by Kayla Brooks and Kelsea Dague's hat trick. Brynn Axe scored twice and assisted twice. Regan Gillisse and Haylee Eide also scored two each. Catherine Molitor (1a) and Makenzie Warfel each chipped in with one goal. Kenna Price dished out one assist.

Goalie Eryn Murphy recorded six saves.

TRACK

Tanner Hess was one of the leaders for the Hempfield boys in the L-L League Track and Field Championships that Hempfield hosted on May 14-15. Hess won the 100- and 200-meter dashes with respective times of 11.09 and 22.38. He also helped in the field, finishing sixth in the shot put with a 46-4.25 toss.

The foursome of Aiden Hodge, Owen Jackson, David Jackson, and Chris Titter were tops in the 4x800 relay (7:56.30). Hodge also took seventh (4:29.45) in the 1,600 while Owen Jackson (1:59.63) and David Jackson (2:00.67) were fifth and sixth in the 800.

Hodge also took third (9:20.05) in the 3200 with Joseph Fahrney (9:52.45) at eighth place. Fahrney also took ninth (4:31.56) in the 1600.

Russell Haines grabbed a bronze medal (163-5) in the javelin.

Tom Minnich, who was part of the first place (43.39) 4x100 relay team (Minnich, Hess, Diellon Trinaku, Elijah Hinton) was eighth (40-7) in the triple jump.

Gabriel Benjamin added a seventh-place finish (42.41) in the 300-m hurdles.

As a team, Hempfield finished third with 72 points. McCaskey (91) and Manheim Township (77) earned the top spots.

The Hempfield girls finished in a two-way tie for 14th place with Lebanon.

The girls 4 x 800 relay team of Lily Williams, Gabrielle Hollinger, Hiwot Wizotskey and Molly Siebert finished fourth with a time of 10:09.55. Siebert also claimed ninth in the 3,200 (12:25.16), just missing a top eight medal.

Wenzel was fourth in the triple jump at 34-9.75 and ninth in the long jump (15-7.75). Also in field events, Faith Landis was seventh in the pole vault at 8-6.

BASEBALL

There's winning and there's winning ugly.

In a non-league baseball game that wasn't very pretty, the Knights beat Lower Dauphin 12-7 at home on May 14.

The game went back and forth as the two sides combined for 18 walks and nine errors.

Austin Dunlap and Christian LaBarbera both scored in the home half of the first inning to make it a 2-2 ballgame.

LaBarbera doubled to spark the Knights' second-inning rally. He drove in Logan Harelson and Cam Berger.

The Falcons scored three to take a 5-4 lead. Walks hurt Hempfield in the inning. Berger came on in relief.

Gavin Constein drove home Peter Fiore. Another single followed before LaBarbera slugged a two-run double.

Four Hempfield errors helped Lower Dauphin plate more runs in the fourth inning. But with a four-run fifth inning, the Knights built a lead that would prove to be the 12-7 winning margin. They were aided by walks and errors sandwiched around a Constein double.

Hempfield finished the year 10-9 (5-5 league).