Pennridge wins marathon 3rd game, outlasts Liberty in PIAA AAA quarters

QUAKERTOWN >> Cross Edwards said it was the craziest thing he had ever been a part of — in any sport.

“Both teams were playing superb. It was kill after kill,” Edwards’ teammate, Jesse Smith, said of Saturday’s epic Game Three, “and whoever made the final play was gonna pull it out.”

The Rams outlasted Liberty, by the count of 35-33, in a marathon third game to go up 2-1 in their Class AAA Quarterfinal at Quakertown, and Pennridge would never relinquish control from there, closing out in four games to win 3-1 (25-16, 13-25, 35-33, 25-19) and advance to Tuesday’s semifinals against Hempfield, a 3-2 winner over Parkland.

“That’s a very good team over there,” Rams coach Dave Childs said of Liberty, which finished behind only one team — perennial power Parkland — in District 11. “They’re a very good offensive team — they can crush the ball. We knew we had to play good defense and block well, and I think we did that.”

Blocking was a combined effort all throughout the lineup, with Ben Chinnici and Aaron Nelson leading the way with four each. Pennridge got out to a 6-1 lead in Game One and went on to win 25-16. After the Hurricanes took Game Two, 25-13, the Rams began to settle in.

There was one major difference between Games Two and Three.

“Me and Jesse connecting,” Chinnici said with a smile. “We do it every match. We always start off Game One and half of Game Two with a slow start, a lot of errors, and then he starts getting the set exactly where I need it and we start going.”

Chinnici, a junior, was a consistent swinging force for the Rams (20-3), leading the way with 20 kills, along with 10 digs. Smith, a senior, piled up 38 assists in the state quarterfinal victory, also contributing seven digs, three aces and a pair of blocks.

In a pivotal third game, Pennridge got to match point several times but Liberty, led by Grady Hackett and Brett Bosack, kept hanging on, even going ahead 32-31.

But the Rams evened things up then prevailed 35-33, gaining not only a 2-1 edge but a hefty dose of momentum.

“We have some youth in there but they’re growing up,” Childs said of his squad. “I think Game Three was a testament to them growing up. They made some plays in there.”

Edwards, a sophomore, had an all-around game with 10 kills, six digs and two blocks. Senior Austin Rush had a team-high 18 digs, as Pennridge advances to the state’s final four for the first time since 2012.

Pennridge rolled into the fourth game, building a 19-8 lead, and capped things off with a spike by Chinnici, right down the middle.

Asked if he anticipated this kind of ride, Chinnici said: “At the beginning of the season, I didn’t see us getting to the state semifinals, to be honest, but as the season went on, I saw so many players improve, give more effort, become physically better, mentally better, and at this point, I understand why we got here.”