Pennridge sweeps Upper Dublin for District 1-3A title

UPPER DUBLIN >> A team on the rise reached its crescendo on the district’s biggest stage.

Pennridge overwhelmed rival Upper Dublin on Thursday night in the District 1-3A Final, winning the championship in three straight sets.

“I feel like every game of the year, something improved. It’s been a treat to be on this team,” said Ryan Benscoter, a towering presence for the Rams all evening long. “We knew Upper Dublin was a powerhouse. They’ve been a powerhouse all year.

“Going into this match, we knew we had beaten them the last time we played. And that we improved since then. As a unit, everything was clicking.”

After the two squads battled in a pair of grueling, five-set matches during the regular season (the first won by Upper Dublin, the second by Pennridge), the Rams won 25-14, 25-20, 25-23 to claim the program’s first district title since 2017 and sixth in the last 12 seasons, all under coach Dave Childs.

“This is maybe my most improved team that I’ve coached,” said Childs, dressed for the occasion, sporting a wooden, Rams bow tie. “It’s always our goal, to make the final four and give ourselves a shot to be in this game. If you’re playing well at the end of the season, that’s what it’s all about.”

Benscoter racked up 25 kills and added two aces. The senior outside hitter had a .458 hitting percentage on the night.

“We kind of challenged him with being a little more efficient, and he certainly did that tonight,” Childs said. “He had one of his more efficient games, and he was really unstoppable, especially here at the end.”

In its finest performance of the season, fourth-seeded Pennridge (17-2) called on Bryce Muller (8 kills, three aces), Tyler Johnson (three kills, four blocks), Skyler Ammon (six digs, four assists), Thomas McKinney (six digs, two blocks), Riley Kodidek (30 assists, two aces, 9 digs), Dan Detweiler (12 digs) and Alex Derk (two aces) to do their thing.

“Our middles have been playing well – Muller had a great night tonight. Teams are so worried about Ryan that they forget we have other guys that can play,” Childs said. “We don’t get to this point without every single guy on our roster. I think we came out sharp from the beginning. We executed. The moment wasn’t too big for us. We just kind of played our consistent game and executed.”

Both the Rams and second-seeded Upper Dublin head to states next week.

Sean Bainbridge, Spencer Beidner, Terrell Turner, Trevor Molloy, David Levin, Colin Ross and Collin Dowdell all contributed for the Cardinals, who made Game Three a tight one but Pennridge was not to be denied.

“The defense was clicking. Riley was setting well. Danny was passing well. You look at every aspect of this team and somebody was doing something well tonight,” Benscoter said. “It feels great. All season, I’ve trusted these guys behind me, and to come out here in the championship game and play like this, that’s a big thing for us.”