The Parkland High School boys volleyball team was searching for the double postseason championship. The Trojans won the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference championship in four sets over Northampton a few weeks ago. It was just the second loss for the Kids all year, the other also coming at the hands of Parkland during the regular season.

The Trojans (18-5 overall) were looking to complete the sweep over Northampton and the conference and district golds, but the third time was the charm for the Kids (21-2) as they finally got the better of Parkland, winning in four sets by scores of 25-23, 15-25, 25-21 and 28-26 in the District 11 Class 3A championship match last Thursday night at Catasauqua High School.

In the EPC final, the Trojans used short serves and an aggressive block to beat Northampton. But this time around, the Kids adjusted and consistently got the ball to their outside hitters.

“Northampton remained aggressive and really took advantage of 1 or 2 service rotations in each set, which really made the difference,” said head coach Scott Trumbauer. “They played hard and we knew they were going to play like they want to beat us.”

In the decisive fourth set, Northampton rallied from being down 23-19 to win 28-26. In the decisive fourth set, Northampton rallied from being down 23-19 to win 28-26. Parkland won the second set as Chase Robbins gave Parkland a 10-9 lead off an assist from sophomore Will Stiles and the Trojans wouldn’t trail from there.

Parkland was the defending district champion. The Trojans still advanced to states and defeated District 2 champion Abington Heights in the first round on Tuesday night in straight sets by scores of 25-21, 29-27 and 25-20.

“As the guys know, our season is not over,” Trumbauer said. “We have a great opportunity now to play in the state tournament and see what we can do there. Despite having the travel to the Scranton area for the first round, I’m happy with how the guys practiced yesterday and their approach to this part of the season. It’s a great way for the seniors to finish their careers and for the younger guys to gain some valuable experience.”

Parkland now faces District 3 champion Central Dauphin in the quarterfinal round on Saturday. Northampton also advanced in the first round of the state playoffs. If the Trojans and Kids both win their quarterfinal games on Saturday they will meet for a fourth time this season in next Tuesday’s state semifinal round. The state title match is scheduled for Saturday, June 11 at Penn State University.