There are plenty of serious contenders. Central York-South Western softball comes to mind, as does Dallastown-Spring Grove baseball and even York Suburban-Eastern York track. I'm sure there are others, and you should feel free to add any you can think of in the comments section.
But right now, the best and most heated of the spring sports rivalries in the YAIAA might very well be Dallastown-Central York girls' soccer, and the two teams will square off Wednesday with a spot in the YAIAA tournament title game on the line.
Following a 3-1 quarterfinal victory over Eastern York, I coyly mentioned to Central's Chelsea Clemens that she and her teammates are pretty familiar with their next opponent.
"Yes, rivals," Clemens responded with a smile. "They came to our games and they cheered for the other teams. But that's OK. It's all in fun."
I witnessed this myself last Thursday when at least half of the Dallastown varsity came down to Spring Grove to cheer on the Rockets against the Panthers. The Wildcats did have a bit at stake in that game, since a Central loss would give them a chance to win the division outright (the two teams ended up tied at the top) and it all seemed harmless enough, as Clemens said. It still provides evidence of the intensity of the rivalry.
The fact that they are arguably the two best teams in the league has to provide more fuel to that fire. Recently, Central has had more success in the rivalry. Since the start of the 2008 season, the Panthers have gone 3-1-1 against the Wildcats, including a win in the semifinals of last year's YAIAA tournament.
Clemens said "it's going to take us connecting passes, winning balls, finishing, and staying united and positive" to earn another victory over Dallastown. The Panthers seem to have the advantage of confidence, going into the semifinal contest with a 14-game unbeaten streak.
"As soon as a team has confidence, that's when you can really build and excel," Clemens said. "Confidence is like the base to having a winning team."
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