Centennial Conference 2024

[Devil4Life]

Predictions on the semi-finals tonight?

Gettysburg @ Swarthmore
Getty has had a terrible finish to their season but seemed to get the job done when it mattered most on Tuesday. Another sloppy performance for them however and I think it will carry into tonight against a Swat team who has had their number the past two seasons. A third long road trip for the Bullets in less than a week to Swat who I saw was just ranked 3rd in the USA Lacrosse polls. Swat is a dominant team and I do not see them losing this game. My prediction is 15-7 Swat

Muhlenberg @ Dickinson
This should be a more entertaining game. Dickinson has won the conference two years in a row but do not have the same team as those years. Dickinson controlled the game in their matchup this season but haven't proved that they will appear in a third straight Centennial Championship. Muhlenberg started to get in a groove in conference play and having 7 straight wins heading into tonight's game has got to feel good. I think this will be a nail-biter. Give me Dickinson at home tonight 13-12 with the go-ahead goal with little time in regulation or maybe even Overtime.

No comment on GB - SWAt game. My son has been
playing in the CC for 3 and 1/2 years and the Mules are the
most improved team I have seen over that period. If not for some brilliant plays by certain DC defenders, the Mules would be hosting on Saturday. Hats off to the Mules.
DC has utmost respect for GBC. Very talented well coached team. Hopefully, Biddle will be the difference. Team is 51-7 over past 3 years best in DC history. 5 of 7 losses by one goal and only one loss at Biddle in 3 years albeit a beat down by GBC the third time the teams met with DC being 19-0 at the time.
Should be a great game on Saturday.

[ToeDipper78]

Great game between Dickinson-Muhlenberg. What plagued Mules in first half of season happened again-- got in a hole early, then battled back only to come up short. So many key plays made on both sides of the ball for both teams. Good lacrosse.

Was hoping Mules or Bullets could get the upset so 1 or both could win the at--large bid to get into the tourney. Happy Getty got the W. They played like the better team over Swat. Lets see if they can get 1 more.

Swat, Dickinson should be in for NCAAs, especially as other teams with weaker resumes challenging for spots lost early in their conf tourneys.

[ChopMan23]

Swat has a pretty weak resume as well….

[the_fish_whist1er]

Say Gburg pulls off the win on Saturday, will the CC then be a 3 bid league? Last time that happened the conference went 0/3 in 2019.

[CentennialPundit]

Say Gburg pulls off the win on Saturday, will the CC then be a 3 bid league? Last time that happened the conference went 0/3 in 2019.

Didn’t that have three bids last year

[the_fish_whist1er]

Say Gburg pulls off the win on Saturday, will the CC then be a 3 bid league? Last time that happened the conference went 0/3 in 2019.

Didn’t that have three bids last year

You right, Swat, DC, Gburg in 2023 too

[hooray]

The more I think about it the more 3 bid may happen if Gburg wins and a region 5 team gets robbed. Swat 14-2 (sure weak out of conference) and 8-0 in centennial isn't going to get wiped out just b/c of 1 goal semi loss. But who knows, it is such a black box.

Unrelated but any end of season award predictions?

[ToeDipper78]

No chatter on Dickinson taking the title or Gettysburg missing out on the NCAA's? I guess it didn't surprise anybody.
Swat and Roanoke took the paved road to the NCAA's while Getty went the old dirt trail. Worked out S&R if the only goal is to make NCAA's. I simply admire Getty more. Not that my admiration means a darn thing.

[SixBySix]

No chatter on Dickinson taking the title or Gettysburg missing out on the NCAA's? I guess it didn't surprise anybody.
Swat and Roanoke took the paved road to the NCAA's while Getty went the old dirt trail. Worked out S&R if the only goal is to make NCAA's. I simply admire Getty more. Not that my admiration means a darn thing.

Strange take. I don't think Swat and Roanoke's scheduling is meaningfully similar at all. Swat had a schedule full of local, usually decent teams that coincidentally had weaker than usual years and left them on the Pool C bubble despite sweeping a Top 3 conference regular season and having two total losses by a combined 4 goals. Roanoke played much more geographically diverse opponents that, while still being relatively weak compared to the whole of D3, gave them a high likelihood of collecting extra RR wins because of the huge variation in strength between regions and got them a bid despite an extremely underwhelming ODAC performance.

[CentennialPundit]

No chatter on Dickinson taking the title or Gettysburg missing out on the NCAA's? I guess it didn't surprise anybody.
Swat and Roanoke took the paved road to the NCAA's while Getty went the old dirt trail. Worked out S&R if the only goal is to make NCAA's. I simply admire Getty more. Not that my admiration means a darn thing.

Strange take. I don't think Swat and Roanoke's scheduling is meaningfully similar at all. Swat had a schedule full of local, usually decent teams that coincidentally had weaker than usual years and left them on the Pool C bubble despite sweeping a Top 3 conference regular season and having two total losses by a combined 4 goals. Roanoke played much more geographically diverse opponents that, while still being relatively weak compared to the whole of D3, gave them a high likelihood of collecting extra RR wins because of the huge variation in strength between regions and got them a bid despite an extremely underwhelming ODAC performance.

Agreed. Roanoke gamed the system (as they should). Teams should be lining up to do a Midwest conquest over spring break- would guarantee playoff berth.

[SlackBaller]

Congratulations to these athletes!
Thoughts?
https://centennial.org/news/2024/5/4/al ... rosse.aspx

[Wreckykid]

Coach Webster ROBBED of COY.
3-straight CCs.
Participation trophy all too common nowadays.

[HomerCoach]

Coach Webster ROBBED of COY.
3-straight CCs.
Participation trophy all too common nowadays.

So...3-straight CCs.
Is this a lifetime achievement award?
With the returners Webster had, he was expected to win the CC.

[Wreckykid]

Just because it was expected, doesn't mean it's not earned.

Webster has been the best coach in the CC since 2010 (most CC champs -- 7) and he's been awarded CC COTY three times ('10,'11 and '22).

Doesn't add up.

[SixBySix]

If I were a Dickinson fan, I'd be way more worked up about the number of players on the all conference teams than the coach(ing staff) of the year award.

[Wreckykid]

Agreed. That's a whole other story. Robbed 2x.

[laxrat1982]

Just because it was expected, doesn't mean it's not earned.

Webster has been the best coach in the CC since 2010 (most CC champs -- 7) and he's been awarded CC COTY three times ('10,'11 and '22).

Doesn't add up.

Just because it wasn't what you expected, doesn't mean it's not earned.

The awards of the conference are voted on by the coaches in the conference and ONLY the coaches in the conference. Doesn't mean Dickinson coaching staff nor any of the other coaching staffs couldn't be considered deserving either (a 3 peat is quite an accomplishment in and off itself- congrats to those players and coaches for all they have achieved and I wish them success in the tournament - a win for any CC team in the tournament is a win for the conference as a whole), but this was how the coaches voted and the Mules staff deserves to be recognized for a great year too. Two COT and 3 ROY in the past 4-5 years is pretty commendable as well. Congratulations to all of the players AND Mules coaching staff for exceeding expectations this year!!

[ToeDipper78]

If I were a Dickinson fan, I'd be way more worked up about the number of players on the all conference teams than the coach(ing staff) of the year award.

??? Am I missing something?
By my count, Dickinson had 9 players named. Swat had 10. If you mean 1st team vs "Honorable Mention", that I get. Others fit the standings
Getty- 5
Muhl- 5
Urs- 4
Haverford- 1
Wash- 1
F&M- 1
McD- 0

[WashedUp06]

Mules graduated most of their starters from 2023 and entered conference play below .500, they came back and went 6-2 in conference and lost by 1 goal to Dickinson in the CC playoffs (a team with a much more experienced roster).

While the Devils staff deserves a TON of credit for the season they put together, I think the in season turn around and progress from game 1 to the final whistle of the season shows the Mules staff performed at another level this year.

[HomerCoach]

Mules graduated most of their starters from 2023 and entered conference play below .500, they came back and went 6-2 in conference and lost by 1 goal to Dickinson in the CC playoffs (a team with a much more experienced roster).

While the Devils staff deserves a TON of credit for the season they put together, I think the in season turn around and progress from game 1 to the final whistle of the season shows the Mules staff performed at another level this year.

Plunket and Stone have been outstanding together for years! Is this the year Stone finally moves on?