They Played murderball - Rick Starr

SHIPPENSBURG - There was only one defense against Deer Lakes at the PIAA boys high school volleyball championships — hide under the bed. Volleyball? It was murderball. Deer Lakes should be up for assault. Ten to twenty. The truth is, Deer Lakes won the jackpot because there wasn't anybody that could figure out how to return a volleyball that whizzed like a UFO.

At Deer Lakes, a volleyball spike is a combination of the slam dunk in basketball, the home run in baseball, and a cannon being fired.

Deer Lakes wasn't particular. They pounded the stuffings out of everybody without regard to race, creed, or the color of their knee pads

What made it all so unexpected is the fact Deer Lakes appears to be a so-so team physically. There are no Bill Waltons on the roster. They look as unnoticed as the name on the volleyball. But the Lancers had balance. They won points no matter where they were in the rotation. Every member of the starting lineup had something to offer the mix.

 Terry Gaston looks as shy as a bluebird, until play begins. Then he looks as shy as Ivan the Terrible. John Drab has the spiking swing of an airplane propeller. You know Kirk Van Horn is trouble right away because he needs a shave. Ray Perl has the icy cold smile of a poker player looking down at a full house. Bill Kraynik has the con­centration of a safecracker. Bruce Van Horn plays with the consistency of an oddsmaker.

They should never call them the Miracle Lancers or the Cinderella Lancers.   How   about   the   Dock Wallopers?

Leading the mob is veteran coach Rick Tatrn. There it was, the PIAA title at stake, the ultimate prize for a high school team. And there was Rick Tatrn sitting on the bench doing his impression of Tom Landry at the Super Bowl. He calmly looked down at his chart, like it was a bingo game.

Central York High came into the tournament as the top seed. Sure enough, everyone came after a piece of the defending champ, like the young gunfighters in the Old West. This time the old gunfighter with the big reputation got it right between the eyes. The irony is Deer Lakes should have been seeded on top. How many teams win six straight tournaments? Deer Lakes is on some streak. Make that seven out of seven tournaments now. They're like the dinner guest that keeps walking off with the silverware.

But being second was a psy­chological edge for Deer Lakes. After all, number two seeds aren't supposed to win. Who lies awake at night worrying about somebody that's No. 2? The Lancers were loose because they had nothing to lose ex­cept a WPIAL rap for coming in second more times than the Minnesota Vikings.

Unfortunately, this Deer Lakes team won't be back next year to celebrate any anniversaries. Only one starter returns. But it's a memorable group of athletes that graduates from Deer Lakes next month. They took their share of whippings in basketball and football as underclassmen, but they saved a lot of savvy for the end.

Sometimes they got kicked around, but the PIAA volleyball teams that thought they had a dog to kick, found out they were taking on City Hall this time.

If these guys from Deer Lakes were coming back to Shippensburg next year, they'd cancel the tournament and give out the trophy right now. More's the pity they're leaving.