It took a wicked slap in the face two weekends ago to knock some focus into this talented crew.

"I think it was evident tonight," Hempfield coach Mike Vogel said of his team's maturation. "Now, they have to keep maturing - but we have a long way to go."

The past week and a half has quelled any doubt that Hempfield's potential may not be as real as previously thought. In addition to Tuesday's impressive team performance, the Knights all but blew away the rest of the field at Warwick's Eli Mastromatteo Tournament this past weekend.

In pool play, Hempfield crushed Cocalico (11-3, 11-1), a suddenly-hot Cedar Crest team (2 and 3), Penn Manor (5 and 2), and York Area power Central York (4 and 3). They beat Cedar Crest again in the semifinals, and took care of Warwick in the final after dropping the first game.

"We had something to prove last week," Vogel said.

It was the one loss prior to those victories, though, that was the spark.

Hempfield was beaten - beaten soundly - by that same Central York club April 17 in the quarterfinal round of the Panther Classic, hosted by Central. Again, just another step in the right direction for the Knights, even though, of course, it didn't seem like one at the time.

"Most of these guys played last year, but they played as 10th graders," Vogel explained. "They're not seniors, they're juniors, and it's taking a little bit, but they're maturing and getting better and better."

The one junior in that nucleus that has stepped up - especially Tuesday night - has been Patrick Shawaryn. The Comets were no match for the 5-9 outside hitter at the net. It's what he does now down the stretch that will help decide how far his team will go.

Shawaryn will have to pick up some slack if senior co-captain Ryan Wood is out. Wood smashed the bottom of his right hand in the area between the pinky and wrist several days ago and his status is still up in the air.

No matter though. If not Shawaryn, then maybe a Derek Shultz, who probably has the quickest swing in the league, or fellow hitter Rob Fisher. The Knights will need all of them, though, this being the most competitive year in Section One in recent memory. Granted, Hempfield is a step ahead of the field, but the gap between teams two through five is small.

Warwick moved back into a tie for second with Penn Manor at 6-3. Cedar Crest, which has rocketed into the top ten in the state poll after a big week, is just half a game behind then at 5-3. Manheim Township is in fifth place but is riding high after an impressive performance at the Warwick Tournament.

At this point in the season, that leaves Manor as the odd team out. Any bit of momentum that may have carried over from last year's state title run is gone, and there is still work to be done to solidify a league playoff spot.

"They have no fire within their hearts," Comet coach Ric See said. "They'd be a great team. They'd be a contender in Section One. Until some of these guys decide they want to play volleyball when the whistle blows, this team's going to struggle."

See also said that he finally let go of his team's hand during this match. It's now up to them to perform on the court just to get into leagues.

Kind of a tough night to learn however, running into that dangerous Knights' juggernaut.