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Happy Valley provided a beautiful day for the PIAA lacrosse championships across the boys and girls 2A and 3A classifications.
The battle for Berks County supremacy kicked off the day, and the anticipation did not disappoint.
In what was guaranteed to be a hard-nosed battle for 48 minutes, the Twin Valley Raiders and Wyomissing Spartans showed exactly why they are two of the best teams in the state and why their rivalry sits atop Berks County, District 3, and now Pennsylvania as a whole.
Another chapter of the rivalry was written.
And for the Raiders, it ended with a state championship.
Twin Valley defeated Wyomissing 11-5 in the PIAA Class 2A girls lacrosse championship Saturday morning at Panzer Stadium on the campus of Penn State University.
“I’m so proud of these girls because they’re the workhorses that put in all the work and preparation, and for the seniors to get that trophy,” Raiders coach Courtney Kaplan said of the win. “We talked about there’s a sign on Twin Valley’s hill going in, and all we wanted was to get our name on that sign, and we just checked that box.”
The Raiders (22-2) had appeared in four of the previous five state championship games but fell each time to Archbishop Carroll, desperately wanting to get over the hump and write their name in the record books.
On Saturday, they did just that behind a four-goal performance from Berks County’s all-time leading scorer, Ellie Kaplan.
“I feel so good,” senior Ellie Kaplan said. “I kind of said before, we had teams in the past get to the title and they couldn’t finish the job. We were playing for all the teams that got here and couldn’t finish it. And it just feels so great to finally be able to wear the gold again.”
The Raiders controlled the faceoffs, 12-6, which proved to be a major factor in gaining possession and controlling the pace of the game.
In the second quarter alone, the Raiders won every faceoff, 6-0, and scored four goals in the frame to take control of the game.
“Possessions are everything. If you don’t get the ball, you can’t win, and can’t score,” Ellie Kaplan said. “So, getting the ball and being able to hold possessions and work for a good shot was huge.”
As for Wyomissing (22-2), the Spartans struggled in the half-field setting in their first-ever state championship appearance. With goals and scoring opportunities at a premium throughout the game, they managed just 10 shots on goal.
The season series was split between the two heavyweights, with the Raiders earning a 12-7 victory in the regular season and the Spartans coming out on top 6-5 in the District 3 2A championship.
That game was another physical contest, as every meeting between the two rivals seems to have fans calling for yellow cards from start to finish.
“They just played a really great game,” Spartans coach Rachel Shappell said. “Both teams played with heart, both teams had a lot of passion. They beat us on the draws, really just a great game by Twin Valley. I think we played a great game as well. They just ended up winning.”
Unlike their previous matchup in the District 3 championship, which was a low-scoring affair despite both teams routinely reaching double digits offensively, Saturday’s championship game featured early scoring from both sides.
Less than four minutes into the game, Raiders’ Maddison Lawrence scored to give her squad the first lead of the afternoon.
But before anyone knew it, the teams began trading blows like a heavyweight boxing match. Wyomissing answered, but Twin Valley responded almost immediately each time.
At the end of the first quarter, the Raiders held a 3-2 lead, which ended on a swift pass from Seiver to Lawrence for a goal in the lane.
In the second, Twin Valley began to create some separation. Goals from Ellie Kaplan and Siever extended the Raiders’ advantage to 5-2 as momentum started to swing in their favor.
“Absolutely insane,” Siever said of the emotions. “We’ve been trying for four years to do this. We were in the same position my freshman and sophomore year, and we ended up coming home with silver, so having this gold around our neck right now feels pretty damn good.”
The Raiders won all six faceoffs in the quarter, a major factor in generating offense.
Karly Hyde scored for Wyomissing to end the three-goal run, but Raiders Brianna Fraley and Siever each found the back of the net to push the lead to 7-3 with less than a minute remaining in the half.
“I think we could have made some more of our shots, that would have been a difference maker,” Shappell said.
Things began to look bleak for the Spartans, but with less than 10 seconds remaining in the half, they raced down the field hoping to score once more before the break and carry some momentum into the second half.
Mackenzie Maggs beat the buzzer with 0.8 seconds remaining, cutting the deficit and giving Wyomissing hope for a second-half comeback.
The Raiders held a significant advantage offensively in the first half, recording seven more shots on goal and consistently generating quality scoring opportunities.
The Spartans struggled more in the half-field set, searching for a way to break through Twin Valley’s suffocating defense.
That momentum carried into the second half as Wyomissing opened the third quarter with a goal from Hyde to complete her hat trick.
But that would be as close as the Spartans would get, as Twin Valley responded and made sure to avenge their district championship loss.
Myla Eisenhard scored before Kaplan completed her hat trick, giving the Raiders a 9-5 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
“We came into it really prepared,” Siever said. “They’re a great team, they have a lot of strengths, their defenders are really good, so we definitely had to spend a lot of time strategizing and figuring out what we were going to beat them.”
Kaplan added one more goal in the final quarter, bringing her career total to 314 and cementing her place atop the Berks County scoring leaderboard.
“I think they played us pretty much the same way,” Ellie Kaplan said. “They clogged the middle a lot. It’s definitely hard to see the open girl and to dodge, but I think we just did a good job moving the ball fast, using the pick and roll, hitting and finishing.”
The University of Michigan commit will look to carry that same level of success into the next chapter of her career with the Wolverines, sooner or later returning to the very same field someday to face Big Ten rival Penn State.
Down by five goals with 12 minutes remaining, the Spartans would have needed a comeback for the ages. But the Raiders never allowed an ounce of hope to creep back in Wyomissing’s favor.
“It’s another monumental season,” Shappell said of the season her squad had. “It’s historic for Berks County, for our program, and I think that’s what I’ll take away is just the passion these girls have to keep going forward and keep doing one step more. Hopefully we get back in this position next year and we can win it all.”
The Kaplans, mother and daughter, both said they knew it was going to be a physical affair, just as it had been in previous meetings, and the Raiders were prepared for it this time around.
Bodies flew across the hot turf throughout the morning, and the game proved to be exactly what Berks County fans have come to expect from the rivalry.
“I think knowing that it was going to be a physical game, knowing that we might not get all the calls, just letting go of that stuff, and playing our game,” Courtney Kaplan said. “Our job was to hunt today. We didn’t want to be hunted, and I think they did a really good job of that.”
For the Raiders, the season ended with both a BCIAA championship and a PIAA Class 2A state title, while the Spartans claimed the District 3 crown. It was another dominant year for Berks County girls lacrosse on the state stage.
Kaplan finished with four goals and two assists, while Siever and Lawrence added two goals apiece to help close out the 2026 girls lacrosse season.
Continue reading...
The battle for Berks County supremacy kicked off the day, and the anticipation did not disappoint.
In what was guaranteed to be a hard-nosed battle for 48 minutes, the Twin Valley Raiders and Wyomissing Spartans showed exactly why they are two of the best teams in the state and why their rivalry sits atop Berks County, District 3, and now Pennsylvania as a whole.
Another chapter of the rivalry was written.
And for the Raiders, it ended with a state championship.
Twin Valley defeated Wyomissing 11-5 in the PIAA Class 2A girls lacrosse championship Saturday morning at Panzer Stadium on the campus of Penn State University.
“I’m so proud of these girls because they’re the workhorses that put in all the work and preparation, and for the seniors to get that trophy,” Raiders coach Courtney Kaplan said of the win. “We talked about there’s a sign on Twin Valley’s hill going in, and all we wanted was to get our name on that sign, and we just checked that box.”
The Raiders (22-2) had appeared in four of the previous five state championship games but fell each time to Archbishop Carroll, desperately wanting to get over the hump and write their name in the record books.
On Saturday, they did just that behind a four-goal performance from Berks County’s all-time leading scorer, Ellie Kaplan.
“I feel so good,” senior Ellie Kaplan said. “I kind of said before, we had teams in the past get to the title and they couldn’t finish the job. We were playing for all the teams that got here and couldn’t finish it. And it just feels so great to finally be able to wear the gold again.”
The Raiders controlled the faceoffs, 12-6, which proved to be a major factor in gaining possession and controlling the pace of the game.
In the second quarter alone, the Raiders won every faceoff, 6-0, and scored four goals in the frame to take control of the game.
“Possessions are everything. If you don’t get the ball, you can’t win, and can’t score,” Ellie Kaplan said. “So, getting the ball and being able to hold possessions and work for a good shot was huge.”
As for Wyomissing (22-2), the Spartans struggled in the half-field setting in their first-ever state championship appearance. With goals and scoring opportunities at a premium throughout the game, they managed just 10 shots on goal.
The season series was split between the two heavyweights, with the Raiders earning a 12-7 victory in the regular season and the Spartans coming out on top 6-5 in the District 3 2A championship.
That game was another physical contest, as every meeting between the two rivals seems to have fans calling for yellow cards from start to finish.
“They just played a really great game,” Spartans coach Rachel Shappell said. “Both teams played with heart, both teams had a lot of passion. They beat us on the draws, really just a great game by Twin Valley. I think we played a great game as well. They just ended up winning.”
Unlike their previous matchup in the District 3 championship, which was a low-scoring affair despite both teams routinely reaching double digits offensively, Saturday’s championship game featured early scoring from both sides.
Less than four minutes into the game, Raiders’ Maddison Lawrence scored to give her squad the first lead of the afternoon.
But before anyone knew it, the teams began trading blows like a heavyweight boxing match. Wyomissing answered, but Twin Valley responded almost immediately each time.
At the end of the first quarter, the Raiders held a 3-2 lead, which ended on a swift pass from Seiver to Lawrence for a goal in the lane.
In the second, Twin Valley began to create some separation. Goals from Ellie Kaplan and Siever extended the Raiders’ advantage to 5-2 as momentum started to swing in their favor.
“Absolutely insane,” Siever said of the emotions. “We’ve been trying for four years to do this. We were in the same position my freshman and sophomore year, and we ended up coming home with silver, so having this gold around our neck right now feels pretty damn good.”
The Raiders won all six faceoffs in the quarter, a major factor in generating offense.
Karly Hyde scored for Wyomissing to end the three-goal run, but Raiders Brianna Fraley and Siever each found the back of the net to push the lead to 7-3 with less than a minute remaining in the half.
“I think we could have made some more of our shots, that would have been a difference maker,” Shappell said.
Things began to look bleak for the Spartans, but with less than 10 seconds remaining in the half, they raced down the field hoping to score once more before the break and carry some momentum into the second half.
Mackenzie Maggs beat the buzzer with 0.8 seconds remaining, cutting the deficit and giving Wyomissing hope for a second-half comeback.
The Raiders held a significant advantage offensively in the first half, recording seven more shots on goal and consistently generating quality scoring opportunities.
The Spartans struggled more in the half-field set, searching for a way to break through Twin Valley’s suffocating defense.
That momentum carried into the second half as Wyomissing opened the third quarter with a goal from Hyde to complete her hat trick.
But that would be as close as the Spartans would get, as Twin Valley responded and made sure to avenge their district championship loss.
Myla Eisenhard scored before Kaplan completed her hat trick, giving the Raiders a 9-5 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
“We came into it really prepared,” Siever said. “They’re a great team, they have a lot of strengths, their defenders are really good, so we definitely had to spend a lot of time strategizing and figuring out what we were going to beat them.”
Kaplan added one more goal in the final quarter, bringing her career total to 314 and cementing her place atop the Berks County scoring leaderboard.
“I think they played us pretty much the same way,” Ellie Kaplan said. “They clogged the middle a lot. It’s definitely hard to see the open girl and to dodge, but I think we just did a good job moving the ball fast, using the pick and roll, hitting and finishing.”
The University of Michigan commit will look to carry that same level of success into the next chapter of her career with the Wolverines, sooner or later returning to the very same field someday to face Big Ten rival Penn State.
Down by five goals with 12 minutes remaining, the Spartans would have needed a comeback for the ages. But the Raiders never allowed an ounce of hope to creep back in Wyomissing’s favor.
“It’s another monumental season,” Shappell said of the season her squad had. “It’s historic for Berks County, for our program, and I think that’s what I’ll take away is just the passion these girls have to keep going forward and keep doing one step more. Hopefully we get back in this position next year and we can win it all.”
The Kaplans, mother and daughter, both said they knew it was going to be a physical affair, just as it had been in previous meetings, and the Raiders were prepared for it this time around.
Bodies flew across the hot turf throughout the morning, and the game proved to be exactly what Berks County fans have come to expect from the rivalry.
“I think knowing that it was going to be a physical game, knowing that we might not get all the calls, just letting go of that stuff, and playing our game,” Courtney Kaplan said. “Our job was to hunt today. We didn’t want to be hunted, and I think they did a really good job of that.”
For the Raiders, the season ended with both a BCIAA championship and a PIAA Class 2A state title, while the Spartans claimed the District 3 crown. It was another dominant year for Berks County girls lacrosse on the state stage.
Kaplan finished with four goals and two assists, while Siever and Lawrence added two goals apiece to help close out the 2026 girls lacrosse season.
Continue reading...
