The feelings Glen Mills coach Craig Mellinger expressed openly outside his team's HersheyPark Arena locker room Saturday night were those of remorse. Maybe there was some regret dashed in there too.

Mellinger, who has been around long enough to win his 300th game this season (pictured), has been down this road before. He knows that the Battlin' Bulls' first state playoff team since 2004 might have been their last for quite some time. There is never any certainty which student-athletes will be back next season at Glen Mills, a school for court-adjudicated youths.

"How many am I guessing I'm losing? Every single kid in our locker room," Mellinger said after the Bulls' 59-44 loss to Central Dauphin East in the first round of the PIAA Class AAAA tournament. "And that's always a huge question-marked proposition. A, who's going to still be committed to the court system, and B, who will be in a situation where maybe it's not conducive for him to go back home and they need to stay here and get processed.

"Honestly, and I'm not being facetious – we're probably going to lose every kid in there, so we'll have to start over again."

It also does not help the Bulls' cause that they lose 6-10 All-Delco center Aaric Murray, a La Salle signee who you can pencil in for a double-double almost every night. Murray, who prior to three years ago had never played organized basketball, was considered a project at The Mills.

"All of these guys, from the moment they set foot on our basketball court, are our kids and our projects," Mellinger said. "Some, their learning curve is going to be a lot quicker. Other guys, we’re willing to work with any and all. We just got done saying to these guys, ‘It’s been an absolute pleasure to work with you all.'

"…From November and until now, I don't think they realize how far they've come. I think they'll reflect back on it in a couple of weeks and they'll understand it."

# # #

Here are some links from Saturday's high school action:

BOYS BASKETBALL
Chester 66, Red Land 50: Click for the story; Click for photo slideshow by Eric Hartline.
Penn Wood 51, Penn Manor 46: Click for the story; Click for video by Bob Gurecki.

GIRLS BASKETBALL
Archbishop Carroll 59, West York 42: Click for the story.
Camp Hill 54, Sacred Heart 41: Click for the story.
Delco Christian 51, Greenwood 45: Click for the story.

WRESTLING
Springfield's Andre Petroski, the reigning Daily Times wrestler of the year, took the bronze medal in the 189-pound division at states. Jon Campbell has the story. He and Daily Times sports editor Rob Parent tag-teamed (wrestling term, get it? Albeit a WWE one) the state championships, where Springfield had four wrestlers make states and three win medals.

Sometimes, you just can't have it all.

Five Delaware County boys basketball teams advanced to the state playoffs, and four shored up spots in the second round. Glen Mills' loss Saturday means only those four remain.

Here are the details from Saturday's games:

Chester 66, Red Land 50 - Why is Rahlir Jefferson (pictured) so excited? He and the Clippers are movin' on. In the process, Jefferson recorded his first triple-double of his career (14 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists) and became the Clippers' all-time leading rebounder.

Penn Wood 51, Penn Manor 46: The Patriots trailed, 25-19, at halftime only to roar back in the second half. Aaron Brown and Duane Johnson had 15 and 12 points respectively for the Pats.

Central Dauphin East 59, Glen Mills 44: Aaric Murray concluded his career with 14 points and 11 rebounds but the Battlin' Bulls could not stop Demond Bates, who went off for 20 of his game-high 27 points after halftime.

Of course, you're all aware of what Archbishop Carroll and Strath Haven did Friday in the Class AAA field. Now it's onto the next round.

One more thing: here's a shot of Chester's Learon Pray (nine points) by Daily Times staff photographer Eric Hartline, who busted his tail all weekend. He shot the Chester game at HersheyPark Arena, then ran across the street to the Giant Center to take shots of the state wrestling finals.

It's safe to say we're all happy this weekend is coming to a close.