Bucks did you see the West NP game? I read it was the first time NP has been shut out since 2007. Were they playing a new QB? A buddy told me it was a converted WR. I said it a week or two ago, I think this is the worst NP team in over 25 years.

You've got to love the way these two performed over the weekend being SJP products.

D'Andre Swift runs like he's been reborn. He's a machine getting 130 yds on 10 carries and a catch for 8 yds. That guy runs with a purpose!

And Kyle McCord is finally the quarterback that can get Ohio St somewhere. He was a real leader this weekend beating Notre Dame 17-14 in the last minute, completing 16 of 31 for 240-yards. I think he makes them special.

2023 District 3: Top 20 (Week 5).

Week #5 Standings
There were a few tweaks to the rankings last week where a winning team dropped in the rankings following a mid-season check-up while a lower ranked team rose a notch or two. There are now more stats and schedule difficulty values that clarify with five games under their belt. At any rate, here we are at the mid-point of the season with many games taking on greater significance for seeding purposes. There are still 13 undefeated teams in the district. Here’s what happened last week.

1 Bishop McDevitt 4A 5-0
McDevitt rolled out the big guns against their primary challenger in the Mid Penn-Keystone last week to dismantle Cedar Cliff 48-7. It was over at the half, with the Crusaders up 42-0. Stone Saunders picked them apart completing 13 of 15 passes for 254 yards with touchdowns of 6, 18, 31, 44, and 47 yards. No one has been able to handle him or their fleet and deep receiver corps with Chase Regan snagging five passes for 126 yards with touchdowns of 31 and 44 yards. The multi-talented Rico Scott who lined up in the backfield, took the first snap of the contest 80 yards for six points, completing the game with 45 yards on four receptions and another touchdown. Nevan Hopkins had three catches for 70 yards, one, a 47-yard bomb for a score. Big Nick Slogik (TE/DE 6-5, 240, sr) had a reception for eight yards. Three others got in on the fun with five receptions for another 35 yards. 471 total yards later it was all over. The defense did their part, holding the Colts top back Erik Schriver to 24 yards on nine carries and the team to 155 total yards. Speedy DT Josiah Harding (5-10, 245, sr) had a 23 yard ‘scoop and score’ in the second quarter. Milton Hershey (2-3) is next, coming in off their ‘Coco Bean’ game loss to Hershey High 33-22.
2 Manheim Township 6A 5-0
Township stayed strong with another solid performance from both sides of the ball where the offense generated 411 total yards and the defense allowed 167 in a 48-7 rout of Hempfield. Quarterback Hayden Johnson is tearing apart opposing defenses, completing 74% of his passes (81/109) for 1360 yards on the season. He’s thrown 22 touchdowns without a pick. Against the Black Knights, he completed 14 of 17 for 278 yards with touchdowns of 55, 39, 15, 26 and 26 yards. Wow! Landon Kennel had nine receptions for 155 yards and four touchdowns with Lex Haberbosch in on just one reception but for 55 yards and a score. Running back Declan Clancy had 108 yards rushing and a touchdown as the Streaks evened the score from last year’s 17-14 home loss to Hempfield. Lebanon-Lancaster-Section 1 (LL-1) action continues Friday for the short bus ride down 510 to J.P. McCaskey High (1-4) who’s coming off a 48-14 pounding at Plymouth Whitemarsh last week.
3 Central York 6A 5-0
Quarterback Brooklyn Nace hit 14 of 17 passes for 142 yards with Juelze Goff rushing for 166 yards and three scores as Central York defeated South Western 29-7 at the Corral in Hanover. Goff’s 52-yard touchdown sprint in the fourth quarter iced it. Saxton Suchanic had one yard and two yard rushing scores. South Western was a stubborn opponent, but Central had their dependable defense that held the Mustangs to 28 yards rushing and 140 passing. Since giving up 35 in the season opener at Central Dauphin, Central York has become stingy, allowing 14 points with two shutouts. Dallastown is up next as York-Adams-1 action continues. D-town won their last two games after a 0-3 start.
4 Harrisburg 6A 4-1
Harrisburg started slow with Cumberland Valley putting up a good fight, trying to save the season and keep things at or above .500 after a 1-3 start. They hung in for a half before falling to a second half Cougar onslaught of 35 points and 517 total yards of offense in a 42-7 loss. Shawn Lee was on it, completing 7 of 14 passes for 338 yards and 85 rushing, He threw touchdowns of 26, 93, and 28 yards, mostly to Elias Coke who had seven catches for 194 yards. Quincy Brannon had one reception, a 70-yards scoring strike from Lee. Nehemiah Ewell had 43 yards on 13 carries. Harrisburg’s defense was outstanding, holding Cumberland Valley to 86 yards passing and 85 rushing. The Eagles fall to 1-4 while Harrisburg is home against Altoona (2-3) in only their second home game of the year!?
5 State College 6A 3-1
Central Dauphin had no answer for State College’s Eddie Corkery, their first year starting quarterback who sliced them up with 23 completions for 218 yards. That’s 79.3%. Ty Salazer got loose for 10 receptions for 113 of those yards with Michael Gaul catching four passes for 54 yards and a touchdown. D’Antae Sheffey was held in check at 51 yards on 20 carries and two touchdowns with all the damage done through the air and Central Dauphin turnovers. CD threw three interceptions; one, a 71 yard ‘Pick Six’ dagger in the third quarter, taking the score to 31-7. CD’s rush defense was super, holding State to 52 yards. But it came at a cost. The win keeps State College even with Harrisburg in the division race with CD East (3-2) paying a visit Friday.
6 Steelton Highspire 1A 5-0
The Rollers crossed the river for a game in Newville against Big Spring who is one of the better teams in the division. That didn’t matter much after the first quarter (6-0 Steelton) where they erupted for 40 points on the way to a 46-7 thrashing of the Bulldogs. Their stats were enormous as usual with Alex Erby completing 16 of 25 for 220 yards, throwing touchdowns of 14, 11 and 5 yards while rushing for one and six yard scores. Not a bad day. Well underrated Ronald Burnette had 152 yards rushing and a score on 25 carries with Durrell Ceasar, Cam Chisholm and Jaeion Perry accumulating 82, 89 and 34 yards respectively in receptions. Amari Williams had a 10 yard ‘Scoop and Score’ in the third quarter. The Roller D that can be sieve like held firm in this one, holding Big Spring to 74 yards rushing and 23 passing. Next up is their old rival and next door neighbor Middletown (1-4).
7 Wyomissing 3A 5-0
Wyomissing got a fight from ELCO who hung with them before losing 28-14. It was largely a running game with Wyomissing rushing for 351 yards and nine yards passing with ELCO at 169 yards and 32 yards passing. Clearly Wyo got the best it with the home field and more quality running backs. Drew Forrey rushed for 160 yards on 10 carries, scoring on 54, 24 and 50 yard runs while Chase Eisenhower rushed for 118 yards on 18 carries and a touchdown. ELCO’s Jake Williams kept it close, powering through for 135 yards on 23 carries. ELCO (Eastern Lebanon County-in Myerstown) made them work for it. LL-4 action continues Friday with the Spartans home against Donegal (2-3) while ELCO drops to 4-1 with another monster game playing Cocalico (4-1) at home.
8 Cocalico 5A 4-1
Cocalico ran into a near mirror image of themselves last week hosting Lampeter Strasburg, another option oriented program. The difference between them is LS has some pass capability. Only problem was Cocalico wouldn’t let the Pioneers get anything going on the ground, holding them to 70 yards rushing on 20 attempts. Apart from a 35-yard field goal, all LS managed was a few pass completions netting 148 yards and six points. Cocalico’s defense was brutal, forcing them to go 21.8 yards to score a single point in a deceptive final score of 24-10 where Cocalico out-rushed them 358 yards to 70. Aaryn Longenecker led the way with 155 yards on but seven carries followed by Sam Steffey’s 110 yards on 21 carries. Quarterback Josh Myer rushed 16 times for 73 yards and was 0 for 1 in pass attempts. Cocalico has a tough road game at ELCO (4-1) Friday in another key LL-4 showdown.
9 Wilson 6A 3-2
Wilson bounced up two notches in the rankings after edging a good Cedar Crest team 21-13 on the road. Tommy Hunsicker was hot, completing 10 of 13 throws for 162 yards with a balanced offense showing 148 yards rushing. Cedar Crest matched that almost yard for yard with 316 total yards. And while CC benefitted in recovering two Wilson fumbles, they gave it right back in untimely penalties and two interceptions. Wilson is developing a new talent this year in sophomore Correll Akings (5-10, 170). He had a strong game rushing for 44 yards on seven carries and a score and catching four passes for 59 yards and another score. He along with Nick Fiorini (5-10, 195, sr) rushing for 71 yards give them a more varied offense combined with an already strong receiver corps. Old rival Governor Mifflin (3-2) is next, coming in shaky with road disasters at Spring Ford 49-19 and Exeter 31-10. But it’s ‘the’ rivalry game for both and key to their post season aspirations and bragging rights in Reading.
10 Manheim Central 4A 4-1
It took the Barons a quarter, but once they got rolling it was all over with a 35-0 explosion in the middle quarters to blow away struggling Warwick (1-4) 49-0. Quarterback Zac Hahn connected for 208 yards at 67%, completing 16 of 24 passes for touchdowns of 21, 17, 35 and 31 yards. All of them went to his top receiver Aaron Enterline who had six receptions for 112 yards. Brycen Arnold balanced them out with 144 yards on 20 carries and a score. The defense was on its game as well, holding Warwick to 24 yards rushing and 136 total. Xander Kolk recovered a fumble in the end-zone in the second quarter where Central took a 28-0 halftime lead. The next two games have them at Muhlenberg (1-4, 5A) in Reading and Lebanon High (0-5, 6A), before ending with good stuff at Conestoga Valley (5-1, 5A), improving stuff vs Governor Mifflin (3-2, 5A), and the game that will likely decide the LL-Section 2 in Reading against Exeter Township (5-0, 5A).
TIE
York (William Penn) 6A 4-1
You got to give York some credit for bouncing back following their season opening 50-20 loss at home to Harrisburg knowing they have a young team. Their promising sophomore running back Shavane Anderson got everyone’s attention last week rushing for 260 yards and a 28-yard touchdown dash, then cashing in on a 24-yard touchdown toss. Soph quarterback Najee Still completed four of five passes while throwing two touchdowns. And they held a solid Red Lion team to 241 total yards. It’s hard finding another loss on the schedule before the regular season finale against city rival Central York. They’re idle this week before resuming against Dallastown October 6th.
11 Twin Valley 4A 5-0
This one got out of hand early with Twin Valley taking Elizabethtown apart with a 28-0 first quarter, followed by a 14 point second quarter. Quarterback Evan Myers was a force, completing 13 of 17 passes for 96 yards, rushing for 78 yards and scoring touchdowns of 26, 34 and 3 yards. Evan Johnson and Drew Engle added 65 and 47 rush yards with eight players used in the passing attack. Stats of 96 pass yards and 213 rushing show efficiency in their 49-8 win. That’s 6.34 yards per point with no picks or fumbles returned. They held E-town to 112 total yards of offense and six first downs. LL-3 action continues Friday in Quarryville against Solanco (1-4), coming off a 11-1 season with a massive rebuild.
TIE
Central Dauphin 6A 3-2
Central Dauphin’s three game winning streak came to an end, losing at home to State College 31-13. As mentioned, they had no answer for first year starting quarterback Eddie Corkery who completed 23 of 29 passes for 218 yards. See State College. CD’s quarterback Key’Ron Plummer was checked most of the game, completing seven of 15 passes for 35 yards and rushing for 48 on 14 attempts. Miles Copper had a good outing with 98 yards on 11 carries. The ground game behind their big line wasn’t the issue, rushing for 204 yards. It was the passing game, both offense and defense with Plummer throwing three interceptions. One, a 71-yard Pick-6. And the pass defense had no clue. So give them good rushing grades for 204 yards and shutting down State’s special running back D’Andre Steffey to 51 yards and the team to 54 total. Carlisle is up next at 1-4 on a four game losing streak.
12 West Perry 3A 5-0
Make that five straight for the guys from Perry County after thumping 1-4 James Buchanan 47-13. The usual culprits made their moves with quarterback Marcus Quaker throwing for 313 yards and Ian Goodling catching six of them for 110 yards and three touchdowns. Bryce Smith had eight receptions for 78 yards with Brad Hockenberry showing his skills catching 60-yards worth of receptions while rushing for 50 more. Listless Boiling Springs (1-4) is up next after allowing 50, 55 and 48 points their last three games.
13 Cedar Crest 6A 4-1
Despite losing, Cedar Crest rose in the rankings with the mid-season reassessment of all teams. Their game with Wilson, a 21-13 loss, was a dead heat, even with turnovers that plagued both teams and kept it close. Quarterback Jackson Custer completed 13 of 22 passes for 138 yards (59%) and rushed for another 78 yards. The problem was two costly interceptions. Excepting that, Custer’s stats were enough combined with 178 yards rushing to get a win. In the end, Tommy Hunsicker outgunned him, completing 10 of 13 for 162 yards. And that was the difference with total yardage at 316 for Cedar Crest to 310 for Wilson. LL-1 action continues in Reading (1-4) who is putting some points on the scoreboard this season.
14 Ephrata 5A 5-0
Ephrata’s rebirth may seem modest going 26-21 the last five years without a losing season but it’s not. Far from it knowing they went winless from 2013 through 2017. That’s 0-50! So to see them here at 5-0 is special. Quarterback Sam McCracken was a load last week completing 15 of 17 passes for 287 yards with touchdowns of 18, 34 and 10 yards. He’s also their third leading rusher at 119 yards for the season with a 67% throw rate for 748 yards. Jeremiah Knowles had a big night with four receptions for 120 yards and a score. The rushing game was by committee last week although Brayden Brown is the primary at 572 yards on the year. They rushed for 182 here against Boone, giving them 476 total yards to Boone’s 153 in a 48-7 blowout. Up next is their most difficult game of the season on the road in New Holland against undefeated Garden Spot. This will be a HUGE test with GS’s dual threat quarterback Kye Harting passing for 906 yards and rushing for 657 with 22 touchdowns. It may be in the heart of Amish country but this kid can play.
15 Trinity 2A 3-2
Trinity responded to recent, narrow losses against two of the best teams in the district and perhaps the state by pounding overmatched Boiling Springs (1-4) 48-14. The two weeks preceding had Trinity losing to Wyomissing 35-34 and West Perry 19-16. Both are undefeated. Quarterback Caleb Wray was ‘on’ against the Bubblers (great name), completing a modest 11 of 20 but for 218 yards and five touchdowns. Cole Cappawanna and LaBron Mallard led the receiving corps with 70 and 75 yards on three receptions each. Christian Joy who gets too little attention rushed for 149 yards on just eight carries. Like most routs, this one was over at the half with the Shamrocks up 35-7. They’re home Friday against Big Spring (3-2) who will be licking their wounds after losing to Steel High last week 46-7. The Bulldogs don’t like the road so it could get ugly.
16 Exeter Township 5A 5-0
Once again Exeter is putting together a team that’s on its way to a double digit winning season as they did in 2021 at 10-4 and last year at 12-1. They’re moving up in the rankings slowly, playing a less than challenging schedule who have a combined 5-20 record. This year’s edition is mangling teams by an average score of 42-9. Last week was easy pickings, gaining 461 yards of total offense in a 51-0 rout of 0-5 Lebanon. Under center, Riley Martinez is rounding into a solid quarterback, going 7 of 9 for 135 yards with touchdowns of 30, 20, 19 and 35 yards. But the heart and soul of the attack is its running game where Jayden Zandier rushed for 107 yards on four carries with Pharrell Caceres at 94 yards as they ground out 319 yards rushing. Winless Lebanon is hurting but a defense holding any opponent to 85 total yards is impressive. Warwick is next at 1-4 and flailing. Exeter should roll in their next three games against Warwick, Muhlenberg and disappointing Hempfield before a road trip to Conestoga Valley then home against Manheim Central, both 4-1.
TIE
Garden Spot 5A 5-0
Garden Spot lit it up again last week with a 48-21 road win at Fleetwood. Kye Harting was the star, completing 11 of 18 passes for 218 yards with touchdowns of 35, 22, 3, 59, 28 and 16 yards. He also rushed for 150 yards on 19 carries including a 57-yard touchdown run giving him 368 yards of offense for the game! Trenton Hoober had touchdowns of 22, 16 and 3 yards on four receptions for 49 yards. A.J. Hurst and Jace Conrad had 68 and 65 yards respectively and a touchdown each. G-Spot’s D held Fleetwood to 28 yards rushing and 228 total. Look for a big, big crowd Friday night hosting undefeated Ephrata in a critical LL-3 matchup and 5A seeding battle.
17 Lampeter Strasburg 4A 4-1
Lampeter Strasburg finally got a challenge, unfortunately on the road at Cocalico where they Eagles prevailed 24-10. See Cocalico above. Cocalico ran right through them for 358 yards. At the same time, Cocalico wasn’t allowing LS anything, holding them to 70 yards on the ground. This proved fatal against an option team like the Pioneers. The LL-4 section race is still young but they can’t slip again and do get ELCO (4-1) and Wyomissing (5-0) at home. Octorara (2-3) is next where the Pioneers will roll.
18 Cedar Cliff 5A 4-1
There’s not much here to talk about except to show how thoroughly Bishop McDevitt beat the Colts in a key Mid Penn-Keystone contest. The final score of 48-7 says it clearly (42-0 at the half), as does McDevitt’s 471 yards of total offense doing whatever they pleased, rushing for 210 yards and throwing for 261. The Colts had no answer, rushing for 97 yards and passing for 68. Mifflin County (3-2) is next at their place in Lewistown where the Huskies can be frisky. They took a competitive 4-1 Lower Dauphin to the edge two weeks ago before losing 20-14 on a 90-yard kickoff touchdown that was the difference. They’ll need to fix that as the Colts have some people that can scoot.
19 New Oxford 5A 5-0
Nothing flashy here with a rebuilt offense getting it done assisted by a senior defense allowing them to get off to a 5-0 start. No one has gotten closer than 14 points in all their games including last week where they won at York Suburban 35-14. Quarterback Idriz Ahmetovic and his receivers were on the same page completing six of nine passes for 180 yards and four touchdowns. Brennan Holmes had 133 yards in receptions with Clayton Nieves rushing for 70 yards and a score. At the end of the day, they had 18o yards passing and 154 rushing. There doesn’t appear to be a challenger this year in the York Adams-2 with the entire division down, meaning the Colonials could run through the division unscathed. Susquehannock (2-3) is next in New Oxford.
20 East Pennsboro 4A 5-0
The teams from Enola run hot and cold, sometimes for decades at a time turning out good stuff from 2000-2004 going 38-14, then 20-31 (all losers) from 2005 through 2009. From 2010 through 2017, they went 60-27 followed by a 20-29 log from 2018-2022. Go figure, but they’re hot now, winning four road games by an average score of 36-17. They won their fifth game of the year last week in a meeting of undefeated Mid Penn-Colonial Division teams playing big and physical Greencastle-Antrim in Greencastle. Nothing easy playing the Blue Devils at their place where Pennsboro fought back from a 7-3 halftime deficit with 15 unanswered third quarter points. Quarterback Keith Oates threw for 141 yards and scored on a 20-yard jaunt and a 2-yard burst to open the second half. His quarterback sneak with :49 left in the game iced it. Ali Alami added a 31-yard field goal for their first score with JJ Gossard rushing for 106 yards on 21 carries. Trey Good had seven catches for 52 yards, giving the Panthers a small but balanced attack needed to win road games like this one against a tough opponent. Greencastle falls to 4-1 with Northern coming in while Pennsboro plays Mechanicsburg (2-3) in their second home game of the season.

OTHERS:
Hershey 5A 4-1 at Red Land
Greencastle-Antrim 5A 4-1 home vs Northern
Lower Dauphin 5A 4-1 home vs Palmyra
Conestoga Valley 5A 4-1 at Lebanon
ELCO 4A 4-1 home vs Cocalico

1. PCC vs NA- conference game and both 4-0. Winner will be favorite to win 6A
2. Peters township vs Upper St Clair- conference game and both 4-0.
3. Thomas Jefferson vs Belle Vernon- two of the best team in the wpial and state and both 4-0.
All these games will see where these teams stand and will be tough games getting them ready for the playoffs
My picks- PCC, USC, and TJ

On another thread- there was discussion about PCC- whether they "dominate boundary schools" so I looked back through "wpial records" for the highest division over the last 5 years- some surprises, can debate some, ranked, mostly based upon "boundary school success" only 5A or 6A WPIAL opponents, kinda informally by my own rules!! 2019-2023
1- North Allegheny- only 5 total losses, and 1 District Title
2-Pine Richland- 6 total losses, 3 Districts and 2 State (we could debate numbers 1 and 2)
3-Mt Lebo- 10 total losses, 1 District and 1 State Title
4- PCC- 10 total losses- 1 District (no state titles)
5- Gateway- 12 total losses, 1 District (could debate 5 and 6)
6- Peters- 11 total losses, No District titles (2 runners-up)
7-Penn Trafford- 13 total losses, 1 District, 1 State (could debate rank 5, 6 or 7)

Heisman Runner Up Passes Away After Battle With Cancer

Official Week 4 Power Rankings

How has everything with the football season been going so far?
“Everything with the season has been going well. I know for sure we are getting better every week.”

Have you been pleased with how you have played this season?
“N/A.”

How do you feel your team has played?
“I think we've been playing well as a team as I said before we will get better every week.”

What do you feel your team can improve on?
“I feel like we can improve on talking more on the field.”

What are the keys for your team being successful going forward?
“N/A.”

Do you want to play sports in college? If so, which one?
“I want to play football at the next level, yes.”

What colleges have been recruiting you?
"N/A."

What school is recruiting you the hardest?
"N/A."

Have you made any college trips yet?
"N/A."

Do you have plans for game day trips?
"N/A."

Did you have a favorite college growing up?
"N/A."

How has everything with the football season been going so far?
“Everything has been good, we are still building as a team.”

Have you been pleased with how you have played this season?
“Yes I have, there are still things to improve but I feel like I’ve been performing well.”

How do you feel your team has played?
“Me and my team are doing good but will definitely get better as a team during the season to reach our goal.”

What do you feel your team can improve on?
“We can improve more on leadership.”

What are the keys for your team being successful going forward?
“Like I said, leadership and being disciplined are going to help us a lot during the season.”

Do you want to play sports in college? If so, which one?
“Yes I want to play sports in college, I want to play football.”

What colleges have been recruiting you?
“A lot of colleges have been in touch with me but I’m currently committed to James Madison.”

What school is recruiting you the hardest?
“JMU.”

Have you made any college trips yet?
“Yes.”

Do you have plans for game day trips?
“Yes, the family and I have to plan for them.”

Did you have a favorite college growing up?
“No, I didn’t really have a specific favorite college.”

How has everything with the football season been going so far?
“The football season has been going well so far. We just beat Bloomsburg 53-6 last Friday at home. Now we are getting ready for Line Mountain this week.”

Have you been pleased with how you have played this season?
“I have been pleased with how I have been playing so far and how the team has been playing.”

How do you feel your team has played?
“We are all on the same page and we are just doing our thing.”

What do you feel your team can improve on?
“I feel like we can improve on just [about] everything. We have to strive to be great and be the best team we can be.”

What are the keys for your team being successful going forward?
“For us to be successful we have to communicate and do our job. We have to be sound around the defense and offense and the team has to be on the same page at all times. Each person has to do their job and not someone else’s. We have to pay attention to the little things to be the best we can be, and we need to continue to push each other every single day. On defense we strive to get all 11 hats to the ball every play. If everyone runs to the ball good things will happen.”

Do you want to play sports in college? If so, which one?
“In college, I would like to play football.”

What colleges have been recruiting you?
“Recently I have been getting recruited by schools like Dartmouth, Penn, Harvard, Cornell, and Army.”

What school is recruiting you the hardest?
“N/A.”

Have you made any college trips yet?
“I have not made any trips to any colleges yet but I plan on going to a few games soon.”

Do you have plans for game day trips?
“N/A.”

Did you have a favorite college growing up?
“N/A.”

How has everything with the football season been going so far?
“So far so good as we started week 1 with a win.”

Have you been pleased with how you have played this season?
“I believe I definitely could have played much better in our first game.”

How do you feel your team has played?
“As a team we played pretty sloppily and made a lot of mental mistakes.”

What do you feel your team can improve on?
“Ball security and following our blocking rules.”

What are the keys for your team being successful going forward?
“To play together as a team and pick each other up after we make mistakes.”

Do you want to play sports in college? If so, which one?
“Yes football.”

What colleges have been recruiting you?
“Some schools that visited me in the spring are Davidson, Lehigh, Maine, Muhlenberg and I’ve also been in contact with some other schools like St. Francis, Albright, and Ursinus.”

What school is recruiting you the hardest?
“At this point I wouldn’t say any school in particular is recruiting me the hardest.”

Have you made any college trips yet?
“No.”

Do you have plans for game day trips?
“No.”

Did you have a favorite college growing up?
“Penn State.”

How has everything with the football season been going so far?
“So far the season has been really good. We got a big 40-18 win against Penns Manor and I set a school record with 346 rushing yards thanks to our O-line.”

Have you been pleased with how you have played this season?
“For one game, yes, but we still have the rest of the season and can’t be satisfied until the job is done.”

How do you feel your team has played?
“I would say right now we are playing well, but if we want to achieve our goals this season we need to play better.”

What do you feel your team can improve on?
“Definitely conditioning, it is the most important part of the game especially in the 4th quarter.”

What are the keys for your team being successful going forward?
“Staying healthy and continuing to get in better shape.”

Do you want to play sports in college? If so, which one?
“Football 100%.”

What colleges have been recruiting you?
“Right now I have one D1 offer from Saint Francis, and 3 PSAC DII offers from Edinboro, Clarion, and Mercyhurst.”

What school is recruiting you the hardest?
“I would say all of them are the same.”

Have you made any college trips yet?
“Yes, I have been to Saint Francis, Mercyhurst, Clarion, Edinboro, Temple, Dayton and I am going to Slippery Rock this weekend for game day.”

Do you have plans for game day trips?
“Yes, this weekend I am going to Slippery Rock and plan to go on a few more throughout the season.”

Did you have a favorite college growing up?
“Growing up my favorite college was and still is Pitt.”

Find out what some of the top players in the state are saying about football now!


......................................................................................................


Q&A with West Shamokin athlete Lou Swartz
How has everything with the football season been going so far?
“So far the season has been really good. We got a big 40-18 win against Penns Manor and I set a school record with 346 rushing yards thanks to our O-line.”

Have you been pleased with how you have played this season?
“For one game, yes, but we still have the rest of the season and can’t be satisfied until the job is done.”

How do you feel your team has played?
“I would say right now we are playing well, but if we want to achieve our goals this season we need to play better.”

What do you feel your team can improve on?
“Definitely conditioning, it is the most important part of the game especially in the 4th quarter.”

What are the keys for your team being successful going forward?
“Staying healthy and continuing to get in better shape.”

......................................................................................................
Q&A with Plymouth Whitemarsh running back Luke Winterbottom
How has everything with the football season been going so far?
“So far so good as we started week 1 with a win.”

Have you been pleased with how you have played this season?
“I believe I definitely could have played much better in our first game.”

How do you feel your team has played?
“As a team we played pretty sloppily and made a lot of mental mistakes.”

What do you feel your team can improve on?
“Ball security and following our blocking rules.”

What are the keys for your team being successful going forward?
“To play together as a team and pick each other up after we make mistakes.”

......................................................................................................
Q&A with Danville defensive back Bo Sheptock
How has everything with the football season been going so far?
“The football season has been going well so far. We just beat Bloomsburg 53-6 last Friday at home. Now we are getting ready for Line Mountain this week.”

Have you been pleased with how you have played this season?
“I have been pleased with how I have been playing so far and how the team has been playing.”

How do you feel your team has played?
“We are all on the same page and we are just doing our thing.”

What do you feel your team can improve on?
“I feel like we can improve on just [about] everything. We have to strive to be great and be the best team we can be.”

What are the keys for your team being successful going forward?
“For us to be successful we have to communicate and do our job. We have to be sound around the defense and offense and the team has to be on the same page at all times. Each person has to do their job and not someone else’s. We have to pay attention to the little things to be the best we can be, and we need to continue to push each other every single day. On defense we strive to get all 11 hats to the ball every play. If everyone runs to the ball good things will happen.”

......................................................................................................
Q&A with Roman Catholic athlete Jah Jah Boyd
How has everything with the football season been going so far?
“Everything has been good, we are still building as a team.”

Have you been pleased with how you have played this season?
“Yes I have, there are still things to improve but I feel like I’ve been performing well.”

How do you feel your team has played?
“Me and my team are doing good but will definitely get better as a team during the season to reach our goal.”

What do you feel your team can improve on?
“We can improve more on leadership.”

What are the keys for your team being successful going forward?
“Like I said, leadership and being disciplined are going to help us a lot during the season.”

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Q&A with Roman Catholic outside linebacker Jahmir Diabira
How has everything with the football season been going so far?
“Everything with the season has been going well. I know for sure we are getting better every week.”

Have you been pleased with how you have played this season?
“N/A.”

How do you feel your team has played?
“I think we've been playing well as a team as I said before we will get better every week.”

What do you feel your team can improve on?
“I feel like we can improve on talking more on the field.”

What are the keys for your team being successful going forward?
“N/A.”

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Find out what colleges are recruiting Lou Swartz, Luke Winterbottom, Bo Sheptock, Jah Jah Boyd, and Jahmir Diabira now!


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Q&A with West Shamokin athlete Lou Swartz​

Do you want to play sports in college? If so, which one?
“Football 100%.”

What colleges have been recruiting you?
“Right now I have one D1 offer from Saint Francis, and 3 PSAC DII offers from Edinboro, Clarion, and Mercyhurst.”

What school is recruiting you the hardest?
“I would say all of them are the same.”

Have you made any college trips yet?
“Yes, I have been to Saint Francis, Mercyhurst, Clarion, Edinboro, Temple, Dayton and I am going to Slippery Rock this weekend for game day.”

Do you have plans for game day trips?
“Yes, this weekend I am going to Slippery Rock and plan to go on a few more throughout the season.”

Did you have a favorite college growing up?
“Growing up my favorite college was and still is Pitt.”


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Q&A with Plymouth Whitemarsh running back Luke Winterbottom​

Do you want to play sports in college? If so, which one?
“Yes football.”

What colleges have been recruiting you?
“Some schools that visited me in the spring are Davidson, Lehigh, Maine, Muhlenberg and I’ve also been in contact with some other schools like St. Francis, Albright, and Ursinus.”

What school is recruiting you the hardest?
“At this point I wouldn’t say any school in particular is recruiting me the hardest.”

Have you made any college trips yet?
“No.”

Do you have plans for game day trips?
“No.”

Did you have a favorite college growing up?
“Penn State.”


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Q&A with Danville defensive back Bo Sheptock​

Do you want to play sports in college? If so, which one?
“In college, I would like to play football.”

What colleges have been recruiting you?
“Recently I have been getting recruited by schools like Dartmouth, Penn, Harvard, Cornell, and Army.”

What school is recruiting you the hardest?
“N/A.”

Have you made any college trips yet?
“I have not made any trips to any colleges yet but I plan on going to a few games soon.”

Do you have plans for game day trips?
“N/A.”

Did you have a favorite college growing up?
“N/A.”


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Q&A with Roman Catholic athlete Jah Jah Boyd​

Do you want to play sports in college? If so, which one?
“Yes I want to play sports in college, I want to play football.”

What colleges have been recruiting you?
“A lot of colleges have been in touch with me but I’m currently committed to James Madison.”

What school is recruiting you the hardest?
“JMU.”

Have you made any college trips yet?
“Yes.”

Do you have plans for game day trips?
“Yes, the family and I have to plan for them.”

Did you have a favorite college growing up?
“No, I didn’t really have a specific favorite college.”


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Q&A with Roman Catholic outside linebacker Jahmir Diabira​

Do you want to play sports in college? If so, which one?
“I want to play football at the next level, yes.”

What colleges have been recruiting you?
"N/A."

What school is recruiting you the hardest?
"N/A."

Have you made any college trips yet?
"N/A."

Do you have plans for game day trips?
"N/A."

Did you have a favorite college growing up?
"N/A."


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Trojans up 14-7 at half on two Luke Spang touchdown passes.

Full disclosure, I did not see or listen to the game between the Prep and St. Peter’s last night, but read an article that stated the the Prep held the #7 ranked team in NJ to 28 total yards for the full game and forced a running clock for the full 2nd half even without the services of their star QB. Is this a down year for SPP or the is the SJP defense really going to be that dominant? I always thought that nothing would top the COVID year Hawks D with the 2 Trotters, Johnson, a younger Dumond, and other stout kids. While early in the season, this could be an indication that this D has a chance to be their best one yet.

Tulla or other Prep followers, were you able to watch or listen to the game? Would welcome your insights here. Is Samaj out with a major injury? Any other injuries from the IMG game?

PCC certainly looks like a contender, as well, among others.

New College Football Concept Helmets for Every College Football Team 2023

2023 District 3: Top 20 (Week 4).
Games of Aug 22, 23----Week #4

1 Bishop McDevitt 4A 4-0
Following an exciting ‘preseason’ slate of high end non-conference games against Maryland’s Mount St. Joseph, DePaul of New Jersey and LaSalle of the Philadelphia Catholic League, 5A Palmyra was a pronounced letdown, able to generate a meager 84 total yards of offense in a 68-7 loss in the Mid Penn-Keystone opener. McDevitt rolled out their usual fireworks of quarterback Stone Saunders throwing for 323 yards and six touchdowns. All this on only nine completions. He sat early allowing his younger version, Sebastian Williams (6-1, 195, soph), to get some time completing 5 of 6 passes for 115 yards and two more touchdowns. Rico Scott and Chase Regan led all receivers with Rico catching three passes for 116 yards and three scores and Chase at 115 yards on two receptions and two touchdowns. Maurice Barnes and Nazir Jones-Davis led the ground assault (159 total) with 55 and 41 respectively. Undefeated Cedar Cliff is next at 4-0. This is their only real competition in the division that will likely be played before a big crowd at the West Shore Stadium in a home game for the Colts.
2 Manheim Township 6A 4-0
Like McDevitt above, Manheim Township also topped the 60-point mark last week with a resounding 63-28 win against previously undefeated Spring Ford (3-1) out of the PAC in District-1. The Rams are good football, so the margin was a surprise, as was the outright ease in which they were defeated, blown out 42-14 by the half. Township’s Hayden Johnson was on fire completing 21 of 31 passes for 350-yards, throwing touchdowns of 5, 3, 16, 8, 12 and 26 yards. He also rushed for 78 yards and a score on seven carries. Landon Kennel had five touchdowns on eight receptions for 102-yards, Nick Palumbo snagged five for 91 yards and Antonio Vazquez had 96 yards on four catches. The well underrated Declan Clancy had 19 carries for 134 yards and two scores. Matt Zollers had a strong outing for SF, completing 19 of 24 for 314 yards with two touchdowns and a rushing score. But they had no running game, held to 98 yards on 34 attempts. Spring Ford will recover at 1-3 Boyertown in the PAC opener while the Streaks travel to Hempfield (2-2) for some payback of last year’s 17-14 home loss.
3 Central York 6A 4-0
Central York overwhelmed winless Spring Grove, scoring on eight of their nine offensive possessions for a 35-0 lead at the half that grew to 56-7 by games end. This series has to be one of the most lopsided in the state with the Panthers winning from 2023 back to 2016 by the following scores; 56-7, 42-7, 48-17, 47-0, 52-0, 58-14, 55-14 and 35-21. This year’s team is on a pace to equal the last four years including the Beau Pribula (Qb-PSU) years with their 39ppg average to date backed by a defense exceeding any the last 20 years at 11ppg. They travel to South Western (2-2) in Hanover Friday to play the Mustangs who gave them one of their best games last year, losing 30-28 in York.
4 Harrisburg 6A 3-1
You knew someone was going to pay for Harrisburg’s embarrassing loss at Manheim Township back on the Sept 8th. The onus fell to Carlisle’s Thundering Herd who were coming off a 42-40 loss at York and on fumes here. Harrisburg jumped them hard and heavy with 26 1st quarter points followed by 21 more in the 2nd quarter. They eased up in the 2nd half with subs taking it to 60-7 for the final. Quarterback Shawn Lee was perfect, completing 12 of 12 for 152 yards and touchdowns of 24, 28 and 29 yards. He rushed for 90 more yards and another score. When he’s on, look out! All totaled they had 484 total yards of offense, rushing for 332 yards to Carlisle’s 114 total yards with 35 negative yards rushing. That’s a heck of a way to kick off the division race with 1-3 Cumberland Valley next at CV, pumped after their first win last week where they defeated Central Dauphin East 31-24 in overtime.
5 State College 6A 2-1
State College did to Altoona what Harrisburg, Township and Bishop McDevitt did to their opponents last week, beating them by large margins with a 49-7 rout of the Mountain Lions. Junior quarterback Eddie Corkery is making them forget last year’s starter completing 12 of 14 passes for 302 yards with scoring strikes of 51, 77 and 73 yards. Top back D’Antae Sheffey (6-0, 190, soph) had two scores and 39 yards rushing as the Lions spread it out, going with their young talent at the skill positions, playing many. Travis Bechtel (5-6, 180, jr) had 63 yards on eight carries. Receivers Daimear Coad (6-0, 170, soph) had four receptions for 101 yards and a 51-yard touchdown while Ty Salazer (5-11, 170. jr) had two receptions for 84 yards. Like Harrisburg, State High may be a year away. But they rocked Altoona here, with 462 total yards to 184 with Altoona falling to 2-2. State High moves on to a real trial by fire this Friday at Landis Field playing Central Dauphin in a key Commonwealth Division game.
6 Steelton Highspire 1A 4-0
No one excepted Boiling Springs to challenge Steel High last week and they did not disappoint, dropping a 55-7 game at Cottage Hill (Steelton) after falling behind 42-0 at the half. The Bubblers had zero passing yards with only 114 rushing against the super quick Roller defense. The Rollers did damage both up top and on the ground with quarterback Alex Erby completing 7 of 11 throws for 172 yards and touchdown passes of 39, 35, 20, 41 and 2 yards. The ‘team’ rushed for 248 yards. Nazier Fuller got things rolling at kickoff, returning it 84-yards for six. Ronald Burnette had 93 rushing on eight carries with Jaeion Perry and Rell Ceasar, pulling down two and three passes for 59 and 65 yards respectively. That was a nice win for them coming off West Catholic who battled hard in a 29-22 Steelton win. They’re at Big Spring (3-1) Friday, a team they beat last year 61-7.
7 Wyomissing 3A 4-0
Wyomissing suffered no let down against rival Berks Catholic defeating the Saints 35-7. The week before saw them stressed in a tight 35-34 win at Trinity. This was nothing like that, coasting after a 28-7 halftime lead, blowing out BC in the 2nd quarter with Justice Hardy’s 23-yard pick six and Ethan Brower’s 67-yard punt return for a score. Deflating! Freshman Justice Hardy has been key this year. Last week also saw him rushing for 54 yards and a touchdown on seven carries and catching two passes for 38 yards; one a 31-yard touchdown. Soph Chase Eisenhower had 72 yards on eight carries with quarterback Logan Hyde a perfect three of three for 40 yards and the touchdown to Hardy. It was a small, economic attack with 265 total yards to BC’s 166. LL-Section 4 action continues Friday at home against undefeated ELCO who feature one of the best backs in the area in Jake Williams. To date, he has 1141 yards and 16 touchdowns making him the mission Friday night in Reading.
8 Central Dauphin 6A 3-1
Central Dauphin stayed hot with their third straight win since opening with a thud at home against Central York. Last week saw them beat Chambersburg 35-7 on the heels of notable wins at Wilson (2-2) 36-35 and home against Coatesville (3-1) 35-13. They had it going in every way last week with quarterback Key’Ron Plummer completing 12 of 18 passes for 138 yards and two scores, and the backs cranking out 286 yards on 44 carries. And with the defense sacking Chambersburg’s quarterback six times, it was close to a complete win. Miles Copper rushed for 112 yards and caught two passes for 28 yards. Wide out Mateo Crummel was impressive with nine receptions for 105 yards and three touchdowns. The defense was on it, holding the Trojans to negative 11 yards rushing. One of the most significant games in the state is this weekend at Speed Ebersole Stadium (Landis Field) with State College in for a Friday night fight.
9 Cocalico 5A 3-1
Unlike Lampeter Strasburg, Cocalico has passed a MAJOR test with a 48-28 win two weeks ago against Manheim Central. Last week saw them rout an outmanned Octorara (2-2) team 49-14 behind the dual battering rams of Sam Steffey with 124 yards and Aaron Longenecker at 95. Both had two touchdowns. Their option offense ground out 308 yards and a 42-0 lead at the half with backups taking over. They’re into the meat of the schedule now with Lampeter Strasburg (4-0) in on Friday followed by a road game at ELCO (4-0) then a home game against Wyomissing (4-0). Guess that will determine the pecking order!
10 Lampeter Strasburg 4A 4-0
Here’s another game with state wide implications with undefeated 4A Lampeter Strasburg going to Denver for a game against the undefeated 5A Eagles of Cocalico High. It’s also an LL-Section 4 game matching two of the top option teams in the state. LS rocked Donegal last week 50-6 with 334 total yards to Donegal’s 89! But not before a 74 yard Ruben Mumper to Angel Mendez touchdown toss woke them up, scoring 50 unanswered points. Their key back Jonathan Mellinger was unstoppable with 220 yards and two touchdowns on 24 carries. Peter Fiorello with 25 and 44-yard field goals could be key Friday in Denver. And the line at 240 pounds is quick and making the holes. Sophomore Collin Shelley at 6-4 280 is getting noticed by the big schools.
11 Wilson 6A 2-2
Wilson got a big night from quarterback Tommy Hunsicker throwing for 241 yards and four touchdowns while completing 10 of 13 passes in a 38-14 win against city rival Reading. Reading’s D or Wilson lack of a running game (more like it) had them at 10 yards on 19 attempts? The Red Knights had 130 yards rushing. Wilson’s Cam Zullinger had a five-yard scoop and score in the first quarter along with Ben Rada’s 26-yard field goal to help propel them to a 24-0 1st quarter lead. Undefeated Cedar Crest is next in a key LL-1/6A game for seeding in the small eight man 6A field that needs to expand to 12.
12 Manheim Central 4A 3-1
The Barons recovered sluggishly from their surprising 48-28 loss at Cocalico two weeks ago with a 28-7 win at Susquehannock. It was 14-7 going into the 4th quarter with the Warriors hanging tough with a smaller but balanced attack (114ry-122py). Manheim Central’s quarterback Zac Hahn was on the money with 18 completions in 22 attempts (82%) for 284 yards, with the ground game at 178 yards on 24 attempts. Susquehannock had no answers for Brycen Arnold who had 152-yards on 19 carries or wide out Aaron Enterline who had seven catches for 168 yards and touchdowns of 72 and 29 yards. Next up is 1-3 Warwick who will battle hard with competitive losses and a 17-14 win against Cocalico.
TIE
York (William Penn) 6A 3-1
The Bearcats stormed past hapless Northeastern (0-4), surging to a 34-0 halftime lead with no letup in a 61-7 win to open York Adams-Division One play. They recovered at least two fumbles and had a pick while rolling out 504 total yards of offense to the Wildcats 30. 454 of York’s yards came on the ground. After allowing Harrisburg 50, Hempfield 25 and Carlisle 40 points, the Bearcat D made a statement here, allowing but 30 total yards. This week’s opponent is a solid 3-1 Red Lion team whose only loss came in the opener at undefeated Ephrata, 34-32. York is more but needs to keep it together here in a significant York-Adams-Division One game.
13 Twin Valley 4A 4-0
Twin Valley stuttered early on with a 21-12 lead at the half before coming on hard in the 2nd half to score 28 points in a 49-19 win against Fleetwood. Once rolling, their HUGE offensive line blew out chunks of Fleetwood’s defense with Drew Engle blasting for 198 yards on 12 carries and two scores and Evan Johnson at 135 yards on nine carries with three more touchdowns. Quarterback Evan Myers completed 11 of 23 passes for 202 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 26 getting another score. Ben Grundy and Jordan Rose had 91 and 62 yards in receptions respectively. Fleetwood hung in there initially with their exciting back Czion Brickle at 178 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries. But TV was way more at 562 total yard to Fleet’s 336. The Raiders look to keep it going this Friday at winless Elizabethtown.
14 Cedar Cliff 5A 4-0
Cedar Cliff did not get the battle they expected last week as they rolled to a 41-21 win at Hershey Park Stadium against Hershey. It was an awkward game with CC’s Qb Bennett Seacrest completing only four of 14 passes for 96 yards. But the ground game was effective behind a nice line with running back Erik Shriver rushing for 128 rush yards and two touchdowns. Nathan Lusk had a 37-yard Pick-6 in the 2nd quarter with Julius Tirado getting another of 46 yards in the 4th quarter to break Hershey’s back despite the Trojans piling up 426 yards of offense. That doesn’t bode well this weekend with Bishop McDevitt coming in for a key divisional game.
TIE
Cedar Crest 6A 4-0
The Falcons got the most out of their modest attack that generated 118 passing yards and 198 on the ground in a 42-13 division win against Penn Manor. It was 35-0 at the half. The headliners were Fernando Marquez, rushing for 113 yards with touchdowns of 5, 9 and 10 yards and Malachi Victor with a 17-yard scoop and score in the 2nd quarter. Winless Penn Manor finally scored their first points of the season following three shutouts. Cedar Crest’s offense at 316 yards was small but productive, generating 42 points for an outstanding 7.52 points per yard. They’re home Friday where it will be rocking in Lebanon with Wilson in town and the Falcons looking for some pay back after last year’s 36-13 loss to the Bulldogs.
15 West Perry 3A 4-0
West Perry batted down a pass in the end zone from the one-yard line with four seconds left on the clock to preserve a 19-16 road win against favored Trinity. Quarterback Marcus Quaker rushed for 130 yards on 18 carries with Brad Hockenberry adding 98 as the Mustangs got their second straight win against the Shamrocks, having won last year 40-14. This is a huge win for the school in the division race with Trinity and Steel High who they play in the regular season finale. It’s also important for seeding purposes with Wyomissing in the same classification. West Perry is at James Buchanan (1-3) Friday where they will roll.
16 Ephrata 5A 4-0
Ephrata graduated a lot of key people last year but here they are at 4-0 coming off their second road win of the year. Just goes to show you! The game last week against always physical Solanco (1-3) was a test of sorts with the Golden Mules power ground game that plowed ahead for 335 yards on 64 carries! But there was no passing game with three completions in 10 attempts. Meanwhile, Ephrata showed a ground game of 298 yards on 32 carries and a passing attack of 108 yards on a 7 of 10 outing by Sam McCracken. He also rushed for two scores and 29 yards. Nick Keller’s 75-yard kickoff return for a score and Evan Honberger’s field goals of 32 and 36 yards opened it up for the final of 55-29. Solanco goes to Conestoga Valley (2-2) who will be a tough out while Ephrata has a home game against Boone (1-3).
17 Trinity 2A 2-2
Trinity lost a tough one to West Perry 19-16 in the last seconds of the game. See West Perry above. Quarterback Caleb Wray was 10 of 13 for 113 yards with Messiah Mickens (hobbled) rushing for 97 yards; out for the 4th quarter. Christian Joy had 77 yards rushing and 46 in receptions. The defense like the rest of the team is young but played well enough to win. Sophomore line-backer Quincy Smith had 13 tackles while soph FS Chris Thompson had 7. Freshman OLB Hayden Johnson had 10 stops with junior LB Jacob Hess with 12 tackles. And although they were coming off a physical, emotional loss to Wyomissing 35-34, you’ve got to win you home games against high end comp not lose back-to-back homers. Boiling Springs (1-3) is up next in Trinity’s first road game of the year.
18 Exeter Township 5A 4-0
Exeter is off to a great start with very few challenges left on the schedule after beating Governor Mifflin 31-10 last week at home. To date they are almost matching last year’s 10-1 team statistically with an offense at 40ppg and a defense at 11. But it’s against teams with a combined won/loss of 4-12. That’s the one positive of a new group against a weak slate, they get time to develop and mature. This year’s is balanced with quarterback Riley Martinez completing 10 of 19 for 173 yards and 200 rush yards led by Jayden Zandier’s 126 last week. Martinez is at 60% on the year (35/58) for 636 yards with three capable backs sharing the load and three solid receivers headed by TE/DE Zack Zandier (6-5, 230, sr). They’ll roll Friday with winless Lebanon in town giving up 40ppg while scoring only 8!
TIE
Garden Spot 5A 4-0
The name Garden Spot doesn’t exactly send chills down the spine of their opponents. But the way the team has been playing does, opening with four straight wins and passing a tough road trip at Conestoga Valley two weeks ago. Last week saw them beat Boone 37-9, with a offense totaling out at 470 yards. Their primary weapon is one of the best kept secrets in Central PA in Kyle Harting, their dual threat quarterback. Last week’s stats were incredible, completing 15 of 27 passes for 234 yards with touchdowns of 35, 69 and 11-yards. He also rushed 19 times for another 218 yards and a touchdown giving him 452 total yards of offense. That’s 90.4 % of their total yardage in the game. Winning by an average score of 38-9 puts them in good shape for quirky Fleetwood (2-2) Friday before the major challenge of back-to-back games against Ephrata and Twin Valley, both currently undefeated.
19 Red Lion 6A 3-1
Red Lion had an inordinate amount of injuries last year that forced them to play many underclassmen. That should pay dividends this year with a veteran quarterback in Chris Price back, three receivers and three linemen including Sean Tanner (6-7, 300, sr). Price was a ‘keeper’, throwing at 67% for 1341 yards with a 17/6 ratio. Further, he rushed for 582 yards on 82 carries. Also back is LaDainian Strausbaugh who had 806 yards rushing. They’re off and running this year with three straight wins following a 34-32 season opening loss at undefeated Ephrata. ‘The Price Was Right’ last week, completing 17 of 22 throws for 213 yards. Elijah Morales, Jayden Zielinski and Damian Cedrone were the leading receivers with 106, 78 and 62 yards respectively. This week’s game against York High will go a long way in determining who the top dog is in the YA-1 this year; York, Red Lion or Central York. The game is at Red Lion.
20 New Oxford 5A 4-0
The Colonials are playing like a high seed with four wins already under their belt with a brand new crew. Nothing has slowed them down against capable if not winning teams beating rivals Gettysburg (1-3) 38-20 and South Western (2-2) on consecutive weekends, then keeping it together against a disappointing but dangerous 1-3 Dover group last week winning 30-7. Quarterback Idriz Ahmetovic had a strong game completing 11 of 19 passes for 144 yards while throwing for a touchdown and rushing for another Their backs Clayton Nieves and Jarret Bitzer had 72 and 82 yards respectively with Nieves rushing for two touchdowns. Evidently Dover had some injuries as they returned a solid core that appeared capable before this game where they mustered a woeful 35 rush yards. York Suburban is next with a scrappy 2-2 group looking for a new identity after graduating Mikey Bentivegna (5-9, 185, Duquesne) who had 2385 yards rushing last year.
OTHERS:
Milton Hershey 4A 3-1 vs Hershey
East Pennsboro 4A 4-0 at Greencastle Antrim
Greencastle-Antrim 5A 4-0 home vs East Pennsboro
Lower Dauphin 5A 3-1 home vs Red Land
Conestoga Valley 5A 3-1 home vs Solanco
ELCO 4A 4-0 at Wyomissing

Watched this one on the very good WBCB broadcast on the night Pennsbury opened the new stadium / turf. West maintained control even with the failure to finish in the end zone and having to settle for FGs. They held Pennsbury to 124 total yards, all on the ground (40 in the second half), while missing their leading tackler / best LB. Pennsbury doesn't have the weapons they did last year (obviously) but still have some very talented players and play tough, physical football for 48 minutes, as will every team Snyder coaches. QB Beighley is a tough 2-way player and their LB Pimrich is a stud who made a ton of tackles up the middle. For West, Cooper Taylor opened another game with a long run on the first play, and Clemens had around 100 yards rushing again while also kicking two FGs. All in all, a nice win to play spoiler on what was a big night for Pennsbury football. Passing game took a step forward which I expect it will continue to do as Cooper gets more reps in practice and games.

West has North Penn this week. NP still has plenty of weapons and West can't afford to look ahead. North Penn held off Neshaminy last week, having to play their emergency QB in the second half. The parts of the game that I saw, I was surprised at the size up front for Neshaminy. Very good-looking O-line, uniformly big, but... in 2-point stances even when they are under center. More than one person is rolling over in their grave in lower Bucks.

CB South vs East - didn't see much more than a few highlights from this one. Huge win for South in what was a sloppy game with a lot of penalties. Two teams that are very big up front, but not as deep in skill as they have been previous years. South vs Pennsbury next week is a nice matchup, where South will need to match the physicality of Pennsbury. (they can) Should be a very good game. East should rebound against Pennridge.

In the Continental conference, CR South v Quakertown is the one to watch this week. Souderton is the favorite to win it this year, and if one of these teams wants to knock them off, they need to win this one first.

* State College 4-0 6A at Central Dauphin 3-1 6A.
This is big time football when Mid Penn-Commonwealth teams go at it; big OLs fast backs and teams not afraid to sling it. The big boys go at it Friday at Landis Field. Major implications in the district although State High plays-off out of District-6. This one is worth the ride to Harrisburg to see all the talent flooding the field in one of the major games in the state this weekend.
* McDevitt 4-0 4A at Cedar Cliff 4-0 5A.
At West Shore Stadium (SRO!) with Colts good enough to get McDevitt's full attention. That's bad news as they haven't played anyone on the schedule that comes close to these guys.
* East Pennsboro 4-0 4A at Greencastle Antrim 4-0 5A.
Pennsboro has some tough kids from the Enola Yards and a big O at 40ppg. The guys from Antrim's hill country can be some mean hombres too and they love playing defense at 13ppg allowed. Could be a rough night for Pennsboro knowing GA hasn't been home since August 8th meaning they'll be a crowd.
* Steel High 4-0 1A at Big Spring 3-1 4A
The guys from the big spring in Newville can play but won't be able to keep up with the Rollers prepping for another Class-A state title.
* Wilson 3-1 6A at Cedar Crest 6A 4-0 6A
Big big match up of LL-Section One teams. The Crest is no joke shutting out Philly Northeast 24-0, throttling CD East 33-7, doing Warwick in 3 overtimes and thumping Penn Manor last week. Wilson has a great passing game and coach and no running game. Should be hot times in Lebanon this weekend where the Bulldogs will get a war with the Falcons.
* ELCO 4-0 4A at Wyomissing 3A 4-0
ELCO has a great back (Jake Wms-1141) but Wyo has a few of them and always get up for anything remotely resembling a threat tho Raiders are 4A. 4-0 gets your attention when you're a program like Wyomissing.
* Lampeter Strasburg 4-0 4A at Cocalico 3-1 5A
Get there early for a super short game between two option offenses, ie fast and physical between LL-4 rivals. LS at 1106 ry, Cocalico at 1286.
* York High 3-1 6A at Red Lion 3-1 6A
Red Lion is a veteran team getting York and Central York at their place this year with a good looking team. York won 3 straight since opening with the Harrisburg loss, 50-20. Red Lion is also at 3 straight with the season opening loss at 4-0 Ephrata 34-32.

Nice bounce by Cougars. No other info.

Here's Spring Ford vs Manheim Township last night.
Manheim Township 63-28 Spring Ford
562 to 412 total yds
26-14 1st downs
212-98ry (big difference) Declan Clancy 134 19 carries
Two great Qbs......Hayden Johnson for Twp 21/31 350 6 Pass Tds, 1 Rush; Matt Zollers for SF 19/24 314 2 PassTds 1 Rush.
By qtrs:
MT 14 28 07 14
SF 7 7 14 0

Official Week 3 College Football Power Rankings

Saw they only scored 28 points against a not so great Don Bosco Prep. What gives?

Kudos to Roman Catholic. Streamed the game last night and seen a 5 overtime game vs DeMatha. With the loss of Denmark a lot of questions were answered about how that loss impacts them. They had multiple opportunities to win that game and got sloppy in the goaline portion of OT but what a tremendous game.

Sophomore sensation quarterback Beals played a great game and was without fellow sophomore WR Ash Roberts who is said to be a real 4.3 40 with offers from Alabama, Michigan etc.

Two years in a row they have fielded a swarming defense and the overall team speed of Roman is very impressive at the high school level.

Coach Rick Prete and staff have really brought this program to life!