District 3 Top 10: Oct 21, 2020
(Last week’s ranking bracketed)
1 Central Dauphin 4-0 (1) 6A
Central Dauphin started slow, hanging on to a 7-6 first quarter lead with Altoona (2-2) who played inspired football, making them earn every yard. Things opened up in the second quarter with the Rams holding a hard fought 21-13 lead at the half. But the Rams have so much skill and firepower that opponents often wear down. That was the case here where a 21 point third quarter stretched the lead to 35-7. They went on to win by a somewhat misleading score of 49-20. Judging by Altoona’s performance against a superior team, second year coach Vince Nedimeyer Jr is turning things around. He’s from Altoona where he quarterbacked the ‘97 team that went 12-1 before going on to Rhode Island as a quarterback. Great story. Speaking of Qbs….the Rams Max Mosey seems to improve on a weekly basis after completing 16 of 22 passes for 162 yards, with scoring strikes of 11 yards to Malachi Bowman and 22 yards to Dan Ficca. Barring the height difference where Mosey is 6-1, 180, he reminds you of 6-4, 175 Matt Bugbee at Nazareth. Both are lanky, rangy types who can run and pass. Mosey is starting to drop it right in there with perfect throws that have a lot more zip on the ball, evidently from a serious off-season training program. Add to that an abundance of skill types including wide out Malachi Bowman (5-10, 165), who catches everything, Shamarr Joppy (6-1, 180), Tim Smith (6-0, 195), Dan Ficca (5-11, 205), Terrell English (6-0, 200), and it’s almost too much to account for. All can catch making them a double threat. Each had touchdowns (Joppy two) with Bowman adding an 84 yard kick-off return. Total yards were Central Dauphin 444, Altoona 290. Got to hand it to the revived Mountain Lions who rushed for 206 yards. CD moves on to play neighborhood rival Central Dauphin East (0-4) Friday currently holding the top seed. Harrisburg could get the top seed if they can play the PIAA mandatory 4 games by Monday Oct 26th to qualify for the postseason.
2 Harrisburg 3-0 (2), 6A
Harrisburg worked out a game with J.P. McCaskey (0-5, 6A) at Severance Field in Harrisburg where they won easily 49-0. Hats off to the Red Tornados and head coach Sam London for making this happen, sandwiching the game between Wilson and Manheim Township. With McCaskey down 42-0 at the break, Harrisburg sat their varsity players for the second half. Some of the District-1 and District-12 crowd might remember McCaskey’s assistant coach Emmett Hunt as a standout quarterback on the 2012 Coatesville team (13-3), throwing for 3100 yards and 44 touchdowns before losing to undefeated North Allegheny in the state final 63-28. They defeated LaSalle College (12-2) 42-35 in the semifinal by surviving a furious rally where the Explorers fought back from a 42-21 fourth quarter deficit to come within seven before losing. Hunt completed 16 of 29 passes for 239 yards, with the Explorers defense yielding a surprising 278 yards rushing. Continuing with McCaskey, head coach London is a decorated Air Force vet and Coatesville grad as well. The win gets them a game closer to the PIAA mandatory four game minimum to make the playoffs.
Harrisburg at Williamsport Oct 20th: Things are working out for Harrisburg in their belated attempt to create a schedule by playing Williamsport Tuesday evening at Williamsport. The Millionaires became available when Pittston called Friday’s game because of covid related issues. They entered the game at 5-0, ranked third in District-4 behind top ranked Montoursville (5-0, 3A) and second ranked Jersey Shore (4-0, 4A). The long bus ride and playing two games in four days was evident with a somewhat lethargic Harrisburg hanging on to a slim 12-0 halftime lead. But that all changed in the second half when underrated quarterback John McNeil threw scoring strikes of 45 yards to Marquise McMillan and 21 yards to Justin Cook. McNeil ended the evening with ten completions in fifteen attempts for 144 yards and three touchdowns with a first quarter 1 yard plunge. Kiev Gregg continued his strong season rushing for 159 yards with Jaylon Johnson rushing for 86 yards on twelve carries. Both had a touchdown. Harrisburg has games remaining with Chambersburg, Manheim Township and Cumberland Valley that come after the playoff cut-off date. They will not qualify for the playoffs unless they play another game by Monday, Oct 26th.
3 Governor Mifflin 4-0 (3), 5A
Top seeded Governor Mifflin continued their dominance of teams from the major district conferences by swamping Wilson 48-7 of the Lancaster Lebanon League in the opener, then Mifflin County 55-14 of the Mid Penn-Keystone, and finally the Berks Inter County-Section One teams including Exeter 56-14 and Muhlenberg last week 49-0. Running back Nicholas Singleton had another banner performance rushing for 158 yards and three scores on four carries to bring his season total to 668 yards on 43 carries. That’s 15.53 yards per carry! Fullback Brandon Strausser’s 322 yards on 34 carries is at 9.76ypc while Trey Rock checks in with 120 yards on 14 carries for an 8.57ypc average. The Mustangs run the Mid Line Option with a veteran line in front of a deep stable of running backs. What they need now is a test like the one many felt Wilson would give in the opener. That didn’t work out and in all likelihood, neither will the regular season finale in Birdsboro against Boone (2-2). The Blazers crashed and burned after wins against Twin Valley and Muhlenberg with losses to Berks Catholic (3-2) 49-7 and surging Conrad Weiser (5-0) 48-7.
4 Warwick 5-0 (4), 5A
LL- Section Two power Warwick went into Quarryville Friday night to put a hurting on Solanco’s Golden Mules who once again collapsed against a top tier Lancaster Lebanon team, losing 48-14. The season opener saw them succumb to LL-Section Three power Lampeter Strasburg 48-14. So much for Solanco’s playoffs hopes as they drop to 3-2, seventh in playoff seeding. Warwick who has the two seed behind Governor Mifflin had too much of everything here, pounding out 280 rush yards with fullback Colton Miller gaining 225 yards on 19 carries. He scored on runs of 1, 34, 11, 57 and 62 yards, getting stronger as the game went on. Quarterback Joey McCracken completed five of eleven passes for 134 yards and a touchdown of 51 yards to Caleb Schmitz, his only reception of the game. The Mules were held to 242 yards, all on the ground with no passing attack, going 0 for 6. Next up is dangerous Cocalico (4-1, 4A) who are in a battle for the fourth and final seed with Northern (4-0) and Weiser (5-0) just behind them. Last year saw Cocalico (11-3, then a 5A) beat Warwick (10-3) in the district semifinal 21-13. Heck of a game coming back from a 13-0 second quarter deficit before losing in the 5A final to Cheltenham 56-49. What a wild one that was! Cocalico graduated super talented Noah Palm at quarterback who gashed the Warriors for 145 yards and passed for 82 last year. This is one of the major games in southern Pennsylvania with Warwick trying to fight off New Oxford (4-0) for the 2 seed.
5 Central York 5-0 (5), 6A
Central York, like Harrisburg and Governor Mifflin had what were essentially controlled scrimmages, rushing out to a 36-0 first quarter score on the way to a 70-0 romp against winless Northeastern. The Bobcats (0-5) are scoring points, 21 a game before Central but allowing way too many at 35ppg….before Central York laid 70 on them. The Panthers scored ten touchdowns on Northeastern and got seven turnovers with quarterback Beau Pribula throwing four touchdowns and rushing for another. To date they’ve scored 279 points while allowing 3. Its great throwing four shutouts but the lack of competition could be an issue for them and a number of teams that have not been challenged in this abbreviated season. Central is a good example, not facing league rival York (5-0, 6A) who averages 43ppg and allows 14. Same with Central Dauphin and Harrisburg who’ve avoided each other and State College for Harrisburg because of the vagaries of scheduling. Central York ends the regular season at home against Dallastown (1-2, 6A) Friday, currently tied with York High (5-0) for the second seed.
6 Lampeter Strasburg 5-0 (6), 4A
The Pioneers overwhelmed their fifth straight opponent last week in a Section Three game, routing Garden Spot 40-7. With a 43-14 scoring margin and two shutouts, they too have yet to be challenged. Quarterback Sean McTaggart had another strong outing, completing 9 of 16 passes for 185 yards with scoring tosses of 26, 28, 18, and 49 yards. His season stats are strong, completing 60% (39 of 65) for 615 yards with a Td-Pick ratio of 10 to 1. Tight end Beau Heyser had three receptions for 85 yards, two going for touchdowns of 26 and 18 yards. Austin Stoltzfus caught three passes for 65 yards including a 49 yard strike from McTaggart to end the first half. Alex Knapp opened the second half with a 72 yard run, ending the game with 90 yards on four carries and a reception for five yards. LS ended the game with 406 total yards of offense (220 rushing, 185 passing), holding Garden Spot (1-4, 4A) to 206 total yards. They enter their final game of the regular season at Ephrata (3-2) against the competitive Mountaineers who are close to an undefeated season losing to ELCO (5-0) 28-27 and Lebanon (3-1) 31-20. LS has the top seed ahead of ELCO (5-0). Bishop McDevitt (4-0) is third, and Cocalico (4-1) fourth with Northern (4-0) and Conrad Weiser (5-0) right there.
7 Bishop McDevitt 4-0 (7), 4A
Like so many teams in the Top 10, Bishop McDevitt rolled to another lopsided win, manhandling a struggling 1-3 Cumberland Valley team 45-10. Lek Powell continued his assault on school records completing 20 of 28 passes for 189 yards, throwing touchdowns of 3, 11, 10 and 3 yards. His favorite targets were as always Kamil Foster (6-0, 185, jr) catching eight passes for 69 yards and two scores, Mario Easterly (6-1, 175, jr) catching five for 26 yards and two touchdowns, and Omari Hopkins (6-1, 185, sr) pulling down three for 53 yards. Good luck guarding those three! They are fast with good size. Sophomore sensation Marquese Williams returned from injury to play the first half only, running for 44 yards on eight carries. No problem, in came Cyncir Bowers (5-10, 170), another sophomore who ran for 133 yards on ten carries. The Crusaders have a pile of skill players who can beat you, giving them the appearance of a team ready for a deep run in states. And the defense is maturing, holding Cumberland Valley to 62 total yards of offense. Struggling or not, 62 yards gets your attention when it’s CV. McDevitt rolled out 444 total yards, gaining an eye popping 255 yards on the ground. Through last week’s games they hold the third seed ahead of Cocalico, finishing up at home Friday against Red Land (2-2, 5A).
8 Wilson 4-1 (8), 6A
Wilson scored all their points in the first half then cruised to an easy 41-6 win against 1-4 Cedar Crest. The win combined with Hempfield’s loss to Manheim Township put them in sole possession of first place in the LL-Section One. Make that four straight wins since the embarrassing 48-7 season opening home loss to Governor Mifflin. Still unbelievable! Following that, they eked out a 31-28 road win at Manheim Township that lit the fire for their three game winning streak. With reserves taking over the second half, stats look less than impressive with Kaleb Brown throwing for 50 yards but rushing for 92 on eight carries and a score. He’s fully recovered with that many carries. Bullish Jadyn Jones had 72 yards on six carries while a healthy Mason Lenart had a score on five carries for 55 yards. Jones also had a 22 yard scoop and score. Jack Wagner showed his skills booting field goals of 20 and 40 yards. They must be healthy now with Qb Brown, Rb Lenart and WR Troy Corson (3 receptions for 60 yards) back, plus the entire OL. If that’s true and they make the playoffs they’ll be a factor. Right now they hold the fourth seed, precariously, not knowing Harrisburg’s status until the end of the week. As a reminder Harrisburg has to play four games by Oct 26th to qualify for the postseason per PIAA regs. If Harrisburg gets in Wilson is out.
9 Wyomissing 4-0 (9), 3A
Eight different players scored touchdowns as Wyomissing flooded the field with reserves to stay undefeated in a 62-0 rout of outmanned Kutztown (0-4, 4A). With a 41-0 lead at the half and Kutztown dressing 18 (vis-a-vis “outmanned”), it looked more like a controlled scrimmage than a bona fide game. Too bad but you know the 18 hung tough! Fourteen backs got carries as Wyomissing rushed for 245 yards on 22 carries, passing for 26. Kutztown was held to 103 total yards. They move on to Schuylkill Valley (1-4, 3A) for their final game of the regular season before entering the postseason (Oct 31st) as the top seed through Oct 17th games. This puts them ahead of Middletown (2-1), who they defeated in last year’s district final 24-21, and third seeded Boiling Springs (3-1), who lost to Middletown 20-16 last week. Littlestown (3-2) has the fourth seed with losses to top seeded Delone Catholic (5-0) in 1A and York Catholic (5-0) in 2A. Delone travels to York Friday for a matchup of the two private school powers in southern PA to decide the York-Adams Division Three title in a game that could impact both classifications.
10 Steelton Highspire 4-0 (10), 1A
You can’t say it was pretty but a 36-26 win against a feisty 2-1 Camp Hill team still goes in the win column keeping the Rollers with the second seed behind Delone Catholic. Saturday’s game was one of the worse performances by a Steel High team in years, committing 21.…repeat….21 penalties for 145 yards. Nothing vicious, just a number of dumb infractions like off sides, holding when there was no reason to hold, blocking in the back away from the play (always a crowd pleaser) and so on. There were a few unsportsmanlike penalties but nothing grievous. Camp Hill had their share as well with ten infractions for 80 yards. Combined, that’s 225 yards of real estate. And neither side played any defense with the Rollers pounding out 469 total yards to Camp Hill’s 433. To put it mildly, Steelton was shaky on pass defense. But credit Daniel Schuster for finding his receivers, completing 20 of 44 passes for 414 yards to bring his season total to 986 yards with eleven touchdowns. The Rollers did manage three interceptions that were critical, stalling key Camp Hill drives. Although Camp Hill’s passing game was clicking, they had no ground game. In fact they were smothered, held to 19 yards rushing. The Rollers meanwhile showed their typical balance, rushing for 334 yards with freshman quarterback Alex Erby completing 13 of 25 passes for 135 yards. To date he completed 71% of his passes for 1003 yards. Their workhorse running back Odell Green (5-10, 190, sr) scored on the first play from scrimmage going 51 yards, finishing with thirty one carries for 276 yards and five touchdowns. They currently hold the second seed with a home game against Big Spring (2-2, 4A) Friday. And with top seeded Delone traveling to York Catholic Friday, the Rollers could slip into the top spot should Delone falter.
Others; All games are Oct 23rd Friday.
Mid Penn Conference
Hershey 4-0, 5A; at Lower Dauphin 0-3, 5A. Holds the sixth seed behind Mechanicsburg with the fifth. Statement win over Cedar Cliff and only four make it in!
Middletown 2-1, 3A; at Trinity 0-4, 2A. Has the two seed and will name the score at outmanned Trinity.
Cedar Cliff 2-2, 5A; home to Carlisle 1-2, 6A. Colts are out of it with the twelve seed in what should be a game against the Thundering Herd who put up 29 against State High last week in a 38-29 loss.
Mechanicsburg 4-0, 5A; home to Waynesboro 3-1, 5A. No statement wins but have a weapon in Qb Micah Brubaker completing 78% of passes for 610 yards. Ran for 402 as well. Must beat fourth seeded Waynesboro to get in and will.
Boiling Springs 3-1, 3A; at third seeded Camp Hill 2-1, 2A. Boiling Springs ran for 234 yards vs Middletown last week in a narrow 20-16 loss while Camp Hill passed for 414 yards vs Steelton Highspire! The Bubbles have the third seed making this almost a play-in. See Newport below.
Newport 2-0, 2A. Newport is way up there where the Juniata splits off from the Susquehanna twenty-five miles above Harrisburg. Need two games with a tough one this week at Line Mountain (Dist-4, 5th seed, 3-1, 2A) against dual threat Qb Jacob Freese’s 499 rush yards and 356 pass yards. Newport would hold the two seed now but need a fourth games and a win here.
Lancaster Lebanon League (Sections 1 and 2)
Cocalico 4-1, 4A; at Warwick 5-0, 5A. See Warwick above. Cocalico has an option attack much like Solanco’s who Warwick handled last week.
Manheim Township 3-2, 6A; home to McCaskey 0-5, 6A. Have the fifth seed looking like a playoff team but suffered a fatal home loss to Wilson 31-28 four weeks ago.
ELCO 5-0, 4A; home to Columbia 4-1, 2A. Looking good seeded second behind Lamp-Stras ahead of McDevitt with a Cocalico-like offense and a dandy in Qb Braden Bohannon with 710 rush yards; 280 against Octorarra in a 22-19 road win. Columbia is 3-0 on road with an offense almost perfectly balanced between run and throw.
Berks Inter-County Conference (Sections 1 and 2)
Conrad Weiser 5-0, 4A; at Kutztown 0-4, 4A. Outscoring teams 187-34 with a 64% quarterback in Logan Klitsch with 1022 yards. Aanjay Feliciano impressive with 25 receptions for 502 yards. Seeded sixth behind Northern and Cocalico probably needing both to lose.
Berks Catholic 3-2, 4A; home to Muhlenberg 0-5, 5A. Seeded eighth and eliminated, looking to take it out on the Muhlies.
York-Adams (Divisions 1, 2, 3)
York (William Penn) 5-0, 6A; at Northeastern 0-5, 5A. Third seeded York High will rest the starters after the first half, maybe the first quarter, getting ready for Districts.
York Catholic 5-0, 2A; home to Delone 5-0, 1A. Likely one of the best games in southern PA where they love their small ball with two one seeds going at it. The Fighting Irish spread it around while the Squires prefer to pound you. Same ole grudges there as here with some of my school’s best talent going to Delone.
Delone Catholic 5-0, 1A; at York Catholic 5-0, 2A. Nice rebuild after graduating much of last year’s 8-4 team that beat Steelton Highspire 39-27 in Districts. Also beat the Irish 23-7 last year so look for the fur to fly Friday night in York at the recently completed York Catholic Stadium.
Littlestown 3-2, 3A; at Bermudian Springs 3-2, 3A. Thunderbolts can have some teams but nothing special this year except they hold the fourth seed just ahead of Bermudian, making this an elimination game. Always a hitting, smash em up game when the Bolts and Eagles get together.
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