District 3 Top 10: Oct 14, 2020
(Last week’s ranking bracketed)
District 3 playoff information:
6A has 4 teams, 5A has 4 teams, 4A has 4 teams, 3A has 4 teams, 2A has 2 teams, 1A has 2 teams. The placements or seeds in the write ups reflect today’s standings on the district website.
1 Central Dauphin 3-0 (1) 6A
Central Dauphin endured a lackluster first half in Carlisle to build a 14-0 half time lead before returning to form with a 21 point third quarter to stay undefeated, winning 35-0. Max Mosey again impressed as one of the top junior quarterbacks in the state, completing 11 of 13 passes for 139 yards. He threw touchdowns of 12, 22 and 30 yards while rushing for 34 yards that included a five yard run for another score. Running back Tim Smith continued showing his abundant skills, rushing for 93 yards on eight carries and snagging a pass for 107 total yards and three touchdowns, one, a 43 yard burst on CD’s first possession. Malachi Bowman opened scoring in the third quarter with a 22 yard Td catch, finishing with five receptions for 66 yards. The Rams again demonstrated great balance, rushing for 203 yards in addition to Mosey’s 139 passing. Carlisle was held to 121 total yards. CD holds the top seed ahead of Central York, York High and Wilson. Altoona (2-1, 6A) is next, coming to Landis Field for their first road game of the year with wins against Cumberland Valley (1-2) and Chambersburg (0-3). They lost to Hollidaysburg (3-2, 5A, D6) 26-12. Hollidaysburg gets around, and can give perspective through linkage games about other teams. Hollidaysburg lost to Baldwin (2-1, 6A) 27-7 of the WPIAL and Musselman, West Virginia (5-1, 3A) 43-7, a power (43-16 last 5) in West Va’s pan handle or NE corner, rated 5th in their big school (3A) classification. Nice program that can’t get over the hump of beating historic power Martinsburg. Back to Altoona who is enjoying their best start in years coming off five straight losing seasons with an 11-38 record. But if they can’t beat Blair County rival Hollidaysburg in Altoona they’re in real trouble here against the Rams.
2 Harrisburg 1-0 (unranked), 6A
Harrisburg surges into the Top 10 belatedly after their first game but in mid-season form after stunning Berks Catholic (2-2) with a three touchdown explosion in the first seven minutes of the game. Fifteen more second quarter points and it was all over as the Cougars overwhelmed BC 62-28. That score would get your attention any time of the season. But to see Harrisburg do this in their season opener against one of the top 4A teams in the state, on the road, with a three game disadvantage was eye opening. It was largely a matter of Harrisburg’s O-Line and skill people overwhelming BC with Tyshawn Black (6-1, 275, jr), Nate Bruce (6-5, 325, sr, PSU), James Murray (6-2, 250, sr), Roy Irvin (6-2, 295, jr) and Jamear Henderson (5-11, 235, sr) dominating. The holes they opened were massive, allowing Kiev Gregg to rush for 114 yards, scoring on 8, 37 and 20 yard runs, and Jaylon Johnston to add 88 more, scoring on runs of 13, 12 and 4 yards. Veteran quarterback John McNeil showed what a senior quarterback behind a veteran line can do….especially in an abbreviated season….connecting on 6 of 10 passes for scores of 22 and 29 yards to Damaris Waters and Justin Cook. Special teams set them up most of the game and at the very start where Justin Cook returned the opening kick-off to BC’s 30 yard line, and Kyle Williams returned a punt 69 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter. What a performance. Their next game is Oct 31st against Chambersburg, well after Oct 23rd, the last date games are counted in determining playoff points and well short of the four games mandated by District Three to qualify for the playoffs. Coach says they’re willing to play two games a week. NOTE: the district web site just posted that Harrisburg is ineligible for the playoffs. I assume they did this feeling they won’t be able to fit in three more games by the Oct 26th deadline.
3 Governor Mifflin 3-0 (3), 5A
Once again Governor Mifflin destroyed a good football team, taking Exeter apart with 42 first half points on the way to a 56-14 win. They were at 350 yards rushing by the end of the first half! This, on the heels of their season opening 48-7 rout of Wilson at Wilson in part elevated them past Warwick in the rankings per Warwick’s less challenging schedule. Despite Exeter keying on running back Nicholas Singleton all night, he gouged them for 250 yards and two scores on just fourteen carries. Bad idea focusing on Singleton as it allowed “Lethal Weapon 2”, FB/LB Brandon Strausser (6-0, 215), to rumble for 172 yards on six carries, scoring on runs of 29 and 45 yards. He also had an 86 yard fumble return. What a day for the Mustangs tandem running backs! Any film you see of their rotation (Sheidy 6-2 290, Hoffman 6-4 215, Kohl 6-1 275, Lopez 5-11 225, Phillip 6-1 245, Griffith 5-10 255, TEs Stewart 6-2 245, Goodman 6-4 210), shows them dominating, staying on their blocks. The Mid Line takes a lot of work and these guys are good at it….as 468 rush yards attests. The win keeps them atop the 5A playoff rankings ahead of Waynesboro 3-0, Warwick 4-0 and Gettysburg 3-0. Exeter falls to fifth in a four team playoff field. Muhlenberg and Boone are next to complete Mifflin’s regular season. At 0-4, the Muhls are struggling, coming off a 51-0 loss to Exeter two weeks ago then losing to Plymouth Whitemarsh 47-7 last week.
4 Warwick 4-0 (2), 5A
Warwick’s drop to fourth is a reflection of Governor Mifflin’s play against a more difficult schedule, an adjustment, and Harrisburg’s coming onto the scene with an overwhelming performance in Reading against Berks Catholic. Otherwise, the Warriors continue to brutalize opponents, blistering Elizabethtown last week 50-9. To date, they’ve defeated Penn Manor (0-4), Conestoga Valley (1-2), Manheim Central (1-3) and Etown (1-3) by a combined score of 179 to 36. Last week witnessed quarterback Joey McCracken’s continued progress from an ACL, completing 14 of 23 passes for 226 yards and two touchdowns. He is still not the rushing threat of previous years, remaining in negative rushing yards for all three of his starts. Still, they showed a sizeable and balanced offense against the Bears, rushing for 213 yards and throwing for 226. FB Colton Miller pounded out 77 yards on 14 carries and two touchdowns, while their game changing wide out Caleb Schmitz (6-4, 205) caught 4 passes for 90 yards and a touchdown. The Warrior D was impressive, allowing 149 total yards. Next up is Solanco (3-1, 5A) in a LL Section-2 game with postseason implications knowing Warwick has the third seed and Solanco the fifth. The Golden Mules (what a name!) have the brutes up front and system to pound you with the Flex-bone but not the balance to sustain themselves through four quarters against a very balanced offense and stout Warrior defense that will load up to stop the run.
5 Central York 4-0 (4), 6A
Central York started off sluggish with a 7-0 first quarter, then opened up a 21-0 lead at the half before igniting in the second half, scoring 26 points to blow out Spring Grove 47-0 for their third shutout of the year. Beau Pribula (PSU) found Taylor Wright-Rawls and Judah Tomb all night, connecting for 15 of 20 tosses for 268 yards and three touchdowns. He finished with 305 total yards, rushing for 37 yards on five carries. Isaiah Sturgis and Raquel DeWitt carried the load rushing for 72 and 45 yards respectively as the Panthers piled up 498 yards of offense. The Rockets were held to 95 yards passing and 129 rushing. Central York currently holds the second seed behind top seeded CD and ahead of York and Wilson. Northeastern (0-4, 5A) and Dallastown (1-1, 6A) are all that’s left on the schedule, meaning that barring a major upset, they’ll go undefeated. Unfortunately, the game with York (3-0) is scheduled for Oct 30th, a week after selection week of Oct 23rd where both will likely be in the playoffs. They could see each other there since the Bearcats like Central York should win out, defeating South Western (1-2) and Northeastern (0-4).
6 Lampeter Strasburg 4-0 (5), 4A
Its great seeing quarterback Sean McTaggart fully recovered from his ALC, completing 6 of 8 passes for 78 yards and rushing for 34 yards against Donegal (2-2, 4A). Lampeter Strasburg was way more than the Mt. Joy crew who are struggling with injuries that left them punch less, gaining 46 total yards. A 28-0 first quarter sealed it but allowed backups to get a lot of time. Eleven running backs got carries as the Pioneers emptied the benches in a 42-0 romp. Drew Harris led all backs with 90 yards and two scores on 18 carries. Make that back-to-back shutouts for LS who allowed 35 points all year, or 9ppg while scoring 179 points, a 45ppg average. Last year’s team went 11-4, losing to Thomas Jefferson (16-0) in the semifinal while averaging 33ppg and allowing 19. Makes you wonder how they got that far until recalling the 30-27 upset of Bishop McDevitt (8-4) in the district semifinal where they rallied from a 20-0 halftime deficit, after upsetting top seeded York Suburban (10-1) 27-18 the week before. That was quite a run until the magic ended the following week against TJ who shut them down to 126 total yards (6 rushing) in a 44-2 rout. But, it was a great ride that could show real benefits this year. Garden Spot (1-3, 4A) is next at Lampeter where they hold the top seed ahead of ELCO 4-0 (Eastern Lebanon County), Cocalico 3-1 and Bishop McDevitt 3-0 with two games to go.
7 Bishop McDevitt 3-0 (6), 4A
It was bombs away Friday night at West Shore Stadium where Cedar Cliff took on visiting Bishop McDevitt in a key Mid Penn-Keystone game with two playoff hopefuls locking horns in a wild one. The first half was boring enough for these two explosive teams with McDevitt holding a 14-7 lead. Then all hell broke loose with a 47 point outburst in the third quarter (seven touchdowns!), 26 by McDevitt and 21 by the Colts. And just as suddenly as it began, it ended, with each shutting the other down the rest of the way. McDevitt went home with a 40-28 win while the Colts saw their playoff hopes dashed, dropping to 17th in a playoff field of four. McDevitt clings to the fourth spot with a razor thin lead over Conrad Weiser (4-0). Although there were many, you’d have to say quarterback Lek Powell was the most outstanding player, completing 21 of 36 passes for 314 yards, throwing touchdowns of 2, 9, 44, 70 and 23 yards; four coming in the third quarter. Their receivers as is often the case at McDevitt are some of the best in the state, with Kamil Foster catching four passes for 104 yards, one, a 70 yard touchdown. Omari Hopkins pulled down five passes for 94 yards with a 80 yard punt return to boot, while Mario Easterly snagging eight passes for 94 yards and three touchdowns. Bottom line, McDevitt had more firepower than Cedar Cliff. They also had more penalties, eleven for 110 yards plus five turnovers. The defense helped negate that, holding the Colts to 210 total yards; an outstanding performance knowing two freshman, five sophomores and seven juniors played key roles with only three seniors playing. Add to that, their outstanding running back Marquese Williams missed his second game? They’re home this week against Cumberland Valley (1-2, 6A) who is trying to shift from low gear, the Wing-T, to high, the Air Raid offense, in an abbreviated season. Coach Oswalt will get them there in time. But for now they’re struggling, and coming off a 31-0 loss at State College.
8 Wilson 3-1 (8 tie), 6A
Wilson continued their quest for the playoffs with their third straight win after losing the opener by trouncing J.P. McCaskey (Lancaster High, 0-4, 6A) 41-0. It was a rout from the start with the Bulldogs scoring fast and early in the first quarter. Gavin Lenart blew by everyone for a 50 yard Td run early in the first quarter to open things followed by quarterback Kaleb Brown’s two yard plunge for six before Spencer Thenga crushed them with a 62 yard punt return for six more, all in the first quarter. Nothing like special team scores to break your opponent’s will….early! Brown then found the mark throwing three touchdowns, two in the second quarter and one in the third to blow it open. Their outstanding senior receiver Troy Corson returned from injury to snag two passes for 34 yards that resulted in touchdowns of 11 and 23 yards, while rushing for 22 yards on four carries. Nice return! Lenart finished with 90 yards on seven carries. At 3-1, Wilson holds a slim lead over Hempfield (3-1) for the fourth and final seed. And with the Black Knights coming to West Lawn Oct 23rd, it looks like it’ll be settled on the field (yes!) if Wilson gets past Cedar Crest Friday and in a far more uncertain game, if fifth seeded Hempfield gets past eighth seeded Manheim Township (2-2). Without exaggeration, both Hempfield and Township are a play or turnover away from being undefeated.
9 Wyomissing 3-0 (Other), 3A
Although no players tested positive, Twin Valley (0-2, 5A) postponed Saturday’s game with Wyomissing because of Covid related issues that prevented them having enough practice time. Has anyone seen anything close to normal (or enough) in terms of practice this season? Too bad since the Trojans were rolling, beating Hamburg 45-0, Fleetwood 49-9 and Plymouth Whitemarsh 44-0 before squatting last week. They’re home against Kutzown (0-3, 4A) Friday with the second seed behind top seeded Boiling Springs (3-0, 3A). The Bubblers (got to love it!) are coming off a four year draught (3-37) that includes three 0-10 seasons with a team of sophomores and juniors who all started last year. We’ll see how the youth movement is working and what they’re made of at third seeded Middletown (1-1) Friday night, knowing the Blue Raiders will be chomping at the bit coming off a cancelled Camp Hill game and the disaster a few blocks away in Steelton the week before, losing 43-21. They might get their bubble burst in this one.
10 Steelton Highspire 3-0 (Other), 1A
If you thought the McDevitt-Cedar Cliff game was explosive where McDevitt scored 26 points against Cedar Cliff’s 21….all in the third quarter, how about Steelton Highspire lowering the boom on Trinity, scoring 43 points in the second quarter alone in a 77-0 destruction of the luckless Shamrocks. Running clock or no, that’s a lot of points. It totals out to 662 total yards for the Rollers against 28 for the Rocks. 28! Talk about an air raid, freshman (phenom?) quarterback Alex Erby completed 22 of 30 passes for 398 yards and seven touchdown tosses. Penn State recruit Mehki Flowers had seven receptions for 167 yards, accounting for their first four scores on 2, 73, 27 and 31 yard touchdowns. Damein Hammonds had four receptions for 110 yards, scoring on 64 and 41 yard bombs from Erby while Tyrone Moore caught six passes, one a 14 yard touchdown for 82 yards. Odell Green rushed for 110 yards and caught five passes for 42 yards. The defense was relentless with Daivin Pryor getting a 35 yard Pick Six and defensive tackle Tydre Holland-Ali (6-1, 200, soph) getting a 21 yard Scoop and Score in the fourth quarter. The Rollers next opponent is Camp Hill (2-0, 2A) Saturday at noon in Steelton where they currently have the two seed behind the always tough Delone Catholic Squires (4-0) from McSherrystown.
Others; all games are Friday 10/16.
Mid Penn Conference
Hershey 3-0, 5A; has eleventh seed at home to Mifflin County 0-2, 6A. Should go undefeated after beating Cedar Cliff in last minute 28-21.
Middletown 1-1, 3A; has third seed at home vs top seeded Boiling Springs (3-0, 3A) with the third seed. Qb Tony Powell injured in CD scrimmage is now back.
Cedar Cliff 1-1, 5A; at Palmyra 0-3, 5A. Looking bleak as the 17th seed with one game to go per Idle Oct 23rd. Probably the best 5A team to miss the playoffs.
Lancaster Lebanon League (Sections 1 and 2)
Cocalico 3-1 (9), 4A; has 3rd seed at home to Elizabethtown 1-3, 5A.
Hempfield 3-1, 6A; has 5th seed at home to Manheim Twp.
Manheim Township 2-2, 6A; has 8th seed at Hempfield.
Solanco 3-1, 5A; has 5th seed at home to Warwick.
Berks Inter-County Conference (Sections 1 and 2)
Conrad Weiser 4-0, 4A; has 5th seed at Boone 2-1, 5A.
Berks Catholic 2-0 (8 tie) 4A; has 10th seed at Exeter.
Exeter Township 3-1 (9) 5A; has 6th seed at home to Berks Catholic.
York-Adams (Divisions 1 and 2)
York (William Penn) 4-0, 6A; has 3rd seed at home to South Wester 1-2, 5A.
York Catholic 4-0, 2A; has 2nd seed at home to Hanover 1-3, 3A.
Gettysburg 5A 3-0; has 4th seed at home to York Suburban 1-2, 5A.
Delone Catholic 4-0, 1A; has top seed at home to Fairfield 1-3, 1A.