(Last week’s ranking in brackets)
1 Central Dauphin, 6A…………………..
Idle Sept 18, home to Chambersburg Sept 25
2 Warwick 1-0 (2), 5A
Warwick defeated Penn Manor last week in Millersville 43-13, showing their hallmark of big and balanced offense and solid defense. It was also beneficial getting a confidence building road win early. Their quarterback Joey McCracken who was questionable for the game was held out, still recovering from an ACL. No problem, in stepped sophomore Jack Reed (6-1,180) to complete 12 of 23 passes for 192 yards. Must be something in the water in Lititz (besides good coaching) the way they crank out quarterbacks. 2018 saw then soph Joey McCracken co-start with senior Adam Ricketts, throwing for 1978 yards (59%) while Ricketts had 1344 yards (62%). McCracken had the position to himself last year throwing for 61% and 2924 yards, while the well regarded freshman Reed got into 6 games and had a few throws. Cincinnati commit Caleb Schmitz caught 6 of his passes for 105 yards and a touchdown. Christian Royer got 76 yards rushing and a score while Penn Manor evidently focused on Warwick’s star running back Colton Miller (1324 last year), holding him to 28 yards on 11 carries. But that’s all they stopped with the Warriors running up those 42 points on 298 total yards, or, 6.9 yards per point. Efficient! Penn Manor was held to 190 total yards, 94 rushing and 7 first downs. Little got past DEs Thatcher Miller (6-3, 230) and Wisconsin bound Nolan Rucci (6-6, 272) or Caleb Schmitz (6-4, 210) who apart from his receiving skills is a hard hitting safety. Warwick is home Saturday vs Conestoga Valley (0-0) then comes Manheim Central.
3 Governor Mifflin 1-0 (9), 5A
The Mustangs soared in the rankings from 9th to 3rd after trouncing Wilson 48-7….at Wilson. Good luck finding a worse loss since they haven’t had a losing season since 1963. The worst I can find (Bulldog website) in the last two decades is 2004 losing to Carlisle 40-14 in the postseason. This one was as one-sided as the score indicates with Mifflin dominating all aspects of the game; first downs 17-7, rush yards 250-46 and total yardage 355-139. All-Everything Nicholas Singleton was unstoppable rushing for 160 yards, scoring on runs of 5, 1, 2, and 68 yards. FB Brandon Strausser had 64 yards on 15 carries. Connor Maryniak looked good under center in his first game as a starter, completing 5 of 10 passes for 64 yards with a touchdown pass. It was a key win in the playoff race with Warwick. Manheim Central, Exeter, Shippensburg and Cedar Cliff battling for one of the four 5A district playoff slots. The Mustangs are idle this week.
4 Central York 1-0 (8), 6A
Fortunately most of these games were streamed allowing me to also see Central York totally dominate Red Lion 55-0. Beau Pribula (Penn State) threw 5 touchdowns passes, with Taylor Wright-Rawls pulling in 4 of them. The Panther defense absolutely shut down Red Lion’s offense, keeping them on their side of the 50 on all but two possessions. Kicker Cole Luckenbaugh added to their misery putting the first 3 kickoffs into the end zone. Central scored at will, blowing out to an insurmountable 41-0 first half lead and a running clock. They have a nice O-Line. Best I can figure from the tape and roster, averaging 6-1, 248. Have speed everywhere on defense and skill positions throughout the team. Running backs Isaiah Sturgis (5-9, 180, sr) and Jahmar Simpson (5-8, 180, sr) are strong, fast runners. And Wright-Rawls and Judah Tombs will stretch any defense. Some new faces with last year’s Imeire Manigault (682 rush yards) transferring to Spring Grove are Trey Smith (6-2, 180, sr) transferring in from York High and Simpson from Dallastown last year; all skill position players. They are going to be a tough out and are the prohibitive favorite to win the York-Adams 1. The next game is at Dover (0-1) next week who will be recovering from their opening season loss to York High (Wm. Penn) 45-7; perhaps the only team that may be able to hang with Central in the YAIAA this year.
5 Lampeter Strasburg 1-0 (5), 4A
Lampeter Strasburg looks like they have another team for a deep run after dismantling Solanco 47-15 in Quarryville. Like Warwick, Berks Catholic, Central York and Governor Mifflin, its great banking a road win so early in the season. It’s only one game but wow they looked good….especially their line of Zach Shelley (6-2, 265, OT), Nick Del Grande (6-4, 255, OT), Neil Eckman (5-11, 245, OG), Ashton Spahr (6-0, 255. C), Jake Scranton (6-0, 270, OG) and Beau Heyser (6-1, 255, TE). Sean McTaggart seems recovered from an ACL (missed last year, see preseason Top 10 below) completing 7 of 12 for 115 yards, 2 TDs and rushing for 22 yards. LS scored on all 5 Solanco turnovers. They move on to play Lebanon (1-0) who throttled Northern Lebanon 39-7, outdistancing them 322 total yards to 87. Lebanon’s major weapons are 6-5 Qb Isaiah Rodriguez who threw for 200 yards (4152 career) and 2 Tds while running for another 3 scores…..and wide out Alex Rufe who caught 74 passes last year. With a veteran OL, they’ll need to get it going on the ground against LS and that should be difficult. They’re coming off a 7-4 season where they were easily 9-2. LS is more but can’t get sloppy here.
6 Bishop McDevitt (6), 4A…………………..
Idle Sept 18, at Mifflin County Sept 25
7 Middletown, 3A (7)…………………………..
Idle Sept 18, home to Juniata Sept 25
8 Berks Catholic 1-0 (8), 4A
Berks Catholic found out they had a game with Northwestern Lehigh (1-1) last Wednesday after NL’s opponent Pen Argyl decided to close down for a week because of two ‘coronavirus “associated” cases’. With only 4 games scheduled thus far, BC was all ears when the 1-0 Tigers came calling to play on their field two days later. Initially it looked like the Saints may have gotten more than they bargained for with Northwestern hanging tough, down 34-21 at the half and 49-35 at the end of three. But BC’s veteran team had too much, especially along the lines where they wore them down, getting out of New Tripoli with a deceptive 56-35 win. Still, the Tigers are a legit 4A from the Colonial with a 57-26 record the last 7 years, coming off a 9-3 season in 2018 and 10-2 last year, losing to Allentown CC 23-22 in the District-11 4A semifinal. They also graduated a great 4 year quarterback in Deven Bollinger (6-5, 210, 59%, 35/8 ratio) who threw for 2110 yards last year. Big loss, him and the entire OL but they’re still a competitive bunch. BC had two rushers topping 100 yards, Colby Newton at 147 and Justin Small at 113. Christian Cacchione had 146 total yards; 113 receiving, 33 rushing. Unless they find a game to fill this week vacancy, they’re idle, awaiting Boone (1-0) on Oct 3rd in Reading. 9/24....Scheduled a game at Cedar Cliff Friday 9/25
9 Manheim Township 0-1 (10 tie), 6A
It looked like “lights out” for Township who fell behind 28-6 at the half before rallying for 14 3rd quarter points to make a game of it. But a 7-7 4th quarter iced it at 35-27 for LaSalle in the most interesting inter-district opener of the year. Both sides showed strengths and concerns. LaSalle has a great back and ground game (OL) that dominated, rushing for 6.7 yards per carry with Samuel Brown gaining 164 yards on 18 carries for 3 Tds. He also pulled in a Gavin Daly 25 yard toss for their final tally. Except for a few plays, the Explorer defense stood out, especially the DL. Completing 4 of 11 passes is a concern but the opponent was worthy. Township showed strength in their passing game that had Evan Clark (6-3, 210, sr) completing 21 of 31 passes for 180 yards with no picks and 2 touchdown tosses. Anthony Ivey stood out as always snagging 9 passes for 107 yards, including touchdown receptions of 53 and 7 yards from Clark. Special teams saw Elijah Fonseca (5-10, 150, jr) return a punt 45 yards for a score and another junior speed merchant cornerback Chris Negron (5-8, 145) return a pick 35 yards for a touchdown. A stalled drive on LaSalle’s 5 yard line (credit the D) was pivotal as was a blocked punt the end of the first half giving LaSalle and easy 6. Credit again to the D. End of the day, LaSalle got a nice win against a quality opponent while Township showed their poise coming back from a 22 point deficit. Talk about going from the “frying pan into the fire”! Wilson is in Friday night in a game where someone is going home with a 0-2 record, likely out of any playoff contention.
10 Wilson 0-1 (3), 6A
The Bulldogs plummeted in the rankings, dropping from 3rd to 10th after getting routed at home by rival Governor Mifflin 48-7. That was the most points ever scored by Governor Mifflin against Wilson since Mifflin’s inception in 1954 (doesn’t count Shillington High). It was a true rout, with GM controlling the trenches (250 rush yards to 46), forcing 3 turnovers and converting 5 of 10 third down attempts to Wilson’s 1 of 10. They played smart too, squib kicking most of the night avoiding Mason Lenart’s (5-8, 155, jr) speed. When they did kick it away, he returned it to the 15 yard line towards the end of the half where Mifflin held on a 4th and goal at the 2. But he was injured on the play and did not return. It was a typical hard hitting rivalry game with other Bulldogs going down including quarterback Kaleb Brown in the 3rd quarter for the game, RB Jadyn Jones and LG Ethan Ashcroft. With Wilson completing but 5 of 16 passes for 93 yards and running for 46 yards on 27 carries….1.7ypc!....it was a complete shutdown. They’re at Manheim Township in a game that is essentially an elimination game for any postseason aspirations, both currently at 0-1.
T I E
Cocalico 1-0 (10 tie), 4A
What a strong debut for 1st year coach Bryan Strohl (long time Cocalico assistant) who took over for Dave Gingrich to win his first game as a head coach in their home opener, beating Garden Spot 49-21. Replacing Coach Gingrich and their once in a life time player Noah Palm (PA’s 5 A player of the year) was a big concern coming into the season. Coach had a 16 year career going 130-60 (one losing season), winning ten games seven times while directing the team to last year’s 5A state semi-final, losing to Cheltenham 56-49. Noah Palm had a monster career. Last year alone he rushed for 1628 yards and 35 touchdowns while passing for 1014 and 9 touchdowns. His career stats are 2432 passing yards, 4204 rushing yards and 111 touchdowns! He’ll play safety at New Hampshire after making the state’s all-star team at that position last year. Against Garden Spot, the Eagles barely skipped a beat, showing their big play ability in reeling off a 79 yard Td pass, touchdown runs of 57 and 60 yards and a 40 yard punt return for a touchdown. The new Qb Carson Nash (6-2, 195, sr) had a 15 yard and 3 yard run for scores and a 79 yard touchdown pass. Junior Anthony Bourassa had a big game, running for 120 yards and 2 touchdowns on 5 carries. They played well defensively, allowing two 4th quarter touchdowns after building a 42-7 3rd quarter lead. Next up is Manheim Central (1-0) who also looks like they haven’t skipped a beat since last year after crushing Cedar Crest 41-6.
Others
Lancaster Lebanon League
Manheim Central 1-0, 5A
Beat Cedar Crest 41-6. Cedar Crest has some nice skill people (Rb Aadyn Richards 141yards, Qb Chris Danz), just not enough of them tangling with Central even in a rebuilding year. By the 2nd half, the Falcons, down only 17-6 were worn out, with the Barons scoring 17 unanswered 3rd quarter points and 7 more in the 4th quarter to get the win. MC found a Qb in Judd Novak (5-11, 160, jr, 11/21/188, 2/1) and a pack of young running backs in Jaden Weit (6-0, 185, so, 7/90), Larry Marley (5-11, 175, jr, 14/51) and Justin Hefferman (5-11, 180, jr, 7/49). Look out next year....if not this year. They have a brutal schedule hereon starting with a road trip at Cocalico Friday.
Lebanon 1-0, 5A
Beat Northern Lebanon 39-7. Gets A LOT tougher Friday night despite being home with Lampeter Strasburg coming in at mid-season form. The Cedars of Lebanon will battle with their Air Raid attack and big Isaiah Rodriguez (6-5, 2150 last year, 200 pass yards last week) slinging em to speedy, glue fingered Alex Rufe who caught 74 passes for 1075 last year and 6 for 176 yards last week.
Hempfield 0-1, 6A
Lost to Exeter 41-34 in ot. Tough loss for Hempfield on the road in Coach George Eager’s inaugural game as head coach. But they found a quarterback in Cameron Harbaugh (6-1, 190, jr) who completed 17 of 25 passes for 154 yards (68%, 1/1) while rushing for 30 yards on 13 carries and getting a score. Tough as nails Tanner Hess (5-11, 180, sr) is their go to guy, rushing for 111 yards on 21 carries and pulling down 3 passes for 17 yards. They’re home to Penn Manor (0-1) Friday where they should get their first win.
Berks Inter-County Conference
Exeter Township 1-0, 5A
Beat Hempfield 41-34 in ot, home to CD East (0-0) Friday. Exeter needs to take care here despite being more on paper. They cranked out 437 yards last week against a scrappy Hempfield team you’ll hear more about this season, holding them to 298 total yards. Qb Gavin McCusker connected on 15 of 26 for 224 yards, throwing 2 Tds and 2 picks for Exeter with Joey Schlaffer snagging 6 passes for 101 yards and Carson Schmidt catching 6 for 98 yards. They were balanced with Eric Nagle gaining 119 yards on 15 carries. An interception in the end zone stopped Hempfield in ot after the Eagles scored on their possession.
Wyomissing 1-0, 3A
Wyomissing beat Hamburg 45-0 by pounding out 417 total yards to Hamburg’s 214. Wyo is a true powerhouse with 15 starters back (7 All-League picks) from last year’s 12-1 district champ. Coach Bob Wolfrum thinks this may be his best team since the 2012, 16-0 state champ that beat Aliquippa. Too bad their early schedule was cancelled that included Southern Columbia, Pottsville, Boyertown and Conrad Weiser. Qb Zach Zechman is back after missing all but 2 quarters of last season with Jordan Auman sliding over to running back where he got 105 yards. They rushed for 359 yards with Zechman completing 6 of 8 passes for 58 yards. The backfield that may be their deepest ever saw 12 players get touches behind a huge line. They’re home Saturday playing Fleetwood (0-1) who lost to Conrad Weiser 34-13.
Mid Penn Conference
Cumberland Valley, 6A……………….
Idle Sept 18, at Altoona Sept 25
Cedar Cliff, 5A………………………
Idle Sept 18, home to Berks Catholic Sept 25
Steelton Highspire, 1A ………………………
Idle Sept 18, home to Upper Dauphin Sept 26
Shippensburg, 5A………………………
Idle Sept 18, at Waynesboro Sept 26
