2023 District 3: Top 20 (Week 3).
Games of Aug 15, 16 Week #3
1 Bishop McDevitt 4A 3-0
McDevitt survived another quality opponent with a 47-24 win against LaSalle College(Wyndmoor) just outside Philly. The game was in Harrisburg. McDevitt’s attack was just too big and diverse to keep up with. But LaSalle came out strong with a 14-6 first quarter lead that seemed to wake up the Crusaders who went on to outscore them 41-7. Wide out Rico Scott (Alabama) was unstoppable with eight receptions for 201 yards and touchdowns of 64, 10 and 69 yards. Chase Regan had two receptions, one for a 72-yard score with Stone Saunders (Kentucky) completing 13 of 21 passes for 319 yards. The ground game was there with Naz Jones-Davis at 64 yards and a score and Maurice Barnes with 25 hard yards on eight carries. Jaire Rawlison had a 45-yard scoop and score in the fourth quarter. Gavin Sidwar had a good game for LaSalle, completing 18 of 25 for 268 yards with Julian McFadden catching passes for 118 yards. Stevie Davis was his usual self with 71 yards in receptions on five receptions and 64 yards on 16 carries. LaSalle moves on to another challenge against the Haverford School (1-1) this week while McDevitt stays at home Friday against Palmyra (2-1) in the division opener.
2 Manheim Township 6A 3-0
Strange as this is to say, Manheim Township thumped Harrisburg last week, handling them for 405 total yards of offense while holding the previously big Cougar attack to 183 yards. 183 yards! Hayden Johnson completed 16 of 27 for 277 yards with touchdown tosses of 72, 1 and 6 yards, plus a 35-yard dash for another score. He’s a load! So was Landon Kennel with six receptions for 162 yards and two scores, plus Nick Palumbo with 82 yards on four catches. Declan Clancy had 92 rush yards on 22 carries as the Blue Streaks pounded the Cougars 38-6. Won’t the possible rematch in the post season be fun. Harrisburg will try to regroup in their home opener against Carlisle while Township plays an undefeated Spring Ford (3-0) team that will take it to them with any drop in intensity by the Streaks.
3 Central York 6A 3-0
Central York jumped past Harrisburg in the rankings on the strength of their 39-0 shutout of Hempfield and Harrisburg’s poor performance at Manheim Township. Cam Diehl was a one man show early on for Central York with a first quarter 94-yard kickoff return and a 72-yard touchdown run followed by QB Preston Fink hitting Ethan Carlos for a 20-yard strike, topped off with Matthew Parker’s 24-yard field goal to give the Panthers a 22-0 halftime lead. So make that consecutive shutouts for the surprising Panthers who are already surging for a lofty playoff seed. The schedule is less than daunting meaning they’ll likely enter the last game of the regular season unscathed, playing city rival York High in the finale. Winless Spring Grove is next in York.
4 Harrisburg 6A 2-1
After lessons learned and some extra laps, the 38-6 loss to Manheim Township is one of those games you just try to forget. Especially as you were truly whipped, held to 135 yards rushing, 118 passing and six total points. As a reminder, that’s exactly what Harrisburg did to Township last year in the district final by a score of 40-0. It happens! This week’s game against Carlisle (1-2) is their home opener and Mid Penn-Commonwealth Division opener as well. So look for focus and a monster response to last week’s loss against a dangerous ‘Thundering Herd’ team coming in off two tight losses.
5 State College 6A 1-1
The game at Hollidaysburg was cancelled because of the rare phenomena in weather known as lightening (holy smoke!) and will not be rescheduled. Go figure. State opens division play Friday at home against Altoona (2-1).
6 Steelton Highspire 1A 3-0
Steel High completed their non-conference schedule with a hard fought 29-22 road win against West Catholic (0-2) of Philadelphia. The Burrs were feisty, keeping the score down. But no one had an answer for Rollers quarterback Alex Erby who completed 25 of 30 throws for 368 yards. He threw three touchdowns against one interception. Wide outs Rell Caesar and Jaeion Perry feasted on the Burrs defense with Caesar snagging 11 passes for 202 yards and two touchdowns and Perry catching six balls for 106 yards and a score. The Burrs move on to Cardinal O’Hara where they’ll get their first win of the season while the Rollers open division play against Boiling Springs (1-2) who will be dragging after a Monday game per weather postponements against Gettysburg.
7 Wyomissing 3A 3-0
Wyomissing trailed Trinity 27-7 in the second quarter before igniting for 28 points in a 35-34 comeback win in Camp Hill. They did it with a combination of bash ball and the big play, scoring on runs of 44 yards by Derek Macrina and 57 yards from Chase Eisenhower. The team rushed for 410 yards. Sophomore Chase Eisenhower (5-11, 215) gashed them for 172 yards on 19 carries with Drew Forrey (6-4, 215, sr) at 49 yards on seven attempts. Derek Macrina (5-11, 165, jr) had 72 yards with Colin Niedrowski (6-0, 195, sr) adding 67 and a score on eight carries. Jeremiah Diaz (5-8, 170, sr) rushed for 43 yards on four carries. The game wasn’t resolved until :14 left on the clock when Wyo’s Qb Logan Hardy hit freshman Justice Hardy from the 1-yard line in the end zone to tie it with Keegan Maher drilling the point after. Not bad for a Wing-T team tossing it to a freshman with time running out! Props to Coach Bob Wolfrum. Wyomissing is a nice blend of size, speed, youth and veterans that can be explosive. They scored the final 21 points here to extend their regular season winning streak to 38 games. The D was right there as well, holding Trinity to 204 rush yards to Wyo’s 410. Up next is the home and LL-Section 4 opener against old rival Berks Catholic (0-3) as BC plays their fourth consecutive ranked teams.
8 Trinity 2A 2-1
Trinity’s special teams scored on two blocked punts while building a half time lead of 27-14 that ballooned to a seemingly safe 34-14 lead. But it wasn’t enough to hold off surging Wyomissing who overcame the deficit to defeat them 35-34. Standout running back Messiah Mickens was hobbled but still managed 145 of their 204 rush yards as the Rocks let this one get away. They better regroup fast with Mid Penn-Capital Division action starting Friday against the red hot West Perry Mustangs, coming in at 3-0, averaging 42ppg but against shaky comp that might catch up to them here.
9 Central Dauphin 6A 2-1
More than a few were ready to hit the panic button following CD’s season opening 45-35 home loss to Central York. But not all of us, feeling last week maybe the team that had something to prove was visiting Coatesville with a 2-0 record against weak comp. Still, no one thought it’d be this easy for CD who crushed the Red Raiders 35-13. The Rams offense was as always, vanilla, with Miles Copper rushing for 39 yards, Kyle McCullough at 66 and Mateo Crummel catching five passes for 38 yards. Coatesville had their moments but continually shot themselves in the foot with four interceptions and breakdowns allowing the Rams to break off too many long runs. CD wore them down with fresh backs. Nice game by the Ram’s linebackers who had 28 stops. Surprising Chambersburg (2-1) is next, winners of their last two after opening with a 22-0 loss to a ranked Pope John Paul II (3-0) team from District-1.
10 Lampeter Strasburg 4A 3-0
The Pioneers had no trouble with Kennard Dale, racing out to a 42-0 lead at the half then coasting to a 63-0 win. Jonathan Mellinger was a load, rushing for 144 yards with three touchdowns on just 11 carries. Levis Malatesta had 76 yards with quarterback Trent Wagner a solid 7 of 10 for 70 yards and three touchdown tosses. Damoj Gray was the primary, pulling in four for 78 yards. LS’s defense played one of their best games ever, holding KD to minus six total yards. They showed a balanced attack with 150 yards up top and 312 on the ground. LL-Section-4 action starts Friday at home against Donegal (2-1).
11 Cocalico 5A 2-1
Cocalico made a mega move last week from 18th to 11th in the rankings with a 48-28 win against previously undefeated Manheim Central. It was a strong performance on both sides of the ball with their offense churning out 475 yards rushing while the D held the Barons to 29 rush yards. Wow! Eagles running back Sam Steffey was awesome as usual, rushing for 191 yards and three scores on 21 carries. Quarterback Josh Meyer threw for zero yardage (0 for 1) but rushed for 124 yards. Aaryn Longenecker totaled had 92 yards with Brayden Eppinette at 61 yards on seven attempts. Everyone got in on the fun. It was 34-14 at the end of the third quarter. The LL-4 is stacked this year with Wyomissing (3-0), Lampeter Strasburg (3-0), ELCO (3-0), Berks Catholic, a dangerous 1-2 if there ever was one, and Cocalico. LL-4 action begins Friday at Octorara (2-1) where they can name the score.
12 Wilson 6A 1-2
Wilson’s scheduled game with Martin Luther King of Philadelphia was cancelled with Cheltenham of the Suburban One League replacing them for an game in West Lawn. This one was also lightening delayed but got played with the Bulldogs prevailing 40-26. Tommy Hunsicker was on target completing 21 of 27 passes for 292 yards. He threw two touchdowns and rushed for another three on 18 carries for 46 yards. His top receiver was Edison Case with six receptions for 173 yards and two touchdowns. Have to mention Cheltenham’s Tre McLeod who was held to 36 yards on eight carries but had an 86-yard scoop and score and an 81-yard punt return for six. He’s quite an athlete. Quarterback Jonathan Ingram completed 4 of 12 passes for 148 yards and rushed for 23 more on 10 attempts as Wilson shut down the Panther’s running game to 83 yards. Cheltenham moves on to another tough game at Perkiomen Valley (2-1) Friday while Wilson opens LL-1 action at home against Reading (1-2).
13 Manheim Central 4A 2-1
The Barons plummeted from 5th to 13th following their 48-28 drubbing by Cocalico. They couldn’t get anything going against the Eagles who slammed the door on their running game, holding the usually lethal Baron ground game to 29 yards. Any success was from the air with Zac Hahn completing 21 of 30 passes for 318 yards and two touchdowns. The outstanding receiver corps of Aaron Enterline and Bode Sipel had 131 and 111 yards in receptions respectively. Let’s see how they recover Friday at Susquehannock (2-1). The Warriors are definitely improved but not ready for a power like Manheim Central, especially following a loss where the Barons are especially difficult to beat.
TIE
York (William Penn) 6A 2-1
After giving us a thriller last year won by York 54-47, who’d have thought we’d get another one this year that was equally exciting? But we did, with York once again overcoming Carlisle 42-40. This was as tight as the score shows with Carlisle scoring two fourth quarter touchdowns only to be stopped on two, 2-point conversion attempts. And it was a pass happy game with York’s Najee Still completing 14 of 21 passes for 202 yards and three touchdowns. Carlisle’s Lucas Smith flung it 25 times, completing 13 for 330 yards and three scores. Carson Swartz caught eight of Smith’s throws for 265 yards while Wa’Nieq Scott had six receptions for 138 yards. York’s veteran, senior receiver David Warde had six receptions for 45 yards and a 45-yard Pick-6 in the second quarter. It was another tough loss for Carlisle who falls to 1-2 with Harrisburg next. York is gaining momentum off two tight wins with winless Northeastern up next, coming off a 60-6 thrashing from Central Dauphin East.
14 Twin Valley 4A 3-0
Big plays early on like Owen Rhoades zipping 54 yards on a throw from quarterback Evan Myers and a 42-yard scoop and score by Kyle Kline helped bust this one open with 21 second quarter points leading to a 35-0 halftime lead that iced it early with Twin Valley routing Conrad Weiser 49-0. Myers was 8 of 11 for 154 yards with the backs netting 264 yards on 26 carries. Twin Valley has a nice offense with a few weapons and a defense to back it up, allowing Weiser 173 total yards. They move on to play Fleetwood (2-1) at home Friday.
15 Cedar Cliff 5A 3-0
Quarterback Bennett Seacrest was strong with seven completions in ten attempts for 110 yards and a touchdown, throwing primarily to Nathan Lusk for 75 yards. Lusk also had two picks, returning one 25 yards for a touchdown with Tyrail Hills and Erik Shriver rushing for 70 and 67 yards as the Colts routed J. P. McCaskey 43-6. They’re averaging 33ppg and allowed nine against Shippensburg, Mechanicsburg and McCaskey, all 1-2 teams. That changes this weekend with a road game at Hershey (3-0) who edged them last year 21-20.
16 Cedar Crest 6A 3-0
Cedar Crest is making a lot of noise this year with wins against Philadelphia Northeast 24-0, Central Dauphin East 33-7, and last week’s 29-23 overtime win at Warwick. This was a defensive struggle, with the Falcons at 179 total yards and Warwick at 150. The two battled to a 13-13 standoff with Cedar Crest taking the overtime period 16-10 on Ethan Bowman’s 25-yard field goal and Fernando Marquez’s 2-yard burst. You’d have to say that Cedar Crest is the 6A surprise in the district with three impressive wins to date. LL-1 action begins Friday with 0-3 Penn Manor paying a visit. They have yet to score a point this season!
17 West Perry 3A 3-0
Cody Erno’s 21-yard Pick-6 in the fourth quarter sealed it as West Perry overcame fellow District-6 Juniata in a 39-21 win. Juniata put up a fight, throwing for 220 yards and rushing for 151. But they couldn’t keep up with Perry’s more veteran team with senior quarterback Marcus Quaker throwing for 137 yards and three touchdowns and rushing for another score with 68 yards rushing. They simply had more weapons with Ian Gooding catching four passes for 80 yards and a score, Bryan Smith getting three receptions for 32 yards and two touchdowns and Brad Hockenberry rushing for 82 yards. This week’s opponent is Trinity. And it could get out of hand real fast knowing Trinity has had this one circled on the calendar after losing 40-14 last year. Add in Trinity coming off a one-point home loss and it being the division opener to know they’ll be a lot of intensity in this one.
18 Ephrata 5A 3-0
Ephrata unveiled their big play balanced offense, scoring on touchdown throws of 43, 63 and 50 yards by three quarterbacks for 210 yards. The ground game rushed for 206 led by Brayden Brown’s 85 yards and Drew Thomas’ 61 yards. The kicking games had 29 and 20-yard field goals by Evan Honberger for a well rounded 51-12 win against Lebanon. The defense did their part with Pick-6’s of 49 by Brayden Brown and 10 yards by Alex Ortiz as the Mountaineers routed Lebanon 51-12. LL-3 action starts Friday night in Quarryville against Solanco (1-2), coming off their first win of the year after defeating Penn Manor 33-0.
19 Exeter Township 5A 3-0
Exeter rolled over outmanned West York with a rushing attack that pounded out touchdowns of 11, 44, 4, 32, 6, and 7 yards with quarterback Riley Martinez accounting for the final two scores on a 30- yard toss to Genuine Stutsman and a seven-yard keeper for the final of 49-14. Exerter is a mild surprise although the schedule has yet to produce a challenge, beating Boone (1-2), Boyertown (1-2) and winless West York. They host Governor Mifflin (2-1) next, winners of their last two games.
TIE
Garden Spot 5A 3-0
Quarterback Kyle Harting was a one-man show, accounting for all of Garden Spot’s points and but ten of their yards, throwing for 188 yards with four Td strikes and rushing for 44 in a tight win at Conestoga Valley (2-1). They came back from a 20-13 deficit to pull it out 27-26 on the road. CV’s miss of an extra point in the third quarter proved decisive. They’ll play before an energized crowd Friday against struggling Boone (1-2) where they should get to 4-0.
20 New Oxford 5A 3-0
In a bitter rivalry, both New Oxford and South Western handled the lightening caused game suspension well. But the SW-Mustangs couldn’t overcome their three fumbles, one resulting in a 69-yard scoop and score in the third quarter by Derek Price. The other, a ‘special-teams’ glitch allowed a first quarter kick-off return by Brennan Holmes. Being a rivalry game, it ebbed and flowed with New Oxford getting a 28-6 halftime lead and South Western storming back in the second half with a 21-13 edge to tighten up a 41-27 loss. Ox showed maturity with a relatively new cast getting past a second straight rival having defeated Gettysburg the week before 38-20. Dover (2-1) is next at New Oxford in the York Adams-2 opener.
TIE
Hershey 5A 3-0
Hershey is off to a great start, largely behind a veteran, senior line of Cory Schaffer (6-1, 235), Tucker Valozcki (6-4, 275), TE Isaiah Danner (6-7, 280), Alfonso Galindo (6-0, 270) and sophomore Ethan Castillo (5-11, 235). And with running backs like Angel Cabrera (6-0, 230, sr) and Sean Elliot (6-1, 210, jr), they’ve got big, physical backs who can just bash people. To date they’ve defeated Gettysburg 36-35, Waynesboro 35-14 and Dallastown 34-19. They are not too fancy with a methodical approach behind that line, although they will use motion and misdirection. They’re at home Friday at Hershey Park Stadium playing undefeated Cedar Cliff in the Mid Penn-Keystone opener. Everyone knows the division belongs to McDevitt but there is a real race between Cedar Cliff, Hershey, Lower Dauphin and Milton Hershey for second place and good playoff seeds in the 4A and 5A classifications.
OTHER:
Milton Hershey 4A 2-1 at Red Land
East Pennsboro 4A 3-0 home vs Gettysburg
Greencastle-Antrim 5A 3-0 at Waynesboro
Susquehanna Township 4A 2-1 at Mechanicsburg
Central Dauphin East 6A 2-1 home vs Cumberland Valley
Lower Dauphin 5A 2-1 at Mifflin County
Berks Catholic 3A 1-2 at Wyomissing
Warwick 5A 1-2 at Conestoga Valley
ELCO 4A 3-0 home vs Conrad Weiser
Governor Mifflin 5A 2-1 at Exeter
Dover 5A 2-1 at New Oxford
Games of Aug 15, 16 Week #3
1 Bishop McDevitt 4A 3-0
McDevitt survived another quality opponent with a 47-24 win against LaSalle College(Wyndmoor) just outside Philly. The game was in Harrisburg. McDevitt’s attack was just too big and diverse to keep up with. But LaSalle came out strong with a 14-6 first quarter lead that seemed to wake up the Crusaders who went on to outscore them 41-7. Wide out Rico Scott (Alabama) was unstoppable with eight receptions for 201 yards and touchdowns of 64, 10 and 69 yards. Chase Regan had two receptions, one for a 72-yard score with Stone Saunders (Kentucky) completing 13 of 21 passes for 319 yards. The ground game was there with Naz Jones-Davis at 64 yards and a score and Maurice Barnes with 25 hard yards on eight carries. Jaire Rawlison had a 45-yard scoop and score in the fourth quarter. Gavin Sidwar had a good game for LaSalle, completing 18 of 25 for 268 yards with Julian McFadden catching passes for 118 yards. Stevie Davis was his usual self with 71 yards in receptions on five receptions and 64 yards on 16 carries. LaSalle moves on to another challenge against the Haverford School (1-1) this week while McDevitt stays at home Friday against Palmyra (2-1) in the division opener.
2 Manheim Township 6A 3-0
Strange as this is to say, Manheim Township thumped Harrisburg last week, handling them for 405 total yards of offense while holding the previously big Cougar attack to 183 yards. 183 yards! Hayden Johnson completed 16 of 27 for 277 yards with touchdown tosses of 72, 1 and 6 yards, plus a 35-yard dash for another score. He’s a load! So was Landon Kennel with six receptions for 162 yards and two scores, plus Nick Palumbo with 82 yards on four catches. Declan Clancy had 92 rush yards on 22 carries as the Blue Streaks pounded the Cougars 38-6. Won’t the possible rematch in the post season be fun. Harrisburg will try to regroup in their home opener against Carlisle while Township plays an undefeated Spring Ford (3-0) team that will take it to them with any drop in intensity by the Streaks.
3 Central York 6A 3-0
Central York jumped past Harrisburg in the rankings on the strength of their 39-0 shutout of Hempfield and Harrisburg’s poor performance at Manheim Township. Cam Diehl was a one man show early on for Central York with a first quarter 94-yard kickoff return and a 72-yard touchdown run followed by QB Preston Fink hitting Ethan Carlos for a 20-yard strike, topped off with Matthew Parker’s 24-yard field goal to give the Panthers a 22-0 halftime lead. So make that consecutive shutouts for the surprising Panthers who are already surging for a lofty playoff seed. The schedule is less than daunting meaning they’ll likely enter the last game of the regular season unscathed, playing city rival York High in the finale. Winless Spring Grove is next in York.
4 Harrisburg 6A 2-1
After lessons learned and some extra laps, the 38-6 loss to Manheim Township is one of those games you just try to forget. Especially as you were truly whipped, held to 135 yards rushing, 118 passing and six total points. As a reminder, that’s exactly what Harrisburg did to Township last year in the district final by a score of 40-0. It happens! This week’s game against Carlisle (1-2) is their home opener and Mid Penn-Commonwealth Division opener as well. So look for focus and a monster response to last week’s loss against a dangerous ‘Thundering Herd’ team coming in off two tight losses.
5 State College 6A 1-1
The game at Hollidaysburg was cancelled because of the rare phenomena in weather known as lightening (holy smoke!) and will not be rescheduled. Go figure. State opens division play Friday at home against Altoona (2-1).
6 Steelton Highspire 1A 3-0
Steel High completed their non-conference schedule with a hard fought 29-22 road win against West Catholic (0-2) of Philadelphia. The Burrs were feisty, keeping the score down. But no one had an answer for Rollers quarterback Alex Erby who completed 25 of 30 throws for 368 yards. He threw three touchdowns against one interception. Wide outs Rell Caesar and Jaeion Perry feasted on the Burrs defense with Caesar snagging 11 passes for 202 yards and two touchdowns and Perry catching six balls for 106 yards and a score. The Burrs move on to Cardinal O’Hara where they’ll get their first win of the season while the Rollers open division play against Boiling Springs (1-2) who will be dragging after a Monday game per weather postponements against Gettysburg.
7 Wyomissing 3A 3-0
Wyomissing trailed Trinity 27-7 in the second quarter before igniting for 28 points in a 35-34 comeback win in Camp Hill. They did it with a combination of bash ball and the big play, scoring on runs of 44 yards by Derek Macrina and 57 yards from Chase Eisenhower. The team rushed for 410 yards. Sophomore Chase Eisenhower (5-11, 215) gashed them for 172 yards on 19 carries with Drew Forrey (6-4, 215, sr) at 49 yards on seven attempts. Derek Macrina (5-11, 165, jr) had 72 yards with Colin Niedrowski (6-0, 195, sr) adding 67 and a score on eight carries. Jeremiah Diaz (5-8, 170, sr) rushed for 43 yards on four carries. The game wasn’t resolved until :14 left on the clock when Wyo’s Qb Logan Hardy hit freshman Justice Hardy from the 1-yard line in the end zone to tie it with Keegan Maher drilling the point after. Not bad for a Wing-T team tossing it to a freshman with time running out! Props to Coach Bob Wolfrum. Wyomissing is a nice blend of size, speed, youth and veterans that can be explosive. They scored the final 21 points here to extend their regular season winning streak to 38 games. The D was right there as well, holding Trinity to 204 rush yards to Wyo’s 410. Up next is the home and LL-Section 4 opener against old rival Berks Catholic (0-3) as BC plays their fourth consecutive ranked teams.
8 Trinity 2A 2-1
Trinity’s special teams scored on two blocked punts while building a half time lead of 27-14 that ballooned to a seemingly safe 34-14 lead. But it wasn’t enough to hold off surging Wyomissing who overcame the deficit to defeat them 35-34. Standout running back Messiah Mickens was hobbled but still managed 145 of their 204 rush yards as the Rocks let this one get away. They better regroup fast with Mid Penn-Capital Division action starting Friday against the red hot West Perry Mustangs, coming in at 3-0, averaging 42ppg but against shaky comp that might catch up to them here.
9 Central Dauphin 6A 2-1
More than a few were ready to hit the panic button following CD’s season opening 45-35 home loss to Central York. But not all of us, feeling last week maybe the team that had something to prove was visiting Coatesville with a 2-0 record against weak comp. Still, no one thought it’d be this easy for CD who crushed the Red Raiders 35-13. The Rams offense was as always, vanilla, with Miles Copper rushing for 39 yards, Kyle McCullough at 66 and Mateo Crummel catching five passes for 38 yards. Coatesville had their moments but continually shot themselves in the foot with four interceptions and breakdowns allowing the Rams to break off too many long runs. CD wore them down with fresh backs. Nice game by the Ram’s linebackers who had 28 stops. Surprising Chambersburg (2-1) is next, winners of their last two after opening with a 22-0 loss to a ranked Pope John Paul II (3-0) team from District-1.
10 Lampeter Strasburg 4A 3-0
The Pioneers had no trouble with Kennard Dale, racing out to a 42-0 lead at the half then coasting to a 63-0 win. Jonathan Mellinger was a load, rushing for 144 yards with three touchdowns on just 11 carries. Levis Malatesta had 76 yards with quarterback Trent Wagner a solid 7 of 10 for 70 yards and three touchdown tosses. Damoj Gray was the primary, pulling in four for 78 yards. LS’s defense played one of their best games ever, holding KD to minus six total yards. They showed a balanced attack with 150 yards up top and 312 on the ground. LL-Section-4 action starts Friday at home against Donegal (2-1).
11 Cocalico 5A 2-1
Cocalico made a mega move last week from 18th to 11th in the rankings with a 48-28 win against previously undefeated Manheim Central. It was a strong performance on both sides of the ball with their offense churning out 475 yards rushing while the D held the Barons to 29 rush yards. Wow! Eagles running back Sam Steffey was awesome as usual, rushing for 191 yards and three scores on 21 carries. Quarterback Josh Meyer threw for zero yardage (0 for 1) but rushed for 124 yards. Aaryn Longenecker totaled had 92 yards with Brayden Eppinette at 61 yards on seven attempts. Everyone got in on the fun. It was 34-14 at the end of the third quarter. The LL-4 is stacked this year with Wyomissing (3-0), Lampeter Strasburg (3-0), ELCO (3-0), Berks Catholic, a dangerous 1-2 if there ever was one, and Cocalico. LL-4 action begins Friday at Octorara (2-1) where they can name the score.
12 Wilson 6A 1-2
Wilson’s scheduled game with Martin Luther King of Philadelphia was cancelled with Cheltenham of the Suburban One League replacing them for an game in West Lawn. This one was also lightening delayed but got played with the Bulldogs prevailing 40-26. Tommy Hunsicker was on target completing 21 of 27 passes for 292 yards. He threw two touchdowns and rushed for another three on 18 carries for 46 yards. His top receiver was Edison Case with six receptions for 173 yards and two touchdowns. Have to mention Cheltenham’s Tre McLeod who was held to 36 yards on eight carries but had an 86-yard scoop and score and an 81-yard punt return for six. He’s quite an athlete. Quarterback Jonathan Ingram completed 4 of 12 passes for 148 yards and rushed for 23 more on 10 attempts as Wilson shut down the Panther’s running game to 83 yards. Cheltenham moves on to another tough game at Perkiomen Valley (2-1) Friday while Wilson opens LL-1 action at home against Reading (1-2).
13 Manheim Central 4A 2-1
The Barons plummeted from 5th to 13th following their 48-28 drubbing by Cocalico. They couldn’t get anything going against the Eagles who slammed the door on their running game, holding the usually lethal Baron ground game to 29 yards. Any success was from the air with Zac Hahn completing 21 of 30 passes for 318 yards and two touchdowns. The outstanding receiver corps of Aaron Enterline and Bode Sipel had 131 and 111 yards in receptions respectively. Let’s see how they recover Friday at Susquehannock (2-1). The Warriors are definitely improved but not ready for a power like Manheim Central, especially following a loss where the Barons are especially difficult to beat.
TIE
York (William Penn) 6A 2-1
After giving us a thriller last year won by York 54-47, who’d have thought we’d get another one this year that was equally exciting? But we did, with York once again overcoming Carlisle 42-40. This was as tight as the score shows with Carlisle scoring two fourth quarter touchdowns only to be stopped on two, 2-point conversion attempts. And it was a pass happy game with York’s Najee Still completing 14 of 21 passes for 202 yards and three touchdowns. Carlisle’s Lucas Smith flung it 25 times, completing 13 for 330 yards and three scores. Carson Swartz caught eight of Smith’s throws for 265 yards while Wa’Nieq Scott had six receptions for 138 yards. York’s veteran, senior receiver David Warde had six receptions for 45 yards and a 45-yard Pick-6 in the second quarter. It was another tough loss for Carlisle who falls to 1-2 with Harrisburg next. York is gaining momentum off two tight wins with winless Northeastern up next, coming off a 60-6 thrashing from Central Dauphin East.
14 Twin Valley 4A 3-0
Big plays early on like Owen Rhoades zipping 54 yards on a throw from quarterback Evan Myers and a 42-yard scoop and score by Kyle Kline helped bust this one open with 21 second quarter points leading to a 35-0 halftime lead that iced it early with Twin Valley routing Conrad Weiser 49-0. Myers was 8 of 11 for 154 yards with the backs netting 264 yards on 26 carries. Twin Valley has a nice offense with a few weapons and a defense to back it up, allowing Weiser 173 total yards. They move on to play Fleetwood (2-1) at home Friday.
15 Cedar Cliff 5A 3-0
Quarterback Bennett Seacrest was strong with seven completions in ten attempts for 110 yards and a touchdown, throwing primarily to Nathan Lusk for 75 yards. Lusk also had two picks, returning one 25 yards for a touchdown with Tyrail Hills and Erik Shriver rushing for 70 and 67 yards as the Colts routed J. P. McCaskey 43-6. They’re averaging 33ppg and allowed nine against Shippensburg, Mechanicsburg and McCaskey, all 1-2 teams. That changes this weekend with a road game at Hershey (3-0) who edged them last year 21-20.
16 Cedar Crest 6A 3-0
Cedar Crest is making a lot of noise this year with wins against Philadelphia Northeast 24-0, Central Dauphin East 33-7, and last week’s 29-23 overtime win at Warwick. This was a defensive struggle, with the Falcons at 179 total yards and Warwick at 150. The two battled to a 13-13 standoff with Cedar Crest taking the overtime period 16-10 on Ethan Bowman’s 25-yard field goal and Fernando Marquez’s 2-yard burst. You’d have to say that Cedar Crest is the 6A surprise in the district with three impressive wins to date. LL-1 action begins Friday with 0-3 Penn Manor paying a visit. They have yet to score a point this season!
17 West Perry 3A 3-0
Cody Erno’s 21-yard Pick-6 in the fourth quarter sealed it as West Perry overcame fellow District-6 Juniata in a 39-21 win. Juniata put up a fight, throwing for 220 yards and rushing for 151. But they couldn’t keep up with Perry’s more veteran team with senior quarterback Marcus Quaker throwing for 137 yards and three touchdowns and rushing for another score with 68 yards rushing. They simply had more weapons with Ian Gooding catching four passes for 80 yards and a score, Bryan Smith getting three receptions for 32 yards and two touchdowns and Brad Hockenberry rushing for 82 yards. This week’s opponent is Trinity. And it could get out of hand real fast knowing Trinity has had this one circled on the calendar after losing 40-14 last year. Add in Trinity coming off a one-point home loss and it being the division opener to know they’ll be a lot of intensity in this one.
18 Ephrata 5A 3-0
Ephrata unveiled their big play balanced offense, scoring on touchdown throws of 43, 63 and 50 yards by three quarterbacks for 210 yards. The ground game rushed for 206 led by Brayden Brown’s 85 yards and Drew Thomas’ 61 yards. The kicking games had 29 and 20-yard field goals by Evan Honberger for a well rounded 51-12 win against Lebanon. The defense did their part with Pick-6’s of 49 by Brayden Brown and 10 yards by Alex Ortiz as the Mountaineers routed Lebanon 51-12. LL-3 action starts Friday night in Quarryville against Solanco (1-2), coming off their first win of the year after defeating Penn Manor 33-0.
19 Exeter Township 5A 3-0
Exeter rolled over outmanned West York with a rushing attack that pounded out touchdowns of 11, 44, 4, 32, 6, and 7 yards with quarterback Riley Martinez accounting for the final two scores on a 30- yard toss to Genuine Stutsman and a seven-yard keeper for the final of 49-14. Exerter is a mild surprise although the schedule has yet to produce a challenge, beating Boone (1-2), Boyertown (1-2) and winless West York. They host Governor Mifflin (2-1) next, winners of their last two games.
TIE
Garden Spot 5A 3-0
Quarterback Kyle Harting was a one-man show, accounting for all of Garden Spot’s points and but ten of their yards, throwing for 188 yards with four Td strikes and rushing for 44 in a tight win at Conestoga Valley (2-1). They came back from a 20-13 deficit to pull it out 27-26 on the road. CV’s miss of an extra point in the third quarter proved decisive. They’ll play before an energized crowd Friday against struggling Boone (1-2) where they should get to 4-0.
20 New Oxford 5A 3-0
In a bitter rivalry, both New Oxford and South Western handled the lightening caused game suspension well. But the SW-Mustangs couldn’t overcome their three fumbles, one resulting in a 69-yard scoop and score in the third quarter by Derek Price. The other, a ‘special-teams’ glitch allowed a first quarter kick-off return by Brennan Holmes. Being a rivalry game, it ebbed and flowed with New Oxford getting a 28-6 halftime lead and South Western storming back in the second half with a 21-13 edge to tighten up a 41-27 loss. Ox showed maturity with a relatively new cast getting past a second straight rival having defeated Gettysburg the week before 38-20. Dover (2-1) is next at New Oxford in the York Adams-2 opener.
TIE
Hershey 5A 3-0
Hershey is off to a great start, largely behind a veteran, senior line of Cory Schaffer (6-1, 235), Tucker Valozcki (6-4, 275), TE Isaiah Danner (6-7, 280), Alfonso Galindo (6-0, 270) and sophomore Ethan Castillo (5-11, 235). And with running backs like Angel Cabrera (6-0, 230, sr) and Sean Elliot (6-1, 210, jr), they’ve got big, physical backs who can just bash people. To date they’ve defeated Gettysburg 36-35, Waynesboro 35-14 and Dallastown 34-19. They are not too fancy with a methodical approach behind that line, although they will use motion and misdirection. They’re at home Friday at Hershey Park Stadium playing undefeated Cedar Cliff in the Mid Penn-Keystone opener. Everyone knows the division belongs to McDevitt but there is a real race between Cedar Cliff, Hershey, Lower Dauphin and Milton Hershey for second place and good playoff seeds in the 4A and 5A classifications.
OTHER:
Milton Hershey 4A 2-1 at Red Land
East Pennsboro 4A 3-0 home vs Gettysburg
Greencastle-Antrim 5A 3-0 at Waynesboro
Susquehanna Township 4A 2-1 at Mechanicsburg
Central Dauphin East 6A 2-1 home vs Cumberland Valley
Lower Dauphin 5A 2-1 at Mifflin County
Berks Catholic 3A 1-2 at Wyomissing
Warwick 5A 1-2 at Conestoga Valley
ELCO 4A 3-0 home vs Conrad Weiser
Governor Mifflin 5A 2-1 at Exeter
Dover 5A 2-1 at New Oxford
