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
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
