2023 District 3: Top 20 (Week 7).
Week #7 Standings
1 Bishop McDevitt 4A 7-0
McDevitt showed off their young talent last week with junior quarterback Stone Saunders completing 13 of 15 passes for 246 yards and 5 touchdowns, sophomores Nazir Jones-Davis and Maurice Barnes rushing for 76 and 68 yards respectively, and wide out freshman Jontai Quick pulling down 4 receptions for 36 yards with touchdowns of 5 and 18 yards. The old man of the group, senior Chase Regan, showed them how it’s done with 6 receptions for 150 yards with scores of 44, 5 and 65 yards. The defense had a strong outing as well, holding Hershey to 137 total yards and their top running back Angel Cabrera to 64 yards in a 42-7 win. Red Land (2-5) up next, with Mifflin County (4-3, 6A) and Lower Dauphin (5-2, 5A) standing between them and a perfect regular season.
2 Manheim Township 6A 7-0
Hayden Johnson connecting with Landon Kennel for touchdowns of 27, 40 and 27 yards in the second quarter, helping Manheim Township to a 28-0 first quarter lead as the Streaks stunned Cedar Crest 42-0. Cedar Crest came into the game with notable wins against Northeast and CD East, plus a narrow 21-13 loss to Wilson. Guess that and the 5-1 record got their attention as this was a total rout where Township outgained them 393 yards to 83 in total yards. Hayden Johnson was almost perfect, completing 12 of 13 throws for 193 yards and touchdowns of 40, 27, 40 and 27 yards while rushing for another touchdown and 25 yards. His top target, Landon Kennel (698 total), had 5 of those receptions for 88 yards and 3 touchdowns, followed by Nick Palumbo’s 3 receptions for 86 yards and a 40-yard touchdown catch. Declan Clancy rushed for 58 yards, taking his season total to 577 yards. Reading (1-6) is next followed by Penn Manor (3-4) before concluding the regular season at LL-1 rival Wilson High for the Section title.
3 Harrisburg 6A 6-1
Junior quarterback Shawn Lee completed only 4 of 10 passes for 69 yards but rushed for 128 yards and four scores as the Cougars outlasted rival Central Dauphin East at Landis Field. Lee also had two picks from his safety position. Running back Neamiah Ewell had his best game of the year with 180 yards on 6 carries. This is a bitter rivalry with East High three miles from Harrisburg High. It’s one of those games where you can throw out the stats and records. East’s awesome junior running back Jared Porter rushed for 228 yards on 28 carries. But Harrisburg hung on with a 21-14 second half that needed a Lee touchdown with a minute left in the game to pull it out 34-27. East High falls to 3-4 with the Cougars traveling north for a game with State College (5-1) that will decide the Mid Penn-Commonwealth division title. They split last year with State winning the regular season game 20-6 and Harrisburg taking the rematch in the postseason 27-7.
4 Central York 6A 7-0
Central York held on to the 4-spot with an overwhelming 72-0 win at home against winless Northeastern who falls to 0-7. The Bobcats allowed on average 58.8 points their last 5 games. At the same time, Central York got their offense in gear after a lackluster performance the week before nipping Dallastown (2-5) 23-13. The lopsided win keeps them undefeated atop the York Adams-1, deadlocked with York High. Disappointing Red Lion is next in a total tail spin, losing their last three games after a 3-1 start that included a 34-32 season opening loss to Ephrata (6-1).
5 State College 6A 5-1
State College had a lot of fun last week at the expense of Carlisle, racing out to a 42-13 halftime lead with special teams prevailing. They opening with an onside kick converted to a touchdown a few plays later, followed by Owen Yerka blocking a punt for six more before Cooper Brushwood returned a kickoff 95-yards in the second quarter to blow it out. A fourth quarter flurry led to the final of 55-20. Junior Eddie Corkery who is having an awesome first year as a starter completed 13 of 19 passes for 188 yards and touchdowns of 51 and 5 yards. Mike Gaul caught 6 passes for 108 yards, one, a 51-yard touchdown with Ty Salazer nabbing 4 for 65 yards and a touchdown. State’s offense is balanced at an average 167 rushing and 188 passing. Carlisle was held to 264 yards. After a so-so start to the season allowing 24ppg their first two games including a 28-26 loss to Downingtown East (6-0), they’ve allowed a paltry 14.25ppg since. They’ll need all that Friday night in a monster game at home against Harrisburg. They’re deadlocked atop the Mid Penn-Commonwealth, each on a four game winning streak.
6 Steelton Highspire 1A 7-0
Steel High had another easy game last week routing Camp Hill 55-7. But the big news across the state is quarterback Alex Erby becoming the Pennsylvania All-Time passing yards leader at 11287 yards, surpassing South Fayette’s Brett Brumbaugh who set the record in 2014 at 11084. And at 140 touchdowns thrown to date, he’s six behind Jeff Hoenstine from Central Martinsburg who threw 146. The Rollers were on it last week with Erby completing 19 of 25 passes for 341 yards, with touchdowns of 48, 35, 24, 41 and 15 yards. They’re beating people with talent and numbers on their receiver corps of Jaeion Perry at 135 yards on 5 receptions, Rell Ceasar with 115 yards on 8 receptions and Kam Chisholm getting 91 yards on 6 receptions. All three had two touchdowns a piece. Javius Dent had a reception for 78 yards. The defense had 4 interceptions, holding the Lions to 81 yards rushing and 185 passing. Winless Newport is next followed by the toughest outs on their schedule at home to Trinity (5-2) and away at West Perry (7-0).
7 Cocalico 5A 6-1
Cocalico got everyone’s attention across the state’s 5A landscape last week with a 34-14 victory over perennial power Wyomissing, ending their 41 game regular season winning streak. They did it with offense and defense, holding Wyo to 162 total yards, while their own offense ground out 265 yards rushing behind Aaron Longenecker’s 139 yards on 11 carries. He had touchdowns of 28, 15 and 30 yards. Having already defeated Lampeter Strasburg (6-1) 24-10 three weeks ago, the win puts them squarely in the LL-4’s driver’s seat, well positioned for a high seed in the postseason. Donegal (2-5) is next, coming in with a 5 game losing streak
8 Wilson 6A 5-2
Wilson’s red hot quarterback Tommy Hunsicker had another big game completing 16 of 23 passes for 290 yards with touchdowns of 17, 20, 12 and 11 yards as the Bulldogs pummeled Hempfield 49-34. Wide out Max Gruber had 112 yards receiving with touchdowns of 17 and 80 yards while Jackson Wagner had four receptions for 72 yards. Running back Correll Akings had 132 rushing with two touchdowns. Edison Case had a 39-yard punt return in the first quarter. Hempfield also had a strong showing with 451 total yards of offense to Wilson’s 448. Got to mention their quarterback Jackson Landis throwing for 288 yards and completing 27 of 38 throws. Micah Gates stood out with 16 receptions going for 191 yards and a touchdown. That does NOT bode well for the game against Manheim Township and quarterback Hayden Johnson who has thrown for over 1600 yards at 77%! Penn Manor (3-4) is next, winners of their last three games.
9 Manheim Central 4A 6-1
Winless Lebanon was no match for the Barons who rolled out 512 yards of total offense to the Cedars 85 in a 70-13 rout. It was 42-0 at the half. The Cedars were held to negative 5 rush yards. All the stars shinned in this one with quarterback Zac Hahn completing 14 of 17 for 238 yards and five touchdown tosses, Aaron Enterline on the receiving end of six of those throws for 168 yards and three touchdowns with running back Brycen Arnold rushing for 201 yards and three touchdowns. The win keeps them deadlocked in the three horse race that is the LL-2 this year with Exeter (7-0) and Conestoga Valley (6-1), making for a great finish. Things get sorted out more clearly Friday when the Baron’s travel to surprising Conestoga Valley whose only loss was to Garden Spot 27-26.
10 Wyomissing 3A 6-1
Wyomissing’s 41 game regular season winning streak came to an abrupt end in Denver against Cocalico 34-14 where the Spartan D had no answers for Cocalico’s veer that rumbled for 265 yards. Both teams are fierce ground pounders with Cocalico not completing a pass and Wyomissing connecting on just 4 of 10 for a paltry 27 yards. You just don’t see this happening to Wyo. So look for a huge response this week against Conrad Weiser (2-5).
TIE
Twin Valley 4A 7-0
The LL-3 with Twin Valley, Ephrata (6-1) and Garden Spot (6-1) is one of the most exciting races in south central PA as evidenced last week when Twin Valley nipped Garden Spot 35-34 on a blocked extra point. With TV rushing for 392 yards and GS throwing for 199, it was a back and forth game, in question until that blocked kick and TV punching one in with a minute and a half left in the game. What a game for their home crowd. The win was their second in a row by a single point! TV’s backs ran wild in this one with Drew Engle at 231 yards on 29 carries and touchdowns of 2 and 32 yards, and Evan Johnson at 166 yards on 16 carries with touchdowns of 56, 14 and 23 yards. No one has stopped their running game this year with Engle at 1078 yards for the year and Johnson at 965. Next up is their toughest road trip of the year at Ephrata to break the logjam atop the Section. Back on September 1st, they performed well on the road against ‘quality’, winning at Lower Dauphin (5-2, Mid Penn-Keystone) 24-21.
11 York (William Penn) 6A 5-1
York had one of those games where they just got past a feisty Dallastown (2-5) team 22-15. But credit D-town for getting after them following a hard fought 23-13 loss to Central York (7-0) the week before. York got all their point in the first half with David Warde’s 72-yard punt return proving decisive. Developing sophomore running back Shavane Anderson who you’ll be hearing about the next few years exploded for 204 yards and two scores, while another sophomore, quarterback Najee Still threw for 155 yards, completing 9 of 15 passes. It wasn’t pretty but a win is a win as the Bearcats remain tied with and on a collision course with Central York Oct 27th. Spring Grove (3-4) is next coming in on a three game winning streak where they’ve found the magic averaging 61ppg! Spring Grove’s Qb Connor Ruhland sprays it around to six receivers and he’s a dual threat. Probably a high scoring game here.
TIE
Exeter Township 5A 7-0
Exeter got their second shutout of the season after nailing Muhlenberg (1-6) 42-0, holding the ‘Muhls’, not to be confused with Mules (!?), to 80 total yards. Quarterback Riley Martinez kept a low profile completing 3 of 7 passes for 60 yards. But not that low with two of them going for 15 and 24-yard touchdowns. The bulk of the work came on the ground with Jayden Zandier rushing for 115 yards and a 38-yard touchdown, and Pharrell Caceres snagging 12 passes for 79 yards, scoring on 5 and 35 yard runs. Zandier also had a 24-yard touchdown reception on 2 catches for 44 yards. The win keeps them locked in a tight race with Manheim Central and Conestoga Valley with, oddly enough, non-conference Hempfield in a crossover game with Section-1 next.
12 Garden Spot 5A 6-1
Garden Spot suffered their first loss of the season in a critical section game with LL-3 rival Twin Valley, losing 35-34 on a blocked extra kick at the end of the game. As is often the case, quarterback Kye Harting was their offense, completing 17 of 34 passes for 205 yards with two touchdowns, and rushing for 81 yards on 21 carries for two more scores. And it may have been enough had the extra point not been blocked. They shut down TV’s quarterback Evan Myers, forcing him into 3 picks and minus 17 yards rushing. But no one has managed TV’s huge O-Line or their tandem backs. See Twin Valley above. Like Exeter Township, they have an out of league game at Central Mountain (5A, D6, 2-5) this week, way up in Mill Hall, 20 miles north of State College.
13 West Perry 3A 7-0
West Perry survived a Big Spring comeback after pouncing on the Bulldogs with a 21-7 first quarter outburst. It held up, but barely, with a fourth quarter score drawing Big Spring to 38-35 behind the relentless pounding of Connor Green with 151 yards on 20 carries and Grant Hill with 9 carries for 128 yards. While Perry’s defense showed holes, the diversity of their offense was the difference with quarterback Marcus Quaker throwing for 99 yards and two touchdowns and rushing for 119. Ian Goodling who holds most of their receiving records had 5 catches for 85 yards plus 35 rushing with another score. Trent Hockenberry had 99 yards rushing and another 16 on two receptions to keep them undefeated and tied with Steel High in the Mid Penn-Keystone. Middletown (1-6) is next at West Perry
TIE
Central Dauphin 6A 4-3
To understand a Central Dauphin-Cumberland Valley game, think Dallas verses the Eagles. There are other Mid Penn encounters that have plenty of depth to them but none like this one where you can throw away all the stats and records in their annual Head Bangers Ball. Adding a major dose of spice to it, it’s a West Shore vs East Shore game with the Susquehanna splitting the two areas geographically and emotionally as it runs almost true north and south at Harrisburg. This is a game that’s often decided by a turnover, special teams play and last second fireworks. This one had all three with the two deadlocked at seven apiece through three quarters. Cumberland Valley slammed the door on CD’s exciting quarterback Key’Ron Plummer, holding him to 38 pass yards, a 30% completion rate and negative 12 yards rushing! CD did its thing holding CV’s rushing attack in check most of the night at 109 yards. Their D was good enough to send the starting quarterback to the bench when CD’s Mason Wydra tied it at 7-7 on a Pick-6 to close out the half. Junior Grant Shepley was forced into the maelstrom where he shined, completing 10 of 18 passes for 135 yards. He led the team down the field 83 yards in the closing minutes where Bryce Staretz scored from 9 yards out with 1:23 to play. He finished with 62 yards and three touchdowns. CD’s Miles Copper finished with 125 yards on 25 carries. CV tries to even its record at 4-4 traveling to Carlisle Friday while CD tries to rebound at home against Altoona.
14 Trinity 2A 5-2
Trinity showed a wicked passing attack last week defeating Middletown 35-0 for their first shutout of the year. Quarterback Caleb Wray completed 14 of 18 passes for 229 yards, with touchdowns of 70, 4, 18 and 40 yards. He also had a 1-yard run for another score. Christian Joy showed his versatility with 48 yards rushing and 66 receiving with a 40-yard touchdown. Cole Cappawana had 3 catches for 48 yards, scoring on two of them for 4 and 18 yard touchdowns. For the second straight week, the ground game was almost nonexistent at 66 total. But the defense was stellar, holding the Blue Raiders to 87 total yards. They host crosstown rival Camp Hill (2 miles) in a key game Friday trying to stay close to Steel High and West Perry in the Mid Penn-Capital division race. They are a game back.
15 Ephrata 5A 6-1
Ephrata stayed in the LL-3 hunt with a 52-28 rout of Fleetwood (3-4), coming on the heels of their disappointing 42-2 loss the week before to Garden Spot. This was a huge and balanced attack with Sam McCracken connecting on 12 of 19 passes for 254 yards with scoring tosses of 28, 12 and 50 yards. Six receivers were used, led by Angel Callazo at 93 yards on 4 receptions, Jeremiah Knowles with 4 catches for 77 yards and touchdowns of 28 and 12 yards, Quintin Pfautz with two catches for 61 yards, one going for a 51-yard touchdown. Evan Honberger drilled a 35-yard field goal with Nick Keller getting in on the fun with an 85 yard kickoff return. They host the undefeated Section-3 leader Twin Valley (7-0) Friday where they can throw the section into turmoil with a win, causing a three-way deadlock with Garden Spot (6-1).
16 Lampeter Strasburg 4A 6-1
Cocalico may have caused some separation beating Wyomissing last week but it’s still an exciting race in the LL-4 with Wyo and Lampeter Strasburg at 6-1 with a conference loss, and a ‘game’ ELCO (5-2) with two section losses and the leading runner in south central PA in Jake Williams at 1571 yards. They’re all looking up at Cocalico with new found respect after routing Wyomissing 34-14 last week. About Lampeter; they blew out Berks Catholic last week 49-17, with Jonathan Mellinger rushing for 218 yard and three touchdowns. They piled up 429 total yards to BC’s 267. ELCO is up next in a must win for them with those two section losses and LS with one. And with both battling for 4A seeding, it should be an entertaining game.
17 Cedar Cliff 5A 6-1
Cedar Cliff battled a tough division foe last week, taking on Lower Dauphin who came in on fire, winning their last four games by an average score of 32-6. They had a red hot quarterback in Carter Burton who almost beat them single handedly. See below. But the Colts had a little more with the combination of quarterback Bennett Seacrest and running back Erik Schriver. Bennett rushed for 98 yards, scoring on a 4-yard run, and passed for another 58 yards with a 34-yard strike to Schriver. At the same time, Schriver added a 64-yard touchdown run while rushing for 98 yards. The final was 21-16, advantage Colts, who hung onto a 7-0 lead at the half, surviving Lower Dauphin’s 16-14 second half comeback. It was an important win in the 5A classification battle for higher seeds. 12 teams get into the postseason in 5A that looks to be top heavy with good teams featuring New Oxford 7-0, Exeter 7-0, Cocalico 6-1, Conestoga Valley 6-1 and Cedar Cliff also at 6-1, all battling for the top seed. Palmyra (2-5) is next where the Colts can name the score.
TIE
Cedar Crest 6A 5-2
What the heck happened to the team that beat Philly Northeast? Ok, an over rated 5-2 Philly team but still with decent talent. Then came a good win against CD East (3-4) who is underrated and often a very tough out. They also gave Wilson (5-2) a game three weeks ago losing 21-13. In a game that looked like a misprint last week, they got skunked by Manheim Township 42-0. And it was as bad as it looks with the Falcons getting 83 total yards of offense to Township’s 393. See Township above. They’ll recover and likely finish strong closing out with McCaskey (2-5), Hempfield (2-5) and Lebanon (0-7) for a solid 6A seed.
18 New Oxford 5A 7-0
No one expected Kennard Dale (2-5) to offer New Oxford much resistance even with quarterback Idriz Ahmetonic sidelined with injury. That forced sophomore Luke Frey to center stage where he performed just fine, completing 8 of 13 passes for 137 yards with two touchdowns. It was over at the half where a blocked punt and a 40-yard field goal by Brady Miller helped gave the Colonials a 26-0 lead. Jarrett Bitzer had a short but productive game with 7 carries and 110 yards, scoring on 63 and 6 yard runs. Brennan Holmer led all receivers with 4 catches for 64 yards, catching a 5-yard toss for six. And Clayton Nieves almost got to the century mark with 48 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries, and a reception of 51 yards that also went for a score. The Colonials look to go undefeated if they can get past Fort Hill (Cumberland, Md) who beat them 28-0 last year. Fort Hill is the perennial 1A state champ, winning the last two at 13-1 and 12-0, and four in a row from 2013-2016 going 54-1; 117-7 the last 10 years. They’re a small school (1A is smallest) but have a lot of speed the Colonials should have trouble with. West York (0-7) is next.
19 Conestoga Valley 5A 6-1
Conestoga Valley stayed in the hunt for the LL-2 crown and a high seed with their fourth consecutive win, beating Governor Mifflin 23-7 at GM. Total yardage stats of 190 to Mifflin’s 207 shows what a defensive struggle it was, meaning special teams and defense decided it. CV’s lead back Jayden Johnson was bottled up most of the game with 38 yards on 8 carries and 42 yards in receptions. One of those receptions was a 31 yard scoring strike from quarterback Liam Cheek. In a game like this, his 92-yard kickoff return was deflating, giving them a 21-7 halftime lead. A 22-yard field goal by Nathan Showvaker in an otherwise scoreless second half sealed it. The win keeps them tied with Manheim Central in second place, a game behind undefeated Exeter. CV’s only loss was 27-26 against Garden Spot. They’re home against Manheim Central (6-1) Friday in a game with classification and Section implications with CV a 5A and Manheim Central a 4A.
20 Lower Dauphin 5A 5-2
Lower Dauphin has proved itself a factor in the division including Bishop McDevitt and Cedar Cliff, with competitive losses to Cedar Cliff 21-16 last week, and earlier to Twin Valley 24-21 of the Lancaster-Lebanon League. These guys are scrappers, led by their dual threat quarterback Carter Burton (6-0, 195, jr) who has passed for 626 yards and rushed for 543. He almost single handedly won the game last week rushing for 77 yards and completing 13 of 23 passes for 152 yards. The defense has been an active one allowing 9.8ppg with three shutouts. Knowing Cedar Cliff averaged 33ppg coming into the game and were home, holding them to 21 points was a small victory as was their second half comeback of 16-14 that also feel short. Only McDevitt held the Colts to less. Next door neighbor Milton Hershey (3-4) is next at LD.
OTHERS:
East Pennsboro 4A 6-1 home vs Shippensburg
Hershey 5A 5-2 at Mifflin County
Susquehanna Township 4A 5-2 at Northern
Greencastle-Antrim 5A 5-2 home vs Gettysburg
CD East 6A 3-4 at Chambersburg
Littlestown 3A 5-2 at York Catholic
ELCO 5A 5-2 at Lampeter Strasburg
Annville Cleona 2A 5-2 home vs Pequea Valley
Dallastown 6A 2-5 home vs Dover
Week #7 Standings
1 Bishop McDevitt 4A 7-0
McDevitt showed off their young talent last week with junior quarterback Stone Saunders completing 13 of 15 passes for 246 yards and 5 touchdowns, sophomores Nazir Jones-Davis and Maurice Barnes rushing for 76 and 68 yards respectively, and wide out freshman Jontai Quick pulling down 4 receptions for 36 yards with touchdowns of 5 and 18 yards. The old man of the group, senior Chase Regan, showed them how it’s done with 6 receptions for 150 yards with scores of 44, 5 and 65 yards. The defense had a strong outing as well, holding Hershey to 137 total yards and their top running back Angel Cabrera to 64 yards in a 42-7 win. Red Land (2-5) up next, with Mifflin County (4-3, 6A) and Lower Dauphin (5-2, 5A) standing between them and a perfect regular season.
2 Manheim Township 6A 7-0
Hayden Johnson connecting with Landon Kennel for touchdowns of 27, 40 and 27 yards in the second quarter, helping Manheim Township to a 28-0 first quarter lead as the Streaks stunned Cedar Crest 42-0. Cedar Crest came into the game with notable wins against Northeast and CD East, plus a narrow 21-13 loss to Wilson. Guess that and the 5-1 record got their attention as this was a total rout where Township outgained them 393 yards to 83 in total yards. Hayden Johnson was almost perfect, completing 12 of 13 throws for 193 yards and touchdowns of 40, 27, 40 and 27 yards while rushing for another touchdown and 25 yards. His top target, Landon Kennel (698 total), had 5 of those receptions for 88 yards and 3 touchdowns, followed by Nick Palumbo’s 3 receptions for 86 yards and a 40-yard touchdown catch. Declan Clancy rushed for 58 yards, taking his season total to 577 yards. Reading (1-6) is next followed by Penn Manor (3-4) before concluding the regular season at LL-1 rival Wilson High for the Section title.
3 Harrisburg 6A 6-1
Junior quarterback Shawn Lee completed only 4 of 10 passes for 69 yards but rushed for 128 yards and four scores as the Cougars outlasted rival Central Dauphin East at Landis Field. Lee also had two picks from his safety position. Running back Neamiah Ewell had his best game of the year with 180 yards on 6 carries. This is a bitter rivalry with East High three miles from Harrisburg High. It’s one of those games where you can throw out the stats and records. East’s awesome junior running back Jared Porter rushed for 228 yards on 28 carries. But Harrisburg hung on with a 21-14 second half that needed a Lee touchdown with a minute left in the game to pull it out 34-27. East High falls to 3-4 with the Cougars traveling north for a game with State College (5-1) that will decide the Mid Penn-Commonwealth division title. They split last year with State winning the regular season game 20-6 and Harrisburg taking the rematch in the postseason 27-7.
4 Central York 6A 7-0
Central York held on to the 4-spot with an overwhelming 72-0 win at home against winless Northeastern who falls to 0-7. The Bobcats allowed on average 58.8 points their last 5 games. At the same time, Central York got their offense in gear after a lackluster performance the week before nipping Dallastown (2-5) 23-13. The lopsided win keeps them undefeated atop the York Adams-1, deadlocked with York High. Disappointing Red Lion is next in a total tail spin, losing their last three games after a 3-1 start that included a 34-32 season opening loss to Ephrata (6-1).
5 State College 6A 5-1
State College had a lot of fun last week at the expense of Carlisle, racing out to a 42-13 halftime lead with special teams prevailing. They opening with an onside kick converted to a touchdown a few plays later, followed by Owen Yerka blocking a punt for six more before Cooper Brushwood returned a kickoff 95-yards in the second quarter to blow it out. A fourth quarter flurry led to the final of 55-20. Junior Eddie Corkery who is having an awesome first year as a starter completed 13 of 19 passes for 188 yards and touchdowns of 51 and 5 yards. Mike Gaul caught 6 passes for 108 yards, one, a 51-yard touchdown with Ty Salazer nabbing 4 for 65 yards and a touchdown. State’s offense is balanced at an average 167 rushing and 188 passing. Carlisle was held to 264 yards. After a so-so start to the season allowing 24ppg their first two games including a 28-26 loss to Downingtown East (6-0), they’ve allowed a paltry 14.25ppg since. They’ll need all that Friday night in a monster game at home against Harrisburg. They’re deadlocked atop the Mid Penn-Commonwealth, each on a four game winning streak.
6 Steelton Highspire 1A 7-0
Steel High had another easy game last week routing Camp Hill 55-7. But the big news across the state is quarterback Alex Erby becoming the Pennsylvania All-Time passing yards leader at 11287 yards, surpassing South Fayette’s Brett Brumbaugh who set the record in 2014 at 11084. And at 140 touchdowns thrown to date, he’s six behind Jeff Hoenstine from Central Martinsburg who threw 146. The Rollers were on it last week with Erby completing 19 of 25 passes for 341 yards, with touchdowns of 48, 35, 24, 41 and 15 yards. They’re beating people with talent and numbers on their receiver corps of Jaeion Perry at 135 yards on 5 receptions, Rell Ceasar with 115 yards on 8 receptions and Kam Chisholm getting 91 yards on 6 receptions. All three had two touchdowns a piece. Javius Dent had a reception for 78 yards. The defense had 4 interceptions, holding the Lions to 81 yards rushing and 185 passing. Winless Newport is next followed by the toughest outs on their schedule at home to Trinity (5-2) and away at West Perry (7-0).
7 Cocalico 5A 6-1
Cocalico got everyone’s attention across the state’s 5A landscape last week with a 34-14 victory over perennial power Wyomissing, ending their 41 game regular season winning streak. They did it with offense and defense, holding Wyo to 162 total yards, while their own offense ground out 265 yards rushing behind Aaron Longenecker’s 139 yards on 11 carries. He had touchdowns of 28, 15 and 30 yards. Having already defeated Lampeter Strasburg (6-1) 24-10 three weeks ago, the win puts them squarely in the LL-4’s driver’s seat, well positioned for a high seed in the postseason. Donegal (2-5) is next, coming in with a 5 game losing streak
8 Wilson 6A 5-2
Wilson’s red hot quarterback Tommy Hunsicker had another big game completing 16 of 23 passes for 290 yards with touchdowns of 17, 20, 12 and 11 yards as the Bulldogs pummeled Hempfield 49-34. Wide out Max Gruber had 112 yards receiving with touchdowns of 17 and 80 yards while Jackson Wagner had four receptions for 72 yards. Running back Correll Akings had 132 rushing with two touchdowns. Edison Case had a 39-yard punt return in the first quarter. Hempfield also had a strong showing with 451 total yards of offense to Wilson’s 448. Got to mention their quarterback Jackson Landis throwing for 288 yards and completing 27 of 38 throws. Micah Gates stood out with 16 receptions going for 191 yards and a touchdown. That does NOT bode well for the game against Manheim Township and quarterback Hayden Johnson who has thrown for over 1600 yards at 77%! Penn Manor (3-4) is next, winners of their last three games.
9 Manheim Central 4A 6-1
Winless Lebanon was no match for the Barons who rolled out 512 yards of total offense to the Cedars 85 in a 70-13 rout. It was 42-0 at the half. The Cedars were held to negative 5 rush yards. All the stars shinned in this one with quarterback Zac Hahn completing 14 of 17 for 238 yards and five touchdown tosses, Aaron Enterline on the receiving end of six of those throws for 168 yards and three touchdowns with running back Brycen Arnold rushing for 201 yards and three touchdowns. The win keeps them deadlocked in the three horse race that is the LL-2 this year with Exeter (7-0) and Conestoga Valley (6-1), making for a great finish. Things get sorted out more clearly Friday when the Baron’s travel to surprising Conestoga Valley whose only loss was to Garden Spot 27-26.
10 Wyomissing 3A 6-1
Wyomissing’s 41 game regular season winning streak came to an abrupt end in Denver against Cocalico 34-14 where the Spartan D had no answers for Cocalico’s veer that rumbled for 265 yards. Both teams are fierce ground pounders with Cocalico not completing a pass and Wyomissing connecting on just 4 of 10 for a paltry 27 yards. You just don’t see this happening to Wyo. So look for a huge response this week against Conrad Weiser (2-5).
TIE
Twin Valley 4A 7-0
The LL-3 with Twin Valley, Ephrata (6-1) and Garden Spot (6-1) is one of the most exciting races in south central PA as evidenced last week when Twin Valley nipped Garden Spot 35-34 on a blocked extra point. With TV rushing for 392 yards and GS throwing for 199, it was a back and forth game, in question until that blocked kick and TV punching one in with a minute and a half left in the game. What a game for their home crowd. The win was their second in a row by a single point! TV’s backs ran wild in this one with Drew Engle at 231 yards on 29 carries and touchdowns of 2 and 32 yards, and Evan Johnson at 166 yards on 16 carries with touchdowns of 56, 14 and 23 yards. No one has stopped their running game this year with Engle at 1078 yards for the year and Johnson at 965. Next up is their toughest road trip of the year at Ephrata to break the logjam atop the Section. Back on September 1st, they performed well on the road against ‘quality’, winning at Lower Dauphin (5-2, Mid Penn-Keystone) 24-21.
11 York (William Penn) 6A 5-1
York had one of those games where they just got past a feisty Dallastown (2-5) team 22-15. But credit D-town for getting after them following a hard fought 23-13 loss to Central York (7-0) the week before. York got all their point in the first half with David Warde’s 72-yard punt return proving decisive. Developing sophomore running back Shavane Anderson who you’ll be hearing about the next few years exploded for 204 yards and two scores, while another sophomore, quarterback Najee Still threw for 155 yards, completing 9 of 15 passes. It wasn’t pretty but a win is a win as the Bearcats remain tied with and on a collision course with Central York Oct 27th. Spring Grove (3-4) is next coming in on a three game winning streak where they’ve found the magic averaging 61ppg! Spring Grove’s Qb Connor Ruhland sprays it around to six receivers and he’s a dual threat. Probably a high scoring game here.
TIE
Exeter Township 5A 7-0
Exeter got their second shutout of the season after nailing Muhlenberg (1-6) 42-0, holding the ‘Muhls’, not to be confused with Mules (!?), to 80 total yards. Quarterback Riley Martinez kept a low profile completing 3 of 7 passes for 60 yards. But not that low with two of them going for 15 and 24-yard touchdowns. The bulk of the work came on the ground with Jayden Zandier rushing for 115 yards and a 38-yard touchdown, and Pharrell Caceres snagging 12 passes for 79 yards, scoring on 5 and 35 yard runs. Zandier also had a 24-yard touchdown reception on 2 catches for 44 yards. The win keeps them locked in a tight race with Manheim Central and Conestoga Valley with, oddly enough, non-conference Hempfield in a crossover game with Section-1 next.
12 Garden Spot 5A 6-1
Garden Spot suffered their first loss of the season in a critical section game with LL-3 rival Twin Valley, losing 35-34 on a blocked extra kick at the end of the game. As is often the case, quarterback Kye Harting was their offense, completing 17 of 34 passes for 205 yards with two touchdowns, and rushing for 81 yards on 21 carries for two more scores. And it may have been enough had the extra point not been blocked. They shut down TV’s quarterback Evan Myers, forcing him into 3 picks and minus 17 yards rushing. But no one has managed TV’s huge O-Line or their tandem backs. See Twin Valley above. Like Exeter Township, they have an out of league game at Central Mountain (5A, D6, 2-5) this week, way up in Mill Hall, 20 miles north of State College.
13 West Perry 3A 7-0
West Perry survived a Big Spring comeback after pouncing on the Bulldogs with a 21-7 first quarter outburst. It held up, but barely, with a fourth quarter score drawing Big Spring to 38-35 behind the relentless pounding of Connor Green with 151 yards on 20 carries and Grant Hill with 9 carries for 128 yards. While Perry’s defense showed holes, the diversity of their offense was the difference with quarterback Marcus Quaker throwing for 99 yards and two touchdowns and rushing for 119. Ian Goodling who holds most of their receiving records had 5 catches for 85 yards plus 35 rushing with another score. Trent Hockenberry had 99 yards rushing and another 16 on two receptions to keep them undefeated and tied with Steel High in the Mid Penn-Keystone. Middletown (1-6) is next at West Perry
TIE
Central Dauphin 6A 4-3
To understand a Central Dauphin-Cumberland Valley game, think Dallas verses the Eagles. There are other Mid Penn encounters that have plenty of depth to them but none like this one where you can throw away all the stats and records in their annual Head Bangers Ball. Adding a major dose of spice to it, it’s a West Shore vs East Shore game with the Susquehanna splitting the two areas geographically and emotionally as it runs almost true north and south at Harrisburg. This is a game that’s often decided by a turnover, special teams play and last second fireworks. This one had all three with the two deadlocked at seven apiece through three quarters. Cumberland Valley slammed the door on CD’s exciting quarterback Key’Ron Plummer, holding him to 38 pass yards, a 30% completion rate and negative 12 yards rushing! CD did its thing holding CV’s rushing attack in check most of the night at 109 yards. Their D was good enough to send the starting quarterback to the bench when CD’s Mason Wydra tied it at 7-7 on a Pick-6 to close out the half. Junior Grant Shepley was forced into the maelstrom where he shined, completing 10 of 18 passes for 135 yards. He led the team down the field 83 yards in the closing minutes where Bryce Staretz scored from 9 yards out with 1:23 to play. He finished with 62 yards and three touchdowns. CD’s Miles Copper finished with 125 yards on 25 carries. CV tries to even its record at 4-4 traveling to Carlisle Friday while CD tries to rebound at home against Altoona.
14 Trinity 2A 5-2
Trinity showed a wicked passing attack last week defeating Middletown 35-0 for their first shutout of the year. Quarterback Caleb Wray completed 14 of 18 passes for 229 yards, with touchdowns of 70, 4, 18 and 40 yards. He also had a 1-yard run for another score. Christian Joy showed his versatility with 48 yards rushing and 66 receiving with a 40-yard touchdown. Cole Cappawana had 3 catches for 48 yards, scoring on two of them for 4 and 18 yard touchdowns. For the second straight week, the ground game was almost nonexistent at 66 total. But the defense was stellar, holding the Blue Raiders to 87 total yards. They host crosstown rival Camp Hill (2 miles) in a key game Friday trying to stay close to Steel High and West Perry in the Mid Penn-Capital division race. They are a game back.
15 Ephrata 5A 6-1
Ephrata stayed in the LL-3 hunt with a 52-28 rout of Fleetwood (3-4), coming on the heels of their disappointing 42-2 loss the week before to Garden Spot. This was a huge and balanced attack with Sam McCracken connecting on 12 of 19 passes for 254 yards with scoring tosses of 28, 12 and 50 yards. Six receivers were used, led by Angel Callazo at 93 yards on 4 receptions, Jeremiah Knowles with 4 catches for 77 yards and touchdowns of 28 and 12 yards, Quintin Pfautz with two catches for 61 yards, one going for a 51-yard touchdown. Evan Honberger drilled a 35-yard field goal with Nick Keller getting in on the fun with an 85 yard kickoff return. They host the undefeated Section-3 leader Twin Valley (7-0) Friday where they can throw the section into turmoil with a win, causing a three-way deadlock with Garden Spot (6-1).
16 Lampeter Strasburg 4A 6-1
Cocalico may have caused some separation beating Wyomissing last week but it’s still an exciting race in the LL-4 with Wyo and Lampeter Strasburg at 6-1 with a conference loss, and a ‘game’ ELCO (5-2) with two section losses and the leading runner in south central PA in Jake Williams at 1571 yards. They’re all looking up at Cocalico with new found respect after routing Wyomissing 34-14 last week. About Lampeter; they blew out Berks Catholic last week 49-17, with Jonathan Mellinger rushing for 218 yard and three touchdowns. They piled up 429 total yards to BC’s 267. ELCO is up next in a must win for them with those two section losses and LS with one. And with both battling for 4A seeding, it should be an entertaining game.
17 Cedar Cliff 5A 6-1
Cedar Cliff battled a tough division foe last week, taking on Lower Dauphin who came in on fire, winning their last four games by an average score of 32-6. They had a red hot quarterback in Carter Burton who almost beat them single handedly. See below. But the Colts had a little more with the combination of quarterback Bennett Seacrest and running back Erik Schriver. Bennett rushed for 98 yards, scoring on a 4-yard run, and passed for another 58 yards with a 34-yard strike to Schriver. At the same time, Schriver added a 64-yard touchdown run while rushing for 98 yards. The final was 21-16, advantage Colts, who hung onto a 7-0 lead at the half, surviving Lower Dauphin’s 16-14 second half comeback. It was an important win in the 5A classification battle for higher seeds. 12 teams get into the postseason in 5A that looks to be top heavy with good teams featuring New Oxford 7-0, Exeter 7-0, Cocalico 6-1, Conestoga Valley 6-1 and Cedar Cliff also at 6-1, all battling for the top seed. Palmyra (2-5) is next where the Colts can name the score.
TIE
Cedar Crest 6A 5-2
What the heck happened to the team that beat Philly Northeast? Ok, an over rated 5-2 Philly team but still with decent talent. Then came a good win against CD East (3-4) who is underrated and often a very tough out. They also gave Wilson (5-2) a game three weeks ago losing 21-13. In a game that looked like a misprint last week, they got skunked by Manheim Township 42-0. And it was as bad as it looks with the Falcons getting 83 total yards of offense to Township’s 393. See Township above. They’ll recover and likely finish strong closing out with McCaskey (2-5), Hempfield (2-5) and Lebanon (0-7) for a solid 6A seed.
18 New Oxford 5A 7-0
No one expected Kennard Dale (2-5) to offer New Oxford much resistance even with quarterback Idriz Ahmetonic sidelined with injury. That forced sophomore Luke Frey to center stage where he performed just fine, completing 8 of 13 passes for 137 yards with two touchdowns. It was over at the half where a blocked punt and a 40-yard field goal by Brady Miller helped gave the Colonials a 26-0 lead. Jarrett Bitzer had a short but productive game with 7 carries and 110 yards, scoring on 63 and 6 yard runs. Brennan Holmer led all receivers with 4 catches for 64 yards, catching a 5-yard toss for six. And Clayton Nieves almost got to the century mark with 48 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries, and a reception of 51 yards that also went for a score. The Colonials look to go undefeated if they can get past Fort Hill (Cumberland, Md) who beat them 28-0 last year. Fort Hill is the perennial 1A state champ, winning the last two at 13-1 and 12-0, and four in a row from 2013-2016 going 54-1; 117-7 the last 10 years. They’re a small school (1A is smallest) but have a lot of speed the Colonials should have trouble with. West York (0-7) is next.
19 Conestoga Valley 5A 6-1
Conestoga Valley stayed in the hunt for the LL-2 crown and a high seed with their fourth consecutive win, beating Governor Mifflin 23-7 at GM. Total yardage stats of 190 to Mifflin’s 207 shows what a defensive struggle it was, meaning special teams and defense decided it. CV’s lead back Jayden Johnson was bottled up most of the game with 38 yards on 8 carries and 42 yards in receptions. One of those receptions was a 31 yard scoring strike from quarterback Liam Cheek. In a game like this, his 92-yard kickoff return was deflating, giving them a 21-7 halftime lead. A 22-yard field goal by Nathan Showvaker in an otherwise scoreless second half sealed it. The win keeps them tied with Manheim Central in second place, a game behind undefeated Exeter. CV’s only loss was 27-26 against Garden Spot. They’re home against Manheim Central (6-1) Friday in a game with classification and Section implications with CV a 5A and Manheim Central a 4A.
20 Lower Dauphin 5A 5-2
Lower Dauphin has proved itself a factor in the division including Bishop McDevitt and Cedar Cliff, with competitive losses to Cedar Cliff 21-16 last week, and earlier to Twin Valley 24-21 of the Lancaster-Lebanon League. These guys are scrappers, led by their dual threat quarterback Carter Burton (6-0, 195, jr) who has passed for 626 yards and rushed for 543. He almost single handedly won the game last week rushing for 77 yards and completing 13 of 23 passes for 152 yards. The defense has been an active one allowing 9.8ppg with three shutouts. Knowing Cedar Cliff averaged 33ppg coming into the game and were home, holding them to 21 points was a small victory as was their second half comeback of 16-14 that also feel short. Only McDevitt held the Colts to less. Next door neighbor Milton Hershey (3-4) is next at LD.
OTHERS:
East Pennsboro 4A 6-1 home vs Shippensburg
Hershey 5A 5-2 at Mifflin County
Susquehanna Township 4A 5-2 at Northern
Greencastle-Antrim 5A 5-2 home vs Gettysburg
CD East 6A 3-4 at Chambersburg
Littlestown 3A 5-2 at York Catholic
ELCO 5A 5-2 at Lampeter Strasburg
Annville Cleona 2A 5-2 home vs Pequea Valley
Dallastown 6A 2-5 home vs Dover
