District-3 Playoff, all classifications: Nov 12, 13 games.
6A Semifinals (highest seed home)
#1 Central York 11-0 vs #5 Wilson 8-3
Jaheim White scored first for York on an 11 yard run before Wilson slammed the door shut, outscoring the Bearcats 50-26 in route to a 50-32 win at 4th seeded York. The Bulldogs overwhelmed them with a ground game churning out 356 yards, while the defense bent but didn’t break against the big Bearcat attack that got 179 yards passing and 235 yards rushing. Quarterback Brad Hoffman led Wilson with 178 yards while power back Jadyn Jones got 155. In lieu of a deep passing attack (Hoffman 54-116-741-57%, 11/9), the two have turned Wilson into a powerful running team with Jadyn at 1103 yards for the year and Hoffman at 871. At some point the anemic passing attack could be their downfall, probably here against Central York. They are a dynamic attack with Beau Pribula throwing for 2100 yards at 76% with a 30/5 Td/Pick ratio. At 45ppg, they are prolific. The receivers are talented and quick in Imeire Manigault (28-712), Treyshawn Smith (31-589) and Parker Hines (26-506). Manigault and Hines do it all with 421 and 435 rushing yards respectively on 70 carries each. Their turnover differential is 21 to 11 with a defense allowing 273 total yards a game at 14.7ppg. They are undefeated against a difficult schedule of Exeter, Cumberland Valley, Hempfield, Spring Grove, Dallastown, York and Manheim Township who they defeated 26-14 last week. The Steaks are a tough out, with Central being the first team to beat them by more than a touchdown. Conversely, Wilson, who has a history of stomping York County teams in districts is 3-3 vs quality, beating Central Dauphin, Hempfield and Township while losing to Governor Mifflin, Exeter and Manheim Central. This will be Wilson’s stiffest test since losses to Governor Mifflin and Exeter. It’ll be a test for Central York too, but they have the best quarterback in the state who just put 60 points on York High in a monsoon.
#2 Harrisburg 10-1 vs #6 Hempfield 7-4
Fullback/LB Mahki Hopkins scored 3 touchdowns and rushed for 119 yards as Harrisburg overwhelmed Carlisle 36-7 in 1st round action. Hopkins (6-2, 230, jr) and Kyle Williams (6-0, 190, jr) blew it open with 3 Hopkins touchdowns by the middle of the 2nd quarter with Williams getting a 35-yard Pick-6 at the close of the quarter. DE Terrell Reynolds (6-2, 235, jr) and LBs Anthony Day (5-11, 210, sr) and Kymir Williams (5-9, 190, Fr) with Hopkins in the middle shut the Herd down to 146 total yards. Freshman quarterback Shawn Lee has developed over the course of the season completing 73 of 109 passes for 720 yards. This is not the lost kid seen vs Pine Richland! Scary thing is how young they are. And they’ve played a representative schedule beating Pine Richland, Manheim Township, Central Dauphin East, Cumberland Valley and Carlisle, twice. But they’ll have their hands full Saturday against a Hempfield team that is equally tested coming off a surprising 35-2 win at nearby Central Dauphin East. There they shut down the balanced offense of East High, holding them to 123 total yards! Qb Cam Harbaugh picked them apart completing 12 of 16 passes for 202 yards and rushing for 35. He’s one of the top dual threats in central Pennsylvania throwing for 1819 yards (59%, 13/4) and rushing for 627 yards. Hard imaging how the Black Knights lost 4 games with the top D in the Lancaster Lebanon-Section One at 16ppg. Holding East to 2 points while scoring 35, a season high for them, shows the completeness of their victory. No one kept East out of the end zone this year. They won’t keep Harrisburg out of the end zone but it should be a competitive game with Harrisburg having the home field advantage and more weapons and team speed than the Knights have or have faced to date, notwithstanding the CD East score. One thing for certain, Hempfield’s win against East High got Harrisburg’s attention.
5A Quarterfinals (highest seed home)
#1 Governor Mifflin 8-0 vs #8 Warwick 7-4
Covid-19 related cancellations (Oct 2nd, 22nd) left Governor Mifflin two games shy of a full slate. But they got in the last one defeating Berks Catholic 42-13 to claim the Berks-Section One title in the league’s final season before merging with the Lancaster Lebanon League. By now everyone knows about Nicholas Singleton (1502ry), but few know what an deep supporting cast he has in quarterback Eden Johnson (342ry, 84py) and Delsin McNeil (157ry, 122py); FB Trey Rock (419ry), Aiden Gallen (340), Ayden Martin (109ry, 24py) and Chase Rapp (112ry). The least talked about aspect of the team is their O-Line that is the best in the district and likely matches any in the state; egs Jonah Naugle (6-3, 305), Nate Goodman (6-4, 230), Daxen Washington (6-1, 250), Jamani Smith (6-1, 310), center Jacob Lopez (8-8, 200), etc, etc. The defense allowed 93 points or 12ppg. Their quality opponents included York, Wilson, Episcopal Academy, Harrisburg, Cocalico and Exeter, teams they beat by an average score of 51-13 with a combined record of 44-17. Warwick missed playing Mifflin last year with Covid-19 cancelling them out. They were 8-0 making it one of the most highly anticipated games in the district. Mifflin was also 7-0, getting the forfeit win before playing Pine Richland in the 5A final. This year the Warriors are again a big and diverse attack with a strong quarterback in Jack Reed (58%, 2249, 17/4) throwing to Cooper Eckert (67-1093), one of the top receivers in the LL, Ryan Fink (41-617) and a powerful running back in Christian Royer (1179). The problem has been a defense that has failed them in crunch time and/or an offense coming up a little short in narrow losses to CD East, Hempfield and Cocalico. But it all came together last week in the first round where they pummeled Gettysburg 44-14, rolling out 484 yards to Gburg’s 234. Since starting 2-3, they’ve gone 4-1, including giving Manheim Central (9-1) their only loss and routing Gettysburg. It’s safe to say if Harrisburg, York and Exeter can’t run with the Mustangs, neither can Warwick.
#4 Spring Grove 9-1 vs #5 Waynesboro 9-2
Here are two teams you don’t see much of in the postseason and for good reason. Spring Grove has a 34-64 record the last 10 years with 3 winning seasons while Waynesboro went 49-52 with 6 winning seasons the last 10 years. The oddity here is this is a rematch of a game Spring Field won at Waynesboro 25-20 in the opener. Three year starting quarterback Andrew Osmun went down early in that one for most of the season. That made the Rockets even more run centric, especially with a back like Zyree Brooks. He ran wild last week in the 33-6 playoff win against Twin Valley, rushing for a season high 288 yards with 4 touchdowns. With Brooks at 2107 yards on the year, they are the top rushing team in the York-Adams Conference and 4th from the bottom in passing at 54 yards per game. Waynesboro (2nd place Mid Penn-Colonial) won their playoff opener last week defeating Boone 42-20. They fell behind 14-0 before outscoring the Trailblazers 42-6 for the win. Here in the quarterfinals, Waynesboro will need to stiffen after allowing Spring Grove 294 yards in the season opener back on Aug 27th. Since then they’ve gone 9-1 while Spring Grove won their last five. Waynesboro is a battler but Spring Grove’s greater team speed, running back Zyree Brooks and 14ppg defense should be decisive. Home field helps too!
#2 Manheim Central 9-1 vs #7 Exeter Township 7-3
Manheim Central enters the playoffs following a bye week as the 2 seed with the satisfaction of managing a strong schedule with only one stumble preventing a 10-0 slate, losing to Warwick (6-4) 35-28. Their most accomplished wins were at home against Hempfield (7-4) 14-0, and road wins at Wilson (8-3) 24-21 and Perkiomen Valley (9-2) 43-40. All advanced in the playoffs last week with Warwick beating Gettysburg 44-14, Hempfield beating CD East 35-2, Wilson trouncing York 50-32 and Perk Val beating Central Bucks East 42-21. At 39ppg with a dual threat in quarterback Judd Novak throwing for 1661 yards and rushing for 611, they’re a handful. He throws to 5 receivers with at least 13 receptions led by Owen Sensenig (51-774). Justin Hefferman does the heavy lifting rushing for 77 yards with Jaden Weit adding 265 yards. The D is one of the very best in the playoffs allowing 14ppg. Exeter advanced to meet the Barons despite playing a sloppy game against 10th seeded South Western (6-5), fumbling 3 times and committing 10 penalties for 105 yards. Their 20-0 half time lead dwindled to 23-14 in the 4th quarter before pulling away for a 38-21 win. For a team that went toe-to-toe with Central York, losing 35-28 then pounding Wilson 42-14 two weeks later, they let teams hang around too often, despite averaging 40ppg! They are led by a quality Qb in Colin Payne at (59%, 1596, 16/5), a D1 receiver in Jeff Schlaffer (33-606, 6-6, 210 junior) and TE/LB J.R. Strauss (6-3, 215, 17/344). They have solid running backs in Eric Nangle (977), Cabraun Woody (366) and FB Ty Yocum (400ry, 206py). Their defense at 14ppg average is good knowing the schedule they play and that it includes a 54-21 loss to Governor Mifflin.
#3 Shippensburg 11-0 vs #6 Cedar Cliff 9-2
Shippensburg continued the streak with their 15th straight win counting last year’s final four by routing overwhelmed New Oxford (6-5, 14th seed) 43-16. It was 29-3 at the half. They have a lot of bodies to track in the Wing-T with Amari Kerr now at 627 yards, Traevon Kater at 792, Nathan Beam at 554 and quarterback Tucker Chamberlin throwing for 1100 yards with a 14 to 2 Td-Pick ratio at 57%. Allowing 10ppg including quality wins against Big Spring (8-3) 34-14, Waynesboro (9-2) 33-14 and Northern (7-3) 21-3 suggests the Greyhounds are ready for Cedar Cliff Friday. About the Colts, they needed an Erik Schriver touchdown with 53 seconds left to hold off combative Lower Dauphin 31-18 last week. Don’t read too much into that as this is a bitter Mid Penn-Keystone conference rivalry, topped off by it being a dreaded rematch. So make that 4 straight since the 56-0 debacle at McDevitt. Their stats through last week have them at 33ppg with a defense allowing 23. Key contributors remain star running back Jontae Morris at 1800 yards (7.4ypc, nice ACL recovery!), Trenton Smith catching 49 passes for 779 yards and quarterback Ethan Dorrell throwing for 1402 yards at 58% with a 15/6 ratio. Cedar Cliff is often a notch above Shippensburg in the Mid Penn pecking order playing in the larger school Mid Penn-Keystone with Ship in the Colonial. But maybe not this year with the Hounds having by all statistical measures their best team ever, definitely from a defensive view. Both can be explosive but the Colts may have the edge in team speed. Toss it up with a lean to Ship at home!
4A Quarterfinals (highest seed home)
#1 Bishop McDevitt 8-1 vs #8 Northern York 7-3
Bishop Mcdevitt enjoyed a 1st round bye last week while Northern had a war with Octorara (now 8-3), edging the explosive Braves at Northern 28-22. They jumped on Octorara early, getting a 28-6 lead that looked good at the end of the 3rd quarter. It wasn’t, with Octorara settling down to score three 4th quarter touchdowns, closing the gap to 6 with 4 minutes left in the game. But the Bears stayed with their game plan, pounding the ball to kill clock and earn a hard fought victory. Props to the Polar Bears D holding Octorara who came in averaging 280 rushing yards per game to 57 yards. Except for Spring Grove and Shippensburg, Octorara is the most talented team Northern had played. That all changes this week tackling top seeded Bishop McDevitt. Their schedule could be more despite playing LaSalle and losing 21-0 and defeating Cedar Cliff (5A, 8-2, 6th seed) 56-0. Their cast of stars are impressive; quarterback Stone Saunders (68%, 2083, 34/1 ratio), running backs Marquese Williams (1183 yards, 13/3ypc) and Cyncir Bowers (707, 15.7ypc), and receivers Mario Easterly (32/672, 21.0 yard per catch, 10 Tds) and Kamil Foster (22/569, 25.9ypc, 10 Tds). OT/DT Gabriel Arena (6-5, 275) is the cornerstone of an awesome wall of an O-Line. Their D players are over the top in OT/DT Riley Robell (6-3, 275, 18 tfl), OT/DT Ethan Straing (6-3, 260) and LBs Ryan Russo (6-2, 200, 76 tackles, 11.5 tfl), Kade Werner (5-11, 190) and Bryce Enders (5-11, 210). They allowed 5 touchdowns since the LaSalle loss and 56 points counting all game. You may see extra incentive by McDevitt knowing they missed the playoffs last year with a 6-0 team that outscored opponents 240 to 48 but feel short point wise making the playoffs with the field reduced to 4 per Covid-19. Look for a BIG effort here.
#4 Berks Catholic 6-4 vs #5 Cocalico 6-4
Berks Catholic is from the Berks-1 with Governor Mifflin, Exeter and others in the final year of the conference’s existence. They’ll merge with the Lancaster Lebanon League next year forming a super conference like the Mid Penn. That’s great news for fans able to regularly see Governor Mifflin, Exeter, BC, Wyomissing and Conrad Weiser of the Berks mix it up with Wilson, Manheim Township, Warwick, Lampeter Strasburg, Cocalico and Manheim Central. Wow! Back to the game. BC survived the transfer of quarterback Brad Johnson to Wilson and running back Aiden Gallen to Governor Mifflin with senior Mitchell Gatz completing 75% of his passes for 751 yards. This provides the threat of a pass with a strong rushing attack. Christian Cacchione leads with 1020 yards (6.9ypc,18 Tds), then Josiah Jordan at 670 yards (17 Tds) and Luke Hughes 461 (4.8ypc). The Saints faced heavy hitters this year as always losing to Malvern Prep (6-2) 37-7, Governor Mifflin (8-0) 42-13, Exeter (6-3) 33-21 and Central Dauphin (5-3) 41-22, but still average 32ppg. Overmatched losses took their yield to 26ppg. In all other games their average score is 43-18. They come out swinging for the fences, outscoring their opponents 121-48 in the 1st quarter and 101-56 in the 2nd. Cocalico wants to run the ball almost every down, and does 87% of the time. And why not having the Lancaster Lebanon League’s leading rusher in Anthony Bourasso at 1863 yards and 23 touchdowns. Qb Blake Taddei is second in carries at 76 netting 205 yards while completing 23 of 39 passes (59%) for 412 yards. Steven Flinton has 40 carries for 250 yards with brother Brycen at 23 for 165 and Aaryn Longenecker at 205 yards on 23 carries. Defensively, the Eagles are even more generous than BC, allowing 31ppg (174ry/g, 158py/g). They also played a big time schedule beating Conrad Weiser (7-4) 36-21 and Warwick (7-4, 27-21) with losses to Governor Mifflin (8-0) 56-0, Manheim Township (6-5) 48-21, Manheim Central (9-1) 42-20 and Cedar Cliff (9-2) 33-27. Both come into this game off losses, BC to Mifflin, Cocalico to Manheim Central.
#2 Lampeter Strasburg 9-1 vs #10 Big Spring 8-3
Lampeter Strasburg had a bye last week after breezing through a less than challenging schedule, winning their last nine games after the season opening 45-22 loss to Warwick. Thereon they crushed the opposition by an average score of 38-8 to win their second straight LL-3 title. They did it with a balanced offense (2602ry, 1199py) a solid quarterback in Berkeley Wagner (69%, 1150, 13/6, 109-658ry) and a hoard of running backs led by Giovanni Malatesta’s 512 rush yards and 210 in receptions. D1 prospect Beau Heyser (6-2, 225, TE, DE) is their top receiver with 19 receptions for 381 yards. The opponent this week is Big Spring from the Mid Penn-Capital (2nd place tie, Steel High, Middletown), fresh off their road win at 7th seeded Conrad Weiser (7-4), 49-35. Dartmouth recruit Logan Klitsch zinged them for 402 yards while well underrated Ethan Eisenberg of Big Spring threw for 220 yards, rushed for 60 and threw 4 touchdowns, getting his passing total to 1590 yards. Dillon Wakefield pounded out 214 yards taking his season total to 1295 yards. The Bulldogs are a big brawny offense at 40ppg as evidenced last week at Weiser and earlier against Steel High 49-14 where they ended the Rollers 17 game winning streak.
#3 Kennard Dale 9-1 vs #6 Donegal 7-2
Kennard Dale (who?) is no longer mired in the depths of a losing history since Chris Grube arrived in 2016 to turn things around. They went 7-43 the 5 years before his arrival, 0-10 his first year then 5-5, 4-7, 6-4 and 4-2 last year before breaking out this year for the first title in school history. They’re at that level with the 2nd rated team defense (ppg) in the York Adams at 11.7 ahead of Central York. They are also 2nd in offensive rush yards/game at 289 behind Spring Grove. Some good news sees Steven Lukes back from injury with 747 yards rushing after missing last month. Micah Partee has 668 yards rushing. His brother, Milachi at 6-1, 240 pounds leads the O-Line and defense at DE with fellow DE Grant Cooper (6-1, 245). They won their last 9 after the 18-16 loss (upset?) to Octorara (8-3). It’s a senior laden group with good wins against New Oxford (6-5)17-7 and at Gettysburg (7-4) 66-22. At 37ppg with a yield of 12ppg, they’ll be tough to beat at home for their first home playoff game in school history. Donegal out of the LL-4 is sneaky good with a modest offense at 25ppg and a defense at 19. Take away the 55-0 loss to Lampeter Strasburg to find a defense allowing 14ppy. They are very similar to KD, preferring to keep it on the ground where they average 221 yards per game. Their principal running backs are Jon Holmes (62-616), Noah Rohrer (95-580), Cody Strough (34-263) and Ian Brown (36-160). Donegal and Kennard Dale will be a knock down drag out affair that looks like a dead heat. Overtime anyone?
3A Semifinals (highest seed home)
#1 Wyomissing 11-0 vs #5 Middletown 6-4
As expected, top seeded Wyomissing dismantled bottom seeded Northern Lebanon (4-7) 65-3 in last week’s opener. The 65 points are the most Wyo ever scored in the playoffs with starters exiting in the 2nd quarter. They ran for 302 yards in the first half and 428 by game’s end, holding NL to 34 total yards. Other defensive highlights saw them get 3 sacks and 2 picks, one returned 77 yards for a touchdown by Nevin Carter. The win takes their season average to 48ppg with a defense allowing 8ppg. With blowout wins against top teams like Pottsville and Southern Columbia, ending Southern’s 93 game regular season winning streak, it’s hard seeing how Middletown can keep up. The Blue Raiders began the year with the disaster at Bishop McDevitt, losing 55-7. Two wins to non-competitive teams were followed by games against Juniata (D6, 4A-1st seed, 9-2) and Steel High (1A-1st seed, 7-2), losing to Juniata 8-7 and to Steel High 36-0. But they got it going against powerful Boiling Springs (3A-2nd seed, 10-1) losing 26-23 before upsetting Big Spring (4A-10th seed, 8-3) 7-0. They’ve played Wyomissing the last 2 years in the finals, losing 38-16 last year and 24-21 in 2019. Middletown has tough kids a winning tradition and may finally be peaking. But this is Wyomissing with a team that is even superior to last year’s 9-1 team that lost in the 3A final to Central Valley (12-0) 35-21.
#2 Boiling Springs 10-1 vs Hamburg #3 7-3
Boiling Springs made playoff history getting their first home playoff win in school history routing 7th seeded Lancaster Catholic 56-10. LC goes home at 4-7 while the Bubblers stay home against Hamburg of the Berks-2. Joey Menke had another big night rushing for 150 yards, taking his season total to 1068 yards. Jack Laing also had a big game getting 117 yards, lifting his season total to 662 yards. Aiden Mttzger had 2 touchdowns and 45 yards rushing taking his totals to 603 yards. That’s a handful guarding those three with quarterback Colin Lunde completing 56% of his throws for 994 yards and 17 touchdowns. Scoring 45ppg while allowing 16 and beating Big Spring and Steel High says the Bubblers are in a groove. Hamburg also made history last week getting their first District playoff win in school history defeating 6th seeded Bermudian Springs (5-6) 31-27. This is big stuff for Hamburg who last had playoff appearances in 1985, 2006, 2007, 2010 and 2013. Running back Diohnny Ruiz also made history setting the school single season rushing record at 1187 yards with 89 yards against Bermudian. With 19 catches for 307 yards, he is their primary weapon. Pierce Mason is also a load adding 161 yards of total offense for the Hawks. Xander Menapace continues to impress with a 63% completion rate for 919 yards and 11 touchdowns. The problem is their less than challenging schedule with wins against teams having a combined record of 12-40. They are a spunky group with a good cast but they’re way out of bounds here against well tested Boiling Springs.
2A Final (highest seed home)
#1 York Catholic 10-0 vs #3 Upper Dauphin 9-1
York Catholic is back where they often are appearing in their 7th title game in 8 years. They are always a hard out with a balanced, senior laden team that graduated only 3 players. Averaging 32ppg with a D allowing 9 even looks like a veteran team. Quarterback Levan McFadden is a talented dual threat passing for 684 yards and rushing for 646. He was unstoppable last week, throwing for 106 yards and a score while rushing for 121 and 2 more touchdowns. Nick Creisher had 102 rushing and 2 scores as the Fighting Irish rolled over 4th seeded Susquenita (5-5) 43-7. Their opponent this week is Mid Penn-Liberty runner up and 3rd seed Upper Dauphin who beat 2nd seeded LL-4 champ Columbia (8-2) 58-48 with the records flying. Not bad for a team picked to finish 4th in the Liberty division. Columbia’s Robert Footman completed 26 of 42 passes for 536 yards (PIAA record) and rushed for 99 more. Leading receiver J’von Collazo also set a new PIAA record for most receiving yards in a game at 358 on 11 receptions. But you have to run the ball in this state and that’s where UDA excelled pounding out 282 yards on 44 carries. Favored Columbia had to be stunned, down 44-12 at the half! But cudos for the comeback. The game with top seeded York Catholic will be a struggle, but one UDA is built for with a powerful running game and overall balance with Qb Will Lakowski at 64% for 820 yards. Five backs handle the load in speedster Brady Morgan (5-8, 150, jr, 88-837ry, 16-156py), Christian Snyder (5-11, 190, jr, 129-769ry, 6-148py), Aiden Wiest (5-11, 185, sr, 41-413ry, 11-226py), Alex Heppler (6-0, 175, jr, 34-296ry, 6-167py) and another burner Konner Walker (5-11, 150, jr, 34-201ry, 3-37py). They are tested vs Juniata (D6, 4A-1st seed, 9-2) who beat them early 20-0 and Columbia last week. Catholic has no such tests barring Delone Catholic (6-4) who they beat 13-6.
1A Final (highest seed home)
#1 Steelton Highspire 7-2 vs #2 Delone Catholic 6-4
The big question coming into this one is how will Steelton Highspire respond after losing two straight games? Keep in mind they’re coming off a home loss to Boiling Springs (3A, 2nd seed, 10-1, MP-Capital champ) where the Bubblers converted a 2-point conversion to win 29-28 at the end. This followed the shocking 49-14 loss at Big Spring (4A, 10th seed, 8-3). Prior to this they were averaging 55ppg and allowing 12. Quarterback Alex Erby (6-3, 200, soph) leads the entire Mid Penn Conference throwing for 2807 yards at 78% with 34 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. Running back Daivin Pryor has 817 rush yards at 10.4ypc. Like Erby, wide out Tyrone Moore leads the Mid Penn with 1120 yards in receptions. Good luck keeping up with this receiver corps with Rell Ceasar at 43 catches for 645 yards and Jaieon Perry at 442 yards on 20 receptions. They need to relight the fuss that got them to 7-0 with their old nemesis Delone Catholic up next. The two have fought many battles recently with Steelton winning last year 23-13 and Delone taking the previous two years, 39-27 and 54-19. The Squires also won 28-13 in 2012 in districts before falling to Bellwood Antis (13-2) in double overtime 33-26. They’ll have to play like that here just to keep up with their run oriented offense scoring a meager 19ppg. But that’s what they do, running the ball to control the clock. Their leading rushers are Coltyn Keller (662), Landen Eckert (625) and Dylan Staub (577). They’re only 16th in scoring in the York Adams but 5th in team scoring. Defense is their strength with the 4th rushing defense (123/g) and 7th (100/g) passing defense. They’re catching the Rollers at a bad time playing at their place but never underestimate this tough little Catholic school from McSherrystown who has gone 117-47 since 2007.
6A Semifinals (highest seed home)
#1 Central York 11-0 vs #5 Wilson 8-3
Jaheim White scored first for York on an 11 yard run before Wilson slammed the door shut, outscoring the Bearcats 50-26 in route to a 50-32 win at 4th seeded York. The Bulldogs overwhelmed them with a ground game churning out 356 yards, while the defense bent but didn’t break against the big Bearcat attack that got 179 yards passing and 235 yards rushing. Quarterback Brad Hoffman led Wilson with 178 yards while power back Jadyn Jones got 155. In lieu of a deep passing attack (Hoffman 54-116-741-57%, 11/9), the two have turned Wilson into a powerful running team with Jadyn at 1103 yards for the year and Hoffman at 871. At some point the anemic passing attack could be their downfall, probably here against Central York. They are a dynamic attack with Beau Pribula throwing for 2100 yards at 76% with a 30/5 Td/Pick ratio. At 45ppg, they are prolific. The receivers are talented and quick in Imeire Manigault (28-712), Treyshawn Smith (31-589) and Parker Hines (26-506). Manigault and Hines do it all with 421 and 435 rushing yards respectively on 70 carries each. Their turnover differential is 21 to 11 with a defense allowing 273 total yards a game at 14.7ppg. They are undefeated against a difficult schedule of Exeter, Cumberland Valley, Hempfield, Spring Grove, Dallastown, York and Manheim Township who they defeated 26-14 last week. The Steaks are a tough out, with Central being the first team to beat them by more than a touchdown. Conversely, Wilson, who has a history of stomping York County teams in districts is 3-3 vs quality, beating Central Dauphin, Hempfield and Township while losing to Governor Mifflin, Exeter and Manheim Central. This will be Wilson’s stiffest test since losses to Governor Mifflin and Exeter. It’ll be a test for Central York too, but they have the best quarterback in the state who just put 60 points on York High in a monsoon.
#2 Harrisburg 10-1 vs #6 Hempfield 7-4
Fullback/LB Mahki Hopkins scored 3 touchdowns and rushed for 119 yards as Harrisburg overwhelmed Carlisle 36-7 in 1st round action. Hopkins (6-2, 230, jr) and Kyle Williams (6-0, 190, jr) blew it open with 3 Hopkins touchdowns by the middle of the 2nd quarter with Williams getting a 35-yard Pick-6 at the close of the quarter. DE Terrell Reynolds (6-2, 235, jr) and LBs Anthony Day (5-11, 210, sr) and Kymir Williams (5-9, 190, Fr) with Hopkins in the middle shut the Herd down to 146 total yards. Freshman quarterback Shawn Lee has developed over the course of the season completing 73 of 109 passes for 720 yards. This is not the lost kid seen vs Pine Richland! Scary thing is how young they are. And they’ve played a representative schedule beating Pine Richland, Manheim Township, Central Dauphin East, Cumberland Valley and Carlisle, twice. But they’ll have their hands full Saturday against a Hempfield team that is equally tested coming off a surprising 35-2 win at nearby Central Dauphin East. There they shut down the balanced offense of East High, holding them to 123 total yards! Qb Cam Harbaugh picked them apart completing 12 of 16 passes for 202 yards and rushing for 35. He’s one of the top dual threats in central Pennsylvania throwing for 1819 yards (59%, 13/4) and rushing for 627 yards. Hard imaging how the Black Knights lost 4 games with the top D in the Lancaster Lebanon-Section One at 16ppg. Holding East to 2 points while scoring 35, a season high for them, shows the completeness of their victory. No one kept East out of the end zone this year. They won’t keep Harrisburg out of the end zone but it should be a competitive game with Harrisburg having the home field advantage and more weapons and team speed than the Knights have or have faced to date, notwithstanding the CD East score. One thing for certain, Hempfield’s win against East High got Harrisburg’s attention.
5A Quarterfinals (highest seed home)
#1 Governor Mifflin 8-0 vs #8 Warwick 7-4
Covid-19 related cancellations (Oct 2nd, 22nd) left Governor Mifflin two games shy of a full slate. But they got in the last one defeating Berks Catholic 42-13 to claim the Berks-Section One title in the league’s final season before merging with the Lancaster Lebanon League. By now everyone knows about Nicholas Singleton (1502ry), but few know what an deep supporting cast he has in quarterback Eden Johnson (342ry, 84py) and Delsin McNeil (157ry, 122py); FB Trey Rock (419ry), Aiden Gallen (340), Ayden Martin (109ry, 24py) and Chase Rapp (112ry). The least talked about aspect of the team is their O-Line that is the best in the district and likely matches any in the state; egs Jonah Naugle (6-3, 305), Nate Goodman (6-4, 230), Daxen Washington (6-1, 250), Jamani Smith (6-1, 310), center Jacob Lopez (8-8, 200), etc, etc. The defense allowed 93 points or 12ppg. Their quality opponents included York, Wilson, Episcopal Academy, Harrisburg, Cocalico and Exeter, teams they beat by an average score of 51-13 with a combined record of 44-17. Warwick missed playing Mifflin last year with Covid-19 cancelling them out. They were 8-0 making it one of the most highly anticipated games in the district. Mifflin was also 7-0, getting the forfeit win before playing Pine Richland in the 5A final. This year the Warriors are again a big and diverse attack with a strong quarterback in Jack Reed (58%, 2249, 17/4) throwing to Cooper Eckert (67-1093), one of the top receivers in the LL, Ryan Fink (41-617) and a powerful running back in Christian Royer (1179). The problem has been a defense that has failed them in crunch time and/or an offense coming up a little short in narrow losses to CD East, Hempfield and Cocalico. But it all came together last week in the first round where they pummeled Gettysburg 44-14, rolling out 484 yards to Gburg’s 234. Since starting 2-3, they’ve gone 4-1, including giving Manheim Central (9-1) their only loss and routing Gettysburg. It’s safe to say if Harrisburg, York and Exeter can’t run with the Mustangs, neither can Warwick.
#4 Spring Grove 9-1 vs #5 Waynesboro 9-2
Here are two teams you don’t see much of in the postseason and for good reason. Spring Grove has a 34-64 record the last 10 years with 3 winning seasons while Waynesboro went 49-52 with 6 winning seasons the last 10 years. The oddity here is this is a rematch of a game Spring Field won at Waynesboro 25-20 in the opener. Three year starting quarterback Andrew Osmun went down early in that one for most of the season. That made the Rockets even more run centric, especially with a back like Zyree Brooks. He ran wild last week in the 33-6 playoff win against Twin Valley, rushing for a season high 288 yards with 4 touchdowns. With Brooks at 2107 yards on the year, they are the top rushing team in the York-Adams Conference and 4th from the bottom in passing at 54 yards per game. Waynesboro (2nd place Mid Penn-Colonial) won their playoff opener last week defeating Boone 42-20. They fell behind 14-0 before outscoring the Trailblazers 42-6 for the win. Here in the quarterfinals, Waynesboro will need to stiffen after allowing Spring Grove 294 yards in the season opener back on Aug 27th. Since then they’ve gone 9-1 while Spring Grove won their last five. Waynesboro is a battler but Spring Grove’s greater team speed, running back Zyree Brooks and 14ppg defense should be decisive. Home field helps too!
#2 Manheim Central 9-1 vs #7 Exeter Township 7-3
Manheim Central enters the playoffs following a bye week as the 2 seed with the satisfaction of managing a strong schedule with only one stumble preventing a 10-0 slate, losing to Warwick (6-4) 35-28. Their most accomplished wins were at home against Hempfield (7-4) 14-0, and road wins at Wilson (8-3) 24-21 and Perkiomen Valley (9-2) 43-40. All advanced in the playoffs last week with Warwick beating Gettysburg 44-14, Hempfield beating CD East 35-2, Wilson trouncing York 50-32 and Perk Val beating Central Bucks East 42-21. At 39ppg with a dual threat in quarterback Judd Novak throwing for 1661 yards and rushing for 611, they’re a handful. He throws to 5 receivers with at least 13 receptions led by Owen Sensenig (51-774). Justin Hefferman does the heavy lifting rushing for 77 yards with Jaden Weit adding 265 yards. The D is one of the very best in the playoffs allowing 14ppg. Exeter advanced to meet the Barons despite playing a sloppy game against 10th seeded South Western (6-5), fumbling 3 times and committing 10 penalties for 105 yards. Their 20-0 half time lead dwindled to 23-14 in the 4th quarter before pulling away for a 38-21 win. For a team that went toe-to-toe with Central York, losing 35-28 then pounding Wilson 42-14 two weeks later, they let teams hang around too often, despite averaging 40ppg! They are led by a quality Qb in Colin Payne at (59%, 1596, 16/5), a D1 receiver in Jeff Schlaffer (33-606, 6-6, 210 junior) and TE/LB J.R. Strauss (6-3, 215, 17/344). They have solid running backs in Eric Nangle (977), Cabraun Woody (366) and FB Ty Yocum (400ry, 206py). Their defense at 14ppg average is good knowing the schedule they play and that it includes a 54-21 loss to Governor Mifflin.
#3 Shippensburg 11-0 vs #6 Cedar Cliff 9-2
Shippensburg continued the streak with their 15th straight win counting last year’s final four by routing overwhelmed New Oxford (6-5, 14th seed) 43-16. It was 29-3 at the half. They have a lot of bodies to track in the Wing-T with Amari Kerr now at 627 yards, Traevon Kater at 792, Nathan Beam at 554 and quarterback Tucker Chamberlin throwing for 1100 yards with a 14 to 2 Td-Pick ratio at 57%. Allowing 10ppg including quality wins against Big Spring (8-3) 34-14, Waynesboro (9-2) 33-14 and Northern (7-3) 21-3 suggests the Greyhounds are ready for Cedar Cliff Friday. About the Colts, they needed an Erik Schriver touchdown with 53 seconds left to hold off combative Lower Dauphin 31-18 last week. Don’t read too much into that as this is a bitter Mid Penn-Keystone conference rivalry, topped off by it being a dreaded rematch. So make that 4 straight since the 56-0 debacle at McDevitt. Their stats through last week have them at 33ppg with a defense allowing 23. Key contributors remain star running back Jontae Morris at 1800 yards (7.4ypc, nice ACL recovery!), Trenton Smith catching 49 passes for 779 yards and quarterback Ethan Dorrell throwing for 1402 yards at 58% with a 15/6 ratio. Cedar Cliff is often a notch above Shippensburg in the Mid Penn pecking order playing in the larger school Mid Penn-Keystone with Ship in the Colonial. But maybe not this year with the Hounds having by all statistical measures their best team ever, definitely from a defensive view. Both can be explosive but the Colts may have the edge in team speed. Toss it up with a lean to Ship at home!
4A Quarterfinals (highest seed home)
#1 Bishop McDevitt 8-1 vs #8 Northern York 7-3
Bishop Mcdevitt enjoyed a 1st round bye last week while Northern had a war with Octorara (now 8-3), edging the explosive Braves at Northern 28-22. They jumped on Octorara early, getting a 28-6 lead that looked good at the end of the 3rd quarter. It wasn’t, with Octorara settling down to score three 4th quarter touchdowns, closing the gap to 6 with 4 minutes left in the game. But the Bears stayed with their game plan, pounding the ball to kill clock and earn a hard fought victory. Props to the Polar Bears D holding Octorara who came in averaging 280 rushing yards per game to 57 yards. Except for Spring Grove and Shippensburg, Octorara is the most talented team Northern had played. That all changes this week tackling top seeded Bishop McDevitt. Their schedule could be more despite playing LaSalle and losing 21-0 and defeating Cedar Cliff (5A, 8-2, 6th seed) 56-0. Their cast of stars are impressive; quarterback Stone Saunders (68%, 2083, 34/1 ratio), running backs Marquese Williams (1183 yards, 13/3ypc) and Cyncir Bowers (707, 15.7ypc), and receivers Mario Easterly (32/672, 21.0 yard per catch, 10 Tds) and Kamil Foster (22/569, 25.9ypc, 10 Tds). OT/DT Gabriel Arena (6-5, 275) is the cornerstone of an awesome wall of an O-Line. Their D players are over the top in OT/DT Riley Robell (6-3, 275, 18 tfl), OT/DT Ethan Straing (6-3, 260) and LBs Ryan Russo (6-2, 200, 76 tackles, 11.5 tfl), Kade Werner (5-11, 190) and Bryce Enders (5-11, 210). They allowed 5 touchdowns since the LaSalle loss and 56 points counting all game. You may see extra incentive by McDevitt knowing they missed the playoffs last year with a 6-0 team that outscored opponents 240 to 48 but feel short point wise making the playoffs with the field reduced to 4 per Covid-19. Look for a BIG effort here.
#4 Berks Catholic 6-4 vs #5 Cocalico 6-4
Berks Catholic is from the Berks-1 with Governor Mifflin, Exeter and others in the final year of the conference’s existence. They’ll merge with the Lancaster Lebanon League next year forming a super conference like the Mid Penn. That’s great news for fans able to regularly see Governor Mifflin, Exeter, BC, Wyomissing and Conrad Weiser of the Berks mix it up with Wilson, Manheim Township, Warwick, Lampeter Strasburg, Cocalico and Manheim Central. Wow! Back to the game. BC survived the transfer of quarterback Brad Johnson to Wilson and running back Aiden Gallen to Governor Mifflin with senior Mitchell Gatz completing 75% of his passes for 751 yards. This provides the threat of a pass with a strong rushing attack. Christian Cacchione leads with 1020 yards (6.9ypc,18 Tds), then Josiah Jordan at 670 yards (17 Tds) and Luke Hughes 461 (4.8ypc). The Saints faced heavy hitters this year as always losing to Malvern Prep (6-2) 37-7, Governor Mifflin (8-0) 42-13, Exeter (6-3) 33-21 and Central Dauphin (5-3) 41-22, but still average 32ppg. Overmatched losses took their yield to 26ppg. In all other games their average score is 43-18. They come out swinging for the fences, outscoring their opponents 121-48 in the 1st quarter and 101-56 in the 2nd. Cocalico wants to run the ball almost every down, and does 87% of the time. And why not having the Lancaster Lebanon League’s leading rusher in Anthony Bourasso at 1863 yards and 23 touchdowns. Qb Blake Taddei is second in carries at 76 netting 205 yards while completing 23 of 39 passes (59%) for 412 yards. Steven Flinton has 40 carries for 250 yards with brother Brycen at 23 for 165 and Aaryn Longenecker at 205 yards on 23 carries. Defensively, the Eagles are even more generous than BC, allowing 31ppg (174ry/g, 158py/g). They also played a big time schedule beating Conrad Weiser (7-4) 36-21 and Warwick (7-4, 27-21) with losses to Governor Mifflin (8-0) 56-0, Manheim Township (6-5) 48-21, Manheim Central (9-1) 42-20 and Cedar Cliff (9-2) 33-27. Both come into this game off losses, BC to Mifflin, Cocalico to Manheim Central.
#2 Lampeter Strasburg 9-1 vs #10 Big Spring 8-3
Lampeter Strasburg had a bye last week after breezing through a less than challenging schedule, winning their last nine games after the season opening 45-22 loss to Warwick. Thereon they crushed the opposition by an average score of 38-8 to win their second straight LL-3 title. They did it with a balanced offense (2602ry, 1199py) a solid quarterback in Berkeley Wagner (69%, 1150, 13/6, 109-658ry) and a hoard of running backs led by Giovanni Malatesta’s 512 rush yards and 210 in receptions. D1 prospect Beau Heyser (6-2, 225, TE, DE) is their top receiver with 19 receptions for 381 yards. The opponent this week is Big Spring from the Mid Penn-Capital (2nd place tie, Steel High, Middletown), fresh off their road win at 7th seeded Conrad Weiser (7-4), 49-35. Dartmouth recruit Logan Klitsch zinged them for 402 yards while well underrated Ethan Eisenberg of Big Spring threw for 220 yards, rushed for 60 and threw 4 touchdowns, getting his passing total to 1590 yards. Dillon Wakefield pounded out 214 yards taking his season total to 1295 yards. The Bulldogs are a big brawny offense at 40ppg as evidenced last week at Weiser and earlier against Steel High 49-14 where they ended the Rollers 17 game winning streak.
#3 Kennard Dale 9-1 vs #6 Donegal 7-2
Kennard Dale (who?) is no longer mired in the depths of a losing history since Chris Grube arrived in 2016 to turn things around. They went 7-43 the 5 years before his arrival, 0-10 his first year then 5-5, 4-7, 6-4 and 4-2 last year before breaking out this year for the first title in school history. They’re at that level with the 2nd rated team defense (ppg) in the York Adams at 11.7 ahead of Central York. They are also 2nd in offensive rush yards/game at 289 behind Spring Grove. Some good news sees Steven Lukes back from injury with 747 yards rushing after missing last month. Micah Partee has 668 yards rushing. His brother, Milachi at 6-1, 240 pounds leads the O-Line and defense at DE with fellow DE Grant Cooper (6-1, 245). They won their last 9 after the 18-16 loss (upset?) to Octorara (8-3). It’s a senior laden group with good wins against New Oxford (6-5)17-7 and at Gettysburg (7-4) 66-22. At 37ppg with a yield of 12ppg, they’ll be tough to beat at home for their first home playoff game in school history. Donegal out of the LL-4 is sneaky good with a modest offense at 25ppg and a defense at 19. Take away the 55-0 loss to Lampeter Strasburg to find a defense allowing 14ppy. They are very similar to KD, preferring to keep it on the ground where they average 221 yards per game. Their principal running backs are Jon Holmes (62-616), Noah Rohrer (95-580), Cody Strough (34-263) and Ian Brown (36-160). Donegal and Kennard Dale will be a knock down drag out affair that looks like a dead heat. Overtime anyone?
3A Semifinals (highest seed home)
#1 Wyomissing 11-0 vs #5 Middletown 6-4
As expected, top seeded Wyomissing dismantled bottom seeded Northern Lebanon (4-7) 65-3 in last week’s opener. The 65 points are the most Wyo ever scored in the playoffs with starters exiting in the 2nd quarter. They ran for 302 yards in the first half and 428 by game’s end, holding NL to 34 total yards. Other defensive highlights saw them get 3 sacks and 2 picks, one returned 77 yards for a touchdown by Nevin Carter. The win takes their season average to 48ppg with a defense allowing 8ppg. With blowout wins against top teams like Pottsville and Southern Columbia, ending Southern’s 93 game regular season winning streak, it’s hard seeing how Middletown can keep up. The Blue Raiders began the year with the disaster at Bishop McDevitt, losing 55-7. Two wins to non-competitive teams were followed by games against Juniata (D6, 4A-1st seed, 9-2) and Steel High (1A-1st seed, 7-2), losing to Juniata 8-7 and to Steel High 36-0. But they got it going against powerful Boiling Springs (3A-2nd seed, 10-1) losing 26-23 before upsetting Big Spring (4A-10th seed, 8-3) 7-0. They’ve played Wyomissing the last 2 years in the finals, losing 38-16 last year and 24-21 in 2019. Middletown has tough kids a winning tradition and may finally be peaking. But this is Wyomissing with a team that is even superior to last year’s 9-1 team that lost in the 3A final to Central Valley (12-0) 35-21.
#2 Boiling Springs 10-1 vs Hamburg #3 7-3
Boiling Springs made playoff history getting their first home playoff win in school history routing 7th seeded Lancaster Catholic 56-10. LC goes home at 4-7 while the Bubblers stay home against Hamburg of the Berks-2. Joey Menke had another big night rushing for 150 yards, taking his season total to 1068 yards. Jack Laing also had a big game getting 117 yards, lifting his season total to 662 yards. Aiden Mttzger had 2 touchdowns and 45 yards rushing taking his totals to 603 yards. That’s a handful guarding those three with quarterback Colin Lunde completing 56% of his throws for 994 yards and 17 touchdowns. Scoring 45ppg while allowing 16 and beating Big Spring and Steel High says the Bubblers are in a groove. Hamburg also made history last week getting their first District playoff win in school history defeating 6th seeded Bermudian Springs (5-6) 31-27. This is big stuff for Hamburg who last had playoff appearances in 1985, 2006, 2007, 2010 and 2013. Running back Diohnny Ruiz also made history setting the school single season rushing record at 1187 yards with 89 yards against Bermudian. With 19 catches for 307 yards, he is their primary weapon. Pierce Mason is also a load adding 161 yards of total offense for the Hawks. Xander Menapace continues to impress with a 63% completion rate for 919 yards and 11 touchdowns. The problem is their less than challenging schedule with wins against teams having a combined record of 12-40. They are a spunky group with a good cast but they’re way out of bounds here against well tested Boiling Springs.
2A Final (highest seed home)
#1 York Catholic 10-0 vs #3 Upper Dauphin 9-1
York Catholic is back where they often are appearing in their 7th title game in 8 years. They are always a hard out with a balanced, senior laden team that graduated only 3 players. Averaging 32ppg with a D allowing 9 even looks like a veteran team. Quarterback Levan McFadden is a talented dual threat passing for 684 yards and rushing for 646. He was unstoppable last week, throwing for 106 yards and a score while rushing for 121 and 2 more touchdowns. Nick Creisher had 102 rushing and 2 scores as the Fighting Irish rolled over 4th seeded Susquenita (5-5) 43-7. Their opponent this week is Mid Penn-Liberty runner up and 3rd seed Upper Dauphin who beat 2nd seeded LL-4 champ Columbia (8-2) 58-48 with the records flying. Not bad for a team picked to finish 4th in the Liberty division. Columbia’s Robert Footman completed 26 of 42 passes for 536 yards (PIAA record) and rushed for 99 more. Leading receiver J’von Collazo also set a new PIAA record for most receiving yards in a game at 358 on 11 receptions. But you have to run the ball in this state and that’s where UDA excelled pounding out 282 yards on 44 carries. Favored Columbia had to be stunned, down 44-12 at the half! But cudos for the comeback. The game with top seeded York Catholic will be a struggle, but one UDA is built for with a powerful running game and overall balance with Qb Will Lakowski at 64% for 820 yards. Five backs handle the load in speedster Brady Morgan (5-8, 150, jr, 88-837ry, 16-156py), Christian Snyder (5-11, 190, jr, 129-769ry, 6-148py), Aiden Wiest (5-11, 185, sr, 41-413ry, 11-226py), Alex Heppler (6-0, 175, jr, 34-296ry, 6-167py) and another burner Konner Walker (5-11, 150, jr, 34-201ry, 3-37py). They are tested vs Juniata (D6, 4A-1st seed, 9-2) who beat them early 20-0 and Columbia last week. Catholic has no such tests barring Delone Catholic (6-4) who they beat 13-6.
1A Final (highest seed home)
#1 Steelton Highspire 7-2 vs #2 Delone Catholic 6-4
The big question coming into this one is how will Steelton Highspire respond after losing two straight games? Keep in mind they’re coming off a home loss to Boiling Springs (3A, 2nd seed, 10-1, MP-Capital champ) where the Bubblers converted a 2-point conversion to win 29-28 at the end. This followed the shocking 49-14 loss at Big Spring (4A, 10th seed, 8-3). Prior to this they were averaging 55ppg and allowing 12. Quarterback Alex Erby (6-3, 200, soph) leads the entire Mid Penn Conference throwing for 2807 yards at 78% with 34 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. Running back Daivin Pryor has 817 rush yards at 10.4ypc. Like Erby, wide out Tyrone Moore leads the Mid Penn with 1120 yards in receptions. Good luck keeping up with this receiver corps with Rell Ceasar at 43 catches for 645 yards and Jaieon Perry at 442 yards on 20 receptions. They need to relight the fuss that got them to 7-0 with their old nemesis Delone Catholic up next. The two have fought many battles recently with Steelton winning last year 23-13 and Delone taking the previous two years, 39-27 and 54-19. The Squires also won 28-13 in 2012 in districts before falling to Bellwood Antis (13-2) in double overtime 33-26. They’ll have to play like that here just to keep up with their run oriented offense scoring a meager 19ppg. But that’s what they do, running the ball to control the clock. Their leading rushers are Coltyn Keller (662), Landen Eckert (625) and Dylan Staub (577). They’re only 16th in scoring in the York Adams but 5th in team scoring. Defense is their strength with the 4th rushing defense (123/g) and 7th (100/g) passing defense. They’re catching the Rollers at a bad time playing at their place but never underestimate this tough little Catholic school from McSherrystown who has gone 117-47 since 2007.
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