District 3 Top 10: Oct 7, 2020
(Last week’s ranking bracketed)
1 Central Dauphin 2-0 (1) 6A
Central Dauphin crushed rival State College 35-13, holding them to 8 first downs and 262 total yards while rolling up 524 yards of their own, overwhelming SC with 358 yards on the ground. Tim Smith continues to impress as one of the top players in the state running for 158 yards, getting 25 yards in receptions and returning the opening kick-off 89 yards for the score. He is also an All-State linebacker. This was a typical CD-SC slugfest, where the Rams led 14-0 at the half until wearing State down, holding a 28-7 lead going into the final quarter. Their diverse offense (358 rush, 166 pass) saw five different players cross the goal line; Tim Smith on the opening kick-off, Tyrell English on a 60 yard pass, Shamarr Joppy on a 5 yard run, Malachi Bowman on a 39 yard pass and Dan Ficca on a 1 yard burst. Quarterback Max Mosey who has bulked up since last year (6-1, 180), completed 9 of 16 passes, many of them right on the money for 166 yards. This was a tough setting for SC, being their first game and playing without their All-State running-back Dresyn Green. They were also breaking in a new quarterback in Conrad Moore. With nothing up top (9 of 19, 75yds), he managed 125 yards rushing on 25 carries and was the bulk of their attack. The Rams are at Carlisle (1-0. 6A) Friday for their first road game of the year with the #4 power rating, battling the Thundering Herd who currently hold the top seed. They may not be a pushover this year with their veteran, huge line and slippery new quarterback in sophomore Ezeekai Thomas. He beat out Bishop McDevitt transfer Victor Patterson so you know they’re high on him. But being a sophomore quarterback can be a brutal experience facing the defenses seen in the Commonwealth.
2 Warwick 3-0 (2), 5A
Joey McCracken continues shedding rust from his ACL rehab with a sterling performance against Manheim Central last week, leading them to a 45-14 manhandling of the Barons. He completed 14 of 19 (74%) passes for 222 yards and a touchdown. The Warrior have a number of weapons throughout the offense beginning with McCracken then branching out to running backs Colton Miller and Christian Royer, plus receivers Caleb Schmitz, unheralded tight end Thatcher Miller and the multi-talented Tanner Haines. Colton Miller is almost unstoppable (1324 rushing last year) running behind Wisconsin commit Nolan Rucci (6-6, 272). He gained 134 yards last week with scores of 6, 15, 1 and 13 yards. Christian Royer had 59 yards and a score. Their receivers are fast enough, rangy, even physical; TE Thatcher Miller (6-3, 230), wide-outs Caleb Schmitz (6-4, 210, 960 yards last year) who had 8 receptions for 102 yards vs MC and Tanner Haines (6-2, 200) with a 10 yard Td reception and 27 yard field goal. The offense that averages 43ppg overshadows a defense allowing 27 total points to date. Last year’s allowed 14ppg, the year before 12, making Warwick much more than an offensive juggernaut. They’re in Elizabethtown (1-2, 5A) Friday battling the Bears who will be fired up in their home opened after narrow road losses to Solanco 29-22 and Conestoga Valley 10-7. They’ll heave it knowing Coach Andy Breault (3rd year) set records at Div-II Kutztown with over 9000 passing yards.
3 Governor Mifflin 2-0 (3), 5A
The Mifflin teams finally met last week when Governor Mifflin scored 33 2nd quarter points to blow this one open and seal a 55-14 win against visiting Mifflin County (0-2, 6A). They are loaded with wildly talented underclassman who dominated with junior Nicholas Singleton rushing for 102 yards and touchdowns of 12 and 21 yards, plus a 56 yard punt return for another 6. Trey Rock who is also a junior, rushed for 72 yards on 6 attempts while sophomore Ayden Martin lit things up with a 33 yard Pick Six in the 1st quarter, a blocked punt recovered in the end zone and a 46 yard Td catch. Governor Mifflin’s defense dominated, holding Mifflin County to 53 rush yards and 125 total, after manhandling Wilson the week before, holding them to 46 yards rushing and 139 total yards. Things ratchet up considerably Friday with Berks Inter-Conference mate Exeter (2-0, 5A) in for what is essentially a playoff game with the Eagles holding the top seed in 5A and the Mustangs in second. They’ll need to be ready because these guys will beat you up, especially along the lines with TE Cam’Ron Stewart 6-5, 245, tackles Devonte Phillip 6-1, 245 and Dom Sheidy 6-2, 290. Then there’s Dylan Kohl 6-1, 275 and Mason Klahr at 5-11, 260. This is not last year’s Governor Mifflin team.
4 Central York 3-0 (4), 6A
Quarterback Beau Pribula continued scorching teams, completing 12 of 17 passes (71%) for 144 yards and throwing 3 touchdowns to lead Central York to an easy 56-3 rout of South Western. The Mustangs were held to 73 yards rushing and 177 total. Central York rushed for 208 yards, led by Isaiah Sturgis with 64 yards on 10 carries and 3 scores, and Raquel DeWitt’s 66 yards and 2 scores on 6 carries. With a lead of 35-0 at the half and 49-9 after the 3rd quarter, reserves flooded the field in the 2nd half. Through three games, they haven’t allowed a touchdown, outscoring teams 162 to 3, beating Red Lion 55-0, Dover 51-0 and South Western 56-3. Spring Grove (2-1, 5A) is next at Central, looking for improvement over last year’s 2-8 team that wasn’t competitive playing sophomores and freshman. The 21-7 loss to York Sept 25th says things are getting better measured against last year’s 49-14 loss to the Bearcats. Need to get better still for Central.
5 Lampeter Strasburg 3-0 (5), 4A
There was no let up last week as Lampeter Strasburg kept up their torrid pace through Section-One by trouncing hapless Lancaster Catholic (0-3, 3A) 48-0. Through 3 games, they’ve destroyed competitive teams at Solanco (2-1, 5A) 47-15 and Lebanon (2-1, 5A) 42-20, both on the road before beating LC last week in their home opener. The wins earned them the 2nd seed behind West York (1-0) and ahead of Bishop McDevitt (2-0, 3rd), Octorara (3-0, 4th how about the Braves!), ELCO (3-0, 5th), Conrad Weiser (3-0, 6th), Berks Catholic (2-1, 7th), Cocalico (2-1, 8th) and Northern (2-0, 9th)….all battling for one of four postseason playoff slots. Last week saw Lampeter overwhelm Catholic with a 34-0 first half before emptying the bench with 12 backs get carries. A 388 to 95 total yardage advantage tells the story. They move on to play Donegal (2-1, 4A, 11th seed) away.
6 Bishop McDevitt 2-0 (6), 4A
McDevitt got their second straight road shutout beating Lower Dauphin (0-1, 5A) 48-0, after handling Mifflin County 33-0 in the opener. Quarterback Lek Powell was on, completing 19 of 23 (83%) for 134 yards, with touchdowns of 7, 10 and 17 yards. Senior Dedrick Tinker (senior week) started for star sophomore Marquese Williams, getting 110 yards on 10 carries. Mario Easterly snagged 5 passes for 64 yards with Kamil Foster catching 4 for 50 and 2 touchdowns. Lower Dauphin was held to 74 total yards. It gets much tougher this week against Mid Penn-Keystone rival Cedar Cliff (1-1, 5A) in a must win game for both. Cedar Cliff (1-1, 5A, 14th seed) is coming off a 28-21 upset loss at Hershey (2-0, 5A, 11th seed) in the competitive 5A classification that is pretty much a battle for 4th knowing Exeter, Governor Mifflin and Warwick hold the top three seeds, although Exeter and Mifflin play Friday. Back to McDevitt-CC; the last time the Colts were home they beat Berks Catholic 35-34 in double overtime making them a real threat here, especially after last week’s upset in Hershey. And, they are the toughest opponent McDevitt will face this year in the regular season. McDevitt is a little more but it will still be a war, perhaps a classic at West Shore Stadium.
7 Wilson 2-1 (8), 6A
How bout them Dawgs! Coming back from an emotionally draining season opening 48-7 loss to Governor Mifflin, then beating LL rival Manheim Township in Neffsville 31-28 before skating last week against Penn Manor, 35-8. The good news out of West Lawn is the return of quarterback Kaleb Brown who went down in the opener along with two other key starters. Standout receiver Troy Corson has yet to return although running back Mason Lenert is back along with Brown. Brown’s passing stats were 12 of 25 for 134 yards with a Td and a pick. But the telling news is he was turned loose to run for 115 yards on 10 carries, getting 2 touchdowns. Not a bad return cranking out 249 total yards of offense. 254 yards rushing says the new line is jelling (PM’s D?) while the defense gets good marks holding the Comets to 193 total yards. The win keeps Wilson in the postseason contention at #6 with three games to go beginning with JP McCaskey (0-3, 6A) Friday.
8 Berks Catholic 1-1 (10 tie), 4A
Berks Catholic brought previously undefeated Daniel Boone (2-1, 5A) back to Earth with a 49-7 pounding in Reading in a Berks Conference-Section One game. At 6-2, 215, quarterback Brad Hoffman is a specimen, cashing in on the rare opportunity to wing a few in BC’s system by completing 4 of 5 passes for 66 yards and 3 touchdowns. But as always, their mainstay is running the football where they excel. Justin Small was the workhorse against Boone with 114 yards on 33 carries plus a score, followed by Christian Cacchione with 110 yards on 5 carries and 2 scores. Colby Newton ran for 80 yards on 11 carries with 2 touchdowns. Connor Gundersen caught 3 passes for 54 yards with 2 touchdowns. All totaled, the Saints rushed for 390 yards, 456 total. They currently hold the 7th seed. The latest news out of Harrisburg Monday is the team got the green light to play football this year. And because Berks Catholic had an open week and was willing, they hooked up to play a game Friday night in Reading. This is the third game they’ve scheduled on the fly (Northwestern Lehigh, Cedar Cliff) because of Covid forcing the cancelation of earlier non-conference game. Well done!
TIE
Wyomissing 3-0 (Other) 3A
(Upgraded Wyo to 8 after seeing them (video) for second time) Wyomissing showed Plymouth Whitemarsh why they’ve been a dominant force in the district and one of the top programs in the state over the years (106-24 last 10) by administering a 44-0 pasting on the visiting Colonials. It was an awkward game with Wyomissing having a two game edge and it being PW’s first game, although they had tape of Wyo’s games while the Spartans had none. Bottom line, it was a dominate display of Wyomissing’s offense and particularly the defense getting a shutout, having 10 negative yardage plays and holding PW to 62 total yards of offense. 62 yards! PW got things started with questionable play calling going for a first down their opening drive on their own 39 yard line. Quite a call against the best D-front the Colonials will face all year….and they were stopped, with Wyo taking over at the 40. That set the tone with Wyo scoring 5 plays later followed by a blocked punt at PW’s 14 yard line and a score. On the next possession, the ball was snapped over the punter’s head and through the end zone for a safety giving Wyomissing a 16-0 1st quarter lead. Another botched snap ended up with Wyo taking over on the 4 yard line and scoring. Later in the game PW again mystified everyone going for a first down on their own 5 yard line!?!? Strange calls going up against DTs Rushard Williams 6-5, 315, Steve Olexy 6-0, 240, Seamuas Filoon 6-4. 290 and Isiah Fernandez 5-9, 210 (et al) and LBs Darren Brunner 6-1, 195, Tommy Grabowski 5-11, 190 and Jack Freightner 6-2, 205 who cleaned everything up while spending much of the game in PW’s backfield. Wyo moves on to play Twin Valley (0-2, 5A) in Reading with the real concern being a soft schedule with the cancellation of Southern Columbia, (3-0, D4, 2A), Pottsville (3-1, D11, 4A), Boyertown (0-2, D1, 6A) and Conrad Weiser (3-0, D3, 4A) from the early portion of the schedule; all non-conference games except Weiser.
9 Exeter Township 3-0 (Other) 5A
Exeter’s Eagles are flying high now, defeating a good Hempfield team in ot, getting off to a 3-0 start and sitting atop the district’s 5A power chart. Coming off a 51-0 win against Muhlenberg may be just the tonic going to Shillington to play Governor Mifflin Friday in a 5A district showdown, knowing Mifflin is right on their heels in 2nd place. But they have had little success to draw on against the Mustangs, losing 9 of the last 10 games by an average score of 30-17. Their skill people will have to be at their best with Qb Gavin McCusker (6-2, 180, sr) improving on 54% completion rate and a 3 to 4 Td/Pick ratio. His primary is only a sophomore in Joey Schlaffer. But he’s 6-6, 200 lbs with impressive stats of 13 completions for 324 yards, a 24.92 yards per catch average. The featured back is Eric Nagle, another underclassman (5-10, 170, jr) who gets it done rushing for 346 yards on 53 carries. JR Strass is a powerful fullback (6-2, 210, jr), rushing for 100 yards on 12 carries. Of concern is the defense that allowed Hempfield 34 points, the same night Governor Mifflin was shutting down Wilson to 139 total yards of offense. Exeter needs to bring it hard Friday against a multi-talented Mifflin team that can be physically intimidating with the size, power and speed they bring to the game.
10 Steelton Highspire 2-0 (Other) 1A
In one of the more historic rivalries between two rough and tumble river towns bordering one another (unfortunately I know this), Steelton beat Middletown in an exciting 43-21 game. This one featured talent, speed and athleticism all over the field. After the 1st quarter with a few exciting plays but no scoring, the Rollers struck first, with Mehki Flowers (PSU) scoring on a 2nd quarter 40 yard sprint, then again on a 70 yard punt return….and again on a 19 yard dart from freshman quarterback Alex Erby just as the half ended, giving them a 21-15 half time lead. Middletown also woke up in the 2nd quarter with Tymir Jackson going in from 19 yards out and Tajae Broadie scooping up a fumble and running in from the 3 yard line. Jackson scored again in the 3rd quarter knotting the game at 21-21 and that’s as good as it got for the Blue Raiders. Thereon, the Rollers added two scores in the 3rd quarter by Odell Green, one a 5 yard dash, the other an 18 yard run making it 36-21. Erby found Flowers one more time on a 20 yard strike in the 4th quarter for the final score. This was Steel High’s toughest opponent meaning they won’t likely lose again during the regular season. Neither will Middletown. The Rollers are currently second in power points with three consecutive homers left beginning Saturday against Trinity Catholic (0-2, 2A). Delone Catholic (3-0, 1A) holds the top spot but could stumble at always tough York Catholic (3-0, 2A) in their closer Oct 23rd.
Others
Mid Penn Conference
Harrisburg 0-0, 6A (9-4 last year)
2020 couldn’t start off more challenging, getting the ok to play football Monday Oct 5th then scheduling a game the next day with powerful Berks Catholic. Talk about morale, no one transferred as you felt they might through all the back and forth of having a season or not. Speaks volumes about Coach Cal Everett and the players for sticking it out, hoping to play ball at Harrisburg, not just anywhere. Looking at this year, they have a good core back with veteran quarterback John McNeal (6-0, 190, sr) returning and wide-out Kamere Day (5-10, 160, jr). Much of last year’s OL/DL return in All-Everything Nate Bruce (6-4, 325, sr, PSU), Layne Bannon (6-5, 275, sr), Tyshawn Black (5-11, 270, jr) and Jamear Henderson (6-0, 240, sr). That line will get the running game going. And quarterback McNeal and Day are a strong combo. The line backing corps lost a hitter in Harold O’Neal who was their leading tackler with 125. But they return Lamir Johnson (5-11, 215, sr), Jaylon Johnson (5-9, 180, sr) and Jamani Heron (6-0, 210, jr). The graduation of Sa’Quan Carter-Barton (6-2, 230, IUP) is big, taking 72 tackles with him. Apart from Day the secondary was wiped clean. Big loss in WR/DB Donte Kent (Central Michigan) and RB/DB Jah’mir Plant (Toledo?). But Coach has kept the winning tradition going at Harrisburg with a 72-40 record since 2011 and a 44-11 mark the last 4 years. He took over in 2011 replacing the legendary George Chaump (179-53) who went 62-29 in his 8 years before vacating the position in 2011. Harrisburg has been a state powerhouse going back to nationally ranked John Harris High where Chaump coached from 1962-1967 going 58-4!
Hershey 2-0 (5A, not ranked); at Palmyra 0-2, 5A
Middletown 1-1, (7) 3A; at Camp Hill 2-0, 2A
Cedar Cliff 1-1 (10 tie), 5A; home to McDevitt 2-0, 4A
Lancaster Lebanon League
Cocalico 2-1 (9), 4A; home to Conestoga Valley 1-1, 5A.
Hempfield 2-1, 6A; at Cedar Crest 1-2, 6A.
Manheim Township 1-2 (10 tie), 6A; at Penn Manor 0-3, 6A.
Solanco 2-1, 5A, 2-1; at Manheim Central 1-2, 5A
Berks Inter-County Conference
Conrad Weiser 3-0, 4A; home to Hamburg 1-1, 3A
York-Adams
York (William Penn) 3-0, 6A; at Red Lion 2-1, 5A
Gettysburg 5A 2-0; at Kennard Dale 1-1, 4A
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