District-3 Top 20: (Oct 15, 16 games 2021)
All are 6A unless marked otherwise, last week’s rank in parenthesis
1 Governor Mifflin 5A 6-0 (1)
Governor Mifflin had no trouble at Exeter where Tyler Minick returned the opening kickoff 74 yards for a touchdown. Exeter’s short kick backfired trying to avoid a Nicholas Singleton runback. An additional score six minutes later and the rout was on with Mifflin blowing out to a 30-7 halftime lead. Singleton ended with touchdowns of 64, 44, 8 and 48 yards, rushing for 248 yards as the Mustangs rolled to another win against a respected Exeter squad, 54-21. With wins against York (5-1) 55-6, Wilson (4-3) 42-14, Episcopal Academy (3-2) 49-26, Harrisburg (6-1) 49-13 and now Exeter, Mifflin is making a habit of beating respectable teams. Winless Muhlenberg (0-7, 0-2) is next in Berks Inter-County action where in two weeks Berks Catholic (5-2, 2-0) will be Mifflin’s last potential hurdle in the regular season.
2 Central York 6-0 (2)
Beau Pribula and a great supporting cast made short work of previously undefeated Spring Grove (5-1), completing 18 of 22 passes for 296 yards and 4 touchdowns in an easy 48-17 win. Imeire Manigault was impossible to cover, hauling in 5 passes for 150 yards and a score with Parker Hines catching 8 for 110 yards and a score. They simply have too many talented receivers to cover. Treyshawn Smith added a 62-yard Pick-6 plus 3 receptions for two scores with Manigault also having a 55-yard punt return for another six. This was a key York-Adams contest that left them tied with York at 3-0. Northeastern’s disappointing 1-6 Bobcats are next before finishing with a flourish at Dallastown (5-2, 3-1) then home against York (5-1, 3-0).
3 Bishop McDevitt 4A 5-1 (3)
McDevitt overwhelmed Cedar Cliff in an unexpectedly easy 56-0 Mid Penn-Keystone showdown. The Colts came in 5-1 with real history against McDevitt of tight games where the preceding five were decided by 12, 3, 7, 7, and 7 points. All of McDevitt’s many stars shined, particularly the swarming defense that got their second shutout of the season. Nevan Hopkins had a 37-yard Pick-6. Since losing to LaSalle 21-0 in the opener, they’ve allowed three touchdowns. Cedar Cliff was held to 92 total yards while the Crusaders 28-0 first quarter lead grew to 42-0 at the half! Freshman quarterback Stone Saunders continues to wow people, throwing for 242 yards and 5 scores (59, 44, 38, 42, 36) to six different receivers. Marquise Williams rushed for 115 yards and 2 scores on 5 carries with Cyncir Bowers adding 92 yards. Milton Hershey (3-4, 2-2) is next. They are somehow under .500 with one of the best running backs in the area in Dion Bryant, who has 1153 rush yards.
4 Central Dauphin 4-1 (4)
Over the years, Central Dauphin prided itself in its swarming defense, a grinding offense with just enough passing and solid special teams play. It’s the latter that stood out in last week’s game against a stubborn Carlisle (4-3) squad when Ahren Stauffer broke a 21-21 fourth quarter tie, booming a 39-yard field goal with 2.7 seconds left on the clock. While the aerial game wasn’t there for quarterback Max Mosey, (4 of 10, 38 yards) his ability to make positive yardage with his legs was, juking his way to 70 yards on 18 carries, scoring on runs of 8, 1 and 2 yards. Tyrell English (6-0, 220, sr) also softened up the Herd with 118 yards on 22 carries. The win keeps them tied with Harrisburg at 3-0 atop the Commonwealth with a road trip at Altoona (4-3, 1-3) next.
5 Harrisburg 6-1 (6)
In a defensive struggle between two of the top teams in the state, Harrisburg got past Central Dauphin East at home 25-20. But it wasn’t easy with both fielding unbending defenses. East High allowed 85 points coming into the game or 14ppg. Their only loss was 24-21 at Manheim Township in the opener. Harrisburg allowed 73 points, or 14.6ppg excluding the 49-13 loss at Governor Mifflin. And if you eliminate turnovers, Harrisburg scoring on a 29-yard scoop and score, East High doing the same on a 62 yarder, both off of fumbles, there were but 5 touchdowns by the offenses. The game saw Shawn Lee return from injury for Harrisburg to complete 7 of 8 passes for 81 yards and a touchdown. Zekii Lewis, who filled in admirably for Lee completed 9 of 11 for 135 yards with two touchdown passes. Wide out speedster Justin Cook had 8 receptions for 122 yards while Kyle Williams rushed for 46 yards on 11 carries, plus 3 receptions for 38 yards. Tough sledding against East High’s D! But a 19-6 lead at the half held up despite gaining but 276 total yards. East was held to 202. Cumberland Valley (3-4, 2-2) is next. They’re on a two game losing streak that will only make them more dangerous at home coming off crushing losses to CD East 17-10 and State College 21-18 last week in overtime.
6 Central Dauphin East 5-2 (5)
Like Harrisburg, CD East now has two healthy quarterbacks with Tony Powell back from injury last week to join Terrence Jackson-Copney. Powell was gobbled up by Harrisburg’s defense, completing 7 of 16 for 55 yards while getting stuffed on 5 carries for negative 15 yards. Jackson-Copney fared little better completing 3 of 3 passes for 35 yards while rushing for 55 yards on 6 carries. Their top rusher Marcel McDaniels was held to 69 yards on 17 attempts. But he did have an exciting 62-yard fumble return for 6, drawing the Panther’s to within 5 with just under a minute left in the game. But they failed to recover the on-sides kick, losing a heartbreaker at Severance Field 25-20. This was a tough loss for East dropping to 3-1 behind CD and Harrisburg at 3-0. Chambersburg (2-5, 0-4) is next at East High (Landis Field) where they will take out their frustrations before squaring off with arch rival Central Dauphin.
7 York (William Penn) 5-1 (7)
What can you say about a game like this? At 1-5 allowing 40ppg, Red Lion is struggling mightily after losing to York 64-14. They’ve allowed 42 points or more four times. In this one they allowed 52 first half points! This year saw them break in a first year starting senior quarterback for the sixth consecutive season. Nothing new there. Plus, they returned a decent core, especially on defense and at least two full time starters to the O-Line. Back to York. The Bearcats are hitting their stride with their highest point total of the season to win their fifth straight since losing to Governor Mifflin in the opener. They are currently deadlocked with Central York atop the York Adams-1 at 3-0, heading to The Corral at South Western to play the 5-2 Mustangs. South Western can score points but have faltered against quality teams in the division losing to Dallastown 47-14 and Central York 60-0. And with the Bearcats averaging 52ppg their last 5 games, and South Western allowing 32 over the same period, it looks like a long night for the Mustangs.
8 Manheim Township 5-2 (8)
Following two stumbles coming out the gate losing to Dallastown 41-28 and Harrisburg 20-17 in overtime, the Streaks ripped off four straight by an average score of 42-12 beating Spring Ford (4-3), Cocalico (4-3), Cedar Crest (3-3) and Penn Manor (4-3). They opened the season with a 24-21 win against Central Dauphin East. As mentioned in previous weeks, sophomore Hayden Johnson is having a super season. He was again near perfect completing 14 of 15 passes for 256 yards and 3 touchdowns (16, 39, 69) while using 7 receivers. On the year, he’s at 72% for 1523 yards with a Td/Pick ratio of 19 to 5. Anthony Ivey led all receivers with 5 catches for 75 yards. Another sophomore who keeps popping up in the stats is Nick Good who rushed with 22 yards on 5 carries and caught 3 passes for 78 yards. The D held Penn Manor to 232 yards. The LL-1 race continues Friday at home against unpredictable Hempfield (4-3, 1-1), who’s a game behind Township and Wilson, both 2-0.
9 Wyomissing 3A 7-0 (9)
Wyomissing continues to roll over teams with no one, including Southern Columbia (2A, 6-1) giving them a competitive game. They won their games by an average score of 44-10. On paper, Twin Valley looked like they might score some points and make a game of it, for at least a quarter!? After all, they beat Boone (5A, 4-3) and upset Conrad Weiser (4A, 5-2). But it never came close to that with Wyo jumping on them early, outscoring them 42-0 by the half. The Spartans are clearly morphing into something more than advertised! And this one followed the Southern Columbia win where you might have expected a letdown. But not this group who pounded out 538 rush yards using 10 ball carries. Their two primary backs, Thomas Grabowski and Amory Thompson rushed for 140 and 128 yards respectively. Twin Valley was held to 160 total yards. Kutztown (2-5) is next as Wyomissing looks to nail down the top seed over 5-1 Boiling Springs and stay healthy.
10 Steelton Highspire 1A 6-0 (10)
Steel High got WAY more than expected from Trinity in Mid Penn-Capital action, falling behind 28-19 at the half. Had to do a double take when first seeing that score especially with Steelton jumping out to a 13-0 early lead. But it wasn’t a misprint or a fluke. The Shamrocks came to play. An aspect of their newfound spirit is that new head coach Jordan Hill is a Steelton guy, and he has Trinity (3-3) playing at another level. That the Rollers allowing four rushing touchdowns in the first half is front page news back there. But that’s all they got. Credit the staff with closing some lanes that in the first half allowed rushing touchdowns of 69, 31 and 42 yards, then holding the Rocks scoreless in the second half. Steelton got the go ahead score with under three minutes left in the game, winning 34-28. Realistically a competitive game is what they needed this time of year, getting into the heart of division play after previous wins by an average score of 57-6. First comes Big Spring (5-2, 1-1) then a legitimate Boiling Springs (6-1, 2-0) team who is winning their games by an average score of 48-14.
11 Warwick 5A 4-3 (11)
Elizabethtown traded blows with Warwick through most of the game, scoring 22 second quarter points before Warwick rallied for two scores late in the quarter, tying it up 28-28 at the half. They continued trading scores in the second half where Elizabethtown’s failed 2-pt conversions caught up with them in a 42-40 loss. Jack Reed didn’t have his best game for Warwick but did manage to throw touchdowns of 7, 16 and 7 yards among his 12 completions for 154 yards. Cooper Eckert was the primary, snagging 6 passes for 104 yards while Christian Royer rushed for 104 yards with touchdowns of 1 and 9 yards. Also have to give props to Etown’s quarterback Josh Rudy who completed 22 of 35 throws for 318 yards with 3 touchdowns. His 2-pt conversion attempt was completed but a foot short with 47 seconds left in the game. They drop to 3-4, 0-2 while Warwick stays in a tie with Cocalico atop the LL-2 at 2-0 awaiting Solanco (2-5, 0-2).
12 Manheim Central 5A 6-1 (12)
Quarterback Judd Novak had a hand in all the scoring with touchdown passes of 5, 24, 4 and 16 yards and a 55 yard run to complete Manheim’s scoring as they rebounded from the Warwick loss to beat Solanco 35-21. Novak is one of the most exciting dual threat quarterbacks in the district. He threw for 270 yards against the Golden Mules and ran for 94 more in 19 attempts. Owen Sensenig caught 9 passes for 105 yards and a touchdown. Good seeing Larry Marley more involved catching 4 passes for 60 yards along with Mason Weaver pulling down 5 for 40 yards with a touchdown. Eight receivers caught passes. Solanco actually put up a good fight at 21 all into the fourth quarter before Novak finished them off with a 16-yard toss to Sensenig and a 55-yard sprint to the end zone. One thing about Solanco (2-5) whatever their record, you know you were in a game with their competitive spirit and hitting. Conestoga Valley (3-4) is next at their place.
13 Berks Catholic 4A 5-2 (15)
Berks Catholic remained atop the Berks-Section 1 beating Reading 42-12, to remain in a tie with Governor Mifflin who they play at the end of the season. At least they get them at home! Christian Cacchione who has been their big gun all year showed his versatility scoring touchdowns off a 25-yard run, a 23-yard reception and a 55-yard punt return, ending the night with 95 rush yards and 92 in receptions. Josiah Johnson also had a big game rushing for 84 yards on 6 carries with a touchdown. Quarterback Mitchell Gatz completed 5 of 10 passes for 120 yards and 2 touchdowns. They’ll definitely need more of that to have any chance against Mifflin in two weeks. Before that comes a key game with Exeter (4-3, 1-1) who is coming off a 54-21 loss to Governor Mifflin.
14 Hempfield 4-3 (13)
Hempfield ran into a one man wrecking crew last week being upset at home by Cedar Crest 20-13. The Falcons are one of those teams that leaves you scratching your head. One week they obliterate a solid team like Gettysburg (4-3) 52-14 on the road, then lose a home game to another enigma, Elizabethtown (3-4), 13-12. And they were nowhere to be found two weeks ago against Manheim Township, losing 42-7. Last week they upset Hempfield who has wins against Exeter, Warwick and Dallastown. Won’t the playoffs be exciting! In this one, RB/MLB Aadyn Richards (5-11, 210, sr) for Cedar Crest took over, getting a 38-yard Pick-6 on Hempfield’s first series, then a 10-yard touchdown run in the second quarter, finishing with 120 yards rushing and 12 tackles. Hempfield’s quarterback Cam Harbaugh found little rhythm, completing 7 of 12 for 88 yards with Steven Katch at 72 yards on 16 attempts. Evidently Cedar Crest (3-3, 1-1) has just enough talent spread throughout the lineup to be a threat. Hempfield (4-3, 1-1) now goes to Manheim Township (5-2, 2-0) to take on the streaking Streaks, winners of their last four games by an average score of 42-12.
15 Exeter Township 5A 4-3 (14)
Like everyone Governor Mifflin played this year, Exeter went down in a heap, losing at home 54-21. See Mifflin above. It’s depressing getting down 14-0 six minutes into the game, then 21-0 at the end of the first quarter. And talk about hearing a pin drop in a locker room, down 33-7 at the half. But that’s how it went in this mismatch against a team that may just be the best in the state. Quarterback Colin Payne was game but found his receivers blanketed, completing 9 of 20 for good yardage at 164 yards. He has fine receivers even Mifflin couldn’t shut down, particularly Joey Schlaffer (6-6, 215, jr) who had 5 receptions for 114 yards despite GM’s focus on him. FB/LB Ty Yocum (6-1, 220, sr) caught 2 for 44 yards but was largely neutralized on the ground, held to 10 yards on 4 carries. But he got through for two short touchdowns. Eric Nangle had the other touchdown and 100 yards rushing on 19 carries. Berks Catholic (5-2, 2-0) is next in the city as the Berks-Inter County Section-1 race continues.
16 Wilson 4-3 (17)
Wilson routed another opponent last week, beating J.P. McCaskey 59-12. The week before they crushed Penn Manor 40-6, reviving aspects of the offense after the 24-21 loss at home to Manheim Central. But they’re still having issues in the passing game. Last year they lacked a deep threat. This year they’ve had issues at the quarterback position itself, completing 44% with an 8/7 touchdown to interception ratio. But in this one, Brad Johnson completed 5 of 8 for 112 yards with 3 touchdowns while rushing for 83 yards. Fullback Jadyn Jones had 66 yards and two touchdowns plus a 50-yard reception for another score. Jaison Beckford (5-11, 195, sr) had 87 yards with Cam Jones returning a punt 51 yards for a touchdown. As inconceivable as it is they are at risk of missing the playoffs for the second straight year. But with games against Cedar Crest (3-3, 1-1), Hempfield (4-3, 1-1) and Township (5-2, 2-0), teams currently ahead of them, they’re still in the hunt at 4-3, 2-0. Cedar Crest is next at Lebanon.
17 Cedar Cliff 5A 5-2 (16)
Most fans knew rebuilding Cedar Cliff probably wasn’t at Bishop McDevitt’s level this year. But with the recent history of close games, many of them expected more than a 56-0 rout. Unfortunately for the Colts, it didn’t go that way, with McDevitt blowing out to a 42-0 lead by the end of the half! Like Mike Tyson said, “everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth”. Most of McDevitt’s starters sat by the third quarter as they rolled up 470 yards of offense to 94 for Cedar Cliff. The Colts running game was nonexistent with Jontae Morris held to 49 yards on 21 carries. The aerial game was also grounded with Ethan Dorrell running for his life completing 4 of 25 passes for 30 yards. The Colts will rebound and may well run out, but it could take a game to recover from the shellshock of this beating, finishing the regular season at home vs Palmyra (5A, 4-3), at Milton Hershey (4A 3-4) then home to close it out against Mifflin County (6A, 0-7).
18 Dallastown 6A 5-2 (19)
Dover came into the game 1-5 but left with their heads held high after taking Dallastown to the edge before losing 38-26. The score was 30-26 entering the fourth quarter with Dover’s sophomore quarterback Aric Campbell connecting on 15 of 24 passes for 270 yards and 3 touchdowns. With junior wide out Gavin Mullins a threat at running back and receiver, catching 8 passes for 148 yards, things are looking up for the Eagles next year. For D-town, Dylan Lease was 1 of 3 for 7 yards (injury?), with co-starter Owen Strouse completing 8 of 12 for 88 yards and a touchdown. D1 receiver Kenny Johnson caught 7 passes for 82 yards with a score while Coleton Mahorney had 148 yards rushing and two touchdowns. This game was atypical for both teams with Dover coming in losing games by an average score of 44-17 and Dtown winning by an average score of 33-18. They were coming off the York loss but just maybe Dover jumped in their face and played a solid game as stats suggest. Dallastown better have it together the next two weeks with upcoming games against Spring Grove (5-1, 2-1) then Central York (6-0, 3-0). Both are in Dallastown.
19 Cumberland Valley 3-4 (18)
Cumberland Valley dropped down a peg but just a peg losing to State College (4-3, 2-2) on a intercepted 2-pt conversion attempt in overtime. It’s a bitter pill to swallow on Homecoming knowing you led at the half 12-0. Junior quarterback Isaac Sines had another strong performance with field goals of 34, 33, 25 and 29 yards, the latter forcing overtime with :28 left on the clock. He has matured into a “triple” threat with that leg, then rushing for 144 yards and passing for 150. State College doesn’t have their best team this year but they did turn away four CV challenges, limiting them to field goals. Or, looking at it from CV’s point of view, they failed to finish. Everyone at CV (3-4, 2-2) knows they’re building a program in Coach Josh Oswalt’s second year. Still, this is one that got away, especially hosting Harrisburg (6-1, 3-0) on Friday.
20 Spring Grove 5A 5-1 (20)
Spring Grove suffered their first loss of the season, going down hard against Central York 48-17. Once Central got revved up it was all over, even at 20-10 at the half, it was clear the Panther’s had too many weapons, especially up top where they excel. To date, Beau Pribula has thrown for 1438 yards at 75%, with a Td/Pick ratio of 19 to 4. His receivers are sure handed and quick in Imeire Manigault with 460 yards, Treyshawn Smith at 464 yards and Parker Hines with 422 yards. Running backs Ajani Walker and Juelz Goff are slippery and strong at 5-8, 190 and can motor. And when you think you have all that covered, Pribula slips out of the backfield at 6.2 yards per carry for 238 yards. Spring Grove countered all that with Zyree Brooks who gashed them for 206 yards on 30 carries. Unfortunately, that’s all they had with no passing game. But it did expose a weakness in Central’s run defense. It doesn’t get any easier this week for the Rockets who have another big game at Dallastown.
Honorable Mention
All are 6A unless marked otherwise, last week’s rank in parenthesis
Mid Penn
Carlisle 4-3 (HM)
Carlisle’s defense stood tall as it has most of the year at 15ppg yield. 3 point losses to CV and CD speak to their progress and youth, coming up short against the “name” teams. As it appears now, a win at State College (4-3) Friday will help in their duel with Dallastown, Cumberland Valley, Hempfield, Penn Manor, Cedar Crest and Wilson for the 8th seed in the 6A postseason.
Shippensburg 5A 7-0 (HM)
Ship moved to 7-0 overall and 4-0 in the Mid Penn-Colonial with the hard fought 21-3 win against Northern who drops to 4-2, 2-1. West Perry (4-3, 2-2) who has been a bear at home is next. Dual threat Qb Marcus Quaker will be hard to handle after rushing for 118 and passing for 112 beating East Pennsboro last week, 38-14.
Boiling Springs 3A 6-1 (HM)
The Bubblers got past Big Spring 44-28 to remain in a tie with Steel High at 2-0 in the MP-Capital. With an offense averaging 48ppg supported by a defense allowing 14, they’re looking good for a high seed in the postseason and a threat to Steel High in the division final October 30th.
Waynesboro 5A 5-2 (NR)
If Shippensburg stumbles this is the team to take advantage at 3-1, a game back. Qb Louis Lindsay is a dual threat at 628 passing yards and 332 rushing with two brutish backs in Aidan Mencia (5-11, 210, sr, 698ry) and Mikel Holden (5-9, 195, jr, 496ry). Have a test at quirky East Pennsboro (4-3, 2-2) Friday.
Lancaster-Lebanon
Cocalico 4A 4-3 (HM)
Anthony Bourassa rushed for 203 yards as the Eagles won their second straight to remain in a tie with Warwick (4-3, 2-0) atop the LL-2. They’re at Elizabethtown Friday where the Bears are playing good ball, winning 3 of their last 4 with a 40-42 loss at Warwick last week. Upset special?
Lampeter Strasburg 4A 6-1 (HM)
Like Etown, LS is making a run, winning their last 6 games to remain in a tie with Ephrata (5-2, 2-0) atop the LL-3. They play wicked defense with a quick group allowing 30 total points and 3 shutouts the last 6 games. Berkeley Wagner has become one of the top dual threats in the LL, passing for 935 yards, rushing for 486, while replacing record setting Sean McTaggart. Garden Spot (2-4, 1-0) is next with their own dual threat in quarterback Tristen Sadowski with 722 pass yards and 334 rushing.
Cedar Crest 3-3 (NR)
Cedar Crest (3-3, 1-1) has enough parts to be dangerous with Qb Jay Huber throwing well and Aadyn Richards the real deal at running back. He wasn’t fully incorporated into the offense until the last three games (?) where he rushed for 118 against Elizabethtown, 104 against Township and 119 last week vs Hempfield. So he hasn’t been stopped, making it interesting to see how he does at home against Wilson (4-3, 2-0) Friday.
York-Adams
Kennard Dale 4A 6-1 (HM)
After beating favorites New Oxford 22-16 and Gettysburg 62-22 (!?), KD will win the York Adams-2 if they win out against West York (0-7), Susquehannock (4-3) and Eastern York (1-6) to secure a good seed.
York Catholic 2A 5-0 (NR)
Catholic returned all but three starters from last year’s team that went 6-2, losing to Camp Hill (3-3) in the first round of the AA playoff. To date they’ve defeated everyone by an average score of 33-12, beating Fairfield (3-2, 2-1) 31-0 last week. Hanover (2-4, 1-2) is up next before the war with Delone Catholic (3-3, 3-0) that will decide the York-Adams-3 as it often does.
Berks Inter County
Conrad Weiser 4A 5-2 (HM)
Quarterback Logan Klitsch threw for 178 yards and ran for another 70 scoring three times as the Scouts handled Hamburg (5-2) 31-27. Up next is a weird out of conference game with New Oxford (5-2) of the York-Adams-2. Weiser plays in the Berks-Section 2, currently in second behind Wyomissing who they play in the regular season finale.
Fleetwood 5A 4-3 (NR)
Fleetwood stayed in the hunt for a 5A playoff spot with a wild road win over Schuylkill Valley 43-27. Gage Moyer had 188 rush yards and 4 touchdowns. They’ll have to earn the playoff spot with a road win at feisty Hamburg (3A, 5-2) and a homer against Mid Penn-Liberty power Upper Dauphin (2A, 5-1).
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