Harrisburg, Manheim Township football set for Saturday showdown after COVID-19 forces scheduling shuffle
Updated: 5:44 p.m. | Published: 2:09 p.m.
Harrisburg coach Calvin Everett and his Cougars will take on Manheim Township Saturday.
By Brian Linder | blinder@pennlive.com
Harrisburg found out Wednesday it needed a football opponent for Saturday.
Manheim Township found out the same less than 24 hours later.
Since they are both 6A schools separated by just about 40 miles, this one just made too much sense. And, in the middle of a pandemic, when schedules can be chewed up and spit out in the blink of an eye, you can’t afford to pass up opportunities like that.
So, Harrisburg, which lost its Saturday home rivalry game with Bishop McDevitt when the Crusaders canceled the contest due to COVID-19 concerns, will head to Manheim Township, which lost its Saturday game against Central Dauphin, too, due to COVID-19 issues within the Rams’ program, for a Saturday showdown. The game will be played at noon.
“I feel really good about Manheim because they have a really good program,” Harrisburg head coach Calvin Everett said. “(Manheim Township coach Mark) Evans does a good job of getting his kids ready to play. They are in the playoffs year-in and year-out, so we are glad to get this game going.”
Everett called the game “perfect,” because, he said, Harrisburg and Township will also play the next two years.
The Cougars enter the game at 2-0 with wins over defending 5A champ Pine-Richland and Hazleton. Manheim Township, which features Penn State commit Anthony Ivey at receiver, is 1-1 with a win over CD East and last week’s 41-38 loss to Dallastown.
