1 State College 6A 3-0
State High won easily again last week with their efficient attack generating 330 yards of offense to Hollidaysburg’s 303. And that’s where similarities ended. Speaking of efficiency, SC’s yardage producing 49 points, meaning they only had to go 6.73 yards to get a single point. The Golden Tigers had to go twice as far, 13.77 yards to get a point, 22 total, something like playing on a 200 yard field. State dominated every important phase of the game, leading 34-7 at the half in a game where the Tigers coughed up 3 fumbles (1 lost) and threw 4 picks. Qb Tommy Friberg should get more credit for his versatility, rushing for 76 yards and 2 scores while completing 10 of 16 passes for 154 yards. Keaton Ellis (PSU) caught 4 passes for 89 yards and 2 scores as Brady Dorner caught 5 for 68 yards. Cohen Russell and Isaiah Edwards were the primary backs with Edwards gaining 56 yards and scoring 2 touchdowns. 170 rush yards were distributed to 5 players with sophomore Dresyn Green getting in on the fun with an 85-yd kickoff return. Not a bad effort by Hollidaysburg who were embarrassed last year allowing 473 yards rushing. They’re home Friday to Carlisle’s undefeated Thundering Herd who will regret putting such a spotlight on themselves.
2 Bishop McDevitt 4A 3-0
What some of us felt could be a competitive game quickly feel apart when quarterback Chase Diehl connected for three 1st quarter touchdowns on the way to a 33-7 lead at the half. It just got worse from there with Diehl in the groove completing 15 of 22 passes for 458 yards and 6 touchdowns of 38, 9, 83, 32, 74 and 32 yards. Nazir Burnett had 9 catches for 228 yards and 4 Tds while T’nyis Becker had 5 receptions for 162 yards as the Crusaders totally dominated for an easy 49-14 win. The win allowed them to jump Manheim Central in the rankings. Like Southern Columbia below, it’s hard finding a loss on the schedule. In fact both should win out. At issue for McDevitt is they may not get a serious challenge during the regular season, leaving them at some risk in the postseason. Point being, the other District-3, 4A power Berks Catholic has already played Central Dauphin and McDonogh School with Malvern Prep in two weeks. Conference action starts Friday at Red Land (1-2).
3 Manheim Central 5A 3-0
How about Manheim Central fighting back from a 14-0 deficit at home (!) to turn away neighboring rival Warwick 27-20. They got off to a terrible start with Warwick returning the opening kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown. Compounding things, the Barons had 3 fumbles plus a touchdown called back to find themselves down 14-0 at the half. Thereon they outscored Warwick 27-6 via a pick turned into 6 and their relentless and balanced attack that saw Qb Evan Simon complete 12 of 21 passes for 178 yards while rushing for 56. Rb Tyler Flick had 136 yards and 2 scores. The sloppy home win dropped them a notch in the rankings to 3rd where they’ll need to be much more this week with #10 Wilson coming to town. Central will try to bulldoze right over Wilson’s smaller front, especially vulnerable now with LB Nick Johnson out for the year. Always fun seeing the Reading power teams take on Lancaster’s.
4 Harrisburg 6A 2-1
Harrisburg dismantled Cedar Cliff in pretty much the same manner McDevitt did Middletown by overwhelming them offensively (34-0 at half) primarily behind a hot quarterback in Kane Everson who ran for two scores and passed for two more in the first half alone. The Cougars owned the airways, totaling 352 yards. Everson completed 16 of 19 in a 46-14 rout of a decent Cedar Cliff team. Primary receivers Donte Kent, Rynell Gantt and Jahmir Plant each had 4 receptions for 112, 91 and 33 yards respectively. It’s hard overstating the roll of CD Eat transfer quarterback Everson who while passing for 352 yards also ran for 110. Harrisburg’s defense shouldn’t take too much of a back seat holding the Colts to 250 total yards. Wow, the Cougars are really coming on but can’t slack off with rival CD East up next. You know they won’t forget Qb Kane Everson transferring there a few months ago!
5 Manheim Township 6A 3-0
Township jumped from 11th to 5th in the ratings on the strength of their impressive comeback win at Central Dauphin last week. They overcame a 12-0, 2nd quarter deficit to win 22-12 in a defensive struggle of District-3 titans. Credit Township fighting back from the deficit with a 41-yd Td strike with 8 seconds left in the 1st half that gave them a significant lift. Kind of a gut shot to the Rams as well. Add to that a roughing the passer penalty at the start of the 2nd half that denied Central Dauphin possession on the Streaks 15 yard line that swung momentum even farther. Credit also a stiff D that shut CD down in the 2nd half holding them to 94 yards rushing. The Streaks have owned the Rams the last two years beating them twice last year. Next up is win #4 in the LL-1 opener against winless Penn Manor who has been outscored 115 to 20.
6 Central Dauphin 6A 2-1
It looked like the Rams found their passing attack with a 71 yard touchdown pass from QB Noah Hoffman to Nick Chimenti in the 1st quarter to take a 7-0 lead on Manheim Township last week. And a 2nd quarter safety and 40 yard field goal made the home crowd feel all was well with special teams and defense combining with a passing attack providing a 12-0 score. But two turnovers and Township’s rugged defense stopped them in the 2nd half despite Qb Noah Hoffman completing 10 of 20 passes for 155 yards and score. The schedule has been brutal playing Wilson, Berks Catholic and Township consecutively but hey, this is Central Dauphin football where scheduling is never an excuse. Better hadn’t be with a 0-3 pissed off Cumberland Valley coming in Friday night!
7 Berks Catholic 4A 2-1
Berks Catholic took on powerful McDonogh School to win their biggest game in school history in a tense 14-13 win. It was a defensive slugfest that ended in a scoreless half and 3rd quarter. That’s when BC put together a drive at the start of the 4th behind Abdul MacFoy’s (22/110/2 Tds) outside moves and the powerful inside presence of Brandon George (19/98), followed by another drive and score by MacFoy to take a 14-0 lead with 3:29 left in the game. McDonogh then came to life, erupting for 2 scores on 81 and 60 yard drives, then missed the 2-pt attempt with 57 ticks left on the clock. But it wasn’t over as they recovered an onside kick on BC’s 47 before being driven back under tremendous pressure and a strip sack where time finally expired. BC is at Boyertown (1-2) Friday where the Bears are in real trouble knowing they couldn’t keep up with Exeter or Pottsgrove.
8 Cocalico 5A 3-0
Cocalico survived a 93-yd kickoff return that tied the game (21 all) at the start of the 2nd half to go on and defeat stubborn Governor Mifflin 35-21 in Shillington. The Mustangs may be struggling at 0-3 but can be a tough nut to crack at home! A blowout win this week at Muhlenberg then Reading will set things right for them. For Cocalico, Noah Palm once again got to toss a few for 95 yards throwing 2 touchdown passes. That’s 11 on the year. But the Eagles like to pound it and did as much gaining 232 yards with Garrett Longenecker getting 102 yards. LL-2 actions begins this week at Elizabethtown (2-1) who was looking good before losing to Conrad Weiser 29-6 of the Berks-1. Cocalico will have to keep pressure on E-town’s big gun Cole Patrick (6-4, 190, sr) like Weiser did (7 of 21) to avoid a track meet.
9 Southern Columbia 2A 3-0
In another overwhelming display of offense, Southern Columbia blew out to a 48-0 halftime lead where the score mercifully ended with Coach Roth calling off the dogs against outmanned Selinsgrove. The Tigers rushed for 328 yards while holding the Seals to negative 14 yards rushing. Gaige Garcia got 126 yards on 7 attempts while his younger brother freshman Gavin got 96 yards on 2 carries. Shamokin (2-1. 3A) is next, a team Southern beat 55-7 last year. Good luck finding a loss on their schedule this year. SCA is a good example of a public school that should consider moving up in class. Their won-loss since 2004 is 177-22 (89%) by an average margin of 27 points, counting playoff games. Minimally, they could test the waters playing larger school in non-conference games instead of staying local. Bottom line, Catawissa is a tiny town, hardly more than a hamlet with just over 1500 for the 2010 census.
10 Wilson 6A 2-1
Up by 3 scores (21-0) at the half in a game they dominated on the stat sheet 160 yards to 56, the Bulldogs were forced to scramble in the 2nd half holding off an always competitive Spring Ford team who outscored them 22-12 in a 33-22 loss for the Rams. Wilson’s lead back Elijah Morales had 68 yards and a score while QB Anthony Futrick completed just 9 of 24 for 160 yards and 2 Td tosses. Of note, prized linebacker Nick Johnson (6-1, 230, sr) did not play and is lost for the season with a knee. They’re playing a lot of younger players this year where sophomore Troy Corson stood out returning a kickoff in the 4th quarter 80 yards for the touchdown. This week sees them at Manheim Central for a rare game with the Barons. Wilson is more a light weight/speed attack where Central is a masher that can also light up the airways with a veteran quarterback. After last week’s scare from Warwick, you can bet they’ll be focused this week.
State High won easily again last week with their efficient attack generating 330 yards of offense to Hollidaysburg’s 303. And that’s where similarities ended. Speaking of efficiency, SC’s yardage producing 49 points, meaning they only had to go 6.73 yards to get a single point. The Golden Tigers had to go twice as far, 13.77 yards to get a point, 22 total, something like playing on a 200 yard field. State dominated every important phase of the game, leading 34-7 at the half in a game where the Tigers coughed up 3 fumbles (1 lost) and threw 4 picks. Qb Tommy Friberg should get more credit for his versatility, rushing for 76 yards and 2 scores while completing 10 of 16 passes for 154 yards. Keaton Ellis (PSU) caught 4 passes for 89 yards and 2 scores as Brady Dorner caught 5 for 68 yards. Cohen Russell and Isaiah Edwards were the primary backs with Edwards gaining 56 yards and scoring 2 touchdowns. 170 rush yards were distributed to 5 players with sophomore Dresyn Green getting in on the fun with an 85-yd kickoff return. Not a bad effort by Hollidaysburg who were embarrassed last year allowing 473 yards rushing. They’re home Friday to Carlisle’s undefeated Thundering Herd who will regret putting such a spotlight on themselves.
2 Bishop McDevitt 4A 3-0
What some of us felt could be a competitive game quickly feel apart when quarterback Chase Diehl connected for three 1st quarter touchdowns on the way to a 33-7 lead at the half. It just got worse from there with Diehl in the groove completing 15 of 22 passes for 458 yards and 6 touchdowns of 38, 9, 83, 32, 74 and 32 yards. Nazir Burnett had 9 catches for 228 yards and 4 Tds while T’nyis Becker had 5 receptions for 162 yards as the Crusaders totally dominated for an easy 49-14 win. The win allowed them to jump Manheim Central in the rankings. Like Southern Columbia below, it’s hard finding a loss on the schedule. In fact both should win out. At issue for McDevitt is they may not get a serious challenge during the regular season, leaving them at some risk in the postseason. Point being, the other District-3, 4A power Berks Catholic has already played Central Dauphin and McDonogh School with Malvern Prep in two weeks. Conference action starts Friday at Red Land (1-2).
3 Manheim Central 5A 3-0
How about Manheim Central fighting back from a 14-0 deficit at home (!) to turn away neighboring rival Warwick 27-20. They got off to a terrible start with Warwick returning the opening kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown. Compounding things, the Barons had 3 fumbles plus a touchdown called back to find themselves down 14-0 at the half. Thereon they outscored Warwick 27-6 via a pick turned into 6 and their relentless and balanced attack that saw Qb Evan Simon complete 12 of 21 passes for 178 yards while rushing for 56. Rb Tyler Flick had 136 yards and 2 scores. The sloppy home win dropped them a notch in the rankings to 3rd where they’ll need to be much more this week with #10 Wilson coming to town. Central will try to bulldoze right over Wilson’s smaller front, especially vulnerable now with LB Nick Johnson out for the year. Always fun seeing the Reading power teams take on Lancaster’s.
4 Harrisburg 6A 2-1
Harrisburg dismantled Cedar Cliff in pretty much the same manner McDevitt did Middletown by overwhelming them offensively (34-0 at half) primarily behind a hot quarterback in Kane Everson who ran for two scores and passed for two more in the first half alone. The Cougars owned the airways, totaling 352 yards. Everson completed 16 of 19 in a 46-14 rout of a decent Cedar Cliff team. Primary receivers Donte Kent, Rynell Gantt and Jahmir Plant each had 4 receptions for 112, 91 and 33 yards respectively. It’s hard overstating the roll of CD Eat transfer quarterback Everson who while passing for 352 yards also ran for 110. Harrisburg’s defense shouldn’t take too much of a back seat holding the Colts to 250 total yards. Wow, the Cougars are really coming on but can’t slack off with rival CD East up next. You know they won’t forget Qb Kane Everson transferring there a few months ago!
5 Manheim Township 6A 3-0
Township jumped from 11th to 5th in the ratings on the strength of their impressive comeback win at Central Dauphin last week. They overcame a 12-0, 2nd quarter deficit to win 22-12 in a defensive struggle of District-3 titans. Credit Township fighting back from the deficit with a 41-yd Td strike with 8 seconds left in the 1st half that gave them a significant lift. Kind of a gut shot to the Rams as well. Add to that a roughing the passer penalty at the start of the 2nd half that denied Central Dauphin possession on the Streaks 15 yard line that swung momentum even farther. Credit also a stiff D that shut CD down in the 2nd half holding them to 94 yards rushing. The Streaks have owned the Rams the last two years beating them twice last year. Next up is win #4 in the LL-1 opener against winless Penn Manor who has been outscored 115 to 20.
6 Central Dauphin 6A 2-1
It looked like the Rams found their passing attack with a 71 yard touchdown pass from QB Noah Hoffman to Nick Chimenti in the 1st quarter to take a 7-0 lead on Manheim Township last week. And a 2nd quarter safety and 40 yard field goal made the home crowd feel all was well with special teams and defense combining with a passing attack providing a 12-0 score. But two turnovers and Township’s rugged defense stopped them in the 2nd half despite Qb Noah Hoffman completing 10 of 20 passes for 155 yards and score. The schedule has been brutal playing Wilson, Berks Catholic and Township consecutively but hey, this is Central Dauphin football where scheduling is never an excuse. Better hadn’t be with a 0-3 pissed off Cumberland Valley coming in Friday night!
7 Berks Catholic 4A 2-1
Berks Catholic took on powerful McDonogh School to win their biggest game in school history in a tense 14-13 win. It was a defensive slugfest that ended in a scoreless half and 3rd quarter. That’s when BC put together a drive at the start of the 4th behind Abdul MacFoy’s (22/110/2 Tds) outside moves and the powerful inside presence of Brandon George (19/98), followed by another drive and score by MacFoy to take a 14-0 lead with 3:29 left in the game. McDonogh then came to life, erupting for 2 scores on 81 and 60 yard drives, then missed the 2-pt attempt with 57 ticks left on the clock. But it wasn’t over as they recovered an onside kick on BC’s 47 before being driven back under tremendous pressure and a strip sack where time finally expired. BC is at Boyertown (1-2) Friday where the Bears are in real trouble knowing they couldn’t keep up with Exeter or Pottsgrove.
8 Cocalico 5A 3-0
Cocalico survived a 93-yd kickoff return that tied the game (21 all) at the start of the 2nd half to go on and defeat stubborn Governor Mifflin 35-21 in Shillington. The Mustangs may be struggling at 0-3 but can be a tough nut to crack at home! A blowout win this week at Muhlenberg then Reading will set things right for them. For Cocalico, Noah Palm once again got to toss a few for 95 yards throwing 2 touchdown passes. That’s 11 on the year. But the Eagles like to pound it and did as much gaining 232 yards with Garrett Longenecker getting 102 yards. LL-2 actions begins this week at Elizabethtown (2-1) who was looking good before losing to Conrad Weiser 29-6 of the Berks-1. Cocalico will have to keep pressure on E-town’s big gun Cole Patrick (6-4, 190, sr) like Weiser did (7 of 21) to avoid a track meet.
9 Southern Columbia 2A 3-0
In another overwhelming display of offense, Southern Columbia blew out to a 48-0 halftime lead where the score mercifully ended with Coach Roth calling off the dogs against outmanned Selinsgrove. The Tigers rushed for 328 yards while holding the Seals to negative 14 yards rushing. Gaige Garcia got 126 yards on 7 attempts while his younger brother freshman Gavin got 96 yards on 2 carries. Shamokin (2-1. 3A) is next, a team Southern beat 55-7 last year. Good luck finding a loss on their schedule this year. SCA is a good example of a public school that should consider moving up in class. Their won-loss since 2004 is 177-22 (89%) by an average margin of 27 points, counting playoff games. Minimally, they could test the waters playing larger school in non-conference games instead of staying local. Bottom line, Catawissa is a tiny town, hardly more than a hamlet with just over 1500 for the 2010 census.
10 Wilson 6A 2-1
Up by 3 scores (21-0) at the half in a game they dominated on the stat sheet 160 yards to 56, the Bulldogs were forced to scramble in the 2nd half holding off an always competitive Spring Ford team who outscored them 22-12 in a 33-22 loss for the Rams. Wilson’s lead back Elijah Morales had 68 yards and a score while QB Anthony Futrick completed just 9 of 24 for 160 yards and 2 Td tosses. Of note, prized linebacker Nick Johnson (6-1, 230, sr) did not play and is lost for the season with a knee. They’re playing a lot of younger players this year where sophomore Troy Corson stood out returning a kickoff in the 4th quarter 80 yards for the touchdown. This week sees them at Manheim Central for a rare game with the Barons. Wilson is more a light weight/speed attack where Central is a masher that can also light up the airways with a veteran quarterback. After last week’s scare from Warwick, you can bet they’ll be focused this week.
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