Districts 3, 4, 5, 6.
** I made a few big adjustments (e.g., Cedar Cliff up, McDevitt down) per regular season ending stats, reassessment of schedules, known injuries and 1st round playoff results.
1 Manheim Central 5A 10-0
The Barons had a well-earned bye after negotiating a challenging schedule to defeat Warwick, Wilson and Cocalico, plus “Tier-2” types Susquehanna Township and Hempfield on the road, and Solanco in the regular season finale. Here are some specifics. This is a big offense scoring 42ppg. Qb Evan Simon has multiple skills, completing 83 passes for 1539 yards with a 16-2 ratio while rushing for 336 yards scoring 7 touchdowns. He is supported with four receivers who have double digit receptions over 300 yards each. Lead back Tyler Flick has 1447 yards and 28 touchdowns. They learned their opponent Friday when 9th seeded Governor Mifflin beat 8th seeded Elizabethtown 30-0. The Mustangs didn’t let the slop affect them, rushing for 272 yards while holding the Bears to 2 first downs and 50 total yards. Back at the midpoint of the season, Manheim Central did the same thing to E-town, winning 50-0 in league action. Mifflin has plenty of talent but much of it is young, notably freshman running back Nick Singleton at 1084 yards with 14 Tds and quarterback Kolbie Reeser, a junior, who has thrown for 1360 yards with 14 touchdowns. Classy outfit these Mustangs and one of District-3’s alphas. But they’ve experienced the growing pains of a young team against a challenging slate of Cedar Cliff (9-2), Cocalico (8-2), Wilson (8-3), Exeter (6-5) and Conrad Weiser (8-2). Going 1-4 against that group shows something of their youth.
2 Harrisburg 6A 10-1
Top seeded Harrisburg opened District-3’s 6A playoffs with a resounding 42-0 win against 8th seeded Hempfield. Special Teams accounted for two touchdowns as the Cougars easily hammered the Black Knights, outgaining them 460 to 124 in total yards. As profound as their offense can be with multi-faceted Kane Everson under center, the defense shouldn’t be overlooked, allowing but 77 points since losing to Coatesville in the opener. 77 points in 10 games, in the Mid Penn-Commonwealth Division! About Everson, he completed 19 of 21 passes for 236 yards and 2 touchdowns, with Jahmir Plant rushing for 148 yards and 2 scores. 4th seeded Wilson is next, on a 4 game winning streak after polishing off Red Lion last week 36-0. Wilson is one of the districts blue bloods where any mistake will be taken advantage of by a well-coached, talented team. Games against Central Dauphin, Manheim Central, Manheim Township and Warwick rank with (excepting Coatesville) Harrisburg’s high end tests against Central Dauphin, State College and Cedar Cliff, with the difference being Harrisburg went 3-1 while Wilson went 1-3 against those teams.
3 State College 6A 10-1
State College defeated a game but overmatched Mifflin County (6-5, 2nd seed) with too much talent and too much speed to produce a 28-7 halftime lead that grew to 42-7 by game’s end to win their 5th straight District-6 title. Senior quarterback Tommy Friberg completed 9 of 11 passes for 95 yards and 3 touchdown passes to become the All Time yardage leader at the school with 3719 yards with at least one game to go. Stand out sophomore running back Dresyn Green rushed for 210 yards on 13 carries while Isaiah Edwards had 76. Good things are also happening at Mifflin Country who came to play, rushing for 235 yards to SC’s 288, finishing with 343 total yards to State’s 398. This one was a rematch of their opener where they also lost to the Lions 35-12. State moves on to play McDowell (7-4, D-10) who crushed Allderdice (6-5, D-8, Pitt City League) 49-14 in the D-6/8/10 playoff. McDowell’s losses are to Seneca Valley (8-3, D-7, 5th seed) 30-6, Cathedral Prep (8-3, D-10, top seed) 45-6, Boardman, OH (6-5 Div-2) 21-7 and Austintown-Fitch, OH (8-3, Div-1), 47-22. Young team, losing two key players that transferred out but with some good parts, e.g, DEs Jerome Henderson, their 6-5, 236 (Toledo) and Joshua Spaulding 6-1 220 sr. Typical McDowell, a basher.
4 Manheim Township 6A 10-1
Manheim Township eked out a 20-17 win against Chambersburg in a game that wasn’t decided until the very end. Jack Rodenberger nailed a 40 yard field goal with 7:45 to go in the 4th quarter giving the Streaks a 13-10 lead. Nice kick in such conditions! But talk about catching a break. Chambersburg’s DaQuan Rogers then scored on a 71 yard touchdown run that was called back on a penalty where Township held them after getting a sack. Chambersburg held on Township’s next possession but were picked off on their possession with Matthew Mikulka returning it 48 yards to the Chambersburg 3 yard line where they scored two plays later to take a 20-13 lead with 2:05 left on the clock. It wasn’t over yet. Chambersburg’s Tyeshawn Worrell returned the ensuing kickoff 92 yards for a touchdown, making it 20-17. The Trojans kickoff went deep, where the Streaks converted a first down allowing them to run out the clock. What a game! Township advances to the district semifinal for the rematch with Central Dauphin who they defeated 22-12 earlier in the year.
5 Central Dauphin 6A 8-3
Central Dauphin literally pounded Central York down in a rain storm, rushing for 412 yards and a 42-6 lead at the half before sitting the starters. Fullback Adam Burkhart did most of the damage, rushing for 150 yards on 22 carries, all in the first half. Like most games in Central Pennsylvania last Friday, the game was played in torrential rains, featuring 7 fumbles, another common theme throughout the area. The win gets the Rams exactly where they want to be Friday in a rematch with the defending district 6A champ Manheim Township who beat them Sept 9th 22-12. In that one penalties and turnovers spoiled an early 12-0 lead combined with Township’s quarterback first year starting quarterback Harrison Kirk emerging, throwing for 182 yards and 2 scores. A side note of the 6A playoffs is that all four of the top seeds advanced, making it 3rd seeded Central Dauphin vs #2 seeded Township while the 4th seed Wilson battles top seeded Harrisburg.
6 Berks Catholic 4A 8-2
Berks Catholic was idle last week with the 2-seed while their opponent Lampeter Strasburg (6-5, #10 seed) was defeating Elco (8-3, 7th seed) 37-0. Elco plays in the LL-3 who with the exception of Lancaster Catholic, Annville Cleona and Donegal, have nowhere near the teams you see in the LL-2. With Elco playing a steady diet of Pequea Valley 0-10, Northern Lebanon 1-9, Octorara 2-8 and Columbia 3-7, they were ill prepared to face teams of LS’s stature who battle more capable teams like Solanco 6-5, Manheim Central 10-0 and Cocalico 8-2. Even Elizabethtown (6-5) with record setting quarterback Cole Patrick (2570, 59%) can hit you with capable talent. So while they have big game experience verses the likes of Manheim Central and Cocalico, they did not perform well in these encounters, losing 43-7 to Central and getting shellacked by Cocalico 62-23. Meanwhile, BC comes in rested, having won their last 5 since losing to Malvern Prep (10-0) where they put up more points on the undefeated Friars this year than anyone in a 42-32 loss.
7 Cedar Cliff 5A 9-2
The Colts had an unexpectedly easy time in their 5A opener with Exeter, winning 50-6. This was total domination on both sides of the ball, shutting the Eagles down to 105 total yards while showing their own balance through 190 rush yards (Jaheim Morris 35/146) and 154 passing (Chris Dare 6/11/154, 2 Tds). Not bad knowing the game was delayed a half hour because of too much standing water on the field with water cascading down the stands like some tiered waterfall. Needless to say, there were terrific downpours that evening at the West Shore (Boat Club?) Stadium. Since beating McDevitt on their field 50-43 Sept 21st, the Colts won 6 straight by an average score of 47-6, scoring 281, allowing 6. The challenge this week is tackling another monster Top 10 team in 5th seeded Warwick who is peaking at 44ppg, losing only to Manheim Central 27-20 and Manheim Township 28-20 with a defense allowing 10ppg. This score could mimic the McDevitt game.
8 Bishop McDevitt 4A 9-1
Top seeded McDevitt had a bye last week awaiting the results of the game between 8th seeded West Perry (7-3) and 9th seeded West York (5-5), won by West Perry 33-22. Like all the games in the district, it was played in a downpour that favored running teams like West Perry who rushed for 456 yards. Terrance Quaker had a great game, rushing for 294 yards with quarterback Kenyon Johnson adding 100. West York’s outstanding D1 back Ay’Juan Marshall (Army) was as unstoppable as ever, rushing for 204 yards on 25 carries. West Perry moves on to play the #1 seed Bishop McDevitt Friday. And while the Mustangs are a 3 point and 1 point loss from being 10-1, the other loss came to the best team they played this year, at home against Shippensburg, where they lost 35-21. That combined with their not seeing a team as complete as McDevitt’s or of their caliber says West Perry is in for a very long afternoon.
9 Warwick 5A 9-2
Warwick pounced on Palmyra early, jumping out to a 50-0 half time lead before cruising with subs to a 64-0 rout. Welcome to the Lancaster Lebanon Section-1 Palmyra, a far cry from teams like Camp Hill 1-9, Trinity 1-9, Boiling Springs 3-7 and Mechanicsburg 2-8 encountered in a “down” Mid Penn-Capital. The tip off was Palmyra’s poor showing against the one powerhouse faced in the Capital, Middletown, where they lost 42-6. Warwick showed a balanced attack, rushing for 166 yards and passing for 226 with Joey McCracken throwing for 226 yards and 4 Tds, mostly to record setting Trey Glass who caught 5 for 156 yards and 2 scores. Nick Fucci had 110 yards on 14 carries with the Warrior defense overwhelming the Cougars at negative 8 yards rushing and 38 total passing. They move on against 4th seeded Cedar Cliff.
10 Cocalico 5A 8-2
Cocalico was idle last week with the 2-seed while fellow LL-2 conference member Solanco won their 1st round game at Waynesboro 49-0. Much like Cedar Cliff’s first half against Exeter, Solanco (7-4, 10th seed) used a 42-0 first half surge to swamp Waynesboro (6-5, 7th seed) in the rain, holding them to 6 first downs and 184 yards of offense. They’re one dimensional but when the Mules get it going they’re a load. They need to get it going again Friday at Cocalico in a rematch after Cocalico beat them 42-7 in league action two weeks ago with a ground pounding 464 (408 rushing) to 240 total yard advantage.
11 Southern Columbia 2A 11-0
Once again Southern Columbia dominated, routing Line Mountain (4-7, 8th seed) 55-0, which was also the score at the half where SCA had already gained 298 total yards. Line Mountain was held to 6 total yards and 2 first downs. Next up is Troy (7-4, 5th seed) who edged Wellsboro (8-3, 4th seed). Troy forced 7 turnovers while scoring 31 first-half points on the way to a 38-32 victory. The win avenges a 38-6 loss in week 2 to the Hornets. Over confident? Troy plays in the Northern Tier-Large School Division with North Penn-Mansfield who plays Mount Carmel this weekend of the Heartland-3 Conference, providing a head-to-head between the two conferences.
12 Wilson 6A 8-3
Doesn’t the Lebanon Lancaster Section-1 love showing the York Adams its place as once again they routed another top rung team when 4th seeded Wilson beat 5th seeded Red Lion 36-0 after running out to a 29-0 first half lead. Torrential downpours were the theme for the Mid State last Friday, grounding most air attacks while showing why football has always been about running the ball and defense. Wilson converted 2 of Red Lion’s 3 fumbles to scores with the defense getting their second straight shutout, holding the Lions to 84 total yards of offense. Bulldog back Elijah Morales burned them for 144 yards on 14 carries, taking his season total to 1096 yards. Top seeded Harrisburg is next in Harrisburg Saturday.
13 Chambersburg 6A 7-4
Nice try by the Trojans losing narrowly to Manheim Township 20-17. See Manheim Township above. This was a historic season for Chambersburg, getting their first winning season since 2013 to end the downward spiral that saw them string three straight 1-9 seasons together before 2017’s 0-10 season. Coach Mark Luther came aboard in 2016, persevering through 1-9 and 0-10 campaigns before this year’s ascension. Coach is building something at Chambersburg that will make the Mid Penn-Commonwealth Division even stronger. Scary thought. Running back Keyshawn Johnson and others return to give them a good nucleus for next season.
14 Middletown 3A 9-1
Middletown was idle last week with a bye and the 2-seed and will play Wyomissing (9-2, 3-seed) who defeated Littlestown (7-4, 6th seed) in District-3’s first round. Showing no side effects from the 27-8 loss to archrival Berks Catholic, Wyomissing’s defense came out on fire, led by the Berks-2 leading secondary to pick off Jakob Lane 5 times in a physical battle iced by 2 late Spartan field goals, 29-7. The game at Middletown (2-seed) is a rematch of last year’s game where Middletown prevailed 49-0. That shouldn’t be the case this year with Middletown less defensively, allowing 14ppg compared to 2017’s 9ppg average. The offenses are comparable. Wyomissing comes in averaging 12ppg more than last year’s team and improved defensively by 3ppg, making this look like a war and Middletown’s first test since 2 months ago when they lost to Bishop McDevitt 40-14. Wyo doesn’t have their firepower but should make it interesting.
15 York (William Penn) 5A 10-1
Torrential rain didn’t stop running back Dayjure Stewart from breaking District-3’s single game rushing record as the Bearcats blew Northern’s doors off in a 42-7 first round game Friday. This one was over in the first 5 minutes for the outmanned Polar Bears when York jumped out to a 14-0 lead behind Stewart’s 57 and 76 yard scoring runs. He finished with the record at 463 yards on 39 carries. 463 yards! 2nd round action continues Friday at Shippensburg where Stewart will add to his rushing total of 2678 yards (36 touchdowns) against the Greyhounds who counter with Adam Houser at 1872 yards rushing. York is better but have had games where they just didn’t show up, particularly on the road whereas the Hounds are undefeated at home.
** I made a few big adjustments (e.g., Cedar Cliff up, McDevitt down) per regular season ending stats, reassessment of schedules, known injuries and 1st round playoff results.
1 Manheim Central 5A 10-0
The Barons had a well-earned bye after negotiating a challenging schedule to defeat Warwick, Wilson and Cocalico, plus “Tier-2” types Susquehanna Township and Hempfield on the road, and Solanco in the regular season finale. Here are some specifics. This is a big offense scoring 42ppg. Qb Evan Simon has multiple skills, completing 83 passes for 1539 yards with a 16-2 ratio while rushing for 336 yards scoring 7 touchdowns. He is supported with four receivers who have double digit receptions over 300 yards each. Lead back Tyler Flick has 1447 yards and 28 touchdowns. They learned their opponent Friday when 9th seeded Governor Mifflin beat 8th seeded Elizabethtown 30-0. The Mustangs didn’t let the slop affect them, rushing for 272 yards while holding the Bears to 2 first downs and 50 total yards. Back at the midpoint of the season, Manheim Central did the same thing to E-town, winning 50-0 in league action. Mifflin has plenty of talent but much of it is young, notably freshman running back Nick Singleton at 1084 yards with 14 Tds and quarterback Kolbie Reeser, a junior, who has thrown for 1360 yards with 14 touchdowns. Classy outfit these Mustangs and one of District-3’s alphas. But they’ve experienced the growing pains of a young team against a challenging slate of Cedar Cliff (9-2), Cocalico (8-2), Wilson (8-3), Exeter (6-5) and Conrad Weiser (8-2). Going 1-4 against that group shows something of their youth.
2 Harrisburg 6A 10-1
Top seeded Harrisburg opened District-3’s 6A playoffs with a resounding 42-0 win against 8th seeded Hempfield. Special Teams accounted for two touchdowns as the Cougars easily hammered the Black Knights, outgaining them 460 to 124 in total yards. As profound as their offense can be with multi-faceted Kane Everson under center, the defense shouldn’t be overlooked, allowing but 77 points since losing to Coatesville in the opener. 77 points in 10 games, in the Mid Penn-Commonwealth Division! About Everson, he completed 19 of 21 passes for 236 yards and 2 touchdowns, with Jahmir Plant rushing for 148 yards and 2 scores. 4th seeded Wilson is next, on a 4 game winning streak after polishing off Red Lion last week 36-0. Wilson is one of the districts blue bloods where any mistake will be taken advantage of by a well-coached, talented team. Games against Central Dauphin, Manheim Central, Manheim Township and Warwick rank with (excepting Coatesville) Harrisburg’s high end tests against Central Dauphin, State College and Cedar Cliff, with the difference being Harrisburg went 3-1 while Wilson went 1-3 against those teams.
3 State College 6A 10-1
State College defeated a game but overmatched Mifflin County (6-5, 2nd seed) with too much talent and too much speed to produce a 28-7 halftime lead that grew to 42-7 by game’s end to win their 5th straight District-6 title. Senior quarterback Tommy Friberg completed 9 of 11 passes for 95 yards and 3 touchdown passes to become the All Time yardage leader at the school with 3719 yards with at least one game to go. Stand out sophomore running back Dresyn Green rushed for 210 yards on 13 carries while Isaiah Edwards had 76. Good things are also happening at Mifflin Country who came to play, rushing for 235 yards to SC’s 288, finishing with 343 total yards to State’s 398. This one was a rematch of their opener where they also lost to the Lions 35-12. State moves on to play McDowell (7-4, D-10) who crushed Allderdice (6-5, D-8, Pitt City League) 49-14 in the D-6/8/10 playoff. McDowell’s losses are to Seneca Valley (8-3, D-7, 5th seed) 30-6, Cathedral Prep (8-3, D-10, top seed) 45-6, Boardman, OH (6-5 Div-2) 21-7 and Austintown-Fitch, OH (8-3, Div-1), 47-22. Young team, losing two key players that transferred out but with some good parts, e.g, DEs Jerome Henderson, their 6-5, 236 (Toledo) and Joshua Spaulding 6-1 220 sr. Typical McDowell, a basher.
4 Manheim Township 6A 10-1
Manheim Township eked out a 20-17 win against Chambersburg in a game that wasn’t decided until the very end. Jack Rodenberger nailed a 40 yard field goal with 7:45 to go in the 4th quarter giving the Streaks a 13-10 lead. Nice kick in such conditions! But talk about catching a break. Chambersburg’s DaQuan Rogers then scored on a 71 yard touchdown run that was called back on a penalty where Township held them after getting a sack. Chambersburg held on Township’s next possession but were picked off on their possession with Matthew Mikulka returning it 48 yards to the Chambersburg 3 yard line where they scored two plays later to take a 20-13 lead with 2:05 left on the clock. It wasn’t over yet. Chambersburg’s Tyeshawn Worrell returned the ensuing kickoff 92 yards for a touchdown, making it 20-17. The Trojans kickoff went deep, where the Streaks converted a first down allowing them to run out the clock. What a game! Township advances to the district semifinal for the rematch with Central Dauphin who they defeated 22-12 earlier in the year.
5 Central Dauphin 6A 8-3
Central Dauphin literally pounded Central York down in a rain storm, rushing for 412 yards and a 42-6 lead at the half before sitting the starters. Fullback Adam Burkhart did most of the damage, rushing for 150 yards on 22 carries, all in the first half. Like most games in Central Pennsylvania last Friday, the game was played in torrential rains, featuring 7 fumbles, another common theme throughout the area. The win gets the Rams exactly where they want to be Friday in a rematch with the defending district 6A champ Manheim Township who beat them Sept 9th 22-12. In that one penalties and turnovers spoiled an early 12-0 lead combined with Township’s quarterback first year starting quarterback Harrison Kirk emerging, throwing for 182 yards and 2 scores. A side note of the 6A playoffs is that all four of the top seeds advanced, making it 3rd seeded Central Dauphin vs #2 seeded Township while the 4th seed Wilson battles top seeded Harrisburg.
6 Berks Catholic 4A 8-2
Berks Catholic was idle last week with the 2-seed while their opponent Lampeter Strasburg (6-5, #10 seed) was defeating Elco (8-3, 7th seed) 37-0. Elco plays in the LL-3 who with the exception of Lancaster Catholic, Annville Cleona and Donegal, have nowhere near the teams you see in the LL-2. With Elco playing a steady diet of Pequea Valley 0-10, Northern Lebanon 1-9, Octorara 2-8 and Columbia 3-7, they were ill prepared to face teams of LS’s stature who battle more capable teams like Solanco 6-5, Manheim Central 10-0 and Cocalico 8-2. Even Elizabethtown (6-5) with record setting quarterback Cole Patrick (2570, 59%) can hit you with capable talent. So while they have big game experience verses the likes of Manheim Central and Cocalico, they did not perform well in these encounters, losing 43-7 to Central and getting shellacked by Cocalico 62-23. Meanwhile, BC comes in rested, having won their last 5 since losing to Malvern Prep (10-0) where they put up more points on the undefeated Friars this year than anyone in a 42-32 loss.
7 Cedar Cliff 5A 9-2
The Colts had an unexpectedly easy time in their 5A opener with Exeter, winning 50-6. This was total domination on both sides of the ball, shutting the Eagles down to 105 total yards while showing their own balance through 190 rush yards (Jaheim Morris 35/146) and 154 passing (Chris Dare 6/11/154, 2 Tds). Not bad knowing the game was delayed a half hour because of too much standing water on the field with water cascading down the stands like some tiered waterfall. Needless to say, there were terrific downpours that evening at the West Shore (Boat Club?) Stadium. Since beating McDevitt on their field 50-43 Sept 21st, the Colts won 6 straight by an average score of 47-6, scoring 281, allowing 6. The challenge this week is tackling another monster Top 10 team in 5th seeded Warwick who is peaking at 44ppg, losing only to Manheim Central 27-20 and Manheim Township 28-20 with a defense allowing 10ppg. This score could mimic the McDevitt game.
8 Bishop McDevitt 4A 9-1
Top seeded McDevitt had a bye last week awaiting the results of the game between 8th seeded West Perry (7-3) and 9th seeded West York (5-5), won by West Perry 33-22. Like all the games in the district, it was played in a downpour that favored running teams like West Perry who rushed for 456 yards. Terrance Quaker had a great game, rushing for 294 yards with quarterback Kenyon Johnson adding 100. West York’s outstanding D1 back Ay’Juan Marshall (Army) was as unstoppable as ever, rushing for 204 yards on 25 carries. West Perry moves on to play the #1 seed Bishop McDevitt Friday. And while the Mustangs are a 3 point and 1 point loss from being 10-1, the other loss came to the best team they played this year, at home against Shippensburg, where they lost 35-21. That combined with their not seeing a team as complete as McDevitt’s or of their caliber says West Perry is in for a very long afternoon.
9 Warwick 5A 9-2
Warwick pounced on Palmyra early, jumping out to a 50-0 half time lead before cruising with subs to a 64-0 rout. Welcome to the Lancaster Lebanon Section-1 Palmyra, a far cry from teams like Camp Hill 1-9, Trinity 1-9, Boiling Springs 3-7 and Mechanicsburg 2-8 encountered in a “down” Mid Penn-Capital. The tip off was Palmyra’s poor showing against the one powerhouse faced in the Capital, Middletown, where they lost 42-6. Warwick showed a balanced attack, rushing for 166 yards and passing for 226 with Joey McCracken throwing for 226 yards and 4 Tds, mostly to record setting Trey Glass who caught 5 for 156 yards and 2 scores. Nick Fucci had 110 yards on 14 carries with the Warrior defense overwhelming the Cougars at negative 8 yards rushing and 38 total passing. They move on against 4th seeded Cedar Cliff.
10 Cocalico 5A 8-2
Cocalico was idle last week with the 2-seed while fellow LL-2 conference member Solanco won their 1st round game at Waynesboro 49-0. Much like Cedar Cliff’s first half against Exeter, Solanco (7-4, 10th seed) used a 42-0 first half surge to swamp Waynesboro (6-5, 7th seed) in the rain, holding them to 6 first downs and 184 yards of offense. They’re one dimensional but when the Mules get it going they’re a load. They need to get it going again Friday at Cocalico in a rematch after Cocalico beat them 42-7 in league action two weeks ago with a ground pounding 464 (408 rushing) to 240 total yard advantage.
11 Southern Columbia 2A 11-0
Once again Southern Columbia dominated, routing Line Mountain (4-7, 8th seed) 55-0, which was also the score at the half where SCA had already gained 298 total yards. Line Mountain was held to 6 total yards and 2 first downs. Next up is Troy (7-4, 5th seed) who edged Wellsboro (8-3, 4th seed). Troy forced 7 turnovers while scoring 31 first-half points on the way to a 38-32 victory. The win avenges a 38-6 loss in week 2 to the Hornets. Over confident? Troy plays in the Northern Tier-Large School Division with North Penn-Mansfield who plays Mount Carmel this weekend of the Heartland-3 Conference, providing a head-to-head between the two conferences.
12 Wilson 6A 8-3
Doesn’t the Lebanon Lancaster Section-1 love showing the York Adams its place as once again they routed another top rung team when 4th seeded Wilson beat 5th seeded Red Lion 36-0 after running out to a 29-0 first half lead. Torrential downpours were the theme for the Mid State last Friday, grounding most air attacks while showing why football has always been about running the ball and defense. Wilson converted 2 of Red Lion’s 3 fumbles to scores with the defense getting their second straight shutout, holding the Lions to 84 total yards of offense. Bulldog back Elijah Morales burned them for 144 yards on 14 carries, taking his season total to 1096 yards. Top seeded Harrisburg is next in Harrisburg Saturday.
13 Chambersburg 6A 7-4
Nice try by the Trojans losing narrowly to Manheim Township 20-17. See Manheim Township above. This was a historic season for Chambersburg, getting their first winning season since 2013 to end the downward spiral that saw them string three straight 1-9 seasons together before 2017’s 0-10 season. Coach Mark Luther came aboard in 2016, persevering through 1-9 and 0-10 campaigns before this year’s ascension. Coach is building something at Chambersburg that will make the Mid Penn-Commonwealth Division even stronger. Scary thought. Running back Keyshawn Johnson and others return to give them a good nucleus for next season.
14 Middletown 3A 9-1
Middletown was idle last week with a bye and the 2-seed and will play Wyomissing (9-2, 3-seed) who defeated Littlestown (7-4, 6th seed) in District-3’s first round. Showing no side effects from the 27-8 loss to archrival Berks Catholic, Wyomissing’s defense came out on fire, led by the Berks-2 leading secondary to pick off Jakob Lane 5 times in a physical battle iced by 2 late Spartan field goals, 29-7. The game at Middletown (2-seed) is a rematch of last year’s game where Middletown prevailed 49-0. That shouldn’t be the case this year with Middletown less defensively, allowing 14ppg compared to 2017’s 9ppg average. The offenses are comparable. Wyomissing comes in averaging 12ppg more than last year’s team and improved defensively by 3ppg, making this look like a war and Middletown’s first test since 2 months ago when they lost to Bishop McDevitt 40-14. Wyo doesn’t have their firepower but should make it interesting.
15 York (William Penn) 5A 10-1
Torrential rain didn’t stop running back Dayjure Stewart from breaking District-3’s single game rushing record as the Bearcats blew Northern’s doors off in a 42-7 first round game Friday. This one was over in the first 5 minutes for the outmanned Polar Bears when York jumped out to a 14-0 lead behind Stewart’s 57 and 76 yard scoring runs. He finished with the record at 463 yards on 39 carries. 463 yards! 2nd round action continues Friday at Shippensburg where Stewart will add to his rushing total of 2678 yards (36 touchdowns) against the Greyhounds who counter with Adam Houser at 1872 yards rushing. York is better but have had games where they just didn’t show up, particularly on the road whereas the Hounds are undefeated at home.