(All classes, Districts 3, 4, 5, 6, 9)
1 Harrisburg (1-0)
Harrisburg jumped State College, Central Dauphin and Manheim Township in the Mid State rankings as a result of dominating Coatesville at their place Friday by the score of 14-6. They pressured/contained Qb Ricky Ortega (101p, 75r) with good DE-line pressure. And how about Donte Kent et al shutting down star wide out Dapree Bryant. If it wasn’t known before it may be now that the Mid Penn-Commonwealth heavy weights (CD, State Hi, Hburg, CV) will sling it when opportunity presents. Rotating Qbs Nacari Williams and John McNeil threw for 74 yards and 102 yards respectively with a young and sizeable line (2 platoons) performing well. Williams was Harrisburg’s back up last year before transferring to neighboring Steelton Highspire, then subsequently transferring back to Harrisburg, giving them two strong arm options at the position. Up next is one of Ohio’s top powers, Archbishop Hoban (Akron, 0-0), winners of four consecutive Ohio State championships at Div-II the last two years (15-0, 14-1) and Div-III in 2016 going 14-1 and 2015, also 14-1. Harrisburg’s win elevated them to #9 in USA Today’s Regional Rankings where St. Joseph’s Prep is #3 behind St. Frances (Balt-Md) and top rated St. John’s (DC).
2 State College (1-0)
State fielded another fast and physical team that was as good as advertised, rushing for 242 yards and passing for 162 while holding Mifflin County to 159 total years in a 42-6 tout. Senior Brady Dorner (6-0, 180) finally got the nod after back up roles under center and playing wide out and did not disappoint, completing seven of ten passes for 162 yards. Two 1000-yd rushers in Dresyn Green (5-9, 160, jr) and Isaiah Edwards (6-0, 215, sr) got 116 and 76 respectively. St. Augustine Prep-NJ (0-0, 7-4 last year) is next in State’s home opener. SC beat them last year at their place 19-7.
3 Manheim Township (1-0)
There were a lot of jitters in week one that saw Township and CD East turn the ball over five times apiece. But Township still managed a 26-0 half time lead over outmanned East while cruising to a 43-6 season opening win. Second year starter Harrison Kirk (Colgate) completed 14 of 18 passes for 156 yards and two Td tosses while Jaden Floyd ran for 118 yards on 12 carries. All totaled the Streaks generated 367 yards of offense while holding East High to 194. Dallastown is next in their home opener after suffering a 26-3 loss at Hempfield last week. Dtown had a much better team last year that lost to the Streaks 38-0, making this look like a long night for the Wildcats but a great tune up for Township with Central Dauphin the following week.
4 Wilson (1-0)
Ricky Ortega wasn’t the only quarterback facing pressure against a quality opponent opening night as Wilson’s Bulldog defense chased and harassed Central Dauphin quarterback Max Mosey all night, then won it with special teams play and a goal line stand. Barely a minute into the game they blocked a punt, scooping it then ran it in from 20 yards out. Special teams downed a punt on CD’s 2 yard line, then essentially won it by stopped the Rams on 4th and goal late in the fourth quarter. The offense also stood out, converted two fourth downs from punt formations with completed passes. It’s always difficult winning at Wilson’s Gurski Stadium but in truth you rarely see another team beat Central Dauphin with superior special teams play. Interesting dynamic this week with Wilson coming off CD to play fired up rival Governor Mifflin off a mild home upset by another Mid Penn team, Cedar Cliff, 18-13. And Wilson beat them last year 42-28. Both will be sore after this one as it is one of the district’s most heated rivalries where no prisoners are taken.
5 Manheim Central (1-0, 5A)
Manheim Central escaped with a 16-7 win at home last week as Susquehanna Township nearly pulled a major upset. They had more total yards at 266 (75r, 191p) to 183 (96r, 87p) and 1st downs, 17 to 11. Hanna’s fumble in the end zone was Central’s only touchdown. But Nate Reed came to the rescue with field goals of 20, 26 and 30 to secure the win. As noted in the Preseason Report, mid rung Mid Penn teams can be a bear! And Hanna was their usual physical selves. But Central looked bad, with Qb Evan Simon completing 7 of 20 passes for 87 yards and an offense that never got it going. Hempfield (1-0) is next in a mandated game with the Black Knights of the Lancaster Lebanon-1 (MC is LL-2), coming off a 26-3 Dallastown win. MC beat them 28-7 last year in Landisville. After what should be a rough week of practice in Manheim, expect the Barons to come out with a purpose in their second straight home game where there is often significant improvement. The Knights don’t bring the talent MC saw last week but do have a senor Qb with some weapons.
6 Central Dauphin (0-1)
The Rams lost in their opener to rival Wilson 21-13 largely as a result of special team’s failures. See Wilson above. With Wilson’s Qb Kaleb Brown completing 10 of 13 for 84, there’s some work to do, although holding running back Avanti Lockhart to 77 yards is a mild win for the D. And it wasn’t all bad for the Rams with Nick Chimienti having six receptions for 144 yards. Look for a bounce back Friday when another tough Reading team visits in Berks Catholic (1-0), who eked out a 14-10 win against Exeter Township last week. CD won last year 7-0.
7 Southern Columbia (1-0, 2A)
The Tigers rose in the rankings after visiting South Carolina’s top private school Hammond and ending their 25 game winning streak in a 36-0 nationally televised blowout. The hard hitting and disciplined Tiger D forced 6 turnover while holding Hammond to 96 yards on the ground and 88 above. SCA had their way running the ball with 255 total rushing yards with Gaige Garcia getting 78 yards on 12 carries and brother Gavin 66 on 9 attempts. In winning, they extended their winning streak to 33 games and the regular season game winning streak to 72! A Saturday night game is next at home against a good Mount Carmel (1-0) team.
8 Warwick (1-0, 5A)
Qb Joey McCracken picked up where he left off last year at Air Warwick throwing for 332 yards and four Tds plus one rushing as the Warriors overwhelmed Ephrata 61-0. Caleb Schmitz (6-3, 190, jr) was his primary target, having five receptions for 118 yards. Look for another big night from him and the team with a game in New Holland against Garden Spot (0-1) who lost to Boone 20-14 last week and to Warwick 61-0 last year. Warwick gets to skate these first two games before facing Manheim Central week three.
9 Berks Catholic (1-0, 4A)
The game with Exeter wasn’t as impressive as the faithful were used to but 1-0 looks pretty good this time of year. Exeter had to be feeling alright about this one holding a 10-0 lead going into the 4th quarter. By game’s end they led in first downs 18-6 and total yardage 330 to 176. BC’s Qb Ryan Madrak was held to zero completions in five attempts. Abdul MacFoy was held to 80 yards on six carries with Nolan Harkin getting 78 on five carries. No bad! But the penalties killed them, with the flag thrown 19 times in their direction for 150 yards, making the field look like a laundry room floor on a Saturday night. 14 fourth quarter points allowed the Saints to come marching home with a 14-10 win. They’ll need to improve BIG time this week at Landis Field playing a fired up Central Dauphin team off a hard loss to rival Wilson. CD won last year 7-0.
10 Chambersburg (1-0)
Chambersburg used a 28 point 2nd quarter and a 2nd half kick-off return to blow the game open as they swamped rival Greencastle-Antrim 56-13. Qb Brady Stumbaugh was good enough, completing 6 of 18 for 122 yards and three scores. Jayden Jones rushed for 102 yards complimented by Keyshawn Jones’s 92 as the Trojans showed their speed and size in this one. They have always been a sleeping giant and appear now to have both the staff and facilities to “approach” the power teams of the conference. Upcoming road games against York-Adams teams may tell us if they’re ready to take on the alphas of the Mid Penn-Commonwealth with games at South Western (0-1) who they defeated last year 51-26 followed by Red Lion (1-0). Then they’re home vs Altoona before the big one, State College, for Homecoming. Talk about chutzpah! That should get the Lions attention.
11 Cedar Cliff (1-0, 5A)
A rebuilding Cedar Cliff team went into Shillington Friday night to battle a young but more established Governor Mifflin group and came away with a 18-13 upset, albeit a mild one. Mifflin had a solid core back that won 7 of their last 9 following a 0-3 start, while Cedar Cliff was missing a lot of last year’s key parts. But they made the most of opportunities, scoring twelve 1st quarter points then hanging on with only seven 1st downs and 238 total yards of offense. Their talented back, Jaheim Morris led the way, rushing for 156 yards. That, with the resultant ability to control the clock combining with four Mifflin turnovers made all the difference. Both are big, physical teams that should win a lot of games this year if they can manage a difficult early schedule that sees Cedar Cliff playing Mifflin, Cocalico, Harrisburg and McDevitt their first four games while Mifflin wrestles Wilson and Cocalico the next two weeks. Cocalico (1-0) is next at Cedar Cliff, allowing us to see if the Colts can corral QB Noah Palm and avenge last year’s 31-21 loss.
12 Cocalico (1-0, 5A)
Cocalico opened the season with a resounding 42-15 win against defending Berks-1 champ Conrad Weiser. They have an extraordinary quarterback in Noah Palm (New Hampshire) but are otherwise a young team, starting a number of sophomores and a few freshman on offense and defense. Realistically Palm seems to do much of the damage himself on both side of the line, passing for 120 yards and rushing for 94 for four touchdowns. His fifth came on a 3rd quarter pick-6. Two of the top 5A teams in the district duke it out this week when Cocalico travels to Cedar Cliff. Add in Governor Mifflin, Exeter, Manheim Central, York and Warwick to see District 3’s 5A post season will be one of the best “classification” playoffs in the state, along with the 5A Wpial teams like Peters Twp, Woody, USC, McKeesport, Gateway. West A, even Penn Hills who always has the athletes despite tremendous graduation losses.
13 Cumberland Valley (1-0)
All us biased District-3 natives knew CV would be back after the disappointment of last year’s 3-7 campaign. But few thought they’d nearly shutout McDevitt 21-7 on their home field in the opener. Doing that at Rocco Ortenzio is a statement! But a word of caution to the diehards that McDevitt is going through a MAJOR rebuild having graduated some of the top offensive talent to come through the school. See last season’s post season review. They’re not hurting by any stretch and will likely develop into another powerful edition. But for CV, what a start, getting the power running game going and shutting McDevitt down. Maximos Dell’Anno (6-3, 210) is the proto-typical CV back, strong, athletic and smart. He had two touchdowns rushing for 166 yards on 21 carries. Now we’ll see if they can sustain that with Central York in and their hot shot sophomore quarterback Beau Pribula (6-2, 200) trying to replace big brother Cade (2725, 30/7, 66%) now at Delaware. Beau went 6 for 10 for 82 and a Td while rushing for 60 yards with scores of 40 and 5 yards. Central York won last year 31-14 so look for a fired up CV team and a better than expected Panther squad to go at it with real emotion. It’ll be SRO where the younger Central team may not be quite ready for an aggressive, physical CV team looking to get some. Chapman Field is no joke for a young team.
14 Governor Mifflin (0-1, 5A)
Mustangs and Colts! That’s what we had last week when Cedar Cliff’s Colts came calling and beat the Mustangs 18-13. It was quite a game, one they could, perhaps should have won knowing they had advantages in most of the stats including total yards at 241 to 238 (big, physical Ds for both) while out-rushing CC 187 to 144. Qb Kolbie Reeser never got going completing 8 of 15 for 54 yards with Nicholas Singleton held to 88 yards on 24 carries. Nice job Cedar Cliff! Add to that three fumbles and a pick to know why they are 0-1 with hated Wilson up next. The Bulldogs are up the road two miles in Reading’s western burbs known as West Lawn while Mifflin is from the Southwest side in Shillington. Wilson won last year 42-28 so look for some extra intensity especially with GM losing a tough one last week.
15 Middletown (1-0, 3A)
Middletown began their quest for a 4th straight 3A finals appearance with a thorough 34-12 win against neighbor Lower Dauphin. The new OL performed admirably (5 new starters) paving the way for +200 rushing yards with senior standout Jose Lopez getting 152 yards on 15 carries and rising sophomore Tajae Brodie (6-4, 225) snagging 2 Td passes of 34 and 35 yards and returning a kickoff 75 yards for another score. Northern (1-0) is next at Middletown after beating East Pennsboro 20-14. The Polar Bears ae expected to challenge in the Mid Penn-Capital along with West Perry, Mifflin County, Waynesboro and Ship while Middletown is strongly favored to win another MP-Colonial with possible pressure from Milton Hershey.
16 Mount Carmel (1-0, 3A)
Much was expected from MCA’s defense this season and they did not disappoint, shutting out Central Columbia 23-0 on the road in Bloomsburg. Actually the Blue Jays were smoked, held to minus four rush yards and 65 through the air. Meanwhile, the Red Tornadoes were anything but organized on offense with quarterback Tommy Reisinger throwing two picks before settling down to complete 11 of 18 tosses for 144 years and a touchdown. Many went to TE Jack Chapman (6-3, 220) who caught 8 for 108 yards. He along with senior lineman OT Colin Herb (6-1, 275), C Brad Shurock (6-2, 250), OG Connor Krakpwski (5-11, 210), OG Michael Makowski (6-1, 225), OT Michael Gresh (6-1, 250, jr) and others plowed ahead for 148 yards rushing with Shane Weidner getting the lion’s share at 98 yards. Southern Columbia is next in their home opener after taking apart Hammond School-SC 36-0.
17 Shippensburg (1-0, 5A)
An early explosion of 35 first half points put Shippensburg’s Greyhounds on cruise control at Dover where they throttled the Eagles of the York-Adams-II, 41-7. Jacob Foy and Max Kalb had 109 and 102 rush yards respectively as they ran at will. Shippensburg is absolutely loaded this year, and could be a sleeper amidst a district of powerful “name” 5A teams with a veteran, senior laden group near mid-season form already. They were 10-2 last year losing to York 22-6 in the quarterfinals. Historically they’re a run oriented team. But with a veteran quarterback, 4 of 5 back on the O-Line with newcomer Dalton Foore (6-3, 305) filling in….and a bruiser at TE in Nick Gustafson (6-6, 230) and Anthony Smith (6-6, 240), and speed demons Isaiah Houser (5-10, 155) and RB/WR Alex Sharrow (5-6, 140) plus three on the team from Ship’s state qualifying 4x100 team….they may have to go to the air more, regardless of historic trends. Up next is the Hounds home opener against West York (0-1), coming in off a 60-0 loss to city rival Central York. This one could get ugly.
18 Exeter Township (0-1, 5A)
See Berks Catholic above where Exeter lost in a tight one 14-10. But there were bright spots as they owned the stat sheet 330 to 172 in total yards with quarterback Gavin McCusker completing 18 of 31 for 206 yards, well distributed to six receivers. Devon Scott led with 8 receptions for 52 years followed by Alex Javier with 72 yards on 4 catches and running back Jeremiah Nixon snagging 4 for 48 yards. Nixon was their leading rusher with 99 yards on 24 attempts. Boyertown (1-0) is next after breaking a nine game losing streak defeating Upper Perkiomen 35-27. The Bears won, but allowed 428 total yards, 264 rushing on 27 carries. That’s 9.78 yards per rush attempt. Could be a wild one like last year where Exeter blew out the Bears 48-27. One thing for sure looking at Upper Perk’s stats, Exeter will have no trouble putting points on the board.
19 Lancaster Catholic (1-0, 3A)
LC dropped in the rankings after a mediocre showing against Camp Hill despite defeating the Lions 39-25. It took a third quarter outburst of 35 points to finally grind down the smaller Lions. Camp Hill is a 2A playing in the Mid Penn-Capital with Middletown, Milton Hershey and Steel High. And they came to play with quarterback Dan Shuster (6-1, 180, sr) tearing up LC’s secondary, throwing for 396 yards. After going 1-9 last year, scoring 12 a game while allowing 42, this is some kind of turnaround. But Catholic was their same old selves on the ground, pounding out 278 yards with a stable of backs led by Tony Cruz, Nevin Roman, Jeff Harley, even Qb Gavin Sullivan. They face another gunslinger this week traveling to Columbia (1-0, 2A) who just defeated Eastern York in the River Rivalry 35-28. Crimson Tide Qb Matt McCleary (6-1, 200, sr) threw for 214 and three Tds after throwing for 1899 yards and 17 Tds last year. No way LC should lose but the Tide returns everyone from a 3-7 team including their four leading receivers with over 1700 yards in receptions.
20 Susquehanna Twp (0-1, 4A)
Susquehanna Township lost the game to Manheim Central 16-7 but gained respect by keeping it tight and showing a lot of talent and skill in the process. Despite losing, the effort against a highly ranked team on the road got them into the rankings. Qb Rahsaan Carlton (6-3, 205, sr) dented Central for 193 yards, completing 15 of 28 passes while RB/LB Jacob Seigle (6-0, 200, sr, Yale) rushed for 123 on 23 carries. The defense nearly won it for them, holding Central to 185 total yards. But Hanna has some people that are special in LB Tyshawn Stewart (6-1, 215, jr, Maine), DT Fatorma Mulbah (6-3, 270, sr, PSU), DE/DT Kylee Page (6-0, 225, jr), the aforementioned Seigle (Yale) and LB Owen Weiner (5-10, 185, jr). Milton Hershey (1-0) is next after blowing out a veteran Annville Cleona team 48-16. They beat Hanna twice last year, 14-8 in the regular season and 14-6 in the district quarterfinals and return six to both sides.
Honorable Mention:
Milton Hershey (1-0, 5A) beat Annville 48-16, home to 0-1 Susquehanna Twp
Bishop McDevitt (0-1, 4A) lost to Cumberland Valley 21-7, at 1-0 Gettysburg
York (0-1, 5A) lost at Pittsburgh Central Catholic 42-7, at 0-1 McCaskey
Northeastern (1-0, 5A) won at Solanco 55-35, at 1-0 Carlisle
Jersey Shore (1-0, 4A) won at Bellefonte 49-28, home to 1-0 Selinsgrove
Northern (1-0, 5A) won at East Pennsboro 20-13, at 1-0 Middletown
Waynesboro (1-0, 5A) won at Red Land 26-17, home to 1-0 Red Lion
Central York (1-0) won at West York 60-0, at 1-0 Cumberland Valley
West Perry (1-0, 4A) won at home vs Juniata 42-12, at 1-0 York Tech
Hempfield (1-0) won at home vs Dallastown 26-3, at 1-0 Manheim Central
Cedar Crest (1-0) won at home vs Lebanon 28-6, home to 1-0 Hershey
1 Harrisburg (1-0)
Harrisburg jumped State College, Central Dauphin and Manheim Township in the Mid State rankings as a result of dominating Coatesville at their place Friday by the score of 14-6. They pressured/contained Qb Ricky Ortega (101p, 75r) with good DE-line pressure. And how about Donte Kent et al shutting down star wide out Dapree Bryant. If it wasn’t known before it may be now that the Mid Penn-Commonwealth heavy weights (CD, State Hi, Hburg, CV) will sling it when opportunity presents. Rotating Qbs Nacari Williams and John McNeil threw for 74 yards and 102 yards respectively with a young and sizeable line (2 platoons) performing well. Williams was Harrisburg’s back up last year before transferring to neighboring Steelton Highspire, then subsequently transferring back to Harrisburg, giving them two strong arm options at the position. Up next is one of Ohio’s top powers, Archbishop Hoban (Akron, 0-0), winners of four consecutive Ohio State championships at Div-II the last two years (15-0, 14-1) and Div-III in 2016 going 14-1 and 2015, also 14-1. Harrisburg’s win elevated them to #9 in USA Today’s Regional Rankings where St. Joseph’s Prep is #3 behind St. Frances (Balt-Md) and top rated St. John’s (DC).
2 State College (1-0)
State fielded another fast and physical team that was as good as advertised, rushing for 242 yards and passing for 162 while holding Mifflin County to 159 total years in a 42-6 tout. Senior Brady Dorner (6-0, 180) finally got the nod after back up roles under center and playing wide out and did not disappoint, completing seven of ten passes for 162 yards. Two 1000-yd rushers in Dresyn Green (5-9, 160, jr) and Isaiah Edwards (6-0, 215, sr) got 116 and 76 respectively. St. Augustine Prep-NJ (0-0, 7-4 last year) is next in State’s home opener. SC beat them last year at their place 19-7.
3 Manheim Township (1-0)
There were a lot of jitters in week one that saw Township and CD East turn the ball over five times apiece. But Township still managed a 26-0 half time lead over outmanned East while cruising to a 43-6 season opening win. Second year starter Harrison Kirk (Colgate) completed 14 of 18 passes for 156 yards and two Td tosses while Jaden Floyd ran for 118 yards on 12 carries. All totaled the Streaks generated 367 yards of offense while holding East High to 194. Dallastown is next in their home opener after suffering a 26-3 loss at Hempfield last week. Dtown had a much better team last year that lost to the Streaks 38-0, making this look like a long night for the Wildcats but a great tune up for Township with Central Dauphin the following week.
4 Wilson (1-0)
Ricky Ortega wasn’t the only quarterback facing pressure against a quality opponent opening night as Wilson’s Bulldog defense chased and harassed Central Dauphin quarterback Max Mosey all night, then won it with special teams play and a goal line stand. Barely a minute into the game they blocked a punt, scooping it then ran it in from 20 yards out. Special teams downed a punt on CD’s 2 yard line, then essentially won it by stopped the Rams on 4th and goal late in the fourth quarter. The offense also stood out, converted two fourth downs from punt formations with completed passes. It’s always difficult winning at Wilson’s Gurski Stadium but in truth you rarely see another team beat Central Dauphin with superior special teams play. Interesting dynamic this week with Wilson coming off CD to play fired up rival Governor Mifflin off a mild home upset by another Mid Penn team, Cedar Cliff, 18-13. And Wilson beat them last year 42-28. Both will be sore after this one as it is one of the district’s most heated rivalries where no prisoners are taken.
5 Manheim Central (1-0, 5A)
Manheim Central escaped with a 16-7 win at home last week as Susquehanna Township nearly pulled a major upset. They had more total yards at 266 (75r, 191p) to 183 (96r, 87p) and 1st downs, 17 to 11. Hanna’s fumble in the end zone was Central’s only touchdown. But Nate Reed came to the rescue with field goals of 20, 26 and 30 to secure the win. As noted in the Preseason Report, mid rung Mid Penn teams can be a bear! And Hanna was their usual physical selves. But Central looked bad, with Qb Evan Simon completing 7 of 20 passes for 87 yards and an offense that never got it going. Hempfield (1-0) is next in a mandated game with the Black Knights of the Lancaster Lebanon-1 (MC is LL-2), coming off a 26-3 Dallastown win. MC beat them 28-7 last year in Landisville. After what should be a rough week of practice in Manheim, expect the Barons to come out with a purpose in their second straight home game where there is often significant improvement. The Knights don’t bring the talent MC saw last week but do have a senor Qb with some weapons.
6 Central Dauphin (0-1)
The Rams lost in their opener to rival Wilson 21-13 largely as a result of special team’s failures. See Wilson above. With Wilson’s Qb Kaleb Brown completing 10 of 13 for 84, there’s some work to do, although holding running back Avanti Lockhart to 77 yards is a mild win for the D. And it wasn’t all bad for the Rams with Nick Chimienti having six receptions for 144 yards. Look for a bounce back Friday when another tough Reading team visits in Berks Catholic (1-0), who eked out a 14-10 win against Exeter Township last week. CD won last year 7-0.
7 Southern Columbia (1-0, 2A)
The Tigers rose in the rankings after visiting South Carolina’s top private school Hammond and ending their 25 game winning streak in a 36-0 nationally televised blowout. The hard hitting and disciplined Tiger D forced 6 turnover while holding Hammond to 96 yards on the ground and 88 above. SCA had their way running the ball with 255 total rushing yards with Gaige Garcia getting 78 yards on 12 carries and brother Gavin 66 on 9 attempts. In winning, they extended their winning streak to 33 games and the regular season game winning streak to 72! A Saturday night game is next at home against a good Mount Carmel (1-0) team.
8 Warwick (1-0, 5A)
Qb Joey McCracken picked up where he left off last year at Air Warwick throwing for 332 yards and four Tds plus one rushing as the Warriors overwhelmed Ephrata 61-0. Caleb Schmitz (6-3, 190, jr) was his primary target, having five receptions for 118 yards. Look for another big night from him and the team with a game in New Holland against Garden Spot (0-1) who lost to Boone 20-14 last week and to Warwick 61-0 last year. Warwick gets to skate these first two games before facing Manheim Central week three.
9 Berks Catholic (1-0, 4A)
The game with Exeter wasn’t as impressive as the faithful were used to but 1-0 looks pretty good this time of year. Exeter had to be feeling alright about this one holding a 10-0 lead going into the 4th quarter. By game’s end they led in first downs 18-6 and total yardage 330 to 176. BC’s Qb Ryan Madrak was held to zero completions in five attempts. Abdul MacFoy was held to 80 yards on six carries with Nolan Harkin getting 78 on five carries. No bad! But the penalties killed them, with the flag thrown 19 times in their direction for 150 yards, making the field look like a laundry room floor on a Saturday night. 14 fourth quarter points allowed the Saints to come marching home with a 14-10 win. They’ll need to improve BIG time this week at Landis Field playing a fired up Central Dauphin team off a hard loss to rival Wilson. CD won last year 7-0.
10 Chambersburg (1-0)
Chambersburg used a 28 point 2nd quarter and a 2nd half kick-off return to blow the game open as they swamped rival Greencastle-Antrim 56-13. Qb Brady Stumbaugh was good enough, completing 6 of 18 for 122 yards and three scores. Jayden Jones rushed for 102 yards complimented by Keyshawn Jones’s 92 as the Trojans showed their speed and size in this one. They have always been a sleeping giant and appear now to have both the staff and facilities to “approach” the power teams of the conference. Upcoming road games against York-Adams teams may tell us if they’re ready to take on the alphas of the Mid Penn-Commonwealth with games at South Western (0-1) who they defeated last year 51-26 followed by Red Lion (1-0). Then they’re home vs Altoona before the big one, State College, for Homecoming. Talk about chutzpah! That should get the Lions attention.
11 Cedar Cliff (1-0, 5A)
A rebuilding Cedar Cliff team went into Shillington Friday night to battle a young but more established Governor Mifflin group and came away with a 18-13 upset, albeit a mild one. Mifflin had a solid core back that won 7 of their last 9 following a 0-3 start, while Cedar Cliff was missing a lot of last year’s key parts. But they made the most of opportunities, scoring twelve 1st quarter points then hanging on with only seven 1st downs and 238 total yards of offense. Their talented back, Jaheim Morris led the way, rushing for 156 yards. That, with the resultant ability to control the clock combining with four Mifflin turnovers made all the difference. Both are big, physical teams that should win a lot of games this year if they can manage a difficult early schedule that sees Cedar Cliff playing Mifflin, Cocalico, Harrisburg and McDevitt their first four games while Mifflin wrestles Wilson and Cocalico the next two weeks. Cocalico (1-0) is next at Cedar Cliff, allowing us to see if the Colts can corral QB Noah Palm and avenge last year’s 31-21 loss.
12 Cocalico (1-0, 5A)
Cocalico opened the season with a resounding 42-15 win against defending Berks-1 champ Conrad Weiser. They have an extraordinary quarterback in Noah Palm (New Hampshire) but are otherwise a young team, starting a number of sophomores and a few freshman on offense and defense. Realistically Palm seems to do much of the damage himself on both side of the line, passing for 120 yards and rushing for 94 for four touchdowns. His fifth came on a 3rd quarter pick-6. Two of the top 5A teams in the district duke it out this week when Cocalico travels to Cedar Cliff. Add in Governor Mifflin, Exeter, Manheim Central, York and Warwick to see District 3’s 5A post season will be one of the best “classification” playoffs in the state, along with the 5A Wpial teams like Peters Twp, Woody, USC, McKeesport, Gateway. West A, even Penn Hills who always has the athletes despite tremendous graduation losses.
13 Cumberland Valley (1-0)
All us biased District-3 natives knew CV would be back after the disappointment of last year’s 3-7 campaign. But few thought they’d nearly shutout McDevitt 21-7 on their home field in the opener. Doing that at Rocco Ortenzio is a statement! But a word of caution to the diehards that McDevitt is going through a MAJOR rebuild having graduated some of the top offensive talent to come through the school. See last season’s post season review. They’re not hurting by any stretch and will likely develop into another powerful edition. But for CV, what a start, getting the power running game going and shutting McDevitt down. Maximos Dell’Anno (6-3, 210) is the proto-typical CV back, strong, athletic and smart. He had two touchdowns rushing for 166 yards on 21 carries. Now we’ll see if they can sustain that with Central York in and their hot shot sophomore quarterback Beau Pribula (6-2, 200) trying to replace big brother Cade (2725, 30/7, 66%) now at Delaware. Beau went 6 for 10 for 82 and a Td while rushing for 60 yards with scores of 40 and 5 yards. Central York won last year 31-14 so look for a fired up CV team and a better than expected Panther squad to go at it with real emotion. It’ll be SRO where the younger Central team may not be quite ready for an aggressive, physical CV team looking to get some. Chapman Field is no joke for a young team.
14 Governor Mifflin (0-1, 5A)
Mustangs and Colts! That’s what we had last week when Cedar Cliff’s Colts came calling and beat the Mustangs 18-13. It was quite a game, one they could, perhaps should have won knowing they had advantages in most of the stats including total yards at 241 to 238 (big, physical Ds for both) while out-rushing CC 187 to 144. Qb Kolbie Reeser never got going completing 8 of 15 for 54 yards with Nicholas Singleton held to 88 yards on 24 carries. Nice job Cedar Cliff! Add to that three fumbles and a pick to know why they are 0-1 with hated Wilson up next. The Bulldogs are up the road two miles in Reading’s western burbs known as West Lawn while Mifflin is from the Southwest side in Shillington. Wilson won last year 42-28 so look for some extra intensity especially with GM losing a tough one last week.
15 Middletown (1-0, 3A)
Middletown began their quest for a 4th straight 3A finals appearance with a thorough 34-12 win against neighbor Lower Dauphin. The new OL performed admirably (5 new starters) paving the way for +200 rushing yards with senior standout Jose Lopez getting 152 yards on 15 carries and rising sophomore Tajae Brodie (6-4, 225) snagging 2 Td passes of 34 and 35 yards and returning a kickoff 75 yards for another score. Northern (1-0) is next at Middletown after beating East Pennsboro 20-14. The Polar Bears ae expected to challenge in the Mid Penn-Capital along with West Perry, Mifflin County, Waynesboro and Ship while Middletown is strongly favored to win another MP-Colonial with possible pressure from Milton Hershey.
16 Mount Carmel (1-0, 3A)
Much was expected from MCA’s defense this season and they did not disappoint, shutting out Central Columbia 23-0 on the road in Bloomsburg. Actually the Blue Jays were smoked, held to minus four rush yards and 65 through the air. Meanwhile, the Red Tornadoes were anything but organized on offense with quarterback Tommy Reisinger throwing two picks before settling down to complete 11 of 18 tosses for 144 years and a touchdown. Many went to TE Jack Chapman (6-3, 220) who caught 8 for 108 yards. He along with senior lineman OT Colin Herb (6-1, 275), C Brad Shurock (6-2, 250), OG Connor Krakpwski (5-11, 210), OG Michael Makowski (6-1, 225), OT Michael Gresh (6-1, 250, jr) and others plowed ahead for 148 yards rushing with Shane Weidner getting the lion’s share at 98 yards. Southern Columbia is next in their home opener after taking apart Hammond School-SC 36-0.
17 Shippensburg (1-0, 5A)
An early explosion of 35 first half points put Shippensburg’s Greyhounds on cruise control at Dover where they throttled the Eagles of the York-Adams-II, 41-7. Jacob Foy and Max Kalb had 109 and 102 rush yards respectively as they ran at will. Shippensburg is absolutely loaded this year, and could be a sleeper amidst a district of powerful “name” 5A teams with a veteran, senior laden group near mid-season form already. They were 10-2 last year losing to York 22-6 in the quarterfinals. Historically they’re a run oriented team. But with a veteran quarterback, 4 of 5 back on the O-Line with newcomer Dalton Foore (6-3, 305) filling in….and a bruiser at TE in Nick Gustafson (6-6, 230) and Anthony Smith (6-6, 240), and speed demons Isaiah Houser (5-10, 155) and RB/WR Alex Sharrow (5-6, 140) plus three on the team from Ship’s state qualifying 4x100 team….they may have to go to the air more, regardless of historic trends. Up next is the Hounds home opener against West York (0-1), coming in off a 60-0 loss to city rival Central York. This one could get ugly.
18 Exeter Township (0-1, 5A)
See Berks Catholic above where Exeter lost in a tight one 14-10. But there were bright spots as they owned the stat sheet 330 to 172 in total yards with quarterback Gavin McCusker completing 18 of 31 for 206 yards, well distributed to six receivers. Devon Scott led with 8 receptions for 52 years followed by Alex Javier with 72 yards on 4 catches and running back Jeremiah Nixon snagging 4 for 48 yards. Nixon was their leading rusher with 99 yards on 24 attempts. Boyertown (1-0) is next after breaking a nine game losing streak defeating Upper Perkiomen 35-27. The Bears won, but allowed 428 total yards, 264 rushing on 27 carries. That’s 9.78 yards per rush attempt. Could be a wild one like last year where Exeter blew out the Bears 48-27. One thing for sure looking at Upper Perk’s stats, Exeter will have no trouble putting points on the board.
19 Lancaster Catholic (1-0, 3A)
LC dropped in the rankings after a mediocre showing against Camp Hill despite defeating the Lions 39-25. It took a third quarter outburst of 35 points to finally grind down the smaller Lions. Camp Hill is a 2A playing in the Mid Penn-Capital with Middletown, Milton Hershey and Steel High. And they came to play with quarterback Dan Shuster (6-1, 180, sr) tearing up LC’s secondary, throwing for 396 yards. After going 1-9 last year, scoring 12 a game while allowing 42, this is some kind of turnaround. But Catholic was their same old selves on the ground, pounding out 278 yards with a stable of backs led by Tony Cruz, Nevin Roman, Jeff Harley, even Qb Gavin Sullivan. They face another gunslinger this week traveling to Columbia (1-0, 2A) who just defeated Eastern York in the River Rivalry 35-28. Crimson Tide Qb Matt McCleary (6-1, 200, sr) threw for 214 and three Tds after throwing for 1899 yards and 17 Tds last year. No way LC should lose but the Tide returns everyone from a 3-7 team including their four leading receivers with over 1700 yards in receptions.
20 Susquehanna Twp (0-1, 4A)
Susquehanna Township lost the game to Manheim Central 16-7 but gained respect by keeping it tight and showing a lot of talent and skill in the process. Despite losing, the effort against a highly ranked team on the road got them into the rankings. Qb Rahsaan Carlton (6-3, 205, sr) dented Central for 193 yards, completing 15 of 28 passes while RB/LB Jacob Seigle (6-0, 200, sr, Yale) rushed for 123 on 23 carries. The defense nearly won it for them, holding Central to 185 total yards. But Hanna has some people that are special in LB Tyshawn Stewart (6-1, 215, jr, Maine), DT Fatorma Mulbah (6-3, 270, sr, PSU), DE/DT Kylee Page (6-0, 225, jr), the aforementioned Seigle (Yale) and LB Owen Weiner (5-10, 185, jr). Milton Hershey (1-0) is next after blowing out a veteran Annville Cleona team 48-16. They beat Hanna twice last year, 14-8 in the regular season and 14-6 in the district quarterfinals and return six to both sides.
Honorable Mention:
Milton Hershey (1-0, 5A) beat Annville 48-16, home to 0-1 Susquehanna Twp
Bishop McDevitt (0-1, 4A) lost to Cumberland Valley 21-7, at 1-0 Gettysburg
York (0-1, 5A) lost at Pittsburgh Central Catholic 42-7, at 0-1 McCaskey
Northeastern (1-0, 5A) won at Solanco 55-35, at 1-0 Carlisle
Jersey Shore (1-0, 4A) won at Bellefonte 49-28, home to 1-0 Selinsgrove
Northern (1-0, 5A) won at East Pennsboro 20-13, at 1-0 Middletown
Waynesboro (1-0, 5A) won at Red Land 26-17, home to 1-0 Red Lion
Central York (1-0) won at West York 60-0, at 1-0 Cumberland Valley
West Perry (1-0, 4A) won at home vs Juniata 42-12, at 1-0 York Tech
Hempfield (1-0) won at home vs Dallastown 26-3, at 1-0 Manheim Central
Cedar Crest (1-0) won at home vs Lebanon 28-6, home to 1-0 Hershey