JEFFREY REINHART jreinhart@LNPnews.com
That was the longest Week 9 in the history of Week 9’s.
Holy mackerel.
And when the rains ended, the fields dried and the games were finally in the books, there were ties clinched for titles in all three sections:
Manheim Township in Section 1.
Elizabethtown in Section 2.
Lancaster Catholic in Section 3.
Yeah, all three of those teams somehow made it into my top 5 this week. Hardy-har-har.
It has a different look to it, but here are my rankings, as Week 10 is upon us:
1. Elizabethtown (6-0 Section 2, 9-0 overall; last week: 1st) – Bears retained the top spot after waxing Manheim Central 56-14 on Monday night. Was over there for that one, and it was nice to see the overflow crowd and the fans lined up around the track. Announced crowd was 4,924. Jordan Hallman went bananas with 301 yards and five long touchdown runs, and E-town’s D was stingier than ever, allowing just 186 total yards. The dream season continues for these guys. And it seemed like the Bears took out many, many years of frustration and close calls out on Central. Clinches outright crown with a win Friday @ Cocalico. I’ll be over in Denver to see if the Bears can slam the door on a 10-0 regular season.
2. Lancaster Catholic (6-0 Section 3, 8-1 overall; last week: 2nd) – Terrific game against Columbia on Sunday, flexing their muscles on O and D in a 24-0 win over their archrivals. I got to see that game, too, and it was awesome to finally see soph QB Kyle Smith in person. He shredded the Tide: 19-of-31 for 215 yards and three TDs. If he gets any time, he’s murder. Columbia never got it cranking, and a lot of that had to do with Catholic’s tricky 3-5 defense. Love the Crusaders’ ball-hawking linebackers, and those three linemen up front drive QBs crazy. Clinches outright crown for third year in a row (!!!) with a win Friday @ Northern Lebanon. One of my favorite stats this week: Catholic has won 23 Section 3 games in a row. Wow.
3. Manheim Township (6-0 Section 1, 8-1 overall; last week: 3rd) – I was also able to see the Blue Streaks’ scintillating, water-logged 26-7 win over Wilson, in what I can honestly say was the best defensive effort I’ve seen in person this season. Township didn’t let the ‘Dawgs do anything. It was quite impressive – as was Nate Pagan, who scored three different ways for the Streaks, who can clinch the title outright with a win Friday at home vs. Penn Manor. Also digging the ‘Razorback’ which continues to bafffle opposing defenses. Great, great season for the Streaks.
4. Warwick (5-1 Section 1, 8-1 overall; last week: 5th) – Warriors bump up a spot to No. 4 after beating Penn Manor 38-19 in the muck last Friday. Offense didn’t skip a beat in the rain, with senior QB Jon Resch continuing his fantastic season with three more TD tosses. He’s been outstanding. Can’t get enough of this offense, which has rarely been stopped. A lot of that has to do with the Warriors’ O-line, which will be in the spotlight later this week. I’m headed over to Lititz to put together a column on those guys. Check for that on Thursday. Warwick needs a win over McCaskey, and for Township to fall to Penn Manor to force a tie for the title. This is why they play the games, so stay tuned. Title or not, it’s been a special season for the Warriors, who will keep on motoring into Districts.
5. Lampeter-Strasburg (5-1 Section 3, 7-2 overall; last week: not ranked) – The Pioneers are back in my poll for the first time, I think, since Week 1, when I had them in here coming out of the preseason. It took them nine weeks, but they’re back. They’ve been humming along since Week 5 loss to rival Lancaster Catholic, with four wins in a row to stay on the Crusaders’ heels – and they’ll need a win Friday vs. Donegal and for Catholic to trip up at Northern Lebanon to force a tie for the title. Terrific balance here, as I’ve noted throughout the season: O and D have consistently been ranked in the top 5-6 all season, and O has been particularly devastating. Ask Pequea Valley, which gave up five scores in 2:49 on Monday night. Yeah, that’s devastating. E-town, Red Land, Gettysburg and Hershey have received most of the play in Triple-A this season. But I’m not so sure I’d want to play L-S in the first round – not with Justin Taylor, who had three carries for 126 yards on Monday. Yikes.
