Wow – five weeks in the books. Where is the time going?
Here’s a fresh Reinhart’s Rankings for you … as we hit the halfway point and head for home …
1. Wilson (2-0 Section 1, 5-0 overall) – Bulldogs took a bite out of Cedar Crest with a 55-14 win to keep on keeping on. D is as good as ever, and now senior QB Steve Huber is back under center, and he’s been mucho efficient (10-for-15 completions, 3 TD tosses). Going to take a monumental effort by someone to knock these guys off right now. They’re flying. NEXT: Friday at home vs. Hempfield. Circle that one for sure. We’ll see if the Black Knights’ spread O can dent the ‘Dawgs’ D.
2. Penn Manor (2-0 Section 1, 5-0 overall) – Found a different way to win with a 9-6, grind-it-out, one-play-at-a-time victory over Reading. Not the prettiest game (or score) ever, but the Comets found a way, and I like that. Three things: D is still gritty (held Reading to 120 total yards and 4 first downs, wow); Sean Noll showed that he can carry load (150 rushing yards, TD vs. Reading); and P.J. Rehm continues to be efficient running the O (9-of-17, no picks vs. Reading). NEXT: Friday at McCaskey, which is flat-out struggling. But a nice coaching matchup there: Red Tornado’s Scott Feldman against his protégé, Penn Manor’s Todd Mealy.
3. Lancaster Catholic (2-0 Section 3, 4-1 overall) – Crusaders needed a late rally to bump off rival Lampeter-Strasburg 21-17. I know L-S was 1-3 coming in, but I tabbed that one to be pretty close – and boy, was it ever. Catholic isn’t going around whacking people like I thought it might, but the Crusaders are finding ways to win (like Penn Manor), and that’s a good thing. You have to be battle-tested when November rolls around. NEXT: Friday at Pequea Valley.
4. Elizabethtown (2-0 Section 2, 4-1 overall) – Conrad Heisey had a breakout game with 209 rushing yards and three TDs in 39-13 win over Conestoga Valley. Talk about triple trouble: Heisey (461 yards, 6 TD), Shane Rosenberry (385 yards, 5 TD) and Mitch Weidman (271 yards, 3 TD) have been a handful. NEXT: Friday at home against Garden Spot, which will bring a 2-0 record into E-town, where first place will be on the line. Should be fun, eh? Think I’ll make the trip to E-town on Friday. Save me a seat.
5. Garden Spot (2-0 Section 2, 4-1 overall) – I’ll vault the Spartans into my top 5 this week. Glad I got to see them on Friday, and they looked really good in a 35-21 win over Lebanon. Weston Martin went bananas – 17-of-24 for 297 yards and five TD passes – three to Tyler Eby, who was awesome. Garden Spot has to tighten up on D a smidge (giving up 323.6 yards a game through Week 5), but its O can move it. NEXT: Friday at Elizabethtown, with first place up for grabs. Let the hype begin!
