Some random thoughts as the halfway point of the L-L League season pops up in the rearview mirror … halfway home? Say it isn’t so … And while I have your attention (right?) take the Phillies over the Brewers in four - Sabathia has to win one game, right?
PICK ME – So, how are my preseason picks looking, you’re wondering? Um, not so bad five weeks into the season. … I picked Wilson in Section 1. The Bulldogs are 2-0, 5-0 and are barking. They’re currently tied for first with upstart Penn Manor (2-0, 5-0), and wouldn’t that be a huge game (Week 9 in Millersville) if those two keep winning? … I picked Manheim Central in Section 2. The Barons are 2-0 and 3-2. The losses are to Wilson (5-0) and Lancaster Catholic (4-1). Central is currently tied for first with Elizabethtown (2-0, 4-1) and Garden Spot (2-0, 4-1). And that tie will be snapped on Friday, when E-town hosts Garden Spot. Central gets Ephrata (0-5) and Conestoga Valley (0-5) the next two weeks before E-town comes to Manheim on Oct. 17. That could be a beauty. … I picked Lancaster Catholic in Section 3. The Crusaders are 2-0, 4-1 and are tied with upstart Annville-Cleona (2-0, 3-2) for the lead. Dutchmen are at Catholic in Week 9, so keep an eye on that.
SECTION 1 MIDSEASON MVP – Wilson’s Alex Fegley. The Bulldogs have any number of weapons and one of the stingiest defenses around. But Fegley is Wilson’s sparkplug. He’s caught five TD passes, and he returned an interception 98 yards for a TD last Friday at Cedar Crest. Did I mention that he’s 6-0, 160 pounds – soaking wet, and with high tops on. Like I said: Wilson has plenty of ammo. But Fegley makes the Bulldogs tick on O, on D and especially on special teams. He’s the catalyst. RUNNER-UP: Penn Manor QB P.J. Rehm, who came off the bench when Mike Treier went down, and has kept the Comets ticking.
SECTION 2 MIDSEASON MVP – Garden Spot’s Weston Martin. Not sure how many people pegged the Spartans for a 4-1 start – and in a three-way tie for first place in the section, with a titanic matchup in Week 6 at Elizabethtown staring them right between the eyes. Martin, Garden Spot’s gunslinger senior QB, has been superb. He’s completing 60 percent of his passes (47-of-78) and his 13 TD tosses are tied for most in the league. And last Friday, in the Spartans first real gut-check tester against unbeaten Lebanon, he shredded the Cedars for 297 passing yards and five TD tosses. Impressive. No way the Spartans are 2-0, 4-1 without Martin. RUNNER-UP: Lebanon QB James Capello. I know the Cedars fell from the ranks of the unbeaten against Garden Spot, but Capello has been ridiculous – league-best 1,180 passing yards, 13 TD tosses, 597 rushing yards, 6 TD runs. Amazing.
SECTION 3 MIDSEASON MVP – Awfully tough not to go with Lancaster Catholic junior QB Kyle Smith here. He’s rallied his team to four wins in a row since the opening-night otherwise forgettable 20-0 loss to Trinity. The expectations flying around this kid were huge, and he’s delivered: 1,033 passing yards and 10 TDs at the midway point. That’s really good. RUNNER-UP: Northern Lebanon QB Matt Nolan. I know the Vikings fell to cross-town foe Annville-Cleona last week, but have you stopped and looked at Nolan’s numbers – He’s the top-ranked passer in the league (18-of-24, 75 percent, 5 TD passes, just 1 pick) and he’s rushed for a team-high 567 yards and 6 TDs. No wonder Northern Lebanon is in line for a return trip to Districts.
MIDSEASON L-L LEAGUE COACH OF THE YEAR – Todd Mealy, Penn Manor. Alrighty, raise your hand if you had the Comets opening the season 5-0 and tied for the top spot in Section 1 with Wilson. It took a year, but the Comets have definitely bought into Mealy’s defense-first approach. Penn Manor’s D has been at or near the top of the total team defensive rankings all season, and the Comets have allowed just 36 points in five games. Nice. A huge tip of the cap to Mealy and his staff, who have things rolling in Millersville. RUNNER-UP: Annville-Cleona coach Terry Lehman. He orchestrated the upset over Northern Lebanon, and has the Dutchmen tied for the top spot in the always entertaining Section 3 derby. Nothing like some home cooking, eh Coach?
TRIPLE TROUBLE – Elco had three backs go over 100 yards rushing last Friday, in the Raiders’ wild 58-26 Section 3 triumph at Columbia. HB Justin Weatherholtz (19-169, 2 TD), FB Ben Arnold (22-148, 4 total TD) and QB Arron Achey (9-136, 2 TD) all eclipsed the century mark, as Elco gouged out 465 rushing yards against the Crimson Tide. The Raiders vaulted to second in the league in rushing yards (1,371) after that performance.
THREE GRAND – Three L-L League quarterbacks have eclipsed 1,000 passing yards at the halfway point: Lebanon’s James Capello (1,180), Lancaster Catholic’s Kyle Smith (1,033) and Manheim Central’s Jeremy Knosp (1,011) are already in the club. Garden Spot’s Weston Martin (827) needs 173 yards Friday at Elizabethtown to join that party.
INJURY UPDATE – Good news/bad news scenario for Manheim Central: It looks like stud TE/LB Travis Ebersole will be back on the field Friday at Ephrata. He hurt his knee in the Wilson game in Week 2, had surgery, rehabbed, and he should be back chasing quarterbacks on Friday. However, RB/LB Alex Shenk, who rushed for 106 yards against Cocalico in Week 4, and who leads the Barons with 208 rushing yards, was spotted leaving the field on crutches last Saturday after Central’s 24-14 win over Solanco. He was headed for an MRI, and could miss some time.
THIRD TIME THE CHARM? Hempfield backup QB Billy Beecher, who got a start in the District 3 Triple-A playoffs as a freshman for Manheim Central last fall, has transferred again. He’s now at Palmyra, whose offensive coordinator is none other than former Barons’ standout and current Arena Football League star Matt Nagy. That’s three school districts in less than a year for Beecher, who is a sophomore.
NOTABLE: Not sure if you saw this one or not — Daniel Boone junior QB Jon Monteiro scorched Blue Mountain last Friday, completing 25-of-38 passes for a Berks County-record 467 yards and four TDs. Boone had three receivers go over 100 yards in that game. Monteiro has thrown for 1,371 yards and 16 TDs in four games. The one game he missed? Columbia — when the Crimson Tide pinned a 48-47 loss on Daniel Boone, the Blazers’ lone setback this season. Daniel Boone picked off Donegal 40-0 back in Week 1. Man, how great are Monteiro’s numbers — in four games? Incredible. You can find more on Monteiro’s record-setting night on Mike Drago’s Berks I-C blog here.
DISTRICT 3 PLAYOFF UPDATE: If the season ended today, six Quad-A teams, six Triple-A teams, two Double-A teams and one Single-A team from the L-L League would make the District 3 playoffs. Here are the top-ranked teams, by class:
QUAD-A (16) – Bishop McDevitt (5-0), Wilson (5-0), Muhlenberg (5-0), Penn Manor (5-0), Dallastown (5-0), York High (5-0), Cumberland Valley (4-1), Red Land (4-1), Central York (4-1), Elizabethtown (4-1), Hempfield (4-1), Central Dauphin (3-2), Manheim Township (3-2), Cedar Cliff (3-2), Governor Mifflin (3-2), Warwick (3-2).
TRIPLE-A (16) – Mechanicsburg (5-0), Greencastle-Antrim (5-0), West York (4-1), Conrad Weiser (4-1), Garden Spot (4-1), Lebanon (4-1), Northern Lebanon (4-1), Cocalico (4-1), Northern York (4-1), Daniel Boone (4-1), Susquehanna Township (4-1), Manheim Central (3-2), Palmyra (3-2), Fleetwood (3-2), Solanco (2-3), East Pennsboro (2-3).
DOUBLE-A (8) – Middletown (5-0), Littlestown (5-0), Delone Catholic (5-0), Lancaster Catholic (4-1), Bermudian Springs (4-1), Trinity (4-1), Wyomissing (4-1), Annville-Cleona (3-2).
SINGLE-A (8) – Steel-High (5-0), Reading Holy Name (4-1), Camp Hill (4-1), Reading Central Catholic (2-2), Upper Dauphin (3-2), York Catholic (3-2), Columbia (1-4), Scotland (1-4).
SHAMELESS PLUG: Don’t forget – I’ll be blogging live from Garden Spot @ Elizabethtown on Friday. E-town is absolutely, positively one of my favorite L-L League destinations. I always have a good time in Bear Country. Looking forward to that trip … and if you can’t make it, you can find my blog updates from E-town on the L-L League Insider at lancsports.com. I’ll chime in with news, notes and thoughts from the game, plus analysis and scores from around the league.
SHAMELESS PLUG NO. 2: Partner in crime Keith Schweigert will be blogging live from the Hempfield @ Wilson game on Friday night. Interesting little Section 1 showdown there, eh? If you can’t make it to West Lawn, be sure to find Keith on the L-L League Insider at lancsports.com for instant updates, analysis and scores from around the league.
