Audio Podcast preview interview below with Penn Manor senior Sean Noll
JEFFREY REINHART jreinhart@LNPnews.com
THE GAME: No. 7 Penn Manor Comets (9-2 overall) @ No. 2 Cumberland Valley Eagles (10-1 overall), Friday, 7 p.m., District 3 Quad-A quarterfinal.
LAST WEEK: Penn Manor drilled Dallastown 42-7. … Cumberland Valley toppled Warwick 49-13.
WINNER GETS: No. 3 Central York (10-1) or No. 6 Governor Mifflin (9-2) in the semifinals.
THE COACHES: Penn Manor’s Todd Mealy is in his 2nd season and he is 10-11 overall. … Cumberland Valley’s Tim Rimpfel is in his 30th season and he is 262-87-3 overall.
PENN MANOR RESULTS: @ Solanco (W 14-13), Lampeter-Strasburg (W 17-0), @ Exeter (W 31-3), @ Hempfield (W 31-14), Reading (W 9-6), McCaskey (W 23-0), Manheim Township (W 20-19), @ Warwick (L 27-7), Wilson (L 42-0), Cedar Crest (W 39-7), Dallastown (W 42-7). … Rip-roaring 7-0 start, followed by back-to-back section losses, but back on a two-game winning streak heading into the district quarters.
CUMBERLAND VALLEY RESULTS: @ Red Lion (W 31-12), State College (L 17-14), @ Altoona (W 15-8), @ Central Dauphin East (W 45-0), @ Chambersburg (W 55-3), @ Lower Dauphin (W 31-28), Carlisle (W 42-13), Harrisburg (W 27-25), Cedar Cliff (W 34-0), Central Dauphin (W 27-20), Warwick (W 49-13). … Riding a 10-game winning streak; lone loss was in Week 2 – by three measly points – to State College, which ran the table during the regular season.
COMMON OPPONENTS: Warwick – Penn Manor saw its seven-game winning streak come to an end with a 27-7 loss at Warwick in Week 8. … Cumberland Valley knocked off Warwick 49-13 in the first round last Friday.
PENN MANOR STAT PACK: Leading rusher – Sean Noll (142 carries for 864 yards, 6.1 avg., 8 TD); Leading passer – P.J. Rehm (63-of-135 for 856 yards, 7 TD, 8 picks); Leading receiver – Cody Booth (20 catches for 241 yards, 12.1 avg., 1 TD); Team offense – 268.2 yards per game (19th in the L-L League); Team defense – 220.9 yards per game (3rd in the L-L League).
CUMBERLAND VALLEY STAT PACK: Leading rusher – Mike Frenette (176 carries for 1,297 yards, 7.4 avg., 19 TD); Leading passer – Nate Rhodes (60-of-109 for 1,230 yards, 12 TD, 4 picks); Leading receiver – Mike Frenette (16 catches for 274 yards, 17.1 avg., 0 TD); Total offense – 341.5 yards per game; Total defense – 239.5 yards per game.
ABOUT PENN MANOR: Picked up first district-playoff victory in the history of the program with win over Dallastown. Only other postseason appearance was in 2006 (first-round loss to Governor Mifflin). … Outscored opponents 233-138 (plus-95). … Minus-4 turnover ratio (14 take, 18 give). … 47 penalties for 365 yards. … 30.0 yards per punt on 37 boots. … 151 first downs.
Click on the ‘play’ button above to listen to my interview with Penn Manor senior Sean Noll.
You can also download the interview and play it on your favorite mp3 device by clicking here.
ABOUT CUMBERLAND VALLEY: Won District 3 Quad-A championships in 1991 (over McCaskey), 1992 (over Harrisburg), 1993 (over Chambersburg), 1994 (over Gettysburg), 1998 (over Central Dauphin), 2000 (over South Western) and 2003 (over Reading). … Also won the PIAA Quad-A crown in 1992 (over Upper St. Clair). … Also fell in district finals in 1985 (to Carlisle), 1987 (to Cedar Cliff), 1990 (to Wilson) and 1999 (to Wilson). … Lost to Muhlenberg in the first round last year. … Frenette went bananas against Warwick, rushing for 155 yards on just six carries (25.8 per tote), including touchdown runs of 91 and 33 yards.
QUOTABLE: Warwick coach Bob Locker, whose Warriors beat Penn Manor, but fell to Cumberland Valley – “Cumberland Valley is a very good football team. They have great team speed and quickness, and they have a variety of weapons. They run the Wing-T exceptionally well and they’re a well coached team. Defensively they fly to the ball and they have great lateral quickness. Their defensive backs were able to cover us while keeping eight in the box. … Penn Manor will have to throw the ball to be successful. I think (senior tight end Cody) Booth may present some match-up advantages for Penn Manor when they throw the ball. Making Cumberland Valley go on long drives will be a key defensively for Penn Manor. Cumberland Valley’s quick scoring capability is a concern for any team. Another key will be playing them even early on. We got behind 21-0 before we knew what hit us, and had to change our game plan. … I wish Coach Mealy and Penn Manor good luck.”
