JEFFREY REINHART jreinhart@LNPnews.com
THE GAME: No. 2 Cumberland Valley Eagles (12-1 overall) vs. No. 1 Wilson Bulldogs (13-0 overall), Saturday, 6 p.m., District 3 Quad-A championship game, Hersheypark Stadium.
LIVE BLOG: I’ll be blogging live from this game on the L-L League Insider at lancsports.com. Can’t make it to Hersheypark? Come and find me online and I’ll give you instant updates, post your comments, answer your questions and pass along scores from around the district and state.
LAST WEEK: Cumberland Valley shook, rattled and rolled No. 6 Governor Mifflin 44-0. … Wilson walloped No. 5 Bishop McDevitt 48-6.
WINNER GETS: District 7 champ Bethel Park (13-0) or District 6 champ State College (12-0) in a PIAA Quad-A state semifinal (Western final; District 3 champ goes west). … Bethel Park topped nationally ranked Gateway 10-6 in the WPIAL final.
THE SERIES: This is the ninth meeting (but the first since 2000) between Cumberland Valley and Wilson in the District 3 playoffs, so these proud programs are quite familiar with one another. Eight of the meetings were in Quad-A and the Eagles and Bulldogs met once in the Triple-A playoffs. This is the third time these two programs have squared off in a championship game. Wilson is 2-0 in those games. Cumberland Valley leads the playoff series 5-3. Here’s a look at the first nine meetings:
1984 (Triple-A first round) CV 10, Wilson 9
1985 (Quad-A first round) CV 14, Wilson 0
1987 (Quad-A first round) CV 40, Wilson 8
1989 (Quad-A first round) Wilson 7, CV 3
1990 (Quad-A title game) Wilson 34, CV 32
1992 (Quad-A first round) CV 20, Wilson 14
1999 (Quad-A title game) Wilson 47, CV 0
2000 (Quad-A first round) CV 21, Wilson 7
NOTABLE: Since the inception of Quad-A in 1985, the Mid-Penn has won the Quad-A crown an astounding 22 out of 25 times. Cumberland Valley won it all in 1991 (over McCaskey), 1992 (over Harrisburg), 1993 (over Chambersburg), 1994 (over Gettysburg), 1998 (over Central Dauphin), 2000 (over South Western), 2001 (over McCaskey) and 2003 (over Reading). … Who won the other three? That would be Wilson, which won championships in 1989 (over Cedar Cliff), 1990 (over Cumberland Valley) and 1999 (over Cumberland Valley). The streak of a Mid-Penn team or Wilson winning the Quad-A title will continue for the 26th year in a row. That’s pretty amazing.
THE COACHES: Cumberland Valley’s Tim Rimpfel is in his 30th season and he is 264-87-3 overall. … Wilson’s Doug Dahms is in his 3rd season and he is 33-6 overall.
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), Penn Manor (W 42-7), Governor Mifflin (W 44-0). … Lone loss was way back in Week 2 – winning streak is up to 11 in a row – by 3 points to State College. And as fate would have it, if Cumberland Valley wins, it could get State College in a rematch next week. How’s that for motivation?
WILSON RESULTS: Governor Mifflin (W 35-14), Manheim Central (W 20-15), @ Downingtown East (W 34-0), McCaskey (W 44-7), @ Cedar Crest (W 55-14), Hempfield (W 45-13), @ Reading (W 46-6), Manheim Township (W 51-3), @ Penn Manor (W 42-0), @ Warwick (W 24-0), Elizabethtown (W 35-14), Muhlenberg (W 46-0), Bishop McDevitt (W 48-6). … One of only two undefeated teams still standing from District 3, along with Single-A champ Steel-High, which opens defense of its state title on Friday.
COMMON OPPONENTS: Three of them (and all three have been Cumberland Valley’s three postseason opponents) – Warwick: Wilson blanked the Warriors 24-0 in Week 10 in Lititz in the regular-season Section 1 finale; Cumberland Valley rolled over Warwick 49-13 in the first round of the District 3 playoffs. … Penn Manor: Wilson blanked the Comets 42-0 in Week 9 in a Section 1 game in Millersville; Cumberland Valley crunched the Comets 42-7 in the District 3 quarterfinals. … Governor Mifflin: Wilson topped the Mustangs 35-14 way back in a Week 1 non-league game; Cumberland Valley squashed the Mustangs 44-0 in the District 3 semifinals.
CUMBERLAND VALLEY STAT PACK: Leading rusher – Mike Frenette (205 carries for 1,595 yards, 7.8 avg., 23 TDs); Leading passer – Nate Rhodes (71-of-128 for 1,448 yards, 14 TDs, 4 picks); Leading receivers – Mike Frenette (18 catches for 334 yards, 18.6 avg., 1 TD), Matt Lengel (18 catches for 365 yards, 20.3 avg., 4 TD); Team offense – 352.6 yards per game; Team defense – 231.5 yards per game.
WILSON STAT PACK: Leading rusher – Zacc Groff (166 carries for 1,488 yards, 9.0 avg., 20 TDs); Leading passer – Steve Huber (74-of-136 for 1,115 yards, 10 TDs, 2 picks); Leading receiver – Alex Fegley (36 catches for 668 yards, 18.6 avg., 9 TD); Team offense – 349.6 yards per game (6th in the L-L League); Team defense – 154.2 yards per game (1st in the L-L League).
CUMBERLAND VALLEY NOTES: Wing-T team has outscored opponents 456-149. … Plus-20 in turnover ratio with 34 takeaways. … 51 penalties for 435 yards. … Won the PIAA Quad-A state title in 1992.
WILSON NOTES: Allowed just 773 rushing yards, by far the least in the L-L League. … Outscored opponents 525-92 (plus-433; tops in the L-L League), with four shutout victories. … Plus-21 in turnover ratio (tops in the L-L League) with 16 fumble recoveries and 18 picks. … 66 penalties for 523 yards. … 34 punts for 29.0 average per boot. … 215 first downs.
QUOTABLE: Warwick coach Bob Locker, whose team fell to Wilson in an L-L League Section 1 game, and fell to Cumberland Valley in the first round of the District 3 Quad-A playoffs – “These are two excellent football teams. I think a huge key will be Wilson’s ability to defend their Wing-T. Wilson’s linebackers are outstanding, and those guys just might be up to the task. Cumberland Valley will work hard to force Wilson to throw the football to be successful … which means (Wilson senior WR) Alex Fegley could be a huge factor. … This game might come down to special teams.”
QUOTABLE: Penn Manor coach Todd Mealy, whose team fell to Wilson in an L-L League Section 1 game, and fell to Cumberland Valley in the District 3 Quad-A quarterfinals – “Wilson and Cumberland Valley are very physical and deceptively fast. There are no weaknesses on Wilson’s defensive front … and Wilson’s linebackers are awesome. I think Jordan Holbert is an emotional player and he elevates the play of his teammates. Likewise, Cumberland Valley has a strong run defense. The big difference between the two teams, defensively, is that Wilson doesn’t give up big play; Cumberland Valley has. … On offense, each team has playmakers at every position, and they both play very confidently. I don’t think Wilson has seen much Wing-T, and the way Cumberland Valley runs its offense is not typical of other Wing-T teams. Their blocking schemes are a bit different, and they’re effective at mixing in ‘I’ and spread formations. This could pose a headache for Wilson. As for Wilson’s offense, there are no surprises, and they’re very good at it. … Each team is well coached. Coach Rimpfel at Cumberland Valley has a number of a District 3 titles and a state crown. Both of these teams have been here before, so I’m sure this will be an exciting game.”
MORE MULTI-MEDIA LINKS:
Interview with Wilson WR/DB Alex Fegley
Interview with Wilson RB Zacc Groff
Interview with Wilson LB Pat Zerbe
Interview with Wilson special teams whiz Johnny Morgan
Interview with Wilson LB Colton Weaver
My D3 preview cap for Elizabethtown game with Coach Dahms interview
My D3 preview cap for Muhlenberg game with Coach Dahms interview
