The non-league portion of L-L League Football 2009 is in the books and tucked away forever and ever.
It’s amazing – you wait and you wait and you wait and you build up for football and – bang! – three weeks are already gone. It’s nutty.
It must be Sunday morning, because here I am perched at my desk, putting together my top 5 for the week. Some big-time changes in the poll this week with some additions, subtractions and some shifting.
And if I failed to mention this before, I do this just for fun. So no wise-guy emails, right?
Read on y’all …
1 – Manheim Central (3-0 overall; last week – 2nd) – Vaulted to the No. 1 spot in my rankings after squashing previous-No. 1 Lancaster Catholic 42-12. Extremely tough break for Catholic when All-State QB Kyle Smith missed the game with a bum ankle. But, as coach Mike Williams pointed out, the Crusaders didn’t stop the Barons’ offense. And last I checked, Smith doesn’t play defense. Would it have been a better game if Smith had played? Of course. Would Catholic had won if Smith had played? Tough to say. Either way, Central’s O dominated and the Barons won. Period. And besides, neither team will remember this game come November. Trust me. I thought Derek Hart had a coming-out party of sorts with two TD grabs and a pick in a spotlight game. Welcome to the show, Mr. Hart. Central’s line was very studly and kept Catholic’s swarming D (the top-ranked unit in the league coming into the game) off QB Justin Gorman, who was picked twice (once for a pick-6 by Tyler Purvis) but still completed 17 passes for 270 yards. When he gets time, he’s murder. And RB Joe Gruber was a horse, rushing for 139 yards and three TDs. So the Barons have beaten state powers Wilson and Catholic in consecutive weeks. Not too shabby. Tons and tons to like here. UP NEXT: Friday at home in the Section 2 opener against rival Cocalico (3-0). What a three-week gauntlet for Central. Oh my. Early plug alert: Keith Schweigert blogging live from this game at LancSports.com.
2 – Cocalico (3-0 overall; last week – 3rd) – Bumped the Eagles up a notch after Catholic lost to Central and Cocalico crushed Annville-Cleona 62-13 last Thursday night. Eagles have taken no prisoners in the early going. Cocalico has pounded out 1,138 rushing yards in three games, and will take the league’s top-ranked offense into Manheim on Friday to take on the Barons for the early leg-up in the Section 2 race. I’ve seen these guys twice and I walked away impressed both times. Cocalico should also be healthy vs. Central: S Kyle Antol, LB Kyle Felpel and OT/DT Zach Gosling should all be back in the lineup. That’ll help. Is it me, or every time I look up, is Cocalico playing Central? UP NEXT: Friday at Central with Keith blogging live at LancSports.com. Let the hype begin. Great, great game here.
3 – Elco (3-0 overall; last week – 4th) – Also bumped the Raiders up a spot after Elco leveled Lebanon 51-14 in the Bologna Bowl to keep on keeping on. Another unbelievably efficient game for QB Arron Achey, who went 12-for-15 for 151 yards and a pair of TD tosses (and no picks) for the Raiders, who limited Lebanon to 181 yards and nine first downs. Said it before and I’ll say it again: I think Elco will be 9-0 heading into Week 10 at Lancaster Catholic. No joke. Not a ton of depth here, but plenty of slug-it-out, athletic kids who have each other’s backs. Get to an Elco game, folks. UP NEXT: Friday at backyard rival Northern Lebanon (2-1). That could be mighty interesting if the Vikings can catch their breath after a rugged, up-and-down three-week stretch. Home opener for Northern Lebanon in that one, by the way. With a new press box in Fredericksburg, I hear. Nice.
4 – Penn Manor (3-0 overall; last week – not ranked) – The Comets crashed my rankings this week after another solid effort in their 49-14 cakewalk over Exeter. QB P.J. Rehm was off the charts in that game, going 11-for-17 for 263 yards and four TD tosses as Penn Manor got through the non-league portion of its schedule unscathed for the second year in a row. Even with a plethora of new guys, the D has been quite steady. And the skill kids (Aaron Frederick, Demetrius Dixon, Laronn Lee – to name just a few) have been dyn-o-mite. Comets will be in the thick of the Section 1 hunt. Trust me. UP NEXT: Friday at home in the Section 1 opener against Hempfield, which will bring a two-game winning streak and some major momentum into Millersville. Another cheap plug: I will be blogging live at LancSports.com from this one. Already looking forward to it.
5 – Lancaster Catholic (2-1 overall; last week – 1st) – Just couldn’t knock the Crusaders completely out of the rankings. They had no control over the fact that Kyle Smith suffered a high ankle sprain and missed the game. It was a fluke thing, and he should be back soon enough. Smith vowed on the field before the game against Manheim Central that he would play this Friday vs. Donegal. I think that’s a tad of a stretch. But I know he’s already rehabbing, and his return date more likely will be Week 5 against uber Section 3 rival Lampeter-Strasburg. Backup QB Sean Gibbons filled in admirably against Central’s D. But Catholic’s D didn’t have too many answers for the Barons’ Spread Gun, which piled up 471 yards. I know I’m not getting all bent out of shape because Catholic lost a game. Central was 1-2 last season (including a loss to the Crusaders) and still made it to the District 3 Triple-A title game. So relax Catholic fans. Your team will be just fine. UP NEXT: Friday at Donegal (0-3) in the Section 3 opener – most likely sans Smith.
