Kind of a lot swirling around my little world at the moment, including the start of a cold. Oy.
So (sorry) I didn’t go completely overboard with the Week 5 preview capsules, which you can read here …
THE GAME: Cedar Crest (0-1 Section 1, 2-2 overall) @ Wilson (1-0 Section 1, 3-1 overall), Friday, 7 p.m.
LAST WEEK: Cedar Crest dropped a 27-20 gut-wrencher to Warwick. … Wilson rallied past and then held off McCaskey 24-14.
NOTABLE: Wilson toppled Cedar Crest 55-14 last year in South Lebanon.
KEY STATS: Cedar Crest’s key stat is 17 – the Falcons have punted 17 times, most among Section 1 teams. … Wilson’s key stat is 2 – the Bulldogs’ Sheldon Hannibal-Nixon has returned two blocked punts for touchdowns this season.
ABOUT CEDAR CREST: Gut-wrenching 27-20 loss to Warwick in the Section 1 opener when the Falcons had a 10-point lead with six minutes to go, but couldn’t hold on. Warwick completed two fourth-down pass attempts to keep one drive alive, and the Warriors tacked on a safety before winning late. … Falcons have been penalized 20 times, second-least among Section 1 teams.
ABOUT WILSON: Another crazy week for the Bulldogs, who had to rally yet again to pull out a victory – 24-14 at McCaskey. That after trailing Downingtown East 20-0 in the first half in Week 3 before rallying for a nutty 40-35 win. … Wilson has 64 first downs, tied for most among Section 1 teams with Warwick. … QB Zach Zweizig is tied for second in the league in TD passes (10) with Elco’s Arron Achey. Zweizig is also second in the L-L League with 772 passing yards. … TE Tyler Beck is tied for the league lead in TD receptions (5) with Lampeter-Strasburg TE Christian DelRocini. Among players with 10 catches or more, Beck leads the league with a 22.3 yards-per-catch average.
QUOTABLE: Cedar Crest coach Tom Waranavage (to the Lebanon Daily News, after the Falcons lost a 10-point fourth-quarter lead and fell to Warwick last Friday) – “As coaches, we lost this game for these kids. I’m not saying anything else.”
Wilson coach Doug Dahms (to the Reading Eagle, about the state of the Bulldogs) – “When we play a game where I feel comfortable with everything we do, then I’ll be happy. We’re getting better in some phases. We’re just not getting better as fast as I want to get better.”
THE GAME: Hempfield (0-1 Section 1, 2-2 overall) @ McCaskey (0-1 Section 1, 0-4 overall), Friday, 7 p.m.
LAST WEEK: Hempfield turned the ball over six times in a 34-6 setback to Penn Manor. … McCaskey led Wilson at the half but fell 24-14 to the Bulldogs.
NOTABLE: Hempfield held off McCaskey 45-26 last year in Landisville.
KEY STATS: Hempfield’s key stat is 269 – the Black Knights have 269 penalty yards, most in the L-L League. … McCaskey’s key stat is 1,079 – the Red Tornado has yielded 1,079 rushing yards, second-most in the L-L League.
ABOUT HEMPFIELD: Slippery fingers in Week 4 34-6 loss at Penn Manor, when the Black Knights turned the ball over six times – two fumbles and four picks, and two of the interceptions went for a pick-6, so it wasn’t Penn Manor’s offense doing all the damage. … Black Knights have allowed just 228 passing yards, least in the L-L League. … Terrific two-game stretch for WR Hansel Akers – 7 catches for 101 yards vs. Carlisle and 7 catches for 104 yards vs. Penn Manor. He’s vaulted to third in the league in receptions (19).
ABOUT McCASKEY: Losing streak hit 15 following the Wilson loss. But the good news is that the Red Tornado got some major help when five starters returned to the defensive unit for the Wilson game.
QUOTABLE: McCaskey coach David Given (to Lancaster Newspapers, after the Tornado gave Wilson a scare) – “(Wilson’s) players came up to me and said we’re the toughest team they’ve played all year. I think (Wilson’s) coaches know that we outplayed them. This is the first time since I’ve been coaching at McCaskey that I don’t feel bad after a game because I can honestly look at what happened and say we outplayed them all four quarters.”
THE GAME: Manheim Township (1-0 Section 1, 3-1 overall) @ Warwick (1-0 Section 1, 3-1 overall), Friday, 7 p.m.
LIVE BLOG: I will be blogging live from this game at LancSports.com. If you can’t make it to Lititz, kindly find me online, where I’ll supply instant updates, news, notes, share scores from around the L-L League, and take your questions and comments.
ON THE RADIO: This game will be broadcast live by WPDC-AM 1600.
LAST WEEK: Manheim Township crunched Reading 50-6. … Warwick rallied past Cedar Crest 27-20.
NOTABLE: Manheim Township edged Warwick 27-25 last year in Neffsville.
KEY STATS: Manheim Township’s key stat is 38.3 – the Blue Streaks’ punting unit averaged 38.3 yards per boot, second-best in the league and tops among Section 1 teams. … Warwick’s key stat is minus-9 – the Warriors’ turnover ratio is minus-9, last in the L-L League, and the Warriors have 12 giveaways, tied for most in the league with Solanco.
ABOUT MANHEIM TOWNSHIP: Terrific balance here, particularly in the backfield with the talented trio of Brian Sourber (380 yards, 5 TD; plus 8 catches – 3 for scores), Brady Souders (172 yards, 1 TD) and Quint Miller (120 yards, 2 TD). Plus QB Jon Yuko has been ultra efficient, completing 62 percent of his passes (24-of-39) with no picks.
ABOUT WARWICK: Top-ranked defense in the league is allowing 177.0 yards per game. … WR Matt Rissinger is second in the league in receptions (21). … Looks like the Warriors have found their feature RB: Anthony Newsome has put together back-to-back solid games – 12 carries for 115 yards and a TD in a win over Ephrata, followed up by 25 carries for 127 yards and a TD in the come-from-behind win over Cedar Crest.
QUOTABLE: Manheim Township coach Mike Melnyk (to Lancaster Newspapers, after the Streaks blasted Reading) – “I think we’re starting to hit our stride. We’re starting to figure out what we’re good at … spreading the ball around, keeping (the opponent) off balance and getting it into our playmakers’ hands whenever possible.”
THE GAME: Penn Manor (1-0 Section 1, 4-0 overall) @ Reading (0-1 Section 1, 1-3 overall), Friday, 7 p.m.
LAST WEEK: Penn Manor feasted on six turnovers and rolled Hempfield 34-6. … Reading, minus seven starters because of injuries, dropped a 50-6 decision to Manheim Township.
NOTABLE: Penn Manor edged Reading 9-6 last year in Millersville.
KEY STATS: Penn Manor’s key stat is 13 – the Comets have 13 takeaways, tops in the L-L League. … Reading’s key stat is 33 – the Red Knights have been penalized 33 times, most in the L-L League.
ABOUT PENN MANOR: RB Laronn Lee is third in the league in yards-per-carry (10.0), among backs with 200 or more rushing yards. … Covered the Penn Manor/Hempfield game and was mucho impressed with Comets’ swarming D and option O attack with P.J. Rehm at the wheel. Tons of weapons here.
ABOUT READING: Red Knights are a nifty plus-6 in turnover ratio, tied for tops in the L-L League with Cocalico, and 10 takeaways are second-most in the L-L League. … Keep an eye on the Knights’ depth chart in this one; not sure how many of those injured seven starters will return for this game.
QUOTABLE: Reading coach Preston McKnight (to the Reading Eagle, after the short-handed Knights suffered a 44-point loss to Township) – “At this point, we just need to deal with injuries we have and work that much harder at practice. It doesn’t get any easier (Friday vs. Penn Manor), and we’ll have to be ready for that.”
Audio Podcast interview with Penn Manor coach Todd Mealy here.
Audio Podcast interview with Penn Manor senior QB P.J. Rehm here.
THE GAME: Conestoga Valley (1-0 Section, 3-1 overall) @ Elizabethtown (1-0 Section 2, 2-2 overall), Friday, 7 p.m.
LAST WEEK: CV bounced Garden Spot 24-7. … Elizabethtown topped Solanco 28-14.
NOTABLE: Elizabethtown crunched CV 39-13 last year in Witmer.
KEY STATS: CV’s key stat is 720 – senior RB Kevin Kelley leads the L-L League with 720 rushing yards. … Elizabethtown’s key stat is 476 – Bears’ multi-purpose threat Mitch Weidman has 476 yards of total offense: 266 rushing (and 5 TD) and 210 receiving (and a TD).
ABOUT CONESTOGA VALLEY: RB Kevin Kelley leads the L-L League with 112 carries. … Bucks’ have rushed for 966 yards, second-most in the league behind Cocalico.
ABOUT ELIZABETHTOWN: Big game for Brendan Kain against Solanco – three TD runs on offense and seven solo tackles on D. … Run D has struggled a smidge early; stopping Kelley will be a huge test.
QUOTABLE: Elizabethtown coach Mike Cottle (to Lancaster Newspapers, after the Bears topped Solanco in Week 4) – “Defense is getting better each week for us. These guys work hard and have fixed many of their problems. They played well against a good offensive line in Solanco.”
Audio Podcast interview with CV RB Kevin Kelley here.
Audio Podcast interview with CV WR/DB Leonard Williams here.
THE GAME: Ephrata (0-1 Section 2, 0-4 overall) @ Cocalico (0-1 Section 2, 3-1 overall), Friday, 7 p.m.
ON THE TUBE: This game will be broadcast live by Blue Ridge TV-11.
LAST WEEK: Ephrata dropped its 14th game in a row and was shutout for the second time this season after a 16-0 loss to Lebanon. … Cocalico led late but dropped a 17-14 heartbreaker to Manheim Central. I’ll spare the good people of Denver the details.
NOTABLE: Cocalico topped Ephrata 42-14 last year in Ephrata.
KEY STATS: Ephrata’s key stat is 14 – the Mountaineers have scored 14 points this season, least in the L-L League. … Cocalico’s key stat is 1,493 – the Eagles have rushed for 1,493 yards, most in the L-L League.
ABOUT EPHRATA: RB George Murray is tied for second in the league in carries (71) with Annville-Cleona’s Rickey Snyder. … Tired of talking about this losing skid, and I’m sure the Mounts are tired of hearing about it. Tough one here with Eagles; Manheim Central next week.
ABOUT COCALICO: Eagles have 71 first downs, most in the L-L League. … Plus-6 in turnover ratio is tied for tops in the L-L League with Reading, and the Eagles lead the league with 11 takeaways. … Matt Carty leads all L-L League QB in rushing (472 yards) and his 11.5 per-carry average is second-best in the league among backs with 200 or more rushing yards. … No. 1 offense in the league, averaging 434.0 yards per game.
QUOTABLE: Ephrata coach Jim Vieland (to Lancaster Newspapers, after the Mounts suffered their 15th loss in a row, a 16-0 setback to Lebanon last Friday) – “Until we eliminate mistakes and get better offensively, we’re not going to beat anybody. There’s a lot of pressure on (us). We have to take a look at everybody – coaches, too.”
Audio Podcast interview with Cocalico RB/LB Jon Smoker here.
Audio Podcast interview with Cocalico OL Ben Brugger here.
Audio Podcast interview with Cocalico coach Dave Gingrich here.
THE GAME: Garden Spot (0-1 Section 2, 0-4 overall) @ Lebanon (1-0 Section 2, 1-3 overall), Friday, 7 p.m.
LAST WEEK: Garden Spot fell to Conestoga Valley 24-7. … Lebanon earned its first win this season with a 16-0 whitewash over Ephrata.
NOTABLE: The Spartans and the Cedars squared off two times last season: Garden Spot won both – 35-21 in their Section 2 meeting in New Holland, and 46-34 in the first round of the District 3 Triple-A playoffs at Lebanon.
KEY STATS: Garden Spot’s key stat is 25 – the Spartans have 25 first downs, tied for least in the league with Donegal. … Lebanon’s key stat is 141 – the Cedars have rushed for 141 yards in four games, least in the L-L League.
ABOUT GARDEN SPOT: The good news – Garden Spot has been flagged an L-L League-low 10 times for an L-L League-low 83 yards in march-offs. The bad news – Garden Spot has just 25 first downs and has scored just 27 points, tied for second-least in the L-L League with Donegal (Ephrata has 14 points in four games).
ABOUT LEBANON: Cedars are in the win column – and are tied atop Section 2 – after beating Ephrata to snap a three-game losing skid to open the season. … QB Alex Trautman is second in the league in pass attempts (117), and he and Pequea Valley’s Ben Myers (149) are the only L-L League signal callers with 100 or more pass attempts.
QUOTABLE: Garden Spot coach Matt Zamperini (to Lancaster Newspapers, after the Spartans’ 24-7 loss to CV) – “I saw some trust and belief in our kids, and some fight. That’s what we’re looking for.”
THE GAME: Manheim Central (1-0 Section 2, 4-0 overall) @ Solanco (0-1 Section 2, 2-2 overall), Friday, 7:30 p.m.
LAST WEEK: Manheim Central stunned Cocalico 17-14 on a last-second 40-yard field goal by Taylor Groff. … Solanco dropped a 28-14 decision to Elizabethtown.
NOTABLE: Manheim Central defeated Solanco 24-14 last year in Manheim. … Barons are 5th in Triple-A in the Harrisburg Patriot-News state rankings. … Maxpreps.com has Central No. 1 in Pennsylvania in its overall state rankings. … Solanco knocked off Central the last time the Barons made the trip to Quarryville in 2007.
KEY STATS: Manheim Central’s key stat is 29 – the Barons have been penalized 29 times, third-most in the L-L League and most among Section 2 teams. … Solanco’s key stat is 12 – the Golden Mules have turned the ball over 12 times, tied for most in the L-L League with Warwick.
ABOUT MANHEIM CENTRAL: How’s this for balance – Central has the second-ranked offense in the league (386.8 yards per game), and the Barons have the second-ranked defense in the league (198.8 yards per game). … A pair of 100-yard recievers for Central against Cocalico: Casey Ebersole (10-108) and Derek Hart (9-130). … Are you sensing the same thing about the Barons that I’m sensing? Just curious.
ABOUT SOLANCO: RB B.J. Enck, the Mules’ leading rusher, missed the E-town game with an injury. He still leads all L-L League backs that have 200 or more rushing yards with an 11.6 yards-per-carry average. … One of two L-L League teams with three 200-yard backs – Enck (243 yards, 1 TD), Ryan Kutz (211 yards, 3 TD) and John Fisher (201 yards, 2 TD). Other team is Northern Lebanon.
QUOTABLE: Manheim Central coach Mike Williams (to Lancaster Newspapers, about the Manheim Magic moniker) – “I don’t know how to explain some of the things that happen in our games. I’m sure people get tired of hearing those words. I don’t how to explain it … unexplained phenomenon.”
Audio Podcast interview with Manheim Central OL Joe Weaver here.
Audio Podcast interview with Manheim Central LB Lowen Johnson here.
Audio Podcast interview with Manheim Central coach Mike Williams here.
Audio Podcast interview with Solanco RB/DB John Fisher here.
Audio Podcast interview with Solanco RB Ryan Kutz here.
Audio Podcast interview with Solanco coach Joe Pearson here.
THE GAME: Annville-Cleona (1-0 Section 3, 1-3 overall) @ Northern Lebanon (0-1 Section 3, 2-2 overall), Friday, 7 p.m.
ON THE RADIO: This game will be broadcast live by WQIC-FM 100.1.
LAST WEEK: Annville-Cleona won its first game this season – and snapped Pequea Valley’s modest 1-game winning streak – with a 53-32 nod over the Braves. … Northern Lebanon was bounced by Elco 41-7.
NOTABLE: Annville-Cleona nipped Northern Lebanon 21-20 last year in Annville.
KEY STATS: Annville-Cleona’s key stat is 328 – junior RB Rickey Snyder rushed for a school-record 328 yards (and 6 TD) in last week’s win over Pequea Valley. … Northern Lebanon’s key stat is 37.6 – the Vikings’ punting unit is averaging 37.6 yards per boot, third-best in the L-L League.
ABOUT ANNVILLE-CLEONA: After toting the pigskin 36 times for a school-record 328 yards and six TD last week, RB Rickey Snyder is now second in the league in rushing (475) and he’s tied for second in the league with 71 carries, along with Ephrata’s George Murray.
ABOUT NORTHERN LEBANON: One of two L-L League teams with a trio of 200-yard rushers through four weeks – RB Colton Ryan (380 yards, 4 TD), RB Ryan Daub (270 yards, 1 TD), QB Tanner Dresch (257 yards, 3 TD). Other team with three 200-yard backs is Solanco.
QUOTABLE: Annville-Cleona junior RB Rickey Snyder (to the Lebanon Daily News, after rushing for 328 yards and six TD vs. Pequea Valley) – “This one’s for the whole school. We wouldn’t be here without the linemen. It feels amazing to gain that much … I don’t even know what to say.”
Audio Podcast interview with Annville-Cleona RB Rickey Snyder here.
THE GAME: Donegal (0-1 Section 3, 0-4 overall) @ Pequea Valley (0-1 Section 3, 1-3 overall), Friday, 7 p.m.
LAST WEEK: Donegal was shutout for the second time this season in a 45-0 loss to Lancaster Catholic. … Pequea Valley lost a 53-32 shootout to Annville-Cleona.
NOTABLE: Donegal pelted Pequea Valley 55-13 last year in Mount Joy.
KEY STATS: Donegal’s key stat is 1 – the Indians have forced just 1 takeaway, least in the L-L League. … Pequea Valley’s key stat is 1,140 – Braves’ QB Ben Myers has passed for 1,140 yards, most in the L-L League.
ABOUT DONEGAL: The Indians have punted 24 times, most in the L-L League. … Losing streak stands at nine after a 0-5 finish last season and a 0-4 getaway this year. Donegal’s last win was a 55-13 triumph over Pequea Valley in Week 5 last year in Mount Joy. … Donegal has passed for 130 yards, least in the L-L League. … The Indians are averaging 129.0 yards per game, least in the L-L League.
ABOUT PEQUEA VALLEY: So much for the winning streak, right? One week after snapping a 29-game losing skid with a non-league win over Fleetwood, the Braves saw that streak come to a close and another losing streak start after a 53-32 loss to Annville-Cleona. That’s the game Rickey Snyder ran wild for 328 yards and six TDs for the Little Dutchmen. … QB Ben Myers leads the league in completions (79), pass attempts (146) and passing yards (1,140), and he’s tied for the league lead (with Lancaster Catholic’s Kyle Smith) with 11 TD passes. … One of four teams to allow 1,000 rushing yards (1,048) already this season (Columbia, Donegal, McCaskey). … WR Chad Tyson leads the L-L League in receptions (22) and receiving yards (365) and his four TD grabs are second-most in the league.
QUOTABLE: Donegal coach Jeff Polites (to Lancaster Newspapers, after the Indians suffered a 45-0 beatdown by Lancaster Catholic) – “It was a physical mismatch. And it’s tough to overcome.”
Audio Podcast interview with Pequea Valley QB Ben Myers here.
Audio Podcast interview with Pequea Valley RB Ray Ball here.
Audio Podcast interview with Pequea Valley coach Curtis Waltman here.
THE GAME: Lampeter-Strasburg (1-0 Section 3, 2-2 overall) @ Lancaster Catholic (1-0 Section 3, 3-1 overall), Friday, 7 p.m. This is my 3-star L-L League Game of the Week.
LIVE BLOG: Keith Schweigert will be blogging live from this game at LancSports.com. If you can’t make it to Rossmere Stadium, join Keith for live updates, scores from around the league and your questions and comments.
LAST WEEK: L-S trounced Columbia 52-6. … Catholic steamrolled Donegal 45-0.
NOTABLE: Catholic held off L-S 21-17 last year in Lampeter. … Crusaders are 5th in Double-A in the Harrisburg Patriot-News state rankings.
KEY STATS: Lampeter-Strasburg’s key stat is 94 – the Pioneers’ offense has put up 94 points in the last two games (42-7 over Garden Spot and 52-6 over Columbia). … Lancaster Catholic’s key stat is 38.9 – the Crusaders’ punting unit is averaging 38.9 yards per boot, tops in the L-L League.
ABOUT LAMPETER-STRASBURG: TE Christian DelRocini is tied for the league lead in TD catches (5) with Wilson TE Tyler Beck. … Sure looks like these guys have it in gear after 0-2 start.
ABOUT LANCASTER CATHOLIC: Despite missing the Manheim Central game in Week 3 with a high right ankle sprain, QB Kyle Smith continues to lead the league in passing efficiency (233.6), and he’s tied for the league lead in TD passes (11) with Pequea Valley’s Ben Myers. Smith has yet to throw an interception in 45 pass attempts. … Catholic has yielded 356 rushing yards, least in the L-L League.
QUOTABLE: Lancaster Catholic senior QB Kyle Smith (to Lancaster Newspapers, on returning to the field against Donegal after missing Week 3 against Manheim Central with a high ankle sprain) – “It was definitely good to be back out there with the team. You never really understand how much you enjoy the moment until it’s take away from you.”
Audio Podcast interview with L-S coach John Manion here.
Audio Podcast interview with Lancaster Catholic OL/DL Andrew Heise here.
Audio Podcast interview with Lancaster Catholic FB/LB Hans Kessler here.
Audio Podcast interview with Lancaster Catholic coach Bruce Harbach here.
THE GAME: Columbia (0-1 Section 3, 0-4 overall) @ Elco (1-0 Section 3, 4-0 overall), Friday, 7 p.m.
LAST WEEK: Columbia fell to Lampeter-Strasburg 52-6. … Elco rolled over Northern Lebanon 41-7.
NOTABLE: Elco topped Columbia 58-26 last year in Columbia.
KEY STATS: Columbia’s key stat is 189 – the Crimson Tide has yielded 189 points, most in the L-L League. … Elco’s key stat is 176 – the Raiders have scored 176 points, most in the L-L League.
ABOUT COLUMBIA: Crimson Tide is a minus-150 in scoring margin (39-189), last in the L-L League. … Soph Seth Lefever has thrown more interceptions (8) than any other L-L League QB.
ABOUT ELCO: First 4-0 start for the Raiders since 2003. … Elco is a plus-124 in scoring margin (outscoring their opponents 176-52), tops in the L-L League. … QB Arron Achey is tied for second in the league in TD passes (10) with Wilson’s Zach Zweizig. Achey is also second among L-L League QB in rushing (397 yards). And for my cash, Achey has been the league’s MVP up to this point.
QUOTABLE: Elco senior QB Arron Achey (to the Lebanon Daily News, about knocking off Northern Lebanon for the first time in four years) – “We had a lot of motivation. In past years, they put it to us. It’s great to beat these guys after four years. We’ve been waiting for this game since last year, and we’ve been game-planning for this for a while. Coach (Mark Evans) had a perfect game plan and we executed it.”
