Barons’ Williams, Johnson, Trafford preview Friday’s showdown vs. CV

CV-Central.

Central-CV.

Doesn’t matter how you say it, I guess.

But one thing is for sure: When Conestoga Valley and Manheim Central lock horns in a meaningful L-L League Section 2 football game, this old-school rivalry gets even juicier.

Like Friday, when Central (3-0, 6-0) heads to CV (3-0, 5-1) for a major first-place showdown. The winner stays on top. The loser drops a game back.

Quick plug alert: I’ll be blogging live from the game at LancSports.com. Snow showers in the forecast, so if you can’t make it to Witmer for the granddaddy of all L-L football rivalries, come and find me online.

Central has a lot riding coming into this matchup. The Barons are the lone undefeated team in the L-L League, and they’re in a wicked three-way tie for the Section 2 lead with CV and Lebanon (3-0, 3-3). The Barons are also fifth in Triple-A in the Harrisburg Patriot-News state rankings, and Central is right there near the top of the District 3 Triple-A power-points race. And if the Barons can get a win, and if Lebanon knocks off Solanco (0-3, 2-4), Central and the Cedars could square off in Week 9 with sole possession of first place up for grabs. Stay tuned.

So there is a lot flying around the Barons at the moment.

Central will bring the league’s top-ranked defense (199.0 yards per game) into the CV game, and the Barons will need to be on their toes since the Bucks feature the league’s leading rusher, Kevin Kelley, who has piled up 1,198 yards and 18 TD runs.

He will be in Central’s defensive crosshairs.

A lot riding here for the Barons this week, and I was able to chat with coach Mike Williams, RB/LB Lowen Johnson and RB/DB Dan Trafford about the rivalry with CV, about how the Barons intend on slowing down Kelley, and about this exciting Section 2 race and how the last four weeks might shape up.

You can listen to those audio Podcast interviews here …

 

Mike Williams knows all about the CV-Central rivalry.

The battles for the Section 2 championships. Head-to-head meetings in the District 3 Triple-A playoffs. All the barbs and bulletin board material and extra press that usually surrounds the Barons-Bucks matchup. Bob Aungst. Sam Turner. Brady Myers. Eric Esbenshade. Mike Cook. Daryl Daniel. Jordan Steffy. And, of course, Jim Cantafio. Can’t mention CV-Central in the same breath without Jim Cantafio, who no doubt is smiling somewhere near Cedar Cliff High School this week, knowing his old squad, CV, is in a first-place game against Williams and his Barons.

Took a trip down memory lane with Coach Williams this week about some of his favorite CV-Central moments over the years. And we talked about how the Barons will defend leading rusher Kevin Kelley, and about this Section 2 race, which is really heating up.

You can listen to the interview with Coach Williams by clicking on the ‘play’ button above.

You can also download the Podcast and play it on your favorite mp3 device by clicking here.

 

Lowen Johnson knows all about the numbers.

When asked about CV RB Kevin Kelley recently, the first words out of his mouth were about Kelley’s gaudy 1,198 rushing yards and 18 TD runs.

So Johnson and his Barons’ D mates know what’s coming: Kelley left. Kelley right. Kelly up the gut. Problem is, six other teams have known Kelley is coming, but nobody has stopped him yet.

If you know anything about Central’s defense over the years, you know the Barons love loading up and shutting down a big back – limiting a leading rusher to less than 100 yards and, more importantly, keeping him out of the end zone.

That’s Central’s task this week – and it’ll be a tall one.

I chatted with Johnson about how the Barons’ D will attack Kelley, and about the CV-Central rivalry, which definitely got a spark this season because the game is for first place.

You can listen to the interview with Johnson by clicking on the ‘play’ button above.

You can also download the Podcast and listen to it on your favorite mp3 player by clicking here.

 

What a season so far for Dan Trafford.

Manheim Central’s slot guy has been deadly rushing with the ball and catching the ball out of the backfield for the Barons. And he’s a fiend on special teams, too.

And, from his safety spot, he might have made the best defensive play in the league this season when he chased down Cocalico QB Matt Carty, punched the ball loose for a touchback, setting up Central’s comeback in the Barons wild 17-14 last-second win over the Eagles in Week 4. If Carty scores, Cocalico walks out of Elden Rettew with a win that night.

Trafford will be a key cog for Central on both sides of the ball Friday when the Barons head to CV for a first-place showdown.

I chatted with Trafford about Central’s Spread Gun O, which has posted the most points in the league this season, and about Central’s D, which must be at its best against Kevin Kelley and CV’s grind-it-out, efficient-first attack.

You can listen to the interview with Trafford by clicking on the ‘play’ button above.

You can also download the Podcast and listen to it on your favorite mp3 device by clicking here.