** Cedar Crest @ McCaskey is Monday at 6 p.m. I will be blogging live at LancSports.com **

What’s this?

The same, exact top 5 in back-to-back weeks in my informal, just-for-fun L-L League football rankings?

Yeah, believe it.

Everyone in my Week 7 poll won in (rainy) Week 8, so I kept everything status quo.

Boring, I know. But suck it up, bucko. Life goes on.

Here’s my 5 …

1 – Manheim Central (5-0 Section 2, 8-0 overall; last week – 1st) – Barons remained No. 1 on my list after shutting out rival Elizabethtown 27-0 on a sloppy field in E-town. Brutal night. I was over there for that game, and by the middle of the first quarter you couldn’t identify any of the players because they were all caked in mud. Another razor-sharp night for Central’s D, which held da Bears to 66 yards and three first downs. E-town didn’t cross midfield until the second half. So the Barons will remain No. 1 in the league in total team defense, and Central has given up a scant 76 points in eight games. Only undefeated team in the league. No. 1 D in the league. Top-scoring O in the league. No. 1 in District 3 Triple-A power points. Top-4 ranking in the state. Yeah, Barons are legit. Enjoy those three home games (on turf) in Districts. UP NEXT: Friday at home vs. Lebanon (3-2, 3-5), which has lost two in a row after a rip-roaring 3-0 start in Section 2 play.

2 – Lancaster Catholic (5-0 Section 3, 7-1 overall; last week – 2nd) – Crusaders trampled rival Columbia 48-0 in the slop at Rossmere Stadium and remained alone in first place in Section 3. Catholic held the Crimson Tide to 45 total yards of O and three first downs, and QB Kyle Smith tied former Manheim Township star Pat Bostick for most career TD passes in state history with his 94th scoring strike. Crusaders are steamrolling toward another outright section crown, they’re first in District 3 Double-A power points, and they’re ranked in the state. Oh, and a handful of key kids are coming back from injury in the next week or two. See you in Hershey in a couple of weeks. UP NEXT: Friday at Annville-Cleona (3-2, 3-5), where Smith will break the state’s career TD passing mark on the Crusaders’ first drive. If I’m the Dutchmen and we win the coin toss I’d take the ball and at least make Smith stand around a little bit and, you know, delay the inevitable.

3 – Wilson (5-0 Section 1, 7-1 overall; last week – 3rd) – Looks like the Bulldogs have officially picked up steam and have everything cooking on both sides of the ball – and special teams, where they’ve done quite well all season. The Bulldogs have returned two blocked punts for scores, and in the 35-16 win over Manheim Township last Friday, Erik Schmeck returned a pick 45 yards for a TD to ice the game. It’s all about the intangibles, folks, and Wilson is doing quite well in that department (despite a minus-5 in turnover ratio, which is a bit of a head-scratcher). And the ‘Dawgs can clinch the Section 1 title outright with a win Friday at home against Penn Manor. At 4-1, the Comets are the only team that can catch Wilson in the final two weeks, so a Bulldogs’ win would equal an outright crown. Think back to August for a second – with 20 new starters in there for Wilson, who thought the ‘Dawgs would win the section title outright and clinch it in Week 9? Impressive. UP NEXT: Friday at home vs. Penn Manor (4-1, 7-1). Keith Schweigert blogging live at LancSports.com if you can’t make it to West Lawn.

4 – Penn Manor (4-1 Section 1, 7-1 overall; last week – 4th) – Comets escaped Warwick 14-12 last Friday night, when Garrett Young blocked Adam Zipko’s potential game-winning 31-yard field goal attempt with 1:51 to go in regulation. That sound you heard wafting over from Millersville was a gigantic collective sigh of relief from Penn Manor’s players, coaching staff and fans. The victory kept the Comets in the Section 1 chase. Barely. They’ll need a win on Friday at Wilson to tie the Bulldogs for first place. A loss, and Wilson wraps up the solo crown. Still like Penn Manor’s balance. And now the Comets are showing some moxie and finding different ways to win. That’s big this time of year. UP NEXT: Friday at Wilson (5-0, 7-1). One last friendly reminder that Keith will be blogging live at LancSports.com for this monster game.

5 – Elco (4-1 Section 3, 7-1 overall; last week – 5th) – Make that back-to-back shutout victories in a row for the rampaging Raiders, who blanked Pequea Valley 41-0 in Week 7 and then shutout backyard rival Annville-Cleona 34-0 last Friday night. Gigantic game for QB Arron Achey, who was once again limited in the passing department (one completion, but it did go for a TD), but he rushed for 234 yards and three TD, including an 81-yard scoring sprint. So Elco has definitely put the Week 6 40-14 loss at Lampeter-Strasburg to bed and has snapped back nicely the last two weeks with strong D efforts and grind-it-out, ball-control rushing efforts. Yeah, I know PV and A-C are a combined 4-12. And yes, I’m tired of hearing about sections and rankings and non-league schedules. Elco is tough, y’all. I know I wouldn’t want to play the Raiders in the first round of Districts. Must take care of business this week (and hope maybe A-C can give Lancaster Catholic a scare) in order to set up the Week 10 showdown at Catholic. UP NEXT: Friday at home vs. Donegal (1-4, 1-7), which has 31 total yards of offense and four first downs in its last two games.

HONORABLE MENTION – Don’t always do this, but I’m feeling frisky today: Cocalico (3-2, 6-2), Conestoga Valley (4-1, 6-2), Lampeter-Strasburg (4-1, 5-3), Manheim Township (3-2, 5-3).

LIVE BLOG REMINDER: While Keith will be bringing you Penn Manor @ Wilson, I’ll be blogging live from the Conestoga Valley @ Cocalico Section 2 clash in Denver on Friday. You can find the links at LancSports.com.