FINAL Week 10 regular-season stats here.
Week 1 of the District 3 football playoffs are upon us, which means first-round games in Quad-A and Triple-A and quarterfinal games in Double-A and Single-A.
You might have heard by now that nine L-L League teams are in the field – three in Quad-A, five in Triple-A and one in Double-A.
Here’s everything and anything you need to know about Friday’s eight first-round games involving L-L League teams …
THE GAME: (15) York High (6-4 overall; York-Adams Interscholastic Athletic Association Division 1) @ (2) Wilson (9-1 overall; Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 1 outright champ), Friday, 7 p.m.; Quad-A first-round game.
WINNER GETS: (7) Central York (7-3) or (10) Dallastown (6-4) in the quarterfinals. That first-round game is set for Saturday night, and if I’m out and about, I just might stick my head in for that all-York County grudge match. For the record, Central York dumped Dallastown 34-7 in Week 6 on Oct. 9.
KEY STATS: York High’s key stat is 14 – after scoring 210 points in their first six games (all victories), the Bearcats have scored just 14 total points in their last four games, all losses. … Wilson’s key stat is 16 – the Bulldogs have only punted the ball away 16 times, least in the L-L League during the regular season.
YORK HIGH STAT PACK: Leading rusher – RB Maurice Williams (77 carries for 648 yards, 8.4 avg., 3 TD); Leading passer – QB Roger Eaton (12-of-52 for 163 yards, 1 TD, 1 pick); Leading receiver – RB Jordan Zackery (14 catches for 238 yards, 17.0 avg., 2 TD).
WILSON STAT PACK: Leading rusher – RB Kriss Brown (97 carries for 822 yards, 8.5 avg., 10 TD); Leading passer – QB Zach Zweizig (116-of-207 for 1,712 yards, 15 TD, 9 picks); Leading receiver – TE Tyler Beck (27 catcher for 538 yards, 19.9 avg., 6 TD).
ABOUT YORK HIGH: Coach is Tim Hibbs (1st season; 6-4), who took over for former McCaskey coordinator Matt Ortega, who left York High after last season to take the coaching job at Coatesville. … Injuries have completely bamboozled the Bearcats, who lost their starting QB, smooth option operator junior Kelvin Parker, to a collarbone ailment in Week 6. Through six weeks Parker had 482 yards on 49 keepers (9.8 avg.) and 7 TD runs, and he’d completed 29-of-57 passes for 542 yards and 7 TD – and York High was 6-0. Since Parker went down, the Bearcats have lost four games in a row and have been outscored 100-14 over that stretch. And York High is averaging just 72 yards per game in its last four games. Parker is also a standout basketball player, by the way. … If you’re at this game, don’t be stunned when you look down and see that York High’s QB is wearing uniform No. 65. Roger Eaton, a transfer from Northeastern York, started the season at center for the Bearcats. Now he’s taking the snaps. … Bearcats are averaging 259.5 yards per game. … York High fell to Wilson 38-12 in a District 3 Quad-A quarterfinal game in 2007. … Bearcats lost 17 total starters from last year’s team – including UConn recruit Malik Generett – which fell to Bishop McDevitt in the district quarterfinals.
ABOUT WILSON: Coach is Doug Dahms (4th season; 43-8 overall). … Wilson’s head-scratcher stat is turnover ratio, where the Bulldogs sit near the bottom of the L-L League with a minus-8, which includes 20 giveaways. But with a 9-1 record (and the loss was by 2 points), the slippery fingers haven’t hurt the ‘Dawgs – yet. … Wilson won District 3 Quad-A championships in 1989 (over Cedar Cliff), 1990 (over Cumberland Valley), 1999 (over Cumberland Valley) and last year (over, you guessed it, Cumberland Valley; that’s the game Wilson feasted on eight turnovers). … Wilson is an Honorable Mention pick in Quad-A in the latest Harrisburg Patriot-News state rankings. … Wilson had 165 first downs during the regular season, tied for the most in Section 1 with Manheim Township. … Bulldogs were fifth in the league in total offense (355.4 yards per game) and sixth in the league in total defense (229.9 yards per game) during the regular season. … Wilson has been quite opportunistic in the touchdown-scoring department. The Bulldogs have scored via punt return (Johnny Morgan, 65 yards vs. Cedar Crest in Week 5), kickoff return (Johnny Morgan, 93 yards vs. Penn Manor in Week 9), fumble recovery (Louis Weaver recovered a bouncing ball in the end zone against Manheim Central in Week 2), interception return (Erik Schmeck, 45 yards vs. Manheim Township in Week 8; Tyler Beck, 5 yards vs. Warwick in Week 10), blocked punt return (two for Sheldon Hannibal-Nixon: 28 yards vs. McCaskey in Week 4 and 20 yards vs. Downingtown East in Week 3) and by field goal (Shane Witmyer has booted three of those, including a season-best 33-yarder vs. Cedar Crest in Week 5). So the Bulldogs have been an equal opportunity scorer.
QUOTBALE: York High coach Tim Hibbs (to the York Daily Record during the preseason) – “No one’s going to expect anything out of us and that’s fine. Nobody ever expected anything out of anything I’ve done since I’ve been coaching. All I care about is the kids in our little circle of wagons.”
Wilson coach Doug Dahms – “York has struggled since they lost (QB Kelvin Parker) to an injury, but word has it that he might be back for the playoffs. That makes them doubly hard to prepare for because you don’t know what offense you’re going to get. … York has a big offensive line, averaging 240-pounds plus. And their wideouts have plenty of speed. Defensively they’ll use a lot of the same personnel, so they’re also big there. And the linebackers are very sound. So we’ll need to stick to fundamentals and play all four quarters … and it would be nice to not have to come from behind for a change.”
THE GAME: (12) Chambersburg (5-5 overall; Mid-Penn Conference Commonwealth Division) @ (5) Penn Manor (8-2 overall; Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 1), Friday, 7 p.m.; Quad-A first-round game.
WINNER GETS: (4) South Western (9-1) or (13) Cedar Cliff (6-4) in the quarterfinals. Cedar Cliff is coached by old pal Jim Cantafio, by the way. His Colts lost their starting QB in their final scrimmage against Manheim Central back in August, but hung tough and made Districts.
KEY STATS: Chambersburg’s key stat is 22 – the Trojans’ opportunistic D has 22 takeaways. … Penn Manor’s key stat is 20 – the Comets have 20 takeaways on defense, fourth-most in the L-L League. Penn Manor is a plus-6 in turnover ratio.
CHAMBERSBURG STAT PACK: Leading rusher – RB ConRoy Smith (143 carries for 917 yards, 6.4 avg., 9 TD); Leading passer – QB Brian Reese (42-of-87 for 482 yards, 4 TD, 6 picks); Leading receiver – WR Marcus Elbel (8 catches for 81 yards, 10.1 avg., 0 TD); WR Tyler Fore (8 catches for 141 yards, 17.6 avg., 3 TD); RB ConRoy Smith (8 catches for 89 yards, 11.1 avg., 0 TD).
PENN MANOR STAT PACK: Leading rusher – QB P.J. Rehm (126 carries for 625 yards, 5.0 avg., 3 TD); Leading passer – QB P.J. Rehm (52-of-109 for 1,133 yards, 15 TD, 3 picks); Leading receiver – RB LaRonn Lee (23 catches for 433 yards, 18.8 avg., 4 TD).
ABOUT CHAMBERSBURG: Coach is David Carruthers (4th season; 8-32 overall). … Quite a turnaround for the Trojans, who went 0-5 in the Mid-Penn Commonwealth Division and 1-9 overall last season. … Chambersburg has had just 10 winning seasons since 1971, its last in 1998. … Carruthers won 207 games and coached six state champions in Maryland before coming to Chambersburg four years ago. … While ConRoy Smith makes the shake-and-bake plays, rugged FB Derek Burkhard has been extremely reliable – 146 carries for 900 yards (6.2 avg.) and four TD. … Trojans’ O averages 269.5 yards per game; D gives up 332.9 yards per game. … Chambersburg has been outscored 270-181. … Trojans are a plus-10 in turnover ratio. … Played seven district-qualifiers during the regular season, and lost to three of those in the final four weeks of the season (Bishop McDevitt, Central Dauphin and State College) by a combined 142-21. But the Trojans did hand District 3 Triple-A No. 2 seed Susquehanna Township its lone loss this season (36-32 in Week 6).
ABOUT PENN MANOR: Coach is Todd Mealy (3rd season; 18-13 overall). … Back in Districts for the second year in a row, after deepest trip in the postseason a year ago; Penn Manor beat Dallastown in the opener before bowing out to eventual runner-up Cumberland Valley in the quarterfinals. … QB P.J. Rehm was third-ranked passer in the league during the regular season with 1,133 yards and 15 TD against just three picks. He’s also the Comets’ leading rusher with 625 yards. … Multi-purpose back LaRonn Lee has 1,016 yards from scrimmage – 433 receiving and 583 rushing. He averages 10.1 yards every time he touches the ball, and he’s scored 12 TD while lining up all over the place, including the Wildcat package. … Comets were eighth in the league in total offense (321.0 yards per game) and 10th in the league in total defense (263.5 yards per game) during the regular season. … Penalized 64 times, most among Section 1 teams during the regular season.
QUOTBALE: Penn Manor coach Todd Mealy – “Coach Carruthers and his staff have done a fine job preparing their team to take on that brutal Mid-Penn schedule, and Chambersburg has defeated two District 3 qualifiers – Harrisburg and Cedar Cliff. … They do a fine job mixing their inside and perimeter running game, and they have a nice combination of backs with the fullback (Burkhard) and wing back (Smith). … In preparing for a team that we’ve never seen before, I think it’s more important to focus on what we do best on both sides of the ball and on special teams. We also need to get healthy. … We’re all excited about being back in the playoffs.”
MULTIMEDIA:
Audio Podcast interview with Penn Manor coach Todd Mealy here.
THE GAME: (9) Governor Mifflin (6-4 overall; Berks Inter-County League Section 1) @ (8) Manheim Township (7-3 overall; Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 1), Friday, 7 p.m.; Quad-A first-round game.
ON THE RADIO: This game will be broadcast live by WEEU-AM 830.
WINNER GETS: (1) Bishop McDevitt (9-0) or (16) Harrisburg (5-5) in the quarterfinals. That first-round game between the old-school Mid-Penn rivals is set for Saturday at 1 p.m. at Landis Field at Central Dauphin. Think I might venture over and check that one out; I’m anxious to see Bishop McDevitt, which is loaded with D-1 talent. And if you haven’t heard, Bishop McDevitt is dropping down to Triple-A next year. That just got everyone’s attention in the greater Manheim area. Bishop McDevitt, which only scheduled nine games and was idle in Week 10, is No. 1 in Quad-A in the latest Harrisburg Patriot-News state rankings. The Crusaders are coached by former Lebanon Catholic coach Jeff Weachter. Bishop McDevitt thumped Harrisburg 41-16 in the season opener back on Sept. 5. By the way, Harrisburg squeaked in and grabbed the No. 16 seed when the Cougars whacked Altoona (gulp) 75-6 and Reading fell to McCaskey in Week 10. That 0-2 finish killed Reading, which has played its final game in the L-L League.
NOTABLE: This is a rematch of a 2007 District 3 Quad-A semifinal game. Governor Mifflin, the No. 3 seed, edged Manheim Township, the No. 2 seed, 28-21 in overtime. Governor Mifflin lost to Harrisburg the next week in the championship game. … Manheim Township had defeated Governor Mifflin 34-31 in a Week 2 non-league game earlier that season.
KEY STATS: Governor Mifflin’s key stat is 269 – the Mustangs have passed for just 269 yards this season, least in the Berks I-C League. … Manheim Township’s key stat is 10 – the Blue Streaks only have 10 giveaways on offense, second-least in the L-L League (Elco – 8). Manheim Township is a plus-5 in turnover ratio.
GOVERNOR MIFFLIN STAT PACK: Leading rusher – RB Zach Schmidt (185 carries for 1,054 yards, 5.7 avg., 6 TD); Leading passer – QB Vince Garipoli (26-of-70 for 269 yards, 0 TD, 4 picks); Leading receiver – TE John King (8 catches for 87 yards, 10.8 avg., 0 TD).
MANHEIM TOWNSHIP STAT PACK: Leading rusher – RB Brian Sourber (229 carries for 1,463 yards, 6.3 avg., 21 TD); Leading passer – QB Jon Yuko (44-of-72 for 594 yards, 5 TD, 1 pick); Leading receiver – RB Brian Sourber (19 catches for 217 yards, 11.4 avg., 3 TD).
ABOUT GOVERNOR MIFFLIN: Coach is Mick Vecchio (19th season; 115-94-1 overall). … Mustangs have not thrown a TD pass this season, and rely heavily on their option-oriented attack, piloted by QB Vince Garipoli, who has rushed for 591 yards and seven TD. … Governor Mifflin averages 266.4 yards per game and allows 243.2 yards per game, and the Mustangs have been outscored by 2 points – 186-184. … While Zach Schmidt has piled up the most rushing yards in the Mustangs’ run-first attack, keep an eye on speedy RB Eric Wertz, who missed the first several games while nursing an injury suffered in a scrimmage against Conestoga Valley in August. Wertz has 326 yards and five TD since returning to the lineup. He can scoot. … Minus-2 in turnover ratio with 17 giveaways.
ABOUT MANHEIM TOWNSHIP: Coach is Mike Melnyk (11th season; 62-54 overall). … Streaks were seventh in the league in total offense (323.9 yards per game) and ninth in the league in total defense (260.2 yards per game) during the regular season. … QB Jon Yuko was picked off just once in 72 attempts; he and Cocalico QB Matt Carty were intercepted the least in the league this season among full-time starters. … RB Brian Sourber was second in the league in rushing yards (1,463) and second in the league in TD runs (21) during the regular season. He capped the section season in style with 241 yards and three TD in 14-point win over archrival Hempfield. … Penalties have been a smidge of a problem for the Streaks, who have 532 yards in march-offs, third-most in the league during the regular season. … 165 first downs were tied for the most in Section 1 with Wilson during the regular season.
QUOTBALE: Manheim Township coach Mike Melnyk – “We’re familiar with Governor Mifflin, having played them twice in 2007, and not much has changed at Mifflin since then. They’re still running the option with great precision and with lots of playmakers. … Their kids play extremely hard and they’re bigger up front than we are. Defensively they’ve given up only 18 points a game and they play great team defense. So they’ll pressure us from every angle. … Although we’re the higher seed, I think we’re the underdogs here. We’ll have to play our best game of the season to win this one.”
MULTIMEDIA:
Audio Podcast interview with Manheim Township coach Mike Melnyk here.
Audio Podcast interview with Manheim Township’s Brian Sourber here.
Audio Podcast interview with Manheim Township’s Brady Souders here.
Audio Podcast interview with Manheim Township’s Moyo Oluleye here.
THE GAME: (16) Shippensburg (6-4 overall; Mid-Penn Conference Capital Division) @ (1) Manheim Central (10-0 overall; Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 2 outright champ), Friday, 7 p.m.; Triple-A first-round game.
LIVE BLOG: I will be blogging live from this game at LancSports.com. So if you can’t make it to Manheim, please come and check me out online for instant updates, analysis, scores from around the district and your questions and comments.
WINNER GETS: (9) Daniel Boone (8-2) or (8) Greencastle-Antrim (7-2) in the quarterfinals. Mighty interesting first-round game there. Daniel Boone features reigning All-State QB Jon Monteiro, who has completed 125-of-217 passes for 1,687 yards and 21 TD against nine picks. The completions, yards and TD passes are tops in the Berks I-C League through 10 weeks. And he also has the top passing efficiency rating in the I-C (146.5). Greencastle-Antrim, located down on the Maryland border past Chambersburg, has very quietly put together a solid couple of seasons; they were the No. 2 seed in Triple-A last year before being bounced by Garden Spot in the quarterfinals.
KEY STATS: Shippensburg’s key stat is 26 – the Greyhounds have 26 takeaways on defense, which would be second-most in the L-L League. … Manheim Central’s key stat is 76 – the Barons have given up just 76 points this season, least in the L-L League.
SHIPPENSBURG STAT PACK: Leading rusher – RB Todde’ Statum (239 carries for 1,565 yards, 6.5 avg., 18 TD); Leading passer – QB Zach Dubbs (39-of-94 for 500 yards, 1 TD, 7 picks); Leading receiver – WR Greg Williams (23 catches for 336 yards, 14.6 avg., 0 TD).
MANHEIM CENTRAL STAT PACK: Leading rusher – RB Joe Gruber (130 carries for 912 yards, 7.0 avg., 13 TD); Leading passer – QB Justin Gorman (108-of-185 for 1,468 yards, 12 TD, 8 picks); Leading receiver – RB Dan Trafford (29 catches for 466 yards, 16.1 avg., 5 TD).
ABOUT SHIPPENSBURG: Coach is Eric Foust (8th season; 32-49 overall). … Greyhounds are averaging 294.6 yards per game and giving 227.1 yards per game. … Plus-10 in turnover ratio, and Shippensburg has outscored its competition 243-145. … Just missed out on Districts a year ago, winning three of their final four games to finish 5-5 overall and 2-2 in the Mid-Penn Capital Division. … Greyhounds are back in Districts for the second time in three years after missing out on the postseason party 19 years in a row. Shippensburg’s last playoff appearance also came against an L-L League entrant – Elizabethtown, the No. 2 seed, in 2007. The Bears won that game 35-7 in E-town. … Shippensburg is riding a 3-game winning streak but – for the record – those victories came against teams (Big Spring, Red Land, West Perry) with a combined record of 6-23, and none made the playoffs. … Greyhounds’ lone win against a winning team was a 28-0 victory over Bangor Pius X in Week 5.
ABOUT MANHEIM CENTRAL: Coach is Mike Williams (29th season; 297-59-3 overall). … Only undefeated team in the District 3 Triple-A bracket. … Gunning for 16th District 3 Triple-A title. Central won championships in 1989 (over L-L League foe Elizabethtown), 1990 (over Central York), 1992 (over uber rival Conestoga Valley), 1993 (over Gettysburg), 1994 (over Conestoga Valley, again), 1995 (over Section 2 rival Garden Spot), 1996 (over New Oxford), 1997 (over new section rival Cocalico), 1998 (over Muhlenberg), 1999 (over Musa Smith and West Perry), 2000 (over Conestoga Valley, for the third time), 2001 (over Spring Grove), 2003 (over Lower Dauphin), 2004 (over Mechanicsburg) and 2005 (over Muhlenberg, again). … Manheim Central is No. 4 in Triple-A in the latest Harrisburg Patriot-News state rankings. … Barons had the top-ranked defense in the L-L League during the regular season, allowing just 170.0 yards per game. … Manheim Central allowed 767 passing yards during the regular season, least in the L-L League. … Barons had the third-ranked offense in the league during the regular season (378.1 yards per game). … Manheim Central has outscored its opponents 414-76 – a massive plus-338 scoring margin, which was tops in the league during the regular season. … Barons have allowed points in just four games. They have won via shutout the last four games in a row – outscoring Conestoga Valley, Elizabethtown, Lebanon and Garden Spot by a whopping 159-0 over that clip. Manheim Central hasn’t given up a point since a fourth-quarter touchdown against Ephrata in Week 6. Barons also shutout Solanco in Week 5 and Susquehannock in Week 1. … Barons have 27 takeaways on D, most in the L-L League, and Manheim Central is a plus-8 in turnover ratio. … Penalized 68 times, most among Section 2 teams during the regular season. … Barons’ kicker Taylor Groff has been nearly perfect this season – he’s 7-for-7 on field goals (most in the L-L League) and he’s 41-for-44 on extra points.
WILLIAMS INTERVIEW LINK: Manheim Central coach Mike Williams will be a special guest on the 12th Man Scoreboard Show Friday night after the Barons’ game against Shippensburg. Williams should be on the air around 10:30 p.m. or so. Follow this link to the show Friday night.
QUOTBALE: Manheim Central coach Mike Williams – “At this stage of the game, at Manheim Central, if you don’t win a district championship it’s disappointing. To win 15 titles … that’s almost unimaginable because Pennsylvania has such great competition. … This is going to be a challenge; you have to take everyone seriously, and this first game against Shippensburg certainly isn’t automatic. They have some very good athletes.”
MULTIMEDIA:
Audio Podcast interview with Manheim Central coach Mike Williams here.
Audio Podcast interview with Manheim Central’s Justin Gorman here.
Audio Podcast interview with Manheim Central’s Dakota Royer here.
Audio Podcast interview with Manheim Central’s Brett Barber here.
Audio Podcast interview with Manheim Central’s Lowen Johnson here.
Audio Podcast interview with Manheim Central’s Joe Weaver here.
Audio Podcast interview with Manheim Central’s Taylor Groff here.
Audio Podcast interview with Manheim Central’s Dan Trafford here.
Audio Podcast interview with Manheim Central’s Joe Gruber here.
THE GAME: (10) Elco (8-2 overall; Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 3) @ (7) Cocalico (8-2 overall; Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 2), Friday, 7 p.m.; Triple-A first-round game.
ON THE TUBE/LIVE BLOG: This game will be broadcast live by Blue Ridge TV-11. There will also be a live blog from this game. Here is the link.
WINNER GETS: (2) Susquehanna Township (9-1) or (15) New Oxford (5-5) in the quarterfinals. The Indians’ lone loss was to Quad-A qualifier Chambersburg (36-32 in Week 6), which faces Penn Manor in the first round. Susquehanna Township features ultra-quick QB Ben Dupree. Cocalico beat Susquehanna Township 49-30 in a wild first-round game last year. Cocalico FB Austin Hartman rushed for 344 yards in that game.
NOTABLE: This game not only features a pair of L-L League teams, but it features the two top-ranked offenses during the regular season in the L-L League. And Cocalico edged Elco literally by a whisker for that honor – the Eagles have 3,127 rushing yards and 666 passing yards for 3,793 total yards (379.3 per game), and the Raiders have 2,116 rushing yards and 1,676 passing yards for 3,792 total yards (379.2 per game). … Elco and Cocalico are also former Section 3 combatants, so there is plenty of familiarity between these programs.
KEY STATS: Elco’s key stat is 24 – the Raiders have 24 takeaways on defense, tops in the L-L League during the regular season. … Cocalico’s key stat is 3,127 – the Eagles have rushed for 3,127 yards, most in the L-L League during the regular season.
ELCO STAT PACK: Leading rusher – QB Arron Achey (139 carries for 1,171 yards, 8.4 avg., 15 TD); Leading passer – QB Arron Achey (108-of-183 for 1,675 yards, 22 TD, 3 picks); Leading receiver – WR Tyler George (33 catches for 477 yards, 14.5 avg., 8 TD).
COCALICO STAT PACK: Leading rusher – FB Austin Hartman (202 carries for 1,366 yards, 6.8 avg., 19 TD); Leading passer – QB Matt Carty (25-of-61 for 422 yards, 4 TD, 1 pick); Leading receiver – WR Kyle Rissell (23 catches for 437 yards, 19.0 avg., 5 TD).
ABOUT ELCO: Coach is Mark Evans (12th season; 68-56 overall). … Elco was eighth in the league in total defense (255.6 yards per game) during the regular season. … Senior QB Arron Achey has some pretty amazing career numbers: 3,958 passing yards and 3,636 rushing yards. He needs 42 yards for 4,000 passing yards and he needs 364 yards for 4,000 rushing yards. Off the top of my head, the only Pennsylvania prep player with 4,000 passing yards and 4,000 rushing yards is former Jeannette stud and current Ohio State QB Terrelle Pryor (4,340 passing and 4,238 rushing). Bethlehem Liberty senior QB Anthony Gonzalez, a Pitt recruit who led the Hurricanes to the state Quad-A title last season, was injured early on this season. He was also making a charge for 4,000-4,000. … Keep an eye on the backfield: RB Justin Weatherholtz, a 500-yard rusher, did not play vs. Lancaster Catholic in Week 10.
ABOUT COCALICO: Coach is Dave Gingrich (6th season; 41-23 overall). … Eagles have grinded out 174 first downs, most in the L-L League during the regular season. … Cocalico won District 3 Double-A championships in 1985 (over East Pennsboro) and 1994 (over Juniata). … Cocalico was fourth in the league in team defense (220.2 yards per game) during the regular season, despite yielding 340-plus rushing yards to Solanco in the regular-season finale. … Senior QB Matt Carty has returned from a mid-season leg injury and is 2-0 as a starter since coming back. Ryan Schweitzer was 2-0 under center while subbing for Carty. … Fell to section foe Manheim Central in the quarterfinal round – at home – last year.
QUOTBALE: Elco coach Mark Evans (to the Lebanon Daily News, about his team after a 51-28 Week 10 loss at Lancaster Catholic) – “They showed resiliency and they showed toughness. They went against a good football team and didn’t back down. The kids battled. I’m very proud of them. There’s no other way to say it. … I’m very proud of their effort. I’m proud of the way they battled. I think they showed we’re not that bad of a football team. We can play. We just gotta go out and do it. … We’re not bringing a dull butter knife to a gunfight; we’re going to come out and try to do everything we can to be successful. … These guys have nothing to hang their heads about. We’ve got another week. I’ll put these 27 kids against anybody, any day.”
Cocalico coach Dave Gingrich – “What a season for Elco … they’ve dominated every game with the exception of their two losses. … You can’t say Elco without saying Arron Achey. That kid is incredible. He can run and he throws a great ball. He has a lot of weapons at his disposal, but it all starts with him. He’s just so strong. On top of that, he’s one of their best defensive players. … They fly to the football and cause a lot of disruption. … This should be a great game for neighboring schools.”
MULTIMEDIA:
Audio Podcast interview with Elco’s Arron Achey here.
Audio Podcast interview with Cocalico coach Dave Gingrich here.
Audio Podcast interview with Cocalico’s Matt Carty here.
Audio Podcast interview with Cocalico’s Austin Hartman here.
Audio Podcast interview with Cocalico’s Kyle Rissell here.
Audio Podcast interview with Cocalico’s Jon Smoker here.
THE GAME: (11) Conestoga Valley (6-4 overall; Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 2) @ (6) Northern York (8-2 overall; Mid-Penn Conference Capital Division), Friday, 7 p.m.; Triple-A first-round game.
WINNER GETS: (3) West York (9-1) or (13) Mechanicsburg (6-4) in the quarterfinals. West York is the defending District 3 Triple-A champ (beat Manheim Central in the final), and the Bulldogs were poised to go 10-0 and grab the No. 2 seed, but they were tripped up by Double-A qualifier Littlestown (47-21) in Week 10.
KEY STATS: Conestoga Valley’s key stat is 88 – senior RB Kevin Kelley has 1,912 rushing yards (tops in the L-L League by 447 yards), and he’ll need 88 yards against Northern York for a 2,000-yard season; no back in the L-L League has done that since Lebanon Catholic’s Tommy Long in 1996. … Northern York’s key stat is 215.7 – the stingy Polar Bears (yeah, great nickname, I know) are giving up just 215.7 yards per game on D.
CONESTOGA VALLEY STAT PACK: Leading rusher – RB Kevin Kelley (313 carries for 1,912 yards, 6.1 avg., 23 TD); Leading passer – QB Alex Dienner (55-of-92 for 700 yards, 4 TD, 6 picks); Leading receiver – WR Stefan Sensenig (29 catches for 317 yards, 10.9 avg., 1 TD).
NORTHERN YORK STAT PACK: Leading rusher – RB Matt Richmond (125 carries for 646 yards, 5.2 avg., 4 TD); Leading passer – QB Joe Tuschak (65-of-159 for 931 yards, 6 TD, 10 picks); Leading receiver – WR Cody Leitzel (15 catches for 255 yards, 17.0 avg., 2 TD).
ABOUT CONESTOGA VALLEY: Coach is Tom Nichols (1st season; 6-4 overall). … Conestoga Valley won the 1991 District 3 Triple-A championship (over Middletown). … Buckskins were ninth in the league in total offense (319.8 yards per game) and 12th in the league in team defense (289.4) during the regular season. … Battling through some late-season injury bugs, but back in Districts for the first time since 2006. … Third-best in the league in the regular season with a plus-9 turnover ratio, including 20 takeaways on D. … Take away the 36-0 loss (in the rain) to Manheim Central, and the Bucks’ other three losses were by a grand total of 20 points, including gut-punch 24-21 loss to Cedar Crest in Week 3 and a 21-14 setback to Cocalico in Week 9, which bumped the Bucks out of the section hunt. Conestoga Valley led that game 14-7 in the second half.
ABOUT NORTHERN YORK: Coach is Rick Mauck (12th season; 93-27 overall). … Polar Bears average 259.9 yards per game. … Plus-1 in turnover ratio and outscored opponents 218-143. … Sixth playoff appearance in a row for Northern York, and last year’s 42-24 loss to Daniel Boone marked the first time the Polar Bears didn’t make it out of the first round over that span. … Outright Mid-Penn Capital Division champs this season. … Polar Bears are an Honorable Mention pick in Triple-A in the latest Harrisburg Patriot-News state rankings.
QUOTBALE: Northern York coach Rick Mauck (to the York Daily Record during the preseason) – “This is definitely the fuzziest-faced group we’ve had in a while in terms of seniors. We don’t have a whole lot of veterans. I think one of the big questions for us is how fast can the underclassmen get up to varsity speed … I think they’re good kids; I believe they can do it. You just don’t know if the learning curve will be two weeks or seven weeks. … We’re relatively inexperienced. This year will be a younger flavor. There will definitely be a lot of underclassmen starting. We’ll have more opportunities for young guys to get their shot at the Friday night lights.”
MULTIMEDIA:
Audio Podcast interview with Conestoga Valley coach Tom Nichols here.
Audio Podcast interview with Conestoga Valley’s Kevin Kelley here.
Audio Podcast interview with Conestoga Valley’s Stefan Sensenig here.
Audio Podcast interview with Conestoga Valley’s Alex Dienner here.
Audio Podcast interview with Conestoga Valley’s Leonard Williams here.
THE GAME: (13) Lampeter-Strasburg (7-3 overall; Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 3) @ (4) Conrad Weiser (8-2 overall; Berks Inter-County League Section 1), Friday, 7 p.m.; Triple-A first-round game.
WINNER GETS: (5) Hershey (8-2) or (12) Kennard-Dale (6-4) in the quarterfinals.
NOTABLE: This is a rematch of a 2007 District 3 Triple-A first-round game. Lampeter-Strasburg, the No. 7 seed, beat Conrad Weiser, the No. 10 seed, 49-21, and the Pioneers went on to win the program’s first district championship with a victory over Gettysburg.
KEY STATS: Lampeter-Strasburg’s key stat is 10 – the Pioneers are a plus-10 in turnover ratio, second-best in the L-L League, with 23 takeaways, third-most in the league. … Conrad Weiser’s key stat is 1,349 – Scouts’ dynamic WR D.J. Robinson has 1,349 yards from scrimmage, third-most in the Berks I-C League. He’s really, really good.
LAMPETER-STRASBURG STAT PACK: Leading rusher – RB Chad Frey (103 carries for 922 yards, 9.0 avg., 10 TD); Leading passer – QB Nate Shank (59-of-100 for 962 yards, 12 TD, 2 picks); Leading receiver – TE Christian DelRocini (21 catches for 346 yards, 16.5 avg., 7 TD).
CONRAD WEISER STAT PACK: Leading rusher – WR D.J. Robinson (114 carries for 994 yards, 8.7 avg., 14 total TD); Leading passer – QB Zach Guiles (61-of-123 for 1,174 yards, 11 TD, 10 picks); Leading receiver – TE Matt Weiser (20 catches for 344 yards, 17.2 avg., 4 TD).
ABOUT LAMPETER-STRASBURG: Coach is John Manion (12th season; 86-40 overall). … Pioneers gave up just 10.3 points per game during the regular season, second-best in the L-L League (Manheim Central – 7.6). … Lampeter-Strasburg has played its final season in L-L League Section 3; the Pioneers will bump up to Section 2 starting next season, leaving Section 3 with seven teams – and four non-league games apiece. Ephrata will jump from Section 2 to Section 1. … Lampeter-Strasburg was sixth in the league in total offense (352.0 yards per game) and third in the league in total defense (204.0 yards per game) during the regular season. … Chad Frey has three punt returns for touchdowns in the last two games, including a pair against Annville-Cleona in Week 10. … Will bring a 5-game winning streak into Districts; Pioneers have outscored their opponents 218-28 over that torrid clip, and Lampeter-Strasburg had shutout wins over Donegal (46-0) and Pequea Valley (35-0) sprinkled in that stretch. … Christian DelRocini has scored touchdowns five different ways – he has one TD run and seven TD catches from his tight end spot, plus: a punt return (13 yards vs. Donegal), a fumble recovery (42 yards vs. Pequea Valley) and an interception pick-6 (15 yards vs. Columbia). He’s the only player in the L-L League to score five different ways this season.
ABOUT CONRAD WEISER: Coach is Alan Moyer (7th season; 43-30 overall). … Scouts feature one of the most dynamic players in all of District 3 in wideout D.J. Robinson, who will line up wide, in the slot and even in the backfield. He’s listed as a receiver, but he’s Conrad Weiser’s leading rusher with 994 yards – he’ll touch the ball from anywhere at any time. And if Robinson isn’t enough of a headache, the Scouts also have senior RB Codie Butler, who has piled up 889 rushing yards and 14 TD. Butler was the Berks I-C League’s leading rusher in his sophomore season, so he knows the drill. … Conrad Weiser is averaging 358.1 yards per game (No. 2 in Berks I-C behind Schuylkill Valley) and giving up 251.6 yards per game, and the Scouts have outscored their opponents 387-219. … Plus-2 in turnover ratio. … Scouts are an Honorable Mention pick in Triple-A in the latest Harrisburg Patriot-News state rankings. … Riding a 6-game winning streak since a Week 4 league loss to Governor Mifflin.
QUOTBALE: Lampeter-Strasburg coach John Manion – “Conrad Weiser puts a lot of points on the board, but an even bigger problem for us might be putting points on the board against their tough defense. … They have great team speed on both sides of the ball. On offense, Butler and Robinson are a tough duo, but they’re not their only weapons. If you focus on just one of them, the other will kill you. If you focus only on them, there is plenty of talent to go around on their team to hurt you. … They are dangerous at any time, but especially when they run their version of the ‘Wildcat’ offense.”
MULTIMEDIA:
Audio Podcast interview with Lampeter-Strasburg coach John Manion here.
Audio Podcast interview with Lampeter-Strasburg’s A.J. Flick here.
Audio Podcast interview with Lampeter-Strasburg’s Zach Halpin here.
Audio Podcast interview with Lampeter-Strasburg’s Christian DelRocini here.
THE GAME: (8) York Suburban (7-3 overall; York-Adams Interscholastic Athletic Association Division 2) @ (1) Lancaster Catholic (9-1 overall; Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 3 outright champ), Friday, 7 p.m.; Double-A quarterfinal game.
LIVE BLOG: Keith Schweigert will be blogging live from this game at LancSports.com, so if you can’t make it to Rossmere Stadium, join him online for instant updates, analysis, scores from around the district and your questions and comments.
WINNER GETS: (4) Trinity (7-3) or (5) Middletown (7-3) in the semifinals. Wow, that’s a big game, eh? And – without jinxing anyone or looking too far ahead – Lancaster Catholic has a history with both of those teams. The Crusaders crushed Trinity 42-0 in the season-opener back on Sept. 5, and Lancaster Catholic mauled Middletown 41-0 in last year’s district championship game. No quarterfinal cupcakes in Double-A. Big games all around.
KEY STATS: York Suburban’s key stat is 10 – the Trojans are an opportunistic plus-10 in turnover ratio. … Lancaster Catholic’s key stat is 417 – the Crusaders have scored 417 points this season, most in the L-L League during the regular season.
YORK SUBURBAN STAT PACK: Leading rusher – RB Cody Waltimyer (149 carries for 1,183 yards, 7.9 avg., 17 TD); Leading passer – QB Jordan Knaub (33-of-61 for 503 yards, 4 TD, 6 picks); Leading receiver – RB Nathaniel Cross (15 catches for 239 yards, 15.9 avg., 2 TD).
LANCASTER CATHOLIC STAT PACK: Leading rusher – RB Jordan Stewart (132 carries for 1,086 yards, 8.2 avg., 14 TD); Leading passer – QB Kyle Smith (96-of-157 for 1,680 yards, 35 TD, 2 picks); Leading receiver – WR Tyler Purvis (38 catches for 703 yards, 18.5 avg., 12 TD).
ABOUT YORK SUBURBAN: Coach is Bill Kerr (3rd season; 18-13 overall). … Trojans won the 1986 District 3 Double-A championship (over Susquehanna Township). … Lost to Delone Catholic 38-0 in the first round of the Double-A playoffs last fall. … QB Jordan Knaub was suspended for the Week 10 game against Biglerville – a 35-0 win for York Suburban. A.J. Sottasante got the start, and Sottasante played a good chunk under center last season when Knaub was down with a shoulder injury. Sottasante is 9-for-27 with two TD passes in backup duty this season. Knaub is expected to return to the lineup and start against Lancaster Catholic. … Bruising RB Cody Waltimyer is a workhorse, and he doesn’t shy away from contact. He rushed for 1,281 yards and 23 TD last season, and his 1,183 yards were fourth-best in the YAIAA during the regular season this year. … Trojans average 314.2 yards per game out of their ‘Spread Gun’ attack, although they won’t go up top too much. Knaub’s favorite wideout on the flanks is WR Corey Bright (14-189, 3 TD). … Question mark this season was offensive line play, and that group has gotten better as the season has unfolded. … Three losses (Dallastown, West York, Kennard-Dale) were to District 3 playoff qualifiers, and all three are in higher classifications.
ABOUT LANCASTER CATHOLIC: Coach is Bruce Harbach (8th season; 72-23 overall). … Crusaders have yielded 922 rushing yards, least in the L-L League during the regular season; Lancaster Catholic boasted the second-ranked D in the league (195.8 yards per game) during the regular season. … Crusaders’ punting unit is averaging 38.7 yards per boot, tops in the L-L League during the regular season. … Lancaster Catholic won District 3 Double-A championships in 1982 (over this year’s first-round foe, York Suburban), 1983 (over Bishop McDevitt), 2005 (over Littlestown) and last year (over Middletown). So the Crusaders are gunning for their third title in the last five years. And don’t remind them about the 2006 ‘Hail Mary’ loss to Wyomissing in the district finale; it’s still a sore subject. … Lancaster Catholic is No. 6 in Double-A in the latest Harrisburg Patriot-News state rankings. … QB Kyle Smith led the L-L League with 35 TD passes during the regular season – he’s up to 103 TD tosses for his career, tops in state history. Smith also led the league in passing efficiency, with an off-the-charts 222.1 rating. Anything over 200 is superb. … WR Tyler Purvis has a team-best 39 catches, and his 703 receiving yards were the most in the league during the regular season. Purvis also had a league-best 12 TD grabs during the regular season, and he’s one of the top punters in the league. … Crusaders allowed 922 rushing yards during the regular season, least in the L-L League. … Lancaster Catholic featured the top punting unit in the L-L League during the regular season, averaging 38.7 yards per boot. … Lancaster Catholic was fourth in the league in total offense (365.5 yards per game) and second in the league in total defense (195.8 yards per game) during the regular season. … Dealt with some nagging injuries since Day 1; good news is that most – if not all – of the players are back.
QUOTBALE: York Suburban coach Bill Kerr (to the York Daily Record during the preseason) – “We have expectations, but we’re still trying to fly below the radar … Last year we didn’t have a lot of seniors, but they were a tight group. You just never know if you are going to have the same chemistry. That’s the one thing we need to develop.”
Lancaster Catholic coach Bruce Harbach – “York Suburban is very aggressive on defense and they make you work for your points; they move very well to the ball. Offensively they run the ball from a variety of formations and they really make you think on defense. They’re not overly big, but they’re quick and they move to the ball very well. … Winning the section title is one step closer to our team goals – now it becomes a week-to-week thing. Knowing that if you win you keep moving on really helps keep us motivated to defend our district title.”
MULTIMEDIA:
Audio Podcast interview with Lancaster Catholic coach Bruce Harbach here.
Audio Podcast interview with Lancaster Catholic’s Kyle Smith here.
Audio Podcast interview with Lancaster Catholic’s Jordan Stewart here.
Audio Podcast interview with Lancaster Catholic’s Hans Kessler here.
Audio Podcast interview with Lancaster Catholic’s Andrew Heise here.
