By Jason Guarente
Section 2 was once the exclusive property of Manheim Central. The Barons were written into the top spot in ink every year.
It’s not that way any more.
Central hasn’t won the section title since 2005. Conestoga Valley was the surprise champ in 2006 before Elizabethtown and Solanco shared the crown last year.
What about 2008? It’s hard to pick a frontrunner. Central was the preseason choice, but the section appears deeper – and more unpredictable – than ever. MC, Elizabethtown, Garden Spot and Cocalico all look like contenders. Lebanon and Solanco are capable of springing an upset each week.
Can anyone remember when Section 2 ran six deep in quality teams?
“It’s amazing,” E-town coach Jeff Polites said. “Every week there are going to be a couple of great games. Every week there will be a nice game and people will be running home to see what the scores are. It’s real exciting.”
Added running back Conrad Heisey …
“It is a challenge every week. Our opponents are really tough. Each team has great players. They all have a unique style. Some can pass better. Some can run better. So it’s always fun to see who we play. We can go with different things and run different plays. It should be fun going through the year.”
E-town’s matchup with Garden Spot is this week’s race-changer. Both teams are 2-0 and tied with Central for first place. The winner will likely continue to share first place with the Barons, who take on winless Ephrata.
E-town is quietly putting together a nice encore to its dream season. The Bears started 9-0 and advanced to the second round of the District 3 Triple-A playoffs in 2007. While complacency combined with the burden of high expectations might be a problem for some teams coming off that kind of performance, it hasn’t been an issue for Polites and his gang.
“We really wanted to show people that it wasn’t just one year,” Heisey said. “We wanted to prove to them that we do have talent and we want to use it. So far we’ve been using our talent and using what the coaches have taught us to come out 4-1 and pick up where we left off last year.”
Is it enough to claim at least a share of another section crown?
It’s too soon to tell. The only thing we know for sure is it won’t be easy.
