By KEITH SCHWEIGERT, Online Sports Editor

If there’s any room on the Penn Manor bandwagon, I’m climbing aboard.

Yes, I said Penn Manor. The same Penn Manor that once thought a 5-5 season was a reason to celebrate. The same Penn Manor that once went three years without posting a single victory. The same Penn Manor that suffered through a 1-9 season last year.

What the heck happened to the Comets? They’re like, good and stuff. A perfect 7-0 after Friday night’s thrilling 20-19 victory over Manheim Township. Tied with Wilson for first place in the Section 1 race. And, most likely, a District 3 AAAA playoff team — even if the unthinkable happens and they lose their final three games.

And I seriously doubt that’s going to happen. Yes, they’ll still be big underdogs when they host Wilson in Week 9. The Bulldogs will be favored against everyone they play between now and the district playoffs. When you stack them up, player to player, against Penn Manor, the Dawgs are probably far ahead in terms of talent. And yes, when it comes down to it, I’ll still pick Wilson to win that one.

But other than that, I’m through picking against the Comets. Friday night, they visit Warwick, then comes the Wilson showdown. Then they close the season against Cedar Crest. And they be favorites in two of the three. Go figure.

I have Penn Manor pencilled in at 9-1 heading into the district playoffs, which should give them a very high seed. They could be favored in the first round or two of the playoffs. Suddenly, it’s not far-fetched to believe they could be a district semifinalist.

You certainly can’t call the Comets a fluke anymore. A 7-0 team is no fluke. Sure, their three non-league wins came over Solanco, Lampeter-Strasburg and Exeter — teams with a combined 5-16 record. But you can counter those with impressive wins over Hempfield and Manheim Township — two of the better programs in Section 1.

Hempfield is 5-2 on the season. It’s only other loss is against Wilson. Township is 4-3, but its three losses are by a combined five points. The Streaks are the defending section champions, and they came into last Friday’s game thinking they could knock off the Comets and get back in the race.

Instead, it was Penn Manor that made another statement. The Comets trailed early, but rallied in the second half by taking advantage of the opportunities Township gave them. Sean Noll, a powerful, bruising running back, gave them the lead for good midway through the fourth quarter with a short TD run. The Streaks answered with a touchdown of their own, but missed the extra point kick. Penn Manor’s Michael Treier may have had something to do with that; he didn’t block the kick, but he came close enough to force the kicker to push the ball wide.

Then the Comet defense stepped up, forcing a late turnover on a Township trick play. The Streaks attempted a double reverse, but fumbled the second handoff. Penn Manor’s Tyler Musser jumped on it, and the Comets ran out the clock.

So Penn Manor is far from perfect. The Comets have flaws. But in a section with only one true powerhouse, they are clearly the best of the rest. Barring a miracle upset of Wilson, they probably don’t have enough in the tank to capture the section crown. But they’re having the kind of successful season that can turn a program around. Even the biggest dynasty has to take a first step sometime.

This is Penn Manor’s first step. And it’s a big one.