Thanks to Clubber Lang for one of my favorite lines from the “Rocky” series.
My predictions were truly painful last week. So bad, in fact, that yours truly is currently looking up at all his sportswriting brethren in the race for the title of “Top Prognosticator.” I went 10-7, while my online colleague Jeff Reinhart is leading the way at 13-4. You can read his predicitions here.
So it’s time to shake things up and make a few changes. This week, I actually (ahem) did some research before making my bold predictions. And, if all else fails, I can revert to my normal method — flipping a coin. We’ll see if I do any better this week. Read on…
Cedar Crest (1-0) at Conrad Weiser (0-1): The Falcons got the Tom Waranavage era underway in style with a 33-14 drubbing of crosstown rival Lebanon in the 38th Cedar Bowl, while CW dropped a 28-14 decision to Whitehall. Weiser’s got some weapons, but I’m looking for the Falcons to pull off a second straight win. I’ll take CEDAR CREST.
Columbia (0-1) at York Suburban (0-1): Neither team wrapped themselves in glory in their season openers, as the Crimson Tide got flushed by Eastern York (35-20) and York Suburban got drubbed by Dallastown (42-7). It’s tough to get a feel for this one, so I’ll go to the coin flip. (PAUSE). OK. It was heads. Give me YORK SUBURBAN.
Conestoga Valley (1-0) at Warwick (1-0): How ’bout them Buckskins last week, knocking off favored Hempfield in Tom Nichols’ coaching debut? The CV alum certainly got his tenure off to the right start, beating the Black Knights 28-10. Warwick, meanwhile, just keeps on keepin’ on. They started their quest for another District 3 Class AAAA playoff appearance with a 24-0 shutout of Garden Spot. I like the Warriors here, though they’d better cut down on the turnovers — they committed five in their win over the Spartans. If they do that again, they’ll pay. Still, give me WARWICK. (Note: Jeff Reinhart will be blogging live for LancSports.com from this one).
Eastern York (1-0) at Donegal (0-1): Eastern continues its non-league jaunt through Section Three, this time taking on the Indians in Mount Joy. Donegal got dusted 42-6 by Daniel Boone last week in Jeff Polites’ first game on the sidelines, and it looks like they could struggle this year. Look for those struggles to continue this week. I’ll take EASTERN YORK.
Elizabethtown (1-0) at Muhlenberg (1-0): I got to see the Bears last week, when they knocked off McCaskey 41-27 in Mike Cottle’s debut on the sidelines, and there was a lot to like. Mitch Weidman ran wild, QB Andy Breault was effective in a limited role and the Bears rolled. But they did get gouged on the ground a bit, and they’ll have to tighten that up this week. Muhlenberg lost to Upper Perkiomen 20-13, but they’re no slouch. Still, I like the Bears in this one. So I’ll take E-TOWN.
Exeter (1-0) at Cocalico (1-0): Easy to pick this one — I’ll take the Eagles (Ha! I kill me!). But seriously, folks…Cocalico has developed into a traditional contender in Section Two, while Exeter is coming off back-to-back 0-10 seasons. Sure, they won last week (23-14 over Lower Merion), but Cocalico’s 34-21 victory at Lampeter-Strasburg was more impressive, and came against a better team. I’ll take COCALICO.
Garden Spot (0-1) at Hempfield (0-1): The Black Knight faithful were not pleased after their team fell to CV last week, but they don’t need to worry in this one. Garden Spot is breaking in a lot of new people at important positions, and it showed in last week’s loss to Warwick. I think coach Bob Forgrave and the Knights right the ship this week. Give me HEMPFIELD.
Hamburg (0-1) at Annville-Cleona (0-1): The Little Dutchmen got pasted by Palmyra in their season opener, falling 44-0. Hamburg nearly knocked off Elco before falling 21-19. So they had a better performance against a good team. Good enough for me. Give me HAMBURG.
Lancaster Catholic (1-0) at Ephrata (0-1): As we suspected in the preseason, the Crusaders are loaded — as evidenced by their 42-0 bombardment of Trinity last week. That Catholic won so impressively with several starters sidelined for disciplinary reasons speaks to the depth of talent on the roster. Meanwhile, Ephrata dropped a 14-0 decision to Manheim Township. I think the Mounts will improve this year, but they’re worlds away from upsetting Catholic. Look for the Crusaders to roll in their tuneup for next week’s clash with Manheim Central. CATHOLIC wins in a romp.
Penn Manor (1-0) at Lampeter-Strasburg (0-1): The Comets were my darkhorse pick to win the Section One title in the preseason, and I’m liking that pick a lot after seeing how they dismantled Solanco 47-21 last week. L-S hung tough with Cocalico, and the Pioneers are going to be a force in the Section Three race. But I think they’ll have to overcome an 0-2 start. I like PENN MANOR.
Pequea Valley (0-1) at Reading Central Catholic (1-0): The Braves’ losing streak is at 28 games and counting after last week’s 49-12 loss to Upper Dauphin. That’s not good. The fact that they’ve got Reading Central Catholic, fresh off its 21-6 win over Maryland School for the Deaf last week, is worse. Give me READING CC in this one.
Pine Grove (0-1) at Elco (1-0): The Cardinals dropped a 20-12 decision to Northern Lebanon last week, while Elco held off Hamburg. Everyone likes Elco and L-S to battle Lancaster Catholic in Section Three. I don’t know about that, but I like the Raiders here. Give me ELCO.
Reading (0-1) at Pottsville (0-1): Incidental note that only I care about…Pottsville is about four miles from my home town, and one of my fondest high-school memories is playing a huge game in the stadium there. Great venue. Anyway, the Crimson Tide fell to Allentown Central Catholic 40-14 last week, while Reading got blasted by York, 35-7. This rivalry game is known as the “Lump of Coal” game, and was won by Reading last year. I like the Tide to get revenge. POTTSVILLE all the way.
Red Lion (0-1) at Manheim Township (1-0): Red Lion got blanked by Cumberland Valley 35-0 last week, while Township shut out Ephrata. I like the Blue Streaks’ “Razorback” offense (you Michael Vick fans out there probably know it as The Wildcat), and I like them to go 2-0 with a win here. Give me TOWNSHIP.
Spring Grove (1-0) at Lebanon (0-1): The Cedars found that life without graduated QB James Capello isn’t much fun last week. But the problem wasn’t under center — new chucker Alex Trautman did fine — it was on the ground, where the Cedars gained just two yards. Ouch. I like SPRING GROVE here.
York (1-0) at McCaskey (0-1): Yes, the Red Tornado lost its 12th straight game to Elizabethtown last week. But there were some encouraging signs. Their ground game looked solid, with “Moose” (Demarcus Sumpter) and “Juice” (Markeith Williams) running wild. But the passing game was nearly non-existant, and the defense was ravaged by the loss of five starters to academic issues dating back to last spring. In light of all that, it’s going to take a bit for the Tornado to get going. I’ll take YORK.
Kennard-Dale (0-1) at Solanco (0-1): Bad news here for the Golden Mules, who lost two-way standby Brock Snyder to a broken collarbone in last week’s loss to Penn Manor. He might be gone for the season. Kennard-Dale, meanwhile, fell to Spring Grove 30-18. I like the Mules to bounce back here and get a win. Give me SOLANCO.
Northern Lebanon (1-0) at New Oxford (1-0): New Ox knocked off Waynesboro 27-7 last week in spite of three lost fumbles, while Northern Lebanon held off Pine Grove. I’m going with a coin flip. (PAUSE). It’s tails. Sorry, Vikings. Give me NEW OXFORD.
And finally…this is one you may have heard a thing or two about.
Wilson (1-0) at Manheim Central (1-0): I’ll be blogging live from this one for LancSports.com, and it’s going to be a great one. Normally, losing 20 starters from the previous season would be a hurdle for teams to overcome, but that’s not the case in West Lawn. The Bulldogs broke in their new starters with a 42-7 rout of Governor Mifflin, holding the Mustangs to just 143 total yards. Meanwhile, Manheim Central had a 35-0 lead after one quarter on its way to a 58-0 rout of Susquehannock. This is a tough one to pick, but I’m going with the homestanding Barons. They gave Wilson a tussle last year in West Lawn, and most of the starters were there. They’re at home, and they’re hungry. Give me CENTRAL.
Be sure to check with LancSports.com on Friday night. We’ll be updating scores as they happen on our ticker, and we’re the fastest place to get your L-L League finals. Enjoy the games!
