Well, we’ve made it through the non-league portion of the schedule and are rto get into section play, which is always my favorite time of year. No more having to chase down stats for the Fleetwoods and Interboros of the world in the vain hope of making an informed guess. Now we can concentrate on the L-L League. In short, it’s my time to shine.
I had a good week last week, going 13-3. That boosts my season record to 38-14, which leaves me a game behind my online colleague, Jeff Reinhart, in the race for bragging rights among my sportswriting brethren. Considering my lukewarm start, I’m happy to be (cue theme to “The Jeffersons”) movin’ on up.
Feel free to compare and contrast my picks with Jeff’s. His predictions are here.
One more cheap plug to get out of the way — be sure to check out LancSports.com’s main page for the preview videos Jeff and I shot for this week’s games. We’re offering a quick, two-minute breakdown of each game on the docket. We’ll be doing those for the rest of the season, so get used to seeing our ugly mugs popping up from time to time.
Onto the picks, starting with Section One…
Hempfield (2-1) at Penn Manor (3-0):The Knights are coming off their most impressive win of the season, a 47-20 throttling of Carlisle last week. They’ve won two straight and seem to have shaken off that Week 1 upset loss to Conestoga Valley. Penn Manor Mercy Ruled Exeter 49-14 last week and looked very impressive doing so. The Comets were my preseason Section One sleeper team, and it looks like they’re awake. I like them to hold off an improving Hempfield squad in Millersville. Give me the Comets.
Cheap plug alert: Jeff Reinhart will be blogging live from the game, so feel free to join him on LancSports.com if you can’t make it out there.
Reading (1-2) at Manheim Township (2-1):The Red Knights snapped a two-game skid last week with a 13-0 victory over Governor Mifflin, while Township knocked off Elizabethtown 31-21 to ease the sting of its Week 2 loss to Red Lion. The Blue Streaks are expecting Reading to be sky high after their victory over Mifflin, and the Knights’ speed in the backfield and size up front need to be respected. Still, Township is the more proven of the two teams, and it’s playing at home. I’ll take the Streaks.
Wilson (2-1) at McCaskey (0-3):The Bulldogs bounced back from their near-miss loss to Manheim Central by holding off Downingtown East 40-35 last week. McCaskey’s struggles continued, as the Tornado dropped a 37-6 decision at Coatesville. That was McCaskey’s 13th straight loss, tying the Tornado with Ephrata for the longest skid in the L-L League. McCaskey gets five projected defensive starters back from academic suspension this week, which should help. But I don’t think it will provide enough of a boost to beat Wilson. I’ll take the Bulldogs.
Warwick (2-1) at Cedar Crest (2-1):Crest upended Section Two surprise Conestoga Valley 24-21 last week, while Warwick had its way with winless Ephrata, winning 18-7. There’s a lot to like about the Falcons, who appear to be on the upswing under new coach Tom Waranavage, but Warwick has established a consistent — if widely unrecognized — winning program under Bob Locker. I like the Warriors.
In Section Two this week:
Cocalico (3-0) at Manheim Central (3-0):Probably the marquee game on the docket and the renewal of a pretty intense rivalry between the Eagles and the Barons, who had an extensive District 3 playoff history before Cocalico joined Section Two a few years back. Since then, things have gotten even more tense. Central completed an impressive run through its non-league schedule with last week’s 42-12 triumph over Lancaster Catholic, while Cocalico just destroyed Annville-Cleona 62-7 for its second straight Mercy Rule victory. I’m giving Central the nod here; they’ve got the edge in experience, they’ve played a tougher schedule and they’re playing at home. This could wind up being Cocalico’s only loss of the regular season, but I think it will be a loss. Give me Central.
Cheap plug alert No. 2: If you can’t make it out to Manheim to watch this one, be sure to join me here at LancSports.com for my live blog. I’ll fill you in on what you’re missing, and update scores from around the league.
Solanco (2-1) at Elizabethtown (1-2):A battle of two teams that seem to be headed in opposite directions; Solanco has won two straight since falling to Penn Manor in its season opener, while E-town is 0-2 since its 41-27 triumph over McCaskey in Week 1. The bad news for Solanco is that its top rusher, B.J. Enck, went down last week with an apparent hip injury during the Golden Mules’ first drive against New Oxford. The good news is two other backs — John Fisher and Ryan Kutz — each rushed for more than 100 yards in the Mules’ victory. So if Enck can’t go, the Mules should be covered. I like them to win this one; E-town has a talented offense, but its defense has had some issues against the run — and that’s Solanco’s specialty. Give me the Mules.
Conestoga Valley (2-1) at Garden Spot (0-3):CV is probably my favorite story to emerge this season. After going 1-9 last year, they’ve already doubled their win total under new coach Tom Nichols, the former Coatesville skipper and a CV alum. Sure, the Buckskins stumbled a bit against Cedar Crest last week (losing 24-21), but they’ve been a pleasant surprise in Section Two. And I like them to bounce back this week; with Kevin Kelley, the league’s leading rusher (592 yards through three games) primed to run wild against Garden Spot’s struggling defense. The Spartans are going through growing pains, and Friday night could be another long game. Give me CV.
Lebanon (0-3) at Ephrata (0-3):Now that we’ve got overtime to break ties at the end of regulation, we know that one of these teams will get off the schneid. A little extra pressure on the Mounts, whose slide is up to 13 games. Lebanon has discovered the life without star QB James Capello can be long and lonely, but the Cedars’ struggles can’t be laid at the feet of his successor, Alex Trautman. He’s got 492 passing yards through three games. The problem is Lebanon’s non-existent ground game (its top rusher has 42 yards on the year) and its porous defense. Still, I like the Cedars here. Ephrata has scored a league-low 14 points and averaged a league-low 140 yards per game on offense through three weeks, and Lebanon should be able to cobble together enough offense to squeak one out. I’ll take the Cedars.
And, finally, in Section Three:
Northern Lebanon (2-1) at Elco (3-0):Probably the game of the week in Section Three, as two teams hoping to mount a challenge against the seemingly unstoppable Lancaster Catholic juggernaut square off. Elco’s offense, engineered by veteran QB Aaron Achey, has put up some sick numbers so far. Achey has completed 70 percent of his passes (32 of 46) for 567 yards and seven scores and has yet to be picked off. He’s also the Raiders’ top rusher (191 yards, two TDs) and is the top tackler on defense with 20. Is there anything he can’t do? He should be able to lead Elco past Northern Lebanon, one of those teams that’s always dangerous yet seldom respected. I like Achey and the Raiders.
Lancaster Catholic (2-1) at Donegal (0-3):Pity poor Donegal. The Indians have slogged their way through three lopsided non-league losses, only to draw the prohibitive Section Three favorite and a District Three title contender in their section opener. The only bright spot for Donegal is that Catholic QB Kyle Smith is doubtful for the game after suffering a high ankle sprain while preparing for Manheim Central eight days ago. Even if Smith can go, he’ll be hobbled. Still, that won’t be enough for Donegal to pull off an upset; sophomore backup Sean Gibbons did a respectable job in the Crusaders’ loss to Central, and Catholic just has too much talent for the Indians to overcome. I like the Crusaders to bounce back in a big way.
Pequea Valley (1-2) at Annville-Cleona (0-3):Give it up for the Braves, who snapped the league’s longest losing streak (29 games) last week with a 35-25 victory over Fleetwood. That win gave Curtis Waltman his first career coaching victory in his third year at the helm, so it was a long time coming. And guess what? PV has a good shot at making it two in a row. Annville has struggled on both sides of the ball, but the Dutchmen’s defense has been the main problem. And one thing PV can do well is put up points. The Braves’ defense is shaky, but they’re facing an offense that has managed just 20 points and 17 first downs in three weeks. Advantage, PV.
Columbia (0-3) at Lampeter-Strasburg (1-2):The Pioneers shook off a two-game slide to start the season with last week’s 42-7 victory over struggling Garden Spot, and now they get another team looking for its first victory to open section play. Columbia has been outscored 137-33 in three games and is allowing 387 yards per game on defense. Those numbers don’t scream out “potential upset.” I like L-S to continue its resurgence after falling to a pair of 3-0 teams in Cocalico and Penn Manor in the first two weeks. Give me the Pioneers.
