Hard to believe we’re coming up on the halfway point of the regular season already. Football season always seems to fly by, even when the playoffs extend into late November or early December.

Seems like there’s a good chance of that happening again around here. We’ve already hit the point where the wheat begins to separate from the chaff, to use a biblical reference. We have three very good (and undefeated) teams who stand out — Penn Manor in Section 1, Manheim Central in Section 2 and Elco in Section 3 — plus several other one-loss teams who are clearly playoff contenders (Wilson, Township, Warwick, Cocalico and Lancaster Catholic — I’m looking in your direction). The plotlines should only get more interesting as we head into the second half of the season.

On to the picks…another strong week for Yours Truly in Week 4; I went 10-2 and brought my season total up to 48-16. That’s good enough for second place behind my online colleague, Jeff Reinhart (whose picks for this week can be found here).

SECTION 1

Cedar Crest (2-2, 0-1) at Wilson (3-1, 1-0):The Falcons could easily be 3-1; they led Warwick 20-7 last week before allowing the Warriors to rally and clip them in the end. Wilson’s only loss was to Manheim Central — a game in which the Bulldogs nearly pulled off a miracle comeback of their own. Even though Crest is one of those sneaky-good teams that probably deserves a little more credit, I’m sticking with Wilson. The names on the jerseys change, but the results don’t. I’ll take the Dawgs.

Hempfield (2-2, 0-1) at McCaskey (0-4, 0-1):Boy, is there a tougher team to get a read on than Hempfield? Just when you think the Black Knights had things figured out, they go and turn the ball over six times in last week’s 34-6 shellacking by Penn Manor. I’m tempted to go with an upset pick here — McCaskey has led at halftime in each of its last three games, but hasn’t been able to hold things together in the second half. But, in the end, I’m taking Hempfield. The Knights will be looking to bounce back, and I just get the feeling they’re going to smash-mouth the Red Tornado to death.

Manheim Township (3-1, 1-0) at Warwick (3-1, 1-0): Good neighborhood rivalry here, and a very tough game to call. Township struggled to put up points early in the season, but the Streaks sure righted their ship against Reading last week, pummelling the Red Knights 50-6. Warwick, meanwhile, had to pull off that big comeback against Cedar Crest. The Warriors are one of those teams that just quietly go about the business of winning games. Still, I’m going to lean toward Township. Call it a gut feeling in a 50-50 game. (Cheap plug alert: LancSports.com’s Jeff Reinhart will be blogging live from this one. Feel free to join him).

Penn Manor (4-0, 1-0) at Reading (1-3, 0-1): Batten down the hatches, Red Knights. This could get ugly. Penn Manor has an aggressive, hard-hitting defense and a ton of talent at the skill positions on offense. They’ve only been held under 30 points once — and that was in a 14-10 win over under-rated Lampeter-Strasburg. Reading’s had some issues on defense, which could be a problem on Friday. Give me Penn Manor in a game that’s got ”Mercy Rule” written all over it.

SECTION 2

Conestoga Valley (3-1, 1-0) at Elizabethtown (2-2, 1-0): Another quality matchup here and a tough game to pick. CV is one of the league’s biggest surprises, and the Buckskins appear to be legit. They’ve got arguably the best running back in the league in Kevin Kelley, who continues to rack up 100-yard games in spite of the fact that everyone in the stands knows he’s getting the ball on almost every running down. Kelley’s the reason I’m going with CV here; E-town’s had some issues with run defense, and he’s one of the best.

Manheim Central (4-0, 1-0) at Solanco (2-2, 0-1): The Barons pulled off another Houdini act last week against Cocalico, calmly lining up for the game-winning 40-yard field goal as the clock ticked down. At the time I called it more Manheim Magic, but in reality it was just good coaching, great preparation and flawless execution. Solanco was a trendy darkhorse pick in Section 2 before the season, but I think the Golden Mules get trampled here. Give me the Barons, who will likely spend the rest of the regular season tightening things up on both sides of the ball.

Ephrata (0-4, 0-1) at Cocalico (3-1, 1-0): Think the Eagles are looking for someone to take out their frustration on after coming so close last week in Manheim? Yeah, me too. And that’s not good news for Ephrata, which has gamely hung around in just about every game this season but has no wins to show for it. The Mountaineers will have to wait another week, because I can’t envision a way they knock off Cocalico here. Give me the Eagles.

Garden Spot (0-4, 0-1) at Lebanon (1-3, 1-0): Thanks to the elimination of ties with the advent of an overtime rule, we know there’s going to be a winner here. But these two teams have both struggled so far this season. Garden Spot’s still looking for its first win, while Lebanon picked up its first ‘W’ by holding off winless Ephrata last week. I’m taking the Cedars, because their offense is a little more potent than the Spartans’. But it will not be a game that will be long remembered for its aesthetic appeal.

SECTION 3

Lampeter-Strasburg (2-1, 1-0) at Lancaster Catholic (3-1, 1-0): The marquee game in Section 3 this week pits the surging Pioneers against everyone’s preseason pick to win the section. This will be Catholic’s biggest test between now and Week 10, when the Crusaders host undefeated Elco. L-S is riding a two-game win streak, knocking around winless Garden Spot (42-7) and Columbia (52-6). The Pioneers’ two losses were to a pair of very good programs: Penn Manor (14-10) and Cocalico (34-21). They’re better than their record indicates, folks. Meanwhile, Catholic rebounded from its loss to Manheim Central in Week 3 by Mercy Ruling Donegal last week. QB Kyle Smith threw for three touchdowns in six series’ worth of work in his first action since spraining an ankle while prepping for the Central game. I think L-S will give the Crusaders a battle, but I like Catholic to prevail.  There’s just too much talent, even if Smith’s still a little gimpy. (Cheap plug #2: I’ll be blogging live from this one, so please join me if you can’t make it out to your game on Friday.)

Columbia (0-4, 0-1) at Elco (4-0, 1-0):Hmmm … Elco has the best offense in the league, averaging 380 yards and 39 points per game. Columbia has one of the league’s worst defenses, yielding 407 yards and 48 points per game. I don’t want to pick on the Crimson Tide, but the math doesn’t look good here. I’ll take Elco.

Donegal (0-4, 0-1) at Peqeua Valley (1-3, 0-1):If you had told me before the season that I’d pick Pequea Valley to win in three consecutive games, I would have said you were nuts. But here I am, still on the Braves’ bandwagon. Sure, they got trampled by winless Annville-Cleona last week, ending their winning streak at one. I think Donegal will be able to move the ball against PV’s struggling defense, but I don’t think the Indians will be able to slow down Ben Myers and the Braves’ offense, either. Give me PV.

Annville-Cleona (1-3, 1-0) at Northern Lebanon (2-2, 0-1): The Little Dutchmen rushed for an astounding 448 yards in last week’s win over Pequea Valley, their first triumph of the season. Those numbers have to give you pause, even when they come against a defense as porous as PV’s. But I can’t see that happening against Northern Lebanon, one of those sneaky teams that has always found its way into the section race in recent seasons. Sure, they got knocked around pretty good by Elco last week, but I like the Vikes.