Hard as it may be to believe, we’re already halfway through the regular season. Football always seems to fly by, and this year is no exception. Heck, we’re already starting to obsess over the District 3 playoff power points standings, and we still have five games to go.

But before we get into the regular season’s home stretch, let’s pause to give each L-L League team its midterm grades and separate the contenders from the pretenders.

GRADE A:

Manheim Central (5-0 overall, 2-0 Section 2):The Barons are as loaded and talented as we thought they were in the preseason. They’ve outscored opponents 191-53 and have two shutouts on defense. The offense averages just under 400 yards per game. The defense can dominate. And better yet, they’ve already been battle-tested, surviving a miracle comeback bid from Wilson in their 29-27 victory in Week 2 and reviving a little Manheim Magic themselves in their 17-14 win over Cocalico in Week 4. Assuming they survive next week’s big rivalry game with CV — which could determine first place in the section race — the Barons should cruise through the second half.

Elco (5-0 overall, 2-0 Section 3):The Raiders have one of the league’s most prolific offenses, averaging 389 yards and 40.4 points per game. QB Arron Achey is as much a threat to run for a touchdown as he is to throw for one; he has 1,036 yards and 16 TDs through the air and 436 yards and four scores on the ground. I think Elco will still be undefeated heading into its Week 10 showdown with Lancaster Catholic, which will make that game a lot more interesting.

Wilson (4-1 overall, 2-0 Section 1):Remember back in the preseason, when all we heard about was the 20 starters the Bulldogs lost from last season and how it was going to be a rebuilding year? Yeah, not so much. Wilson hasn’t missed a beat. Its only loss was the 29-27 defeat at Manheim in Week 2, and the Bulldogs nearly pulled off a miracle comeback in that one. Led by QB Zach Zweizig and tight end Tyler Beck, the passing game is scary. And rushers Kriss Brown and Nick Greth are a deadly combo in the backfield. Sure, the defense isn’t as dominant as it was last year, but the Dawgs remain for real. They’re still the team to beat in Section 1.

Cocalico (4-1 overall, 1-1 Section 2):Like Wilson, the Eagles get an A grade in spite of the one loss on their record because of who that loss came against: Manheim Central. And, like the Bulldogs, Cocalico had Central on the ropes. If QB Matt Carty could have hung onto the ball on his way to the end zone for a clinching touchdown in the second half, we’d be talking about the undefeated Eagles. But Central’s Dan Trafford knocked it loose at the 3-yard line, and it rolled through the end zone for a touchback. Central then came back to tie the game at 14 and booted a game-winning field goal with 1.8 seconds to go. That’s all that separates Cocalico from perfection, but it doesn’t prevent them from getting an A.

Lancaster Catholic (4-1 overall, 2-0 Section 3):OK, we’ve got a trend here. Catholic’s only loss of the season came to Manheim Central — and it came with all-state QB Kyle Smith standing in the sidelines with a high-ankle sprain. You can argue that Smith’s presence might not have affected the outcome against the Barons, but there’s no arguing that the game would’ve been closer than the 42-12 final score without him. But he’s back in the lineup now, and Catholic should cruise into its Week 10 showdown with Elco unscathed. The Crusaders already cleared the second-biggest hurdle between them and another Section 3 crown with last week’s 14-13 squeaker over Lampeter-Strasburg.

GRADE B

Penn Manor (4-1 overall, 1-1 Section 1):The Comets were cruising toward a midterm A before they failed last week’s pop quiz at Reading, falling 32-27. Sure, they rallied from a 26-7 deficit in the third quarter to take a late lead, but they allowed the Red Knights to march down the field and score the game-winning TD with 25 seconds left. It was just the second win of the season for Reading, which got blasted 50-6 by Manheim Township the week before. The Comets still got big tests coming up in the second half of the season, with Manheim Township and Wilson looming ahead on the schedule. They should still be a factor in the section race and could snag a decent seed in the district playoffs, but they’ll have to work for it.

Manheim Township (4-1 overall, 2-0 section): The only blemish on the Blue Streaks’ record is a 31-21 upset loss to Red Lion (2-3) in Week 2, which knocks them down to B+ territory. Since then, the Streaks have reeled off three straight wins — and they appear to be improving every week. After Friday night’s tussle with Cedar Crest, Township has Penn Manor and Wilson in back-to-back games, so their Section 1 destiny will be decided soon.

Conestoga Valley (4-1 overall, 2-0 Section 2):The Buckskins suffered an upset loss to Cedar Crest in Week 2, which knocked them from the ranks of the unbeatens and out of the running for an A in my gradebook. But coach Tom Nichols has CV back in the Section 2 race in his first season since he left Coatesville to take over at his alma mater. That puts the spice back into the rivalry game with Manheim Central, which looms next week. Think star RB Kevin Kelley and the rest of the Bucks wouldn’t love to get some payback against the Barons?

GRADE C:

Hempfield (3-2 overall, 1-1 Section 1):The Black Knights were picked to win Section 1 in the Intell/New Era’s preseason football tab, but things haven’t worked out as planned. Sure, they have three wins — but those wins came against Garden Spot (0-5), Carlisle (2-3) and McCaskey (0-5). The two good teams Hempfield has faced — Conestoga Valley and Penn Manor — beat the Knights by a combined score of 62-16.

Warwick (3-2 overall, 1-1 Section 1):In the preseason, the Warriors were picked to be a middle-of-the-pack team in the section race, and that’s right about where they are. Their most memorable win so far was a 27-20 triumph over Cedar Crest, when they rallied from a 14-point deficit in the fourth quarter. Warwick is one of those programs that quietly puts together a 7- or 8-win season just about every year, but rarely factors into the section race. This year should be no exception.

Northern Lebanon (3-2 overall, 1-1 Section 3):  The Vikings’ two losses came against one very good team (Elco) and one pretty good team (New Oxford), and they haven’t really blown anyone away in their three victories (over Pine Grove, Hamburg and Annville-Cleona). They’re an average team that is just good enough to be dangerous. However, playing as a AAA team in Section 3 makes the road to the district playoffs much harder, especially when you’ve got more than two losses on your record. And the Vikes still have to play Lancaster Catholic.

Lampeter-Strasburg (2-3 overall, 1-1 Section 3):What? How can a sub-.500 team be considered average? Just take a closer look at the Pioneers’ three losses — against Penn Manor, Cocalico and Lancaster Catholic. They’re a combined 12-3, and L-S gave all three of them a battle. Unfortunately for the Pioneers, that probably won’t be enough to get them into the district playoffs as a Class AAA team, nor will it allow them to contend for the section title.

GRADE C-

Reading (2-3 overall, 1-1 Section 1):The Red Knights pulled off their biggest win in years — and arguably the L-L League’s most shocking upset of the season — with last week’s triumph against Penn Manor. Interestingly, their other win — a 13-0 triumph over Berks County neighbor Governor Mifflin — was also a pretty big upset. Reading can’t be considered a good team (yet), but the Knights are not too shabby. A low-side-of-average grad seems fair.

Cedar Crest (2-3 overall, 0-2 Section 1): The Falcons were blown out in two of their three losses, but they also upset Conestoga Valley 24-21 in Week 2 and nearly knocked off Warwick in Week 4. That gives them some bonus points in my book.

Elizabethtown (2-3 overall, 1-1 Section 2):The Bears can score points in bunches; they average 25 per game. But they’ve got major issues on defense, yielding 27 per game. Opposing teams have been able to gouge them on the ground — something they’ll need to shore up in the second half of the season, with Manheim Central and Cocalico looming on the schedule.

Solanco (2-3 overall, 0-2 Section 2):Injuries took a toll on the Golden Mules in the first half and contributed to the two-game slide they’re currently riding. Leading rusher B.J. Enck was banged up early in the season, but the real culprit has been their defense.

GRADE D:

McCaskey (0-5 overall, 0-2 Section 1):The Red Tornado’s losing streak has reached 16 games, dating back to the final week of the 2007 season. That’s the longest current skid in the Lancaster-Lebanon League. The good news for the Tornado is that things are improving; they’ve led in every game this year. They just need to find a way to avoid the big, game-changing mistakes and close one out. There are still one or two winnable games on the schedule — maybe more, if McCaskey stays true to what first-year coach David Given is preaching.

Ephrata (0-5 overall, 0-2 Section 2):While McCaskey’s 0-16 streak since the end of 2007 is the worst skid in the league, the Mountaineers are right behind. Their slide is at 15 games, with little relief in sight. They get Manheim Central on Friday. Enough said.

Garden Spot (0-5 overall, 0-2 Section 2):The Spartans are also looking for their first win of the season. Circle next Friday on your calendar — that’s when Garden Spot visits Ephrata. One of them will pick up a win.

Donegal (1-4 overall, 1-1 Section 3):The Indians’ only win of the season came against Pequea Valley. They also had a near-miss against Eastern York, falling 20-14 in overtime. Otherwise, it’s been a season full of blowouts for Donegal and new coach Jeff Polites. There are still a few winnable games on the schedule, so the Indians might be able to close out the year with a few wins and give themselves a shot of confidence heading into next season.

Annville-Cleona (1-4 overall, 1-1 Section 3):Like Donegal, the Little Dutchmen knocked off Pequea Valley for their only win. And, like Donegal, A-C’s other losses were all fairly ugly. The Dutchmen take on Donegal on Friday.

Pequea Valley (1-4 overall, 0-2 Section 3):The Braves’ losing streak reached 29 games before they knocked off Fleetwood in Week 3 to get off the schneid. Since then, it’s been back to normal for PV, which has a potent passing game with QB Ben Myers at the controls but struggles to stop anyone on defense.

Columbia (0-5 overall, 0-2 Section 3): It’s been a long, ugly season thus far for the Crimson Tide, which ranks dead last in the league in yards allowed (403 per game) and points allowed (47 per game). To make matters worse, the offense has turned over the ball a league-high 17 times. Those numbers all add up to one big total: 0 wins.