Boy, the first half of the regular season just flew on by, didn’t it? Seems like yesterday that we were getting fired up for the start of two-a-days in August, and now here we are glancing at the district playoff power points standings already.
Locally, the L-L League’s section races are beginning to heat up as the contenders start distancing themselves from the pretenders. The same is true in the battle for bragging rights between me and my sportswriting compadres at Lancaster Newspapers. I went 10-2 last week and stand at 58-18 for the season, good enough for second place behind my faithful companion here at LancSports.com, Jeff Reinhart. His picks are here.
Enough of my personal horn-tooting. Let’s move on to the picks:
SECTION 1
McCaskey (0-5, 0-2) at Penn Manor (4-1, 1-1):I’ll be blogging live from this one at my alma mater, hoping to withstand the temptation to revisit my college days with a stop at the Sugar Bowl for a large cheesesteak stromboli with onions. If you can’t make it to the game, please join me. On to the game: Penn Manor got a wakeup call with last week’s 32-27 loss to Reading — you can’t overlook anyone in Section 1, Comets. McCaskey probably would have preferred it if Penn Manor had waited another week to learn that lesson; the Tornado is just itching to spring an upset on someone, but it’s doubtful that the Comets will make the same mistake twice. This is a good rivalry game that has put up some wild scores and wacky finishes over the years, and I’m looking for the same thing to happen this week. I’ll take Penn Manor in a shootout.
Wilson (4-1, 2-0) at Hempfield (3-2, 1-1):The Dawgs kept on rolling last week, roughing up Cedar Crest 31-0 for their third straight win. Hempfield survived an upset bid from McCaskey in its 21-14 win, which helped ease the sting of its blowout loss to Penn Manor in Week 4. The Black Knights are one of those teams that are hard to figure out. You never know which team will show up on Friday night — the good one or the bad one. Wilson, meanwhile, just shows up and plays well every week. Consistency scores points with me. I’ll take the Bulldogs.
Warwick (3-2, 1-1) at Reading (2-3, 1-1):The Warriors got stomped by Manheim Township last week, while Reading sprung the biggest upset of the season on Penn Manor. What do you make of this Reading squad? Their two wins were both huge upsets (the knocked off Berks neighbor Governor Mifflin 13-0 in Week 2), but their three losses were ugly. I’m sure Warwick coach Bob Locker is spending the week emphasizing Reading’s two wins. And his Warriors could use a victory here, especially if they want to stay in the hunt in the section race (and, for that matter, the district playoffs). It’s a coin-flip game for me, but my gut says take the Warriors. So I’ll listen.
Manheim Township (4-1, 2-0) at Cedar Crest (2-3, 0-2): Township is on a roll with three straight victories, each one more impressive than the last. The Blue Streaks can do a lot of things well on offense, and their defense isn’t too shabby, either. Crest is another one of those teams that is struggling to stay consistent. Once again, I’ll go with the more consistent team. Give me the Streaks.
SECTION 2
Manheim Central (5-0, 2-0) at Ephrata (0-5, 0-2): I’ll take Central. Let’s move on.
Solanco (2-3, 0-2) at Conestoga Valley (4-1, 2-0): CV’s Kevin Kelley continues to run wild and is on pace to eclipse the 2,000-yard mark this season. He’d be the first L-L League back since former Lebanon Catholic star Tommy Long did the deed in 1996. To put that in perspective, back then gas cost $1.25 per gallon, Bill Clinton was president and Lebanon Catholic still had a football program. Boy, where does the time go? At any rate, a healthy dose of Kelley should be enough to lift the Buckskins here. I’ll take CV.
Elizabethtown (2-3, 1-1) at Garden Spot (0-5, 0-2): The good news for E-town is that the Bears can put up a ton of points. They average 25 per game. The bad news is their defense is allowing 27 per game — which could explain the 2-3 record. However, Garden Spot’s offense doesn’t appear to have the firepower to make E-town pay, and the Bears’ Mitch Weidman should have a field day against the Spartan ‘D.’ I’ll take da Bears.
Cocalico (4-1, 1-1) at Lebanon (2-3, 2-0):The Cedars have won two in a row, but those victories have come against the bottom two teams in Section 2. Cocalico, with outstanding QB Matt Carty and bruising rusher Austin Hartman leading the way, should present a much stiffer test. I think that loss to Central will be the only one the Eagles suffer between now and the playoffs. Give me Cocalico.
SECTION 3
Pequea Valley (1-4, 0-2) at Lancaster Catholic (4-1, 2-0):I’ve picked PV to win in each of the last three weeks, but this seems like a pretty good time to jump off the Braves’ bandwagon. Kyle Smith and the Crusader offense should light up PV’s defense like a Hollywood Casino slot machine. I’ll take Catholic.
Elco (5-0, 2-0) at Lampeter-Strasburg (2-3, 1-1):This is the biggest test of the season so far for Elco, which makes the long trip to Lampeter to take on the Pioneers — possibly the best 2-3 team in the district. L-S nearly knocked off Catholic last week, falling 14-13, and its other two losses came against Penn Manor and Cocalico, who are a combined 8-2. L-S should slow down QB Aaron Achey and Elco’s high-octane offense, but not enough. I’ll take the Raiders. CHEAP PLUG ALERT — LancSports.com’s Jeff Reinhart will be blogging live from this one. Be sure to stop by and say hello.
Donegal (1-4, 1-1) at Annville-Cleona (1-4, 1-1): Talk about your tough games to pick. Both teams got their only wins against Pequea Valley. Both have struggled mightily on both sides of the ball. Ugh. Let’s go with my tried-and-true tiebreaker method: a coin flip. <PAUSE> It was heads. I’ll take Donegal.
Northern Lebanon (3-2, 1-1) at Columbia (0-5, 0-2):The Vikings have a decent offense, while Columbia’s defense ranks dead last in the league in several catagories — most notably points allowed (235) and yards allowed (403 per game). The Crimson Tide has also turned the ball over 17 times, so it doesn’t get much better on the other side of the ball. I’ll take Northern Lebanon.
