Standings:
Name: Week 3: Overall:
Andy Shay: 16-3; 51-18
Andy Sandrik: 18-1; 51-18
Adam Kulikowski: 14-5; 56-23
Friday, Sept. 6
Non-League
West Perry 16, Upper Dauphin 0
Andy Shay: West Perry 42, Upper Dauphin 26: This will be a step up in overall resistance for the Mustangs, but early indicators are West Perry won’t be threatened by what UDA has to offer.
Andy Sandrik: West Perry 36, Upper Dauphin 19: Mustangs’ RB Brad Hockenberry is averaging 29.2 yards per carry. It sounds like I’m making that up, but I’m really not.
Adam Kulikowski: West Perry 45, Upper Dauphin 21: The Mustangs suffered significant losses to graduation, but the performance of Hockenberry and this new-look crew shows this is a re-load instead of the dreaded rebuild season.
Commonwealth
Cumberland Valley 13, Altoona 0
Andy Shay: Cumberland Valley 35, Altoona 7: Nice schedule break for the Eagles to work on their craft as a unit to be better prepared for what lies ahead. Winning matters, but how CV wins will be what the coaching staff will be focused on.
Andy Sandrik: Cumberland Valley 32, Altoona 14: The Eagles had a nice bounce-back win last week and now they hit the road to face another opponent they’re expected to beat. Altoona has only scored 14 points in two games, so its best shot to steal a win at home is to keep this a low-scoring ballgame.
Adam Kulikowski: Cumberland Valley 37, Altoona: 13: The Eagles running game took a nice step forward in Week 2 after being stymied to open the season. Can Brody Pines and that offensive line continue to create holes in Week 3?
Bishop McDevitt 40, Chambersburg 3
Andy Shay: Bishop McDevitt 47, Chambersburg 14: Wondering if the Crusaders are licking their wounds or have moved on from a gut-wrenching loss to Harrisburg. It’s not that you lose, but how you respond that matters. So does the opponent and this looks favorable for McD.
Andy Sandrik: Bishop McDevitt 48, Chambersburg 7: I don’t know how many TDs the Crusaders will have to put up to wipe the Harrisburg loss from their memory, but it’s a lot. That’s bad news for the Trojans.
Adam Kulikowski: Bishop McDevitt 56, Chambersburg 13: Yes, the Crusaders lost last week in a building that lived up to the hype in every way. The adage that iron sharpens iron holds true. McD will be better this year for having played that game. A scary proposition for a Chambersburg club showing some signs of life.
Central Dauphin 48, Carlisle 0
Andy Shay: Central Dauphin 28, Carlisle 7: This win will be earned by a Rams team short on upper-echelon talent, but big on making themselves hard to beat. After getting embarrassed in Week 1, they showed more than enough dog in the fight to be a tougher out than you might think.
Andy Sandrik: Central Dauphin 27, Carlisle 14: Despite a loss last Friday, the rebuilding Rams made a big leap from Week 1 to 2. Carlisle, not so much.
Adam Kulikowski: Central Dauphin 24, Carlisle 6: Both teams are still searching for answers as we head into the third week of the season. Rams seem to have more in the cupboard than their Cumberland County foes.
Central Dauphin East 28, Cedar Cliff 27:
Andy Shay: Cedar Cliff 31, Central Dauphin East 28: What I like is how the Colts have already had their feet to the fire and know exactly what is needed to push across the line. Panthers might have more elite talent in spots, but the Colts are not an easy team to beat.
Andy Sandrik: Cedar Cliff 28, Central Dauphin East 21: This is shaping up to be a must-watch Commonwealth contest. I think Cedar Cliff has a few more tricks up its sleeve, but CD East certainly turned a few heads when it held its opponent to just over 10 yards of total offense last week.
Adam Kulikowski: Central Dauphin East 33, Cedar Cliff 27: Am I drinking the Panther Kool-Aid too soon? This just might be the most intriguing match-up on the docket in Week 3.
Keystone
Gettysburg 54, Red Land 12
Andy Shay: Gettysburg 34, Red Land 20: It’s now or never for the Warriors. Last week might have left a scar for the season if Gettysburg falls to 0-3 here. Not sure Red Land can keep pace, but remember the Pats scored 30 in their opener.
Andy Sandrik: Gettysburg 31, Red Land 14: No one wants to label a Week 3 game as a must-win, but it sure feels that way for the Warriors, doesn’t it?
Adam Kulikowski: Gettysburg 35, Red Land 20: Warriors might be the most disappointing squad so far this season. If this team is going to turn things around, now is the time to get on track with Northern York and Mechanicsburg on deck.
Hershey 34, Palmyra 13:
Andy Shay: Hershey 28, Palmyra 7: I’m going to hitch my U-Haul to the Trojans defense in this one and ride their ability to slow down the Cougars as the key.
Andy Sandrik: Hershey 22, Palmyra 17: The Trojans and Falcons both lost last week, but I only expected one of those results. Has Palmyra improved enough to make this a 50-50 game?
Adam Kulikowski: Hershey 28, Palmyra 13: Can the Cougars generate enough offense to make hay in this match-up? Trojans defense will be a tough test.
Lower Dauphin 35, Northern York 14:
Andy Shay: Lower Dauphin 20, Northern York 14: This is the game where the depth of LD at the skill positions has to make a difference otherwise chalk up an upset win for the Polar Bears.
Andy Sandrik: Lower Dauphin 17, Northern York 12: Both teams are coming off confidence-boosting wins and both teams see this as a winnable contest. This game gets my pick for Grinder of the Week.
Adam Kulikowski: Lower Dauphin 21, Northern York 14: To me, this one can go either way. The best weapon on the field is Grady Bonin, the do-it-all QB for the Polar Bears. The difference to me is the supporting cast–which edges to the Falcons.
Mechanicsburg 40, Mifflin County 6:
Andy Shay: Mechanicsburg 35, Mifflin County 21: This will be about who hits more of those “explosive” plays covering 20 or more yards. Huskies will take their shots, but the Wildcats combo has been more consistently lethal.
Andy Sandrik: Mechanicsburg 35, Mifflin County 24: The Wildcats have been steady through two games under Dave Heckard, but they’ll have to be wary of a Mifflin County team that might be in desperation mode after letting a win slip away against Northern.
Adam Kulikowski: Mifflin County 28, Mechanicsburg 27: Senior quarterback Fletcher Wilson has shown that the Huskies aren’t afraid to push the ball downfield. That makes this a tricky match-up for a Wildcats squad that should be the favorite entering this one.
Shippensburg 28, Waynesboro 21:
Andy Shay: Shippensburg 28, Waynesboro 26: Full plaudits to both squads for showing way more than what was expected through eight quarters. Hard for me to not pick the Hounds when the margins are slim.
Andy Sandrik: Shippensburg 21, Waynesboro 20: The Greyhounds and Indians looked way better than expected in games they weren’t necessarily expected to win last week, but somehow did. Convincingly. Friday night could very well come down to who blinks first.
Adam Kulikowski: Shippensburg 31, Waynesboro 24: The Greyhounds have leaned heavily on its running backs with 95 carries out of 115 offensive snaps in the first two weeks. Can the Indians force Shippensburg to beat them through the air?
Capital
Camp Hill 55, Susquenita 7:
Andy Shay: Camp Hill 49, Susquenita 0: This will either be the halftime score or something close to it. Lions have every advantage in the book on their side.
Andy Sandrik: Camp Hill 32, Susquenita 0: Finally, a game where the cardiac kids from Camp Hill can breathe. I don’t always pick shutouts, but Susquenita is still looking for its first points of the season.
Adam Kulikowski: Camp Hill 42, Susquenita 6: Lions seal up this Dub early and get the youngbucks some additional playing time.
Steelton-Highspire 56, Halifax 7:
Andy Shay: Steelton-Highspire 49, Halifax 7: Everyone knows who the Rollers are this year. Yet somehow in this matchup, it will feel like each of the previous four years.
Andy Sandrik: Steelton-Highspire 55, Halifax 0: This will be a good chance for the still-growing Rollers to get some live varsity reps and build some continuity in all three phases.
Adam Kulikowski: Steelton-Highspire 41, Halifax 13: The Rollers may have their bumps along the road as they reload, but this outcome is predictable.
James Buchanan 34, Newport 0
Andy Shay: James Buchanan 20, Newport 13: Ladies and Gentlemen your 3-0 James Buchanan Rockets.
Andy Sandrik: James Buchanan 18, Newport 12: The entirety of Rocket Stadium in Mercersburg just might blast off to the moon if James Buchanan wins this game and goes to 3-0.
Adam Kulikowski: James Buchanan 28, Newport 6: Plenty to feel good about if you are a Rockets fan so far this season. Good vibes flow another week!
Line Mountain 20, Juniata 18:
Andy Shay: Line Mountain 26, Juniata 20: Going chalk in this game for a couple of Capital Division heavyweights. This one could go either way and that way will make sense.
Andy Sandrik: Line Mountain 19, Juniata 18: True coin flip game between the teams I picked to finish 1-2 in the Capital. I wish I had a phone-a-friend lifeline I could use to reach TVL historian Michael Bullock for insight.
Adam Kulikowski: Juniata 28, Line Mountain 21: Indians defense has yet to yield more than 14 points in a ball game this season. Continue that trend and good things will happen on Friday.
Colonial
Trinity 35, Big Spring 14:
Andy Shay: Trinity 24, Big Spring 20: Something tells me the fire the T-Rocks have been forced to battle through serves them well in this grinder of a game. Big Spring is capable of sucking the life out of the game in their likeness and image if permitted.
Andy Sandrik: Trinity 28, Big Spring 13: If Trinity can limit the big plays from Bulldogs’ RB Grant Hall (135.5 ypg), the Shamrocks have a really good shot to improve to 2-1, better than most of the “experts” have predicted.
Adam Kulikowski: Big Spring 28, Trinity 24: Toss up game to me. I could make a compelling case for either team.
Susquehanna Township 61, Boiling Springs 10:
Andy Shay: Susquehanna Township 42, Boiling Springs 14: Hanna Tribe showed they can turn it on when pushed this season and they are growing into a 48-minute football outfit. This is the next step. Early and often should be the mantra this week.
Andy Sandrik: Susquehanna Township 38, Boiling Springs 7: ‘Hanna was forced to evolve last week in a challenging game against Greencastle-Antrim, and that level of intensity should serve the Tribe well in front of their home crowd.
Adam Kulikowski: Susquehanna Township 45, Boiling Springs 13: The Tribe’s mettle was tested last week–and Joe Headen’s crew didn’t disappoint. Look for another Hanna dub this week against a crew still looking to find themselves.
East Pennsboro 35, Milton Hershey 13:
Andy Shay: Milton Hershey 28, East Pennsboro 24: A couple of not-exactly-sure teams after eight quarters, but something feels like it’s moving in the right direction for the Spartans. Feels like EP is struggling a bit.
Andy Sandrik: East Pennsboro 21, Milton Hershey 16: Aaron Angelo is averaging exactly 100 rushing yards per game for East Pennsboro, and if he does it again this week I think the Panthers have a very good chance of nailing down that first win.
Adam Kulikowski: Milton Hershey 24, East Pennsboro 21: The last time the Spartans beat East Penn was in 2019. Milton Hershey breaks that streak this year.
Greencastle-Antrim 28, Middletown 26:
Andy Shay: Greencastle-Antrim 28, Middletown 7: The Blue Devils might be 0-2, but they have been more than competitive and are ready to get victory No. 1. Blue Raiders have to play next level special to keep pace.
Andy Sandrik: Greencastle-Antrim 32, Middletown 13: Listen, this is an aggressive pick for 0-2 Greencastle, but the Blue Devils have played tough over that stretch, including last week against clear-cut division favorite Susquehanna Township. If Devin McCauley’s bunch can give that same effort this week, I think they can get that dub.
Adam Kulikowski: Greencastle-Antrim 38, Middletown 27: The win-loss record doesn’t show it, but the Blue Devils should be proud of their effort in the first two weeks of the season. The time is now to get that elusive first win.
Saturday, Sept. 7
Commonwealth
Harrisburg 7, State College 6:
Andy Shay: State College 31, Harrisburg 27: Geez am I fully prepared to pick against the Cougars for the second week in a row? This is not a rivalry game and State College will ask some serious questions over 48 minutes and have made precious few mistakes to date.
Andy Sandrik: Harrisburg 33, State College 28: Just when we were ready to hit the panic button after a Week 1 blowout loss, the Cougars passed a major test last Saturday by toppling Bishop McDevitt. Yes, it’s early, but the winner of this game will have an inside track to the Commonwealth title.
Adam Kulikowski: State College 34, Harrisburg 33: The Cougars sure seem to have found their next quarterback, so no shock if the final score is flipped.
