At this point the story of the 2024 season, no matter how it plays out in terms of the end, lands on the Catholic school in Shiremanstown – Trinity.
We all know what this program endured during the offseason with the coaching staff, losses to graduation and key players opting to transfer. The fact this team is 7-1 speaks volumes about interim head coach Kevin Yarnevich, his staff and most importantly the players.
Winning the Colonial Division title would still be a major upset should the Shamrocks pull it off. They are unbeaten in the division and play one-loss Susquehanna Township this week. Nothing like a tasty Week 9 division game with so much on the line.
Trinity pulled out a narrow one-point victory over West Perry in Week 8, and how they won this game is hard to figure out. But when the cards are falling your way, wins sometimes just happen.
West Perry, who had been struggling but gave the T-Rocks their very best shot, hit for two touchdowns covering 80 or more yards by stud RB Brad Hockenberry. The Mustangs also recovered a fumble in the end zone in the fourth quarter. I mean that to me screams West Perry win.
A missed PAT after the final touchdown was the final margin on the scoreboard, but remember the Trinity defense made that one-point cushion stand up for more than nine minutes.
Susquehanna Township will have a say in deciding how the Colonial Division plays out. And you can bet the Indians want a piece of the pie. They are in fine form after hanging 70 on Big Spring and will challenge Trinity’s defense in a new and unique way.
To me it doesn’t matter whether Trinity wins the Colonial title outright or shares the crown. What they have accomplished this season under extreme change and upheaval is simply remarkable.
KEYSTONE COLLISION COURSE
Eight up and eight down for Shippensburg and Mechanicsburg as they stay on course for a promising Week 10 showdown for the Keystone crown. The Wildcats continue to impress with all eight of their victories coming by 21 or more points. Shippensburg has faced two close shaves, Lower Dauphin and Waynesboro, but navigated each of those stern challenges to stay unbeaten.
Mechanicsburg has the tougher Week 9 opponent with Hershey on deck. Shippensburg will face Northern York. I still think both these clubs will be unbeaten when they square off to close out the regular season.
In a solid Week 8 victory over previously mentioned Waynesboro by 22 points, Mechanicsburg went for 350-plus yards on the ground and controlled every aspect of the game. Isaac Dollman had 197 yards rushing with a pair of INT’s on defense and QB Eli Reider added another 151 yards on the ground. Wildcats are tough to wrangle and slow down.
THREE COMMONWEALTH HAMMERS
As the chase for the big-school division narrows, it’s pretty clear there are three teams in legitimitate contention for the title – Harrisburg, Bishop McDevitt and State College.
What about CD East you ask? Good for the Panthers getting to 7-0 before the meat of their schedule with narrow wins over Cumberland Valley and rival Central Dauphin. Those victories matter – a LOT.
Week 8 was the litmus test with State College paying a visit to the Speedway and the result was a 55-17 thrashing by the visiting Little Lions. And the Panthers still have to play Harrisburg and McDevitt. Hard to see East as part of the championship equation. On one level, finishing 7-3 would still be overperforming based on realistic expectations in my book.
Harrisburg, McDevitt and State College each have one loss. Feels like another Commonwealth crown for the Cougars from my seat in the press box.
MY 2 CENTS
Looking at how the final couple weeks shake out, Line Mountain, Steel-High and Juniata look to be on course to share the Capital title this season with one division loss each. Steel-High reaching that pinnacle in 2024 says a lot considering the cliff the Rollers started at after winning a PIAA championship a year ago. … It’s safe now, there are eight games in the books. You can start looking at the District 3 Power Rankings and start crunching the numbers. I won’t peek for the first time until later in the week, but you have the license to start the madness in the chase for playoff spots. … My performance of the week goes to Upper Dauphin QB Aidan Bingaman, who threw for 201 yards against Susquenita in a 46-14 win. He completed only nine passes and four of those went for touchdowns. That’s a stunning average of 22.3 yards per completion.
