Week 4 rolls in with a mix of unbeaten showdowns, bounce-back opportunities, and rising underdogs looking to keep the good vibes going.
Standings:
Name; Week 3; Overall
Andy Shay 14-5; 48-19
Adam Kulikowski 13-6; 44-23
Andy Sandrik: 13-6; 40-27
Friday, September 12
Upper Dauphin at Steel-High, 7
Andy Shay: Steel-High 30, Upper Dauphin 13: Rollers are more balanced than you might expect in terms of one side of the ball being the dominating force. Trojans offense hasn’t shown enough bite to keep pace.
Andy Sandrik: Steel-High 44, Upper Dauphin 7: The Trojans scored their first points of the season last week, but that elusive first win will have to wait at least another week.
Adam Kulikowski: Steel-High 45, Upper Dauphin 6: Trojans have completed just 36 percent of their pass attempts this season. Finding a rhythm through the air can help make this a more competitive match up.
Red Land at Waynesboro ,7
Andy Shay: Red Land 34, Waynesboro 13: Why not 4-0 for the Red Land Patriots? Surprise team of 2025 and will be hard to knock off that perch.
Andy Sandrik: Red Land 33, Waynesboro 28: What a gut punch last week for the Tribe, who couldn’t hold on to a 14-0 lead over Shippensburg. Just keeping this game close will require some kind of bounceback from Waynesboro.
Adam Kulikowski: Red Land 33, Waynesboro 21: The Patriots undoubtedly are the feel-good story of the year in the Mid-Penn Conference. Keep the good vibes going, gents.
West Perry at Susquehanna Twp., 7
Andy Shay: Susquehanna Township 53, West Perry 19: Been a struggle this season for the Mustangs and this is NOT the team you want to see across from you when on the Struggle Bus.
Andy Sandrik: Susquehanna Township 43, West Perry 25: Yes, the Tribe should be favored here, but I’m not sure why so many folks are counting out the 3-0 Mustangs.
Adam Kulikowski: Susquehanna Twp. 47, West Perry 30: This is the biggest test of the season for the Tribe, but every indication we’ve seen so far tells us they are fully prepared for a dog fight.
Newport at Camp Hill, 7
Andy Shay: Camp Hill 32, Newport 27: This could be a wild affair with both clubs feeling they should have won the game. Buffaloes are improved and if the Lions bring less than their best the W goes to the squad from Perry County.
Andy Sandrik: Newport 38, Camp Hill 26: Give me the Buffs over the Lions in a high-scoring contest at Siebert Park Stadium.
Adam Kulikowski: Newport 34, Camp Hill 21: Took in a Buffaloes game in Week 3 and can attest. This is a much improved squad equipped with enough playmakers to cause the Lions fits.
Greencastle-Antrim at East Pennsboro
Andy Shay: East Pennsboro 26, Greencastle-Antrim 7: Clear the Panthers have made serious progress over 12 quarters and in this one their defense shines.
Andy Sandrik: East Pennsboro 24, Greencastle-Antrim 14: The Blue Devils took a big step forward last week in grinding out a “W” over Middletown. They’ll need to make even more strides to conquer the rising Panthers.
Adam Kulikowski: East Pennsboro 27, Greencastle-Antrim 21: Panthers senior Ryan Potts has been a playmaker teams need to account for, contributing five tackles for loss and a team-high 28 tackles.
Cumberland Valley at State College, 7
Andy Shay: State College 34, Cumberland Valley 7: Both squads are coming off losses, but in reality these are two trains going in opposite directions. The firepower of the Little Lions offense shines through.
Andy Sandrik: State College 20, Cumberland Valley 14: As disappointing as the loss to Altoona was last week, I still think CV has the defense to keep this game within reach.
Adam Kulikowski: State College 28, Cumberland Valley 14: Are there such things as quality losses? If so, the Little Lions certainly earned one going toe-to-toe with Harrisburg last week. Does that fuel them against an unpredictable Eagles squad?
Shippensburg at Palmyra, 7
Andy Shay: Shippensburg 30, Palmyra 7: Greyhounds faced some serious adversity to date and passed with flying colors.
Andy Sandrik: Shippensburg 35, Palmyra 14: Finally, a game the Hounds likely won’t have to sweat out. Staying competitive in the Keystone has been a struggle for Palmyra so far.
Adam Kulikowski: Shippensburg 43, Palmyra 6: Greyhounds are averaging 6.3 yards-per-carry on the ground and an 82 percent completion rate passing. That will win you a more than a few games.
Northern York at Gettysburg, 7
Andy Shay: Gettysburg 26, Northern York 6: Warriors own the only win in this matchup, but you could make an argument for at least one more win if not 3-0 at this point. Polar Bears are battling uphill.
Andy Sandrik: Gettysburg 28, Northern York 10: Every game Gettysburg has played has been a high-scoring affair. That’s not great news for a Northern squad averaging eight points per game.
Adam Kulikowski: Gettysburg 33, Northern York 13: Warriors know at this point who they are as a team. I’m not sure the Polar Bears do quite yet.
Halifax at Line Mountain, 7
Andy Shay: Line Mountain 39, Halifax 20: The Eagles will get a full metal jacket test from the explosive Wildcats. Line Mountain just has a bit too much savvy at this point to get caught overlooking this one.
Andy Sandrik: Line Mountain 38, Halifax 7: No disrespect to Halifax. Line Mountain has just been making examples out of every team it has faced so far.
Adam Kulikowski: Line Mountain 45, Halifax 13: Eagles have given up just 20 points all season. Wildcats will need to earn every yard Friday night.
Central Dauphin at Altoona, 7
Andy Shay: Central Dauphin 17, Altoona 14: After what Altoona did last week against Cumberland Valley, there is zero doubt in my book they could win this game.
Andy Sandrik: Central Dauphin 21, Altoona 7: Give a lot of credit to the Mountain Lions, who sprung a major upset over Cumberland Valley last week, but consistently winning in the Commonwealth Division is one of the toughest asks in all of Pa. high school football.
Adam Kulikowski: Altoona 28, Central Dauphin 24: Last week, my wife called me a hater for picking against the Mountain Lions who knocked off Cumberland Valley in a thriller. Calling on the gents from Altoona to prove it again this week.
Bishop McDevitt at Cedar Cliff, 7
Andy Shay: Bishop McDevitt 34, Cedar Cliff 14: Former mates in the Keystone Division square off with the Colts riding a roller coaster and the Crusaders looking to reclaim their elite status. Firepower on offense favors the Crusaders.
Andy Sandrik: Bishop McDevitt 42, Cedar Cliff 17: After shaking off their winless start to the season last week, McDevitt has built some confidence and will be expecting to embark on a winning streak starting Friday.
Adam Kulikowski: Bishop McDevitt 31, Cedar Cliff 24: History tells us that the Colts will play the Crusaders tough. There, however, are difference in the weaponry each will bring to the fight.
Harrisburg at Chambersburg, 7
Andy Shay: Harrisburg 48, Chambersburg 20: Finally a team not ranked in the Top 10 in the state for the Cougars. They are heavy favorites, but the Trojans are not an easy team to beat so Harrisburg talent has to shine.
Andy Sandrik: Harrisburg 47, Chambersburg 14: Chambersburg lost starting QB Ceagan Truett for the foreseeable future after an injury last week. Cam Green showed some potential in relief and even threw for a TD against the McDevitt defense, but the sophomore will certainly have his work cut out for him against the state-ranked Cougars.
Adam Kulikowski: Harrisburg 55, Chambersburg 14: A few years ago, you might think the Cougars would look over Chambersburg after battling some of the best teams in the state. I don’t see that happening this week.
Carlisle at CD East, 7
Andy Shay: CD East 35, Carlisle 14: Both teams are scuffing a bit in 2025, but the Panthers have shown some flashes and those flashes are good enough.
Andy Sandrik: CD East 41, Carlisle 7: Wish I had something nicer to say about a Carlisle team that’s a five-minute walk from my house, but this season has been a struggle for the Herd on both sides of the ball.
Adam Kulikowski: CD East 47, Carlisle 7: High-scoring match-ups simply are not the style of play the Thundering Herd can thrive in right now. Panthers have the ability to make Carlisle uncomfortable.
Milton Hershey at Big Spring, 7
Andy Shay: Big Spring 32, Milton Hershey 29: This just has the feel of a wild one waiting to happen and if anything else happens it would be a surprise. Why does it feel like a toss-up game?
Andy Sandrik: Big Spring 35, Milton Hershey 24: Bulldogs have a golden opportunity to rebound against a Spartans squad that’s allowing an average of five TDs per game. Milton Hershey will try to turn this into a shootout.
Adam Kulikowski: Milton Hershey 28, Big Spring 27: I see this match up as a coin flip. Spartans have the weapons to hang with Big Spring for four quarters.
Mechanicsburg at Lower Dauphin, 7
Andy Shay: Mechanicsburg 30, Lower Dauphin 7: Wildcats jumped into the state rankings this week so that brings added pressure they have earned. Falcons found some offense a week ago but this defense will be different.
Andy Sandrik: Mechanicsburg 33, Lower Dauphin 3: Can’t pick against the Wildcats when they’re allowing just 4.67 points per game.
Adam Kulikowski: Mechanicsburg 33, Lower Dauphin 13: Wildcats have a special season in the making. Momentum stays with the boys in Maroon in Week 4.
Juniata at James Buchanan, 7
Andy Shay: Juniata 33, James Buchanan 14: The team with more victories heading into this one (James Buchanan) is up against a well tested 1-2 squad that is looking to turn the corner record-wise and has serious matchup advantages.
Andy Sandrik: Juniata 28, James Buchanan 21: The Indians desperately need a pick-me-up after taking a 35-0 shellacking from Line Mountain last week. The Rockets, however, aren’t the automatic win they used to be.
Adam Kulikowski: Juniata 28, James Buchanan 20: Rockets had opportunities last week to knock off Newport. Rockets will need every bounce to go their way to come out on top in Week 4.
Susquenita at Trinity, 7
Andy Shay: Trinity 28, Susquenita 7: If there was ever a week for the Trinity offense to take one or two steps forward this is the game to do it.
Andy Sandrik: Trinity 24, Susquenita 14: While I still have some reservations about a Trinity offense that averages 3.1 yards per rush, this certainly seems like a winnable game for the ‘Rocks.
Adam Kulikowski: Trinity 21, Susquenita 14: The X-factor in this match up is Trinity wideout Maddox Jarzynski. A 6-2, 210-pound beast, Jarzynski is ripping down 100 reception yards per game to help power the Shamrocks.
Boiling Springs at Middletown, 7
Andy Shay: Middletown 30, Boiling Springs 7: There is a certain style of game the Blue Raiders play and it will give the Bubblers defense a rough ride.
Andy Sandrik: Middletown 23, Boiling Springs 17: The Blue Raiders have been a winner this fall, but haven’t exactly run away from anyone yet. Bubblers have to feel like they have a punchers chance.
Adam Kulikowski: Middletown 34, Boiling Springs 6: Blue Raiders have all the tools to needed to take care of business against the still-search Bubblers.
Hershey at Mifflin County, 7
Andy Shay: Hershey 21, Mifflin County 7: I think the defenses for these clubs are going to continue to have a huge impact. Overall just feels like the Trojans have more firepower on offense.
Andy Sandrik: Mifflin County 14, Hershey 7: First team to two TDs wins this game. I’ve got all the respect in the world for a MiffCo team that gave a good battle to a heavily-favored Mechanicsburg squad last week, so I’ll go with the Huskies.
Adam Kulikowski: Hershey 28, Mifflin County 21: Huskies proved they can play with the top teams in the division, so the Trojans would be foolish to take them lightly.