Standings:
Name; Week 10; Overall
Andy Shay:6-6; 164-48
Andy Sandrik: 10-2; 162-50
Adam Kulikowski: 8-4; 159-53
District 3 1A:
No. 2 Delone Catholic vs. No. 1 York Catholic, Friday, November 7 at Sheppard Myers Stadium in Hanover
Andy Shay: York Catholic 22, Delone Catholic 20: Never easy to notch two wins over a club in the same season with the gap is next to nothing. Toss up game in my book and I’m leaning Fighting Irish to nudge across the finish line.
Andy Sandrik: Delone Catholic 21, York Catholic 14: The last meeting between these teams saw the Fighting Irish win a close game. Can the Squires return the favor?
Adam Kulikowski: Delone Catholic 24, York Catholic 20: In tight games like this one is expected to be, taking care of the rock can be the difference. Give that edge to the Squires.
District 3 1A:
No. 2 Montgomery at No. 1 Line Mountain, Friday, November 7 at Line Mountain High School
Andy Shay: Montgomery 21, Line Mountain 14: Will take a special outing by the LM offense to flip my script. Defense matters in November and Montgomery has a strong one that will ask some fresh questions of the Eagles.
Andy Sandrik: Line Mountain 28, Montgomery 21: The Red Raiders have only allowed double-digit point totals twice this season. Line Mountain can win this game, but it will need to play a clean game on offense and defend like crazy.
Adam Kulikowski: Montgomery 20, Line Mountain 7: A quick look at the Eagles schedule tells me they haven’t faced a defensive unit like they are squaring up to bout this Friday. Mistake free football is a must for this score to turn in LM’s favor.
District 3 2A:
No. 2 Halifax vs. No. 1 Steelton-Highspire, Friday, November 7 at Susquenita High School
Andy Shay: Steelton-Highspire 40, Halifax 20: How can you not like the Rollers who already own a three-touchdown win over the Wildcats? Yes, that game was very early in the season, still that’s a big gap to close. Any chance for Halifax rides on the heels of its defense.
Andy Sandrik: Steelton-Highspire 33, Halifax 24: The Rollers already own a win over the Wildcats and deserve to be favored here, but it wouldn’t surprise me at all if Halifax puts a scare into Steel-High.
Adam Kulikowski: Steelton-Highspire 38, Halifax 31: I see this one being close right down to the wire. Yes, I know the Rollers cruised early in the season, but this Wildcats crew has evolved.
District 3 3A:
No 4 Bermudian Springs at No. 1 Berks Catholic, Friday, November 7 at Berks Catholic High School
Andy Shay: Berks Catholic 34, Bermudian Springs 20: When the Saints get rolling downhill they come at you in waves on the ground and just continue to pound. Eagles can score, but can their defense get off the field enough to keep up.
Andy Sandrik: Berks Catholic 37, Bermudian Springs 21: Berks Catholic has four backs with more than 500 rushing yards and another who is close to breaking through that barrier. It’s no secret what the Saints will try to do on Friday.
Adam Kulikowski: Berks Catholic 45, Bermudian Springs 14: We all know how the Saints will attack you on offense, but Bermudian will want to account for linebacker Faith Zudie as a behind-the-line ball hawk. Zudie leads the Saints with 18 tackles for loss.
No. 3 Trinity at No. 2 Annville-Cleona, Friday, November 7 at Annville-Cleona High School
Andy Shay: Trinity 31, Annville-Cleona 7: This will be the strongest defense A-C has faced this season and for sure the Shamrocks have faced more diverse and powerful offenses along the way.
Andy Sandrik: Trinity 34, Annville-Cleona 12: I guess this is technically calling for an upset since A-C carries the higher seed, but Trinity has the defense to make this a miserable night for the Dutchmen.
Adam Kulikowski: Trinity 37, Annville-Cleona 14: Don’t look at the seeding. Shamrocks hold the cards in this one and should be considered the favorite.
District 3 4A:
No. 9 ELCO at No. 1 Susquehanna Twp., Friday, November 7 at Susquehanna Twp. High School
Andy Shay: Susquehanna Township 35, Elco 7: Simply put the Indians have way too much firepower for ELCO.
Andy Sandrik: Susquehanna Township 42, ELCO 9: You don’t want to overlook any team, especially in the postseason, but it’s hard to envision this game ending in a way that isn’t a blowout victory for ‘Hanna.
Adam Kulikowski: Susquehanna Township 48, ELCO 14: Hanna has its eyes on a District title. Not sure ELCO will have a say in preventing the Tribe from marching onward.
No. 5 Lampeter-Strasburg at No. 4 Wyomissing, Saturday, November 8 at Wyomissing High School, 1 p.m.
Andy Shay: Wyomissing 42, Lampeter-Strasburg 21: Why do I feel a three-score difference for the Spartans might not be enough? Wyomissing operates at another clinical level.
Andy Sandrik: Wyomissing 41, Lampeter-Strasburg 14: No offense to the Pioneers, who seem to be a perennial contender in the district playoffs, but Wyomissing was 41 points better than L-S in the last week of the regular season.
Adam Kulikowski: Wyomissing 38, Lampeter-Strasburg 14: Recency bias will tell you to predict a wider margin of victory after these two clubs squared off at the end of the regular season, but the Pioneers have enough weapons to keep this interesting into the second half.
No. 10 Middletown at No. 2 West York, Friday, November 7 at West York High School
Andy Shay: West York 21, Middletown 6: Any No. 10 seed still fighting the early sunset to get practices in would be a welcome bonus. The Blue Raiders traveled the hard road to get this shot and will not be an easy out.
Andy Sandrik: West York 28, Middletown 7: This is a tough matchup for Middletown, but win or lose, what a sweet ride it’s been for the Blue Raiders this season.
Adam Kulikowski:West York 35, Middletown 14: The Bulldogs are loaded with young talent. Their 2,300-yard passer? A sophomore. Their top rusher? A sophomore. Four of their top six receivers? Sophomores. This is a team we’ll be talking more about in the coming years.
No. 6 West Perry at No. 3 Twin Valley, Friday, November 7 at Twin Valley High School
Andy Shay: Twin Valley 41, West Perry 7: There are some holes West Perry can’t hide from a team that thrives on a combination of its own strengths and weapons and has the coaching staff that is keen at exploiting opponents’ weaknesses.
Andy Sandrik: Twin Valley 33, West Perry 10: The average score for a Twin Valley game this season has been 54-8 in favor of the Raiders. The Mustangs certainly face an uphill battle to keep their season alive.
Adam Kulikowski: Twin Valley 34, West Perry 24: Mustangs enter this one as a clear underdog, but if there’s one thing we know about Bob Boden-led teams, it’s that they will fight and claw until the final buzzer.
District 6 4A:
No. 2 Bellefonte vs. No. 1 Juniata, Friday, November 7 at Mifflin County High School
Andy Shay: Bellefonte 22, Juniata 21: Dare I say give me Bellefonte in overtime winning on a two-point try? The Raiders’ schedule has been a gauntlet that has prepared them for a big-game win.
Andy Sandrik: Juniata 21, Bellefonte 17: This game seems like a coin flip all the way. I’m giving a slight edge to Jasper Shepps and the Indians.
Adam Kulikowski: Juniata 24, Bellefonte 17: Expect this one to be won in the trenches with these two squads fighting for every yard.
District 3 5A:
No. 8 Spring Grove at No. 1 New Oxford, Friday, November 7 at New Oxford High School
Andy Shay: New Oxford 21, Spring Grove 14: This feels like a dog fight all the way where the little things will become magnified – turnovers, penalties, etc. – and the winner isn’t decided until the dying minutes. Colonials survive.
Andy Sandrik: New Oxford 24, Spring Grove 13: I don’t know if New Oxford has that “unstoppable” aura that comes with being a No. 1 seed, but I do think the Colonials survive at least one more round.
Adam Kulikowski: New Oxford 28, Spring Grove 21: The Colonials senior-laden team isn’t ready quite yet for their undefeated season to come to an end. Experience matters in the big moments.
No. 5 Warwick at No. 4 Solanco, Friday, November 7 at Solanco High School
Andy Shay: Solanco 28, Warwick 7: I feel strongly the Indians will push back more the second time around, however over the course of 48 minutes the Golden Mules are the better team and that will show up.
Andy Sandrik: Solanco 28, Warwick 14: How much can Warwick close the gap on Solanco after taking a 35-7 whipping from the Golden Mules in Week 4?
Adam Kulikowski: Solanco 31, Warwick 20: Solanco is an overtime loss to Lampeter-Strasburg in Week 1 away from running the table this year. And they don’t hide what’s gotten them to this point–blugeoning their opponents on the ground.
No. 7 Exeter Township at No. 2 Conestoga Valley, Friday, November 7 at Conestoga Valley High School
Andy Shay: Conestoga Valley 28, Exeter Township 21: I like the diversity of the CV offense, the only question is can they force the Eagles outside their comfort zone and make them throw the ball more than they want. I say yes.
Andy Sandrik: Conestoga Valley 24, Exeter Township 17: If Conestoga Valley can find a way to slow down 2,000-yard RB Leomar Brown and force the Eagles to pass, the Buckskins have a capable secondary that’s picked off 15 passes this season.
Adam Kulikowski: Exeter Township 24, Conestoga Valley 21: Exeter isn’t your typical No. 7-seed. If they get ahead early, they have the ability to control the clock and limit CV’s opportunities.
No. 6 Mechanicsburg at No. 3 Bishop McDevitt, Friday, November 7 at Bishop McDevitt High School
Andy Shay: Bishop McDevitt 35, Mechanicsburg 7: Tough draw for the Wildcats, whose defense will be tested at another level they haven’t yet experienced. End of the day the mismatch comes when Wildcats have the ball and McD is playing defense.
Andy Sandrik: Bishop McDevitt 33, Mechanicsburg 14: It’s going to take some kind of breakout performance from the Wildcats to keep this game within reach. I think McDevitt’s defense has the final say in this one.
Adam Kulikowski: Bishop McDevitt 38, Mechanicsburg 14: Crusaders simply have too many options on the table to reach its desired destination.
District 3 6A:
No. 8 Cedar Cliff at No. 1 Central York, Friday, November 7 at Central York High School
Andy Shay: Central York 42, Cedar Cliff 17: If you play secondary for the Colts buckle up because your head is going to be on a swivel this week against a CY passing attack that has layers.
Andy Sandrik: Central York 42, Cedar Cliff 25: Cedar Cliff hasn’t faced an opposing QB with the chops of Panthers’ signal-caller Brooklyn Nace, who’s compiled more than 2,300 yards and 29 TDs, against just one interception.
Adam Kulikowski: Central York 45, Cedar Cliff 20: While Brooklyn Nace gets plenty of attention for all the reasons my colleagues mentioned, give props to Legend Johnson who is averaging 8.5 yards per carry en route to nearly 1,000 stripes this season.
No. 5 William Penn at No. 4 Wilson, Friday, November 7 at Wilson High School
Andy Shay: Wilson 35, William Penn 7: All I know is the Bulldogs defense has allowed only three touchdowns over the last 12 quarters. See where I’m going in this one?
Andy Sandrik: Wilson 42, William Penn 21: Although York doesn’t have a bad resume, my gut tells me that Wilson surges to a comfortable victory.
Adam Kulikowski: Wilson 38, William Penn 14: If you’re York’s coaching staff preparing for this match up, I have my eyes on limiting the damage the Bulldog’s No. 44, EJ Brownback inflicts. The stud linebacker has a team-high 97 tackles on the season–nearly double any other Bulldog’s output.
No. 10 Central Dauphin at No. 2 Harrisburg, Saturday, November 8 at Harrisburg High School, 1 p.m.
Andy Shay: Harrisburg 35, Central Dauphin 7: Hey, the Rams showed up two weeks ago and held the Cougars offense to four touchdowns. Big problem was CD was shut out the Harrisburg defense. Not much has changed in those 21 days.
Andy Sandrik: Harrisburg 42, Central Dauphin 15: The Rams took a big step forward as a program this season not only by fielding a competitive squad in the rugged Commonwealth Division, but also by securing a playoff win over rival Cumberland Valley last week. All good things, however, come to an end.
Adam Kulikowski: Harrisburg 48, Central Dauphin 21: Tip of the proverbial cap to Coach Mac’s crew for a job well done this season. Reaching the postseason was already a success and advancing past CV was the cherry on top.
No. 6 Hempfield at No. 3 Manheim Township, Friday, November 7 at Manheim Twp. High School
Andy Shay: Manheim Township 35, Hempfield 14: Blue Streaks are on a heater and that firepower on offense will make Hempfield very uncomfortable early and often.
Andy Sandrik: Manheim Township 28, Hempfield 18: The last time these teams met in Week 5, Blue Streaks’ QB Jack Kenneff lit up Hempfield for 300 yards and three TD passes.
Adam Kulikowski: Manheim Township 34, Hempfield 20: The Blue Streaks are… well…. Streaking heading into this matchup as winners of eight straight. Make it nine in a row Friday.