We’re taking a look around our coverage area to see who helped themselves this week and who did not as we move into Week No.8 of the high school football season.
STOCK UP
Harrisburg Cougars
After a win over CD East at home in a game where it was clear Harrisburg was the better team overall, the path for the Mid-Penn Commonwealth title will go through the Cougars this season. This squad doesn’t have a lot of flash, but they play complementary football, are fundamentally sound and are a physical squad.
Boiling Springs
Boiling Springs is going to have a major say in the outcome of the Capital Division this season. And the Bubblers appear to have enough of the right components to be a playoff contender in District 3 Class 3A as well. With more athletes on the roster than you realize, they are methodical and patient on offense and will be tough to run against. Brad Zell’s group is playing its best football, it appears, at the right time.
Shippensburg
Each of the last three weeks, Shippensburg has taken on a would-be Colonial Division contender and completely dominated each game. Waynesboro, Mechanicsburg and Northern each took their shot at the Greyhounds and combined to score 24 total points. Next up is West Perry and a Mustangs offense that has found a consistent groove. And that will most likely end this week at the hands of the ‘Hounds’ D.
STOCK DOWN
Carlisle, Cumberland Valley
Brutal losses for Carlisle and Cumberland Valley. The Thundering Herd gave Central Dauphin a full metal jacket test before the Rams nailed a 39-yard field goal as time expired to win by three. The loss dropped Carlisle to 4-3 and put the Herd below the playoff yellow line. There’s still three more games to make up ground, and the Herd do have a couple winnable games left. A win over CD changes everything, though. To get that close and lose is such a gut-punch. Cumberland Valley had State College on the ropes before stalling a bit offensively, and the Little Lions roared back to force overtime before pulling out a three-point road win at The Chap. Like Carlisle, this loss drops the Eagles to 3-4 overall and below the postseason yellow line. Cumberland Valley still has Harrisburg and Central Dauphin remaining. It’s a big-time uphill climb for the Eagles to even finish .500 this season.
Discipline
I get there’s some bad blood between CD East and Harrisburg when it comes to the football field. But bringing it to the field with you is wasted baggage. If the Cougars and Panthers had put as much effort into the actual game as they did talking trash to each other at close range, that game would have been a whole lot better. The number of 15-yard unsportsmanlike, late hit or personal foul penalties was ridiculous. At one point CD East had two 15-yard violations on ONE play. That’s giving away a quick 30 yards. Good trash talking is awesome and part of the game today. This was just jawing at each other for no reason really. It impacted both teams, and the quality of football was way down because of this nonsense. Both coaching staffs were preaching “be smart, walk away,” and it was falling on deaf ears.
