Each week, we’ll take a look through the Mid-Penn Conference, highlighting notes that stood out to us and news you need to know.

Week 2 featured some historic performances and wins, but it also provided a little more clarity on the state of several teams within the conference as we head into the final week of non-league play. Bishop McDevitt’s big men have answered early questions. Cumberland Valley’s offense has been non-existent thus far. And one of the area’s great coaches reached a major milestone.

Here are five observations from the week that was and the weeks coming up. To share updates on your team for a future edition of our News & Notes, email us at 4thdownmagazine@gmail.com. 

1. Giving props to Bishop McDevitt’s offensive line

A whole new starting five is punching holes for gents like Nazir Jones-Davis and Maurice Barnes and protecting Kentucky verbal commit Stone Saunders. The big men up front — Landon Blauch, Dallas Davenport, Owen Robell, Ja’kye Logan and Hershey transfer JJ Torres — presented the biggest question mark heading into the 2023 circuit. While they collectively are far from a finished product, give this crew some credit. Against two powerhouse opponents in their first two games, Mt. Saint Joseph (Md.) and DePaul Catholic (N.J.), they’ve risen to the challenge in a big way and are a key reason behind the Crusaders’ 2-0 start.

2. Cumberland Valley’s offensive woes

When was the last time Cumberland Valley’s offense scored six combined points or less in two games? That’s what I wanted to know after the Eagles’ 0-2 start this weekend. Knowing the Eagles’ storied history, I knew the dig through MaxPreps’ data likely would be deep — and it was. So far in fact, that I wasn’t able to find the last time it happened. Since 2004, the farthest CV data goes on MaxPreps, the Eagles’ lowest scoring output over a two-game stretch was seven points — occurring twice, in 2006 and again in 2018. While better times are likely ahead for the Eagles after facing off against a pair of perennial playoff opponents, this is a crew that might take a little time to find their footing heading into division play.

3. Bounce back performance

Entering Week 2 it’s safe to say Chambersburg was still searching for its footing on offense after a 22-0 blanking by Pope John Paul II. After all, the Trojans mustered less than 150 yards of production in game 1. The script couldn’t be more different against Northern York Friday night.  Riley Harmon, the Trojans’ senior slinger, caught fire completing 11-of-15 for 178 yards and three touchdowns to help the Franklin County crew drop a 51-spot on the Polar Bears. Chambersburg totaled 316 yards of offense on the evening. Mark Luther’s crew hosts Waynesboro at Trojan Stadium on Friday at 7 p.m. 

4. Central Dauphin coach Glen McNamee reaches milestone

Rams coach Glen McNamee notched his 150^th career victory Friday evening in a haymaker battle against Wilson. What better way to earn that milestone mark than with a gutsy two-point conversion call in overtime to cap a 36-35 victory. It took McNamee, who has shaped the Central Dauphin program into one of the best in Pennsylvania over the last decade, just 17 years to reach the mark. He earned the Class 4A PA Coach of the Year honors in 2011 when the Rams won their first football state championship and another in 6A in 2019. He is also the winningest football coach in Central Dauphin history.

5. One game to watch heading into Week 3

Wyomissing (2-0) vs. Trinity (2-0). Jordan Hill’s Trinity Shamrocks have put on quite the show through the first two weeks of the 2023 campaign, carving up out-of-state power Moore Catholic Friday night and Delone Catholic in the opener. By now you’ve probably heard of their sophomore running back, Messiah Mickens. He’s a pretty good back, with 14.4 yards per carry on his 29 touches so far this season. But it’s the defense that’s impressed most so far. Led by junior Jacob Ness with a team-high 24 tackles, the Shamrocks have stymied their opponents, yielding just 28 points over their first eight quarters of play.

CLASS 6A

Rank – Team – District – Record – Previous

1. St. Joseph’s Prep (12)          — 1-1 – 1

2. Pittsburgh C.C. (7)               — 2-0 – 2

3. North Allegheny (7)            — 2-0 – 3

4. Parkland (11)                       — 2-0 – 4

5. Harrisburg (3)                      – 2-0 – 5

6. Central Bucks West (1)        — 2-0 – 6

7. Nazareth (11)                      – 2-0 – 8

8. Coatesville (1)                     – 2-0 – 9

9. Central York (3)                   — 2-0 – NR

10. Downingtown East (1)      — 2-0 – NR

Teams to watch: Garnet Valley (1) 1-1, La Salle College HS (12) 1-1, Manheim Township (3) 2-0, Mount Lebanon (7) 2-0, State College (6) 1-1.

CLASS 5A

Rank – Team – District – Record – Previous

1. Imhotep Charter (12)          — 2-0 – 1

2. Pine-Richland (7)                 – 1-1 – 2

3. West Chester Rustin (1)      – 1-0 – 3

4. Roman Catholic (12)           – 2-0 – 4

5. Penn Hills (7)                       – 2-0 – 5

6. Cathedral Prep (10)             – 1-1 – 6

7. Strath Haven (1)                  – 2-0 – 7

8. Plymouth-Whitemarsh (1)  — 2-0 – NR

9. Exeter Township (3)            — 2-0 – NR

10. Peters Township (7)          — 2-0 – NR

Teams to watch: Bethel Park (7) 1-1, Cocalico (3) 1-1, Southern Lehigh (11) 2-0, Upper Dublin (1) 1-1, Whitehall (11) 1-1.

CLASS 4A

Rank – Team – District – Record – Previous

1. Bishop McDevitt (3)            – 2-0 – 1

2. Aliquippa (7)                       – 1-0 – 2

3. Thomas Jefferson (7)          – 2-0 – 3

4. Manheim Central (3)           – 2-0 – 4

5. Pope John Paul II (1)           – 2-0 – 5

6. Allentown C.C. (11)             – 2-0 – 6

7. McKeesport (7)                   – 2-0 – 7

8. Bonner-Prendergast (12     – 1-0 – 8

9. Jersey Shore (4)                   – 2-0 – 9

10. Selinsgrove (4)                  – 2-0 – 10

Teams to watch: Armstrong (7) 1-1, Bethlehem Catholic (11) 2-0, Central Valley (7) 1-1, Lampeter-Strasburg (3) 2-0, Twin Valley (3) 2-0.

CLASS 3A

Rank – Team – District – Record – Previous

1. Belle Vernon (7)                  – 1-0 – 1

2. Wyomissing (3)                   – 2-0 – 2

3. Loyalsock (4)                       – 2-0 – 3

4. Avonworth (7)                     – 2-0 – 6

5. Neumann-Goretti (12)        – 0-1 – 7

6. Scranton Prep (2)                – 2-0 – 8

7. North Schuylkill (11)           – 1-1 – 4

8. Danville (4)                          — 2-0 – 10

9. West Perry (3)                     — 2-0 – 9

10. Central (6)                         — 2-0 – NR

Teams to watch: Berks Catholic (3) 1-1, Elizabeth-Forward (7) 2-0, Grove City (10) 1-1, Northwestern Lehigh (11) 2-0, Oil City (10) 2-0.

CLASS 2A

Rank – Team – District – Record – Previous

1. Southern Columbia (4)        – 2-0 – 1

2. Farrell (10)                           – 2-0 – 2

3. Trinity (3)                             – 2-0 – 5

4. Westinghouse (8)                – 1-0 – 6

5. Steel Valley (7)                    – 1-0 – 7

6. Richland (6)                         – 2-0 – 8

7. Mount Carmel (4)               — 1-1 – NR

8. Central Clarion (9)               — 2-0 – 9

9. Bald Eagle Area (6)              — 2-0 — NR

10. Williams Valley (11)          — 2-0 — NR

Teams to watch: Beaver Falls (7) 1-1, Dunmore (2) 1-1, Executive Education (11) 1-1, Imani Christian (7) 1-1, Troy (4) 2-0, Washington (7) 2-0.

CLASS 1A

Rank – Team – District – Record – Previous

1. Steelton-Highspire (3)         — 2-0 – 1

2. Bishop Canevin (7)              — 1-0 – 2

3. Canton (4)                           — 2-0 – 3

4. Northern Bedford (5)          — 2-0 – 4

5. Union Area (7)                     – 2-0 – 5

6. Lackawanna Trail (2)           – 2-0 – 6

7. Brockway (9)                       — 2-0 – 8

8. Windber (5)                         — 2-0 – NR

9. Minersville (11)                   — 2-0 – 10

10. Redbank Valley (9)            — 2-0 – NR

Teams to watch: Greensburg C.C. (7) 1-1, Lakeview (10) 2-0, Muncy (4) 1-1, Portage (6) 2-0, Rochester (7) 1-0.

Follow Eric Epler on X, formerly Twitter — @threejacker. For more content from Eric, visit www.pennlive.com.

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High School Football: Sunday Morning QB-West Perry on a tear; Big Spring reclaims the Little Brown Jug; Mcd and CD score statement road victories

Scenes from West Perry’s 41-7 victory against Newport

High School Football: Andy Shay’s Elite 11 Teams After Week 2

Pennsylvania high school football: Scores, highlights from Week 2 in Mid-Penn Conference and midstate

Alex Achenbach, sr., RB/S, Williams Valley: We’re running out of ways to say this dude is special. In a 48-6 victory against Pine Grove, Achenbach rushed for 343 yards on just 14 carries — and found pay dirt five times. He hauled in a reception for 33 yards, too. His defensive stats alone just might be enough to get him on this list; they included two interceptions, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.

Greg Campbell, sr., RB, Bangor: Campbell did it all for the Slaters on Friday night in a 39-14 victory against Jim Thorpe. He rushed for 130 yards on 10 carries and threw for another 115 stripes. His three touchdowns also led the way.

Bruce Hopeck, sr., QB, Marian Catholic: Hopeck’s crew didn’t win Friday night against Minersville, but they sure did make it interesting in the final stanza when the Colts came roaring back to score 26 fourth-quarter points. Hopeck played his part, racking up 225 passing yards, three touchdowns and an interception.

Noah Porter, jr., HB/LB, Tri-Valley: Tri-Valley did nearly all its damage on the ground Friday night in a 42-12 victory against Panther Valley. The running back committee racked up 289 yards, and Porter led the way with 132 stripes on 12 carries. He had two of the five rushing touchdowns and a team-high seven tackles.

Luke Stevenosky, sr., RB/LB, Minersville: If we sound like a broken record, we apologize. But Stevenosky is another lad that fills the stat sheet each week. The Battlin’ Miners running back propelled his team to a 41-39 victory against Marian Catholic, rushing for 316 yards on 21 carries. He scored four of Minersville’s touchdowns. And he chipped in six tackles.

Vote now for your 4th Down Magazine Mid-Penn Conference Player of the Week. Our poll will remain open until Tuesday evening at 11 p.m. Voting is allowed once every 30 minutes.

Editor’s note: We have implemented safeguards to prevent voting which falls outside the spirit of the rules in place. We reserve the right to block users who cast fraudulent votes.

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High School Football: Sunday Morning QB-West Perry on a tear; Big Spring reclaims the Little Brown Jug; Mcd and CD score statement road victories

Scenes from West Perry’s 41-7 victory against Newport

High School Football: Andy Shay’s Elite 11 Teams After Week 2

Pennsylvania high school football: Scores, highlights from Week 2 in Mid-Penn Conference and midstate

Drew Branstetter, so., QB, Camp Hill: Branstetter guided the high-flying Lions to a 50-7 win over York Catholic with 261 yards and three touchdowns on 21-of-27 passing. He hit Alex Long 10 times for 148 yards.

Kam Chisholm, sr., WR/DE, Steel-High: Chisholm scored on a 50-yard catch-and-run from Alex Erby then blocked a punt and scooped it up for another score in the first quarter as the Rollers routed Eastern High (Washington, D.C.) 46-26. Chisholm finished with five catches for 105 yards and a two-point conversion.

Austin Duplessie, jr., DT, Upper Dauphin: We need some defense in this list, and Duplessie provided plenty in Week 2. The junior recorded three sacks and 11 total tackles, including nine solo and four for loss, in UDA’s 43-12 win over Shenandoah Valley.

Ben Fickel, sr., KR/DB, Big Spring: The Bulldogs’ 13-year nightmare is over, and Fickel was the savior. The senior returned a kickoff 88 yards for a touchdown and two plays later swiped a Shippensburg pass for a 30-yard pick-6 to hand Big Spring a 21-7 victory and return the Little Brown Jug to Newville for the first time since 2010.

Derek Gibney, sr., QB, Susquenita: Consider this a 2-for-1 nomination, with Gibney looking frequently for brother Drew in a 42-7 win over Biglerville. Derek finished 18 of 26 for 287 yards and three scores (plus a 1-yard TD plunge), and he connected with his bro eight times for 162 yards and two of those touchdowns.

Ian Goodling, jr., WR/LB/K, West Perry: Goodling broke a record held by a renowned former Mustang on Friday night in a 41-7 win over Newport. The junior caught 10 passes for 166 yards, giving him 2,284 career yards to pass West Perry great Chase May, who graduated in 2013 with 2,168 yards. Goodling also added a sack and made five PATs.

Andy Jean, sr., WR, Chambersburg: Jean was efficient when targeted during the Trojans’ 51-7 win over Northern, hauling in five passes for 117 yards and two touchdowns covering 48 and 57 stripes.

Matthew McNair, sr., RB/S, Boiling Springs: McNair contributed in multiple ways to the Bubblers’ 21-7 win over Bermudian Springs. The senior toted the rock 17 times for 109 yards and a score, caught a pair of passes for 15 more yards and led the defense with eight tackles (four solo).

Messiah Mickens, so., RB, Trinity: Probably need to expect this name to appear most weeks the next few years. Mickens shredded Moore Catholic (N.Y.) for 244 yards and four touchdowns on 18 carries in a 37-16 Shamrocks win. The Penn State verbal commit scored on runs of 51, 3, 2 and 71 yards.

Bron Mosley, sr., RB, Altoona: The Mountain Lions rolled Taylor Allderdice 35-21 thanks to Mosley’s efforts. The senior bulldozer gashed Allderdice for 124 yards on 16 carries and scored TDs of 3 and 53 yards. He also caught two balls for 56 yards.

Key’Ron Plummer, sr., QB, Central Dauphin: Plummer led the Rams to a comeback victory, their first of the season, 36-35 in overtime over Wilson, with a 4-yard hookup to Jett Franz and successful two-point conversion (also to Franz). The senior finished with 106 passing yards and 77 rushing, plus two TDs throwing and two more on the ground.

Marcus Quaker, sr., QB, West Perry: The electric quarterback set a career high with 306 passing yards in the Mustangs’ 41-7 romp of Newport. He also rushed for 51 more stripes and threw three TDs of 13 (to Cole Brown), 11 (to Ian Goodling) and 31 yards (to Bryce Smith),

Ty Salazer, jr. WR, State College: Salazar lit up Downingtown East, despite a 28-26 loss, for 229 yards and three touchdowns, including a 70-yarder, on 13 carries. Hat tip to QB Eddie Corkery in this one; he finished 23 of 46 for 356 yards and four TDs.

Deakon Schaeffer, sr., RB, Mifflin County: Schaeffer had a monster performance in a 23-6 win over Shikellamy, ripping off 274 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 37 carries. He also added three receptions for 33 stripes.

Stone Saunders, jr., QB, Bishop McDevitt: The Crusaders needed every one of Saunders’ four scores (two passing and two rushing), including the game-winning plunge from 3 yards out to edge DePaul Catholic (Md.) 46-42. He finished with 243 passing yards.

You have to enjoy the roller-coaster ride as a rural public school program, where the influx of talent is going to be up and down. West Perry has been on a tear like this one other time in the last half century, when a guy named Musa Smith was the running back in the late 1990s.

Those Mustang teams were much more than Smith, though, during a magical two-year ride of high-level winning football. Smith was the superstar on a team that had several standouts and depth on both sides of the ball.

This West Perry team has that same flavor to it. The Mustangs have won 13 of their last 15 games dating back to last  year. This isn’t a proverbial winning program, either. Prior to last season when coach Bob Boden’s lads went 11-2, the Mustangs had a losing record two of the previous three years.

You could see this coming and a big reason, as was the case in the late 1990s, is the kelly-green-and-white clad Mustangs have a bona-fide superstar in QB Marcus Quaker.

They also have several standouts, including wide receiver Ian Goodling. And in Friday night’s romp over fellow Perry County resident, Newport, Goodling became the all-time receiving yards leader in school history. The Quaker-to-Goodling combination is simply lethal.

On a night where Quaker accounted for 350-plus total yards of offense (303 passing and 51 rushing, Goodling hauled in 10 passes for 164 yards to eclipse the previous mark of 2,168 career receiving yards set by Chase May a decade ago.

Goodling still has eight regular season games and the postseason to pad his career mark. It’s hard to imagine him not eclipsing 3,000 career receiving  yards and perhaps even crushing the previous mark by 1,000 or more yards. It’s not a crazy thought. West Perry has big plans and big dreams this season.

Congrats to Goodling.

Big road wins for two Mid-Penn powers

Two of the top teams in the Mid-Penn Conference went on the road and came away with clutch victories that matter. Harrisburg went to Delaware Valley and cruised to a 33-0 victory. That sounds like a routine week for the Cougars. But it wasn’t the fact Harrisburg improved to 2-0, it was how they took care of business that stood out. This team made a jump from Week 1 to Week 2 — it just wasn’t as obvious to most. I see it, though.

It’s not surprising that McDevitt’s trip to New Jersey required every ounce in the tank to win. DePaul Catholic is on equal footing with McD and has a couple clear-cut advantages. The fact that McDevitt came from behind and then once it grabbed the lead with just under nine minutes to go didn’t surrender another point is impressive. That’s how you close out a game when the opponent is an equal. After surrendering 42 points in the better part of three quarters, McD’s defense slammed the door shut. Second come-from-behind win in as many weeks. That reveals the character of a team.

Gamblin’ Rams get big payoff

On the road at Wilson is a tough road win under normal circumstances. Despite Central Dauphin clearly being better than a year ago, the Rams were facing an 0-2 start squad in the chops.

In a back-and-forth game throughout regulation, Wilson scored in the final four minutes to force overtime and then scored first in the extra session to take a 35-28 lead.

Rams QB Key’Ron Plummer hooked up with Jett Franz on a 4-yard touchdown pass in the extra session to put the Rams a PAT away from double OT. Except CD coach Glen McNamee, who isn’t a big gambler, opted to step outside the box and go for the win–his 150th!. In my book, on the road and having the luxury of having the ball second, you dictate the terms. He went for the two-point conversion, a great call either way in my book. Plummer and Franz hooked up again and now CD is 1-1, picking up steam after a 36-35 victory.

Big Spring’s big win

Lastly, congratulations to Big Spring for subduing Shippensburg 21-7 to claim the Little Brown Jug. I love rivalry games with a prize and a great name — they are just special. The Bulldogs last celebrated with the LBJ in 2010. That’s nearly a generation of losing to your arch rival erased. That’s more than a dozen straight losses. I’m sure there’s still some celebrating going on in and around Newville. Well done, Bulldogs!

The second week of the Pennsylvania high school football season is upon us. Actually, it already started last night with a couple Mid-Penn Conference tilts.

Week 2 marks the midway point of the non-league slate here in the midstate, which means some intriguing matchups between Mid-Penn and York-Adams League teams, Berks teams and even teams Western Pennsylvania and out of state.

So bookmark this page on your phone, laptop or tablet to follow every matchup and see every highlight from the Mid-Penn and some of the teams in the Colonial-Schuylkill League. We’ll update scores throughout the night on this page, and you can follow our Twitter feed below for even more minute-by-minute updates.

PIAA football: Week 2 Mid-Penn analysis, staff picks and previews

Each week 4th Down Magazine will preview the weekend slate, predict the winners and provide extra analysis. Here’s everything to get you ready for Week 2 of the PIAA high school football season:

• Who’s gonna win? The 4th Down crew picks Week 2’s matchups
• Week 2 Mid-Penn football notebook: Cheers to the boys in Palmyra, and more
• Elite 11: See Andy Shay’s District 3 power rankings after Week 2
• PIAA football rankings: See Eric Epler’s state rankings from Class 6A to 1A
• Colonial-Schuylkill Valley League: Passing, rushing, receiving leaders
• See who is the Week 1 Mid-Penn Player of the Week
• See who is the Week 1 Colonial-Schuylkill Player of the Week

And if you missed any of our season previews, you can catch up here: 

• Mid-Penn Commonwealth breakdown: Top players, predicted standings and more
• Mid-Penn Keystone breakdown: Top players, predicted standings and more
• Mid-Penn Colonial breakdown: Top players, predicted standings and more
• Mid-Penn Capital breakdown: Top players, predicted standings and more
• Mid-Penn Liberty breakdown: Top players, predicted standings and more

Mid-Penn Conference football schedule and scores: Week 1 results

Looking for the latest updates and final scores from this weekend’s games around the Harrisburg area? We have you covered:

Thursday’s results

• Cedar Cliff 27, Mechanicsburg 9
• Cedar Crest 33, CD East 7

Friday’s games

• Bishop McDevitt 46, DePaul Catholic (N.J.) 42 Final
• Altoona 35, Taylor Allerdice 21 Final
• Governor Mifflin 28, Carlisle 21 Final
• Central Dauphin 36, Wilson 35 Final (OT)
• Chambersburg 51, Northern 7 Final
• Central York 14, Cumberland Valley 0 Final
• Harrisburg 33, Delaware Valley 0 Final
• Downingtown East 28, State College 26 Final
• Hershey 35, Waynesboro 14 Final
• Twin Valley 24, Lower Dauphin 21 Final
• Mifflin County 23, Shikellamy 6 Final
• Red Land 23, Northeastern 21 Final
• Milton Hershey 34, Middletown 14 Final
• East Pennsboro 28, Palmyra 14 Final
• New Oxford 38, Gettysburg 20
• Greencastle-Antrim 42, Berkeley Springs (W.V.) 6 Final
• Susquehanna Township 42, Northern Lebanon 14 Final
• Big Spring 21, Shippensburg 7 Final
• Boiling Springs 21, Bermudian Springs 14 Final
• Camp Hill 50, York Catholic 7
• Steel-High 46, Eastern 26 Final
• Trinity 37, Moore Catholic 16 Final
• West Perry 41, Newport 7 Final
• Halifax 40, Midd-West 0 Final
• Clear Spring (Md.) 21, James Buchanan 6 Final
• Selinsgrove 38, Juniata 8 Final
• Danville 51, Line Mountain 7
• Susquenita 42, Biglerville 7 Final
• Upper Dauphin 43, Shenandoah Valley 12 Final
• Williams Valley 48, Pine Grove 6 Final
• Tri-Valley 42, Panther Valley 12 Final

Pennsylvania high school football live updates and highlights

Click on this Twitter/X link to follow updates from area teams and reporters from tonight’s games.

Note: The link below may say we have not tweeted yet–especially on mobile devices– (Thanks, Elon!), but trust us, we’re tweeting and retweeting all the action tonight from around the Mid-Penn. Just click the link to our Twitter and follow along!

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