District 3 Power Rankings after Week No. 5

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Class 6A:

The top 8 teams will advance to the District 3 Class 6A playoffs.

1Cumberland Valley
4-10.801657
2Hempfield4-10.790133
3Central York4-10.757040
4Harrisburg3-10.754775
5Wilson4-10.728942
6Manheim Township3-20.703582
7William Penn3-20.685045
8Carlisle3-2 0.682865
9Dallastown3-20.677633
10Penn Manor3-20.661865
11Chambersburg2-30.606918
12Central Dauphin East2-30.582206
13Reading2-30.571077
14Red Lion2-30.558389
15Cedar Crest2-30.543605
16Central Dauphin1-40.528992
17J P McCaskey1-40.433053
18.Lebanon0-50.286686
19.York County School of Tech.1-40.247179

Class 5A:

The top 12 teams will advance to the District 3 Class 5A playoffs.

1.Solanco5-00.838267
2.Elizabethtown5-00.803125
3.Exeter Township5-00.774537
4.Gettysburg4-10.723179
5.Shippensburg4-10.715464
6.Garden Spot4-10.707591
7.Greencastle-Antrim3-10.672087
8.New Oxford4-10.663769
9.South Western3-20.648788
10.Ephrata3-20.639379
11.Spring Grove Area3-20.626551
12.Lower Dauphin3-20.610327
13.Dover3-20.576086
14.Governor Mifflin2-30.566356
15.Conestoga Valley2-30.553636
16.Waynesboro2-30.544438
17.Northern York2-30.534341
18.Cocalico2-30.527778
19.Warwick2-30.527364
20.Hershey2-30.526551
21.Muhlenberg2-30.502815
22.Cedar Cliff2-30.498483
23.Northeastern1-40.419742
24.Mechanicsburg1-40.410143
25.Palmyra1-40.377240
26.Red Land1-40.366853

Class 4A:

The top 10 teams will advance to the District 3 Class 4A playoffs.

1.Manheim Central5-00.749710
2. Lampeter Strasburg4-10.708961
3. East Pennsboro4-10.706493
4. Bishop McDevitt (3)3-10.681951
5. Twin Valley3-20.652853
6. Conrad Weiser3-20.594960
7. Milton Hershey3-20.577542
8. Eastern Lebanon County3-20.534330
9.Fleetwood2-30.514730
10. Susquehanna Twp.2-30.494588
11. Kennard Dale2-30.492130
12. Daniel Boone1-40.470453
13. Susquehannock2-30.450588
14. Big Spring2-30.442887
15. York Suburban2-30.430827
16.Northern Lebanon2-30.429709
17.Boiling Springs2-30.428147
18. James Buchanan2-20.420888
19. West York1-40.387280
20.Donegal1-40.383317
21.Octorara1-40.354116
22.Eastern York1-40.326244
23.Middletown0-50.228305

Class 3A:

The top 6 teams will advance to the District 3 Class 3A playoffs.

1.Wyomissing5-0 0.746818
2.Lancaster Catholic5-00.736663
3. West Perry5-00.723864
4.Hamburg5-00.705751
5. Schuylkill Valley3-20.551746
6. Upper Dauphin3-20.441236
7. Susquenita2-30.397326
8. Berks Catholic1-40.395243
9. Biglerville2-30.331168
10. Hanover (3)2-30.319029
11. Kutztown1-40.307916
12. Bermudian Springs1-40.277990
13. Littlestown1-40.260067
14. Pequea Valley0-50.225462

Class 2A:

The top 4 teams will advance to the District 3 Class 2A playoffs.

1.Camp Hill4-1 0.625210
2. Annville-Cleona3-2 0.524556
3. Trinity2-3 0.473011
4. Columbia2-30.428301
5. York Catholic2-30.409570
6. Delone Catholic2-30.409180
7. Newport0-50.224756

Class 1A:

The top 2 teams will advance to the District 3 Class 1A playoffs.

1. Steel-High4-1 0.650533
3. Fairfield1-3 0.271242
4. Halifax0-4 0.170926

Andy Shay’s Elite 11 after Week No. 5

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11. Manhiem Township3-28
As expected, the tussle with Hempfield was a 50-50 game all the way. Blue Streaks probably feel like they let this one get away and hurt themselves more than enough to deserve the loss. Still a team to be reckoned with.
10. Lampeter-Strasburg4-110
This is not your typical hammer Cocalico team, but the Eagles are still not an easy out. L-S defense continues to shine with only one touchdown surrendered in a two-plus score victory.
9. Central York4-19
That was a full-throttle test South Western gave the Panthers, and Central York survived in another close tilt. CY has played three contests decided by 10 or fewer points and are 2-1 in those contests.
8.Hempfield4-111
Huge win for the Black Knights over Manheim Township where the Hempfield defense did plenty of bending (more than 350 yards surrendered) but allowed only 14 points.
7. Wyomissing5-07
Defense posted its third shutout in five games, and for the fourth time in five outings the offense cleared the 40-point barrier. They are in a class by themselves it seems right now.
6. Solanco5-06
Exactly what you would expect from a seasoned team with some talent. The Golden Mules know how to win football games. It might not always be scrapbook worthy, but they know how to get a result.
5. Cumberland Valley4-15
The final difference was 14 points to Harrisburg, but the Eagles made sure going into the final 12 minutes they were going to have a say in the outcome. The Cougars went out and took it from them.
4. Manheim Central5-04
Barons are a machine rolling downhill right now. Really hard to see this team not being 9-0 heading into a Week 10 matchup with Exeter Township.
3. Harrisburg3-13
Had a 14-7 lead on previously unbeaten Cumberland Valley heading into the final quarter and delivered in crunch time to pull away and make the final score look easier than it was. The challenge was real from CV, and the Cougars passed.
2. Exeter Township5-02
Scored a season-high 69 against unbeaten Lebanon in preparation for what promises to be a much tougher slate the second half of the year for the Eagles. They are ready, though.
1. Bishop McDevitt3-11
Raced to an easy victory over Cedar Cliff that came at a small price with the loss of a star wideout for what appears to be some time. Hard to see another test on their schedule at this level, and the final of this one was 48-7.

Eric F. Epler’s State High School Football Rankings after Week 5

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PennLive will publish updated state rankings every Tuesday through the PIAA Championships at Cumberland Valley High School in December. Teams are listed with district, record, and previous ranking. 

CLASS 6A 

Rank – Team – District – Record — Previous 

1. St. Joseph’s Prep (12)         â€“ 3-1 – 1 

2. Garnet Valley (1)                â€“ 5-0 – 2 

3. Emmaus (11)                      — 5-0 – 3 

4. State College (6)                 â€“ 5-0 – 4 

5. North Allegheny (7)           — 5-0 – 5 

6. Coatesville (1)                    — 5-0 – 6 

7. Harrisburg (3)                     â€“ 3-1 – 9 

8. McDowell (10)                   — 4-1 – 10 

9. Hazleton (2)                        — 5-0 – NR 

10. Central Bucks East (1)      — 5-0 – NR 

Teams to watch: Central York (3) 4-1, Cumberland Valley (3) 4-1, Downingtown East (1) 4-1,   

Hempfield (3) 4-1, Nazareth (11) 4-1.  

CLASS 5A 

Rank – Team – District – Record — Previous 

1. Upper Dublin (1)                â€“ 5-0 – 1 

2. Imhotep Charter (12)          â€“ 2-2 – 2 

3. Exeter Township (3)           â€“ 4-1 – 3 

4. Upper St. Clair (7)              — 5-0 – 8 

5. Strath Haven (1)                 — 5-0 – 7 

6. Roman Catholic (12)          — 4-1 – 5 

7. Chester (1)                          — 5-0 – NR 

8. Solanco (3)                         — 5-0 – NR 

9. Hempfield Area (7)            — 5-0 – NR 

10. Cathedral Prep (10)          — 3-2 – 4 

Teams to watch: Bethel Park (7) 4-1, Great Valley (1) 5-0, Peters Township (7) 4-1, Scranton (2) 5-0. 

CLASS 4A 

Rank – Team – District – Record — Previous  

1. Aliquippa (7)                      â€“ 4-0 – 1 

2. Bishop McDevitt (3)           â€“ 3-1 – 2 

3. Jersey Shore (4)                  â€“ 5-0 – 3 

4. Central Valley (7)               â€“ 5-0 – 4 

5. Meadville (10)                    â€“ 5-0 – 7 

6. McKeesport (7)                   â€“ 5-0 – 8 

7. Manheim Central (3)          — 5-0 – 9 

8. Pope John Paul II (1)          — 5-0 – 10 

9. Armstrong (7)                     — 4-1 – NR 

10. Allentown C.C. (11)         — 3-2 – 5 

Teams to watch: Bethlehem Catholic (11) 3-2, Dallas (2) 5-0, Lampeter-Strasburg (3) 4-1,  

Valley View (2) 4-1, West Allegheny (7) 4-1. 

CLASS 3A 

Rank – Team – District – Record — Previous  

1. Wyomissing (3)                  â€“ 5-0 – 1 

2. Danville (4)                         â€“ 5-0 – 2 

3. Elizabeth Forward (7)         â€“ 5-0 – 4 

4. Belle Vernon (7)                 â€“ 2-2 – 5 

5. Loyalsock (4)                      — 4-1 – 6 

6. Avonworth (7)                    — 4-1 – 7 

7. Penn Cambria (6)                — 5-0 – 8 

8. Lancaster Catholic (3)        — 5-0 – 9 

9. North Schuylkill (11)          — 4-1 – 10 

10. Hamburg (3)                     — 5-0 – NR 

Teams to watch: Clearfield (9) 4-1, Neumann-Goretti (12) 2-1, Northwestern Lehigh (11) 4-1,  

Tyrone (6) 5-0, West Perry (3) 5-0. 

CLASS 2A 

Rank – Team – District – Record — Previous  

1. Farrell (10)                          â€“ 4-1 – 1 

2. Mount Carmel (4)               â€“ 5-0 – 2 

3. Richland Township (6)       â€“ 5-0 – 4 

4. Lakeland (2)                       â€“ 5-0 – 5 

5. Sharpsville (10)                  — 5-0 – 6 

6. Steel Valley (7)                   — 4-0 – 7 

7. Berlin Brothersvalley (5)    — 5-0 – 8 

8. Bedford (5)                         — 5-0 – 9 

9. Beaver Falls (7)                  — 4-1 – 10 

10. Dunmore (2)                     — 4-1 – NR 

Teams to watch: Bishop Guilfoyle (6) 3-2, Neshannock (7) 4-1, Serra Catholic (7) 4-1,  Southern Columbia (4) 3-2, Westinghouse (8) 5-0. 

CLASS 1A 

Rank – Team – District – Record — Previous  

1. Canton (4)                           â€“ 5-0 – 1 

2. Steelton-Highspire (3)        â€“ 3-1 – 2 

3. Bishop Canevin (7)             â€“ 4-1 – 3 

4. OLSH (7)                            â€“ 5-0 – 4 

5. Tri-Valley (11)                   — 5-0 – 6 

6. Reynolds (10)                     â€“ 4-1 – 7 

7. Muncy (4)                           â€“ 4-0 – 8 

8. Redbank Valley (9)            — 5-0 – 9 

9. Penns Manor (6)                 — 5-0 – NR 

10. Eisenhower (10)               — 5-0 – NR 

Teams to watch: Northern Bedford (5) 5-0, Northern Lehigh (11) 4-1, Rochester (7) 3-1, Windber (5) 4-1. 

By the Numbers: A look at the Week 5 statistical leaders in the Mid-Penn Conference

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Passing:

Dimaj Jalloh, CD East: 22-of-36, 256, 1 TD, 2 INTs

Derek Gibney, Susquenita: 14-of-24, 256, 2 TDs, 2 INTs

Kenneth Emile, Milton Hershey: 23-of-31, 245, 2 TDs

Stone Saunders, Bishop McDevitt: 12-of-16, 212, 2 TDs

Tucker Chamberlin, Shippensburg: 11-of-14, 170, 2 TD, 1 INT

Marcus Quaker, West Perry: 10-of-13, 168, 3 TDs

Brady Heiser, Gettysburg: 10-of-14, 131: 1 TD, 1 INT

Landen Eichhorn, Mifflin County: 9-of-19, 117, 1 TD, 1 INT

Brennen Freiwald, Altoona: 2-of-4, 104, 1 TD

Rushing:

Angel Cabrera, Hershey: 24-180, 2 TDs

Jayden Johnson, Gettysburg: 27-168

Marquese Williams, Bishop McDevitt: 11-146, 5 TDs

Brady Morgan, Upper Dauphin: 16-144, 1 TD

Mahkai Hopkins, Harrisburg: 19-138, 1 TD

Brandon Fetterhoff, 14-137, 2 TDs

Kyle Williams Jr., Harrisburg: 17-137, 2 TDs

Aaron Angelo, East Pennsboro: 14-109

Deakon Schaeffer, Mifflin County: 20-109

Diesel Koser, Shippensburg: 12-108, 1 TD

D’antae Sheffey, State College: 19-108, 1 TD

Tavon Cooper, Greencastle-Antrim: 23-105

Receiving:

Tyshawn Russell, Bishop McDevitt: 4-108, 2 TDs

Izayah Hitchcock, CD East: 5-105, 1 TD

Drew Gibney, Susquenita: 4-101

Ian Goodling, West Perry: 4-94, 1 TD

Isaac Wilson, Mifflin County: 3-92, 1 TD

Angel Roberts, Milton Hershey: 6-85

Terrence Jackson-Copner, CD East: 8-81

Tanner Newman, Gettysburg: 3-80, 1 TD

Tyson Reid, Altoona: 1-72

Connor Finlan, Line Mountain: 1-64, 1 TD

Malachi Thomas, Milton Hershey: 9-57, 1 TD

Grant Reinhold, Juniata: 1-53, 1 TD

Mateo Crummel, Central Dauphin: 2-52

No statistics available for:

Carlisle

Chambersburg

Mechanicsburg

Susquehanna Twp.

By the Numbers: A look at the Week 5 statistical leaders in the Colonial-Schuylkill League

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Passing:

Ben Dempster, Shenandoah Valley: 12-of-12, 253, 6 TDs

Brad Rissmiller, Pen Argyl: 13-of-33, 188, 1 TD, 1 INT

Bradley Whalen, Tamaqua: 17-157, 2 TDs

Trevor Minalda, North Schuylkill: 12-of-18, 143, 2 TDs, 1 INT

Dante Carr, Minersville: 7-of-18, 138, 3 TDs, 1 INT

Isaac Whiteash, Williams Valley: 9-of-22, 136, 1 TD, 1 INT

Ben Kreitzer, Nativity BVM: 7-of-13, 130, 1 TD

Bruce Hopeck, Marian Catholic: 6-of-11, 113, 1 INT

Eric Striba, Bangor: 9-of-16, 96, 2 TD

Rushing:

Alex Achenbach, Williams Valley: 26-156, 2 TDs

Jared Tinari, North Schuylkill: 23-136

Eric Striba, Bangor: 10-131, 2 TDs

Matt Martin, Marian Catholic: 26-1223, 2 TDs

Tyler Miller, Blue Mountain: 15-121, 1 TD

Aiden Myers, Schuylkill Haven: 10-101, 1 TD

Luke Stevenosky, Minersville: 14-101, 3 TDs

Receiving:

Damian Tyminski, Pen Argyl: 7-136

Noah Dolbin, Nativity BVM: 5-117, 1 TD

Alex Achenbach, Williams Valley: 4-72, 1 TD

Greg Campbell, Bangor: 6-62, 2 TDs

No statistics available for:

Salisbury Township

Mahanoy Area

Palisades

Saucon Valley

Pottsville

Wilson Area

Southern Lehigh

Northwestern Lehigh

Lehighton

Palmerton

Notre-Dame-Green Pond

Pine Grove

Jim Thorpe

Catasauqua

Panther Valley

Vote Now: Colonial-Schuylkill League Player of the Week

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Alex Achenbach, Williams Valley, jr., RB/DB: Achenbach flashed terrific form as Williams Valley battled Loyalsock before tumbling 35-29. In addition to rushing 26 times for 156 yards and two scores, Achenbach caught four passes for 72 yards and another TD as the Vikings rallied from a 27-6 halftime deficit to make things really, really interesting. 

Eric Striba, Bangor, sr, QB: Striba did a little bit of everything for the Slaters Friday night against Wilson Area, tossing a pair of touchdowns to wideout Greg Campbell and rushing for another pair on 10 totes for 131 yards in a 34-7 victory against the Warriors. 

Luke Stevenosky, Minersville, jr, RB/LB: Stevenosky reached pay dirt three times for the Battlin’ Miners Friday night in a 41-21 victory against Panther Valley. On 14 carries, he topped 100 yards–a 7.1 yards-per-carry average. His effort helped Minersville improve to 4-1 overall 

Isaac Whiteash, Williams Valley, sr., QB/DB: Whiteash had a busy night on both sides of the football, but it wasn’t quite enough as the Vikings dropped a 35-29 verdict to Loyalsock – despite trailing 27-6 at halftime. Whiteash completed nine of his 22 throws for 136 yards and one touchdown – he was picked off once – but he also paced Tim Savage’s club with his 15 tackles defensively. Thirteen of those 15 stops were solos.

Ben Dempster, Shenandoah Valley, jr, QB: This is one Dempster will remember for a long time. The junior was a perfect 12-of-12 passing for 253 yards and 6–yes, 6–touchdowns in a 51-20 victory against Hancock. 

Jake Scheib, Tri-Valley, sr., RB/DL: Scheib rumbled 14 times for 87 yards and a 10-yard score as Tri-Valley remained unbeaten by fending off Executive Education 19-18. Scheib also came up big defensively, posting his lone quarterback sack on fourth down as the visiting Raptors were knocking on Tri-Valley’s goal line in the final minutes. He also posted five tackles.

Layne Yoder, Tri-Valley, jr., WR/DB: Yoder caught two passes for 28 yards on the offensive side, but he also intercepted a pair of Executive Education passes, returning one 24 yards for a score that played large in Tri-Valley’s 19-18 victory. Yoder’s pick-six, in fact, provided the game-winning points since the Bulldogs were leading 19-12 at that point. 

This poll has ended (since 3 years).
Ben Dempster, Shenandoah Valley, jr, QB:
45.87%
Luke Stevenosky, Minersville, jr, RB/LB:
44.98%
Layne Yoder, Tri-Valley, jr., WR/DB:
3.70%
Alex Achenbach, Williams Valley, jr., RB/DB:
2.08%
Isaac Whiteash, Williams Valley, sr., QB/DB:
1.65%
Jake Scheib, Tri-Valley, sr., RB/DL:
1.58%
Eric Striba, Bangor, sr, QB:
0.16%

Vote Now: Week 5 Mid-Penn Conference Player of the Week Sponsored by Crown Trophy of Harrisburg

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Vote now for your 4th Down Magazine Mid-Penn Conference Player of the Week Sponsored by Crown Trophy of Harrisburg (in Lemoyne). Our poll will remain open until Tuesday evening at 11 p.m. Vote once per hour for your favorite competitor.

Editor’s note: We have implemented new 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.

Derek Gibney, jr., QB, Susquenita: Gibney started ‘Nita’s 35-21 home win over Line Mountain with touchdown runs of 29 and 1 yard in the first five minutes of the game. Then he added second-half TD passes of 24 yards (to Athan Robinson) and 19 (to Payton Garcia) to ice the game. He finished with 21 rushing yards on five carries and 229 passing yards on 14 of 24 passing (with two INTs).

Max Schlager, sr., RB, Trinity: The Shamrocks pulled off one of the biggest upsets of Week 5 thanks to Schlager. The senior ripped off an early 77-yard TD run and finished with two more scores of 1 and 13 yards. His night ended with 171 yards on the ground.

Alex Erby, jr., QB, Steel-High: The area’s best quarterback sliced up Big Spring for four touchdown passes (16, 29, 37 and 27 yards) and a fifth on the ground for 5 yards, finishing a 61-7 romp with 231 yards on 17 of 25 passing.

Tanner Newman, sr., WR/DB, Gettysburg: The Warriors gambled early and Newman cashed in. The senior caught a quick pass from Brady Heiser on a fake punt at Gettysburg’s own 33-yard line and raced to the end zone to spark a 14-0 win over Mechanicsburg.

Marquese Williams, sr., RB, Bishop McDevitt: He had scores of 11, 15, 3, 6 and then an electric 71 yards to lead the Crusaders to a comfortable 48-7 win over Cedar Cliff. Those five touchdowns accounted for nearly half of Williams’s 11 carries, which went for a total of 142 yards. He also added a 25-yard reception.

Tyshawn Russell, sr., WR, Bishop McDevitt: Russell caught four passes for 107 yards and touchdowns of 8 and 75 yards in the first half of McDevitt’s 48-7 win over the Colts. He might have had an even bigger night before a leg injury knocked him out for the rest of the game.

Marcus Quaker, jr., QB, West Perry: It was another big night for the Mustangs’ leader. Quaker, in a 51-8 romp of James Buchanan, ripped off 75 yards and two touchdowns on just two rushing attempts and was a tidy 10 of 13 for 168 yards and three TDs through the air. 

Charlie Fortney, sr., WR/QB/DB, Lower Dauphin: It was a do-everything sort of day for the senior. In the Falcons’ 49-3 dismantling of Red Land, Fortney was 4 of 5 for 42 yards, a TD and an INT passing; had a carry for 8 yards; caught six passes for 98 yards and two scores of 34 and 5 yards; and recorded an interception.

Angel Cabrera, jr., RB/LB, Hershey: Cabrera had a breakout game for his first 100-yard performance of his career. The junior rushed 24 times for 180 yards and scored two touchdowns. And on defense he had six tackles in the Trojans’ 28-21 win over rival Milton Hershey.

Isaac Wilson, sr., WR/LB, Mifflin County: Logan Parks got the pick-6, but Wilson got his hands on a couple passes on defense as well. Wilson swiped two Palmyra pass attempts in a 14-0 win, added three tackles and then for good measure caught three passes at WR for 92 yards and a 72-yard TD to ice the game.

Trae Kater, sr., RB/DB, Shippensburg: A regular on this list, Kater had another quality performance with a 45-yard pick-6, 5 receiving yards on one catch and 58 rushing yards on 13 touches in the Greyhounds’ 27-13 win over Susquehanna Township. Hat tip to Erby Weller’s seven-catch, 124-yard, one-TD performance.

Branden Fetterhoff, sr., RB/DB, Upper Dauphin: Fetterhoff unleashed the best game of his high school career, rushing 14 times for 135 yards and three touchdowns. Fetterhoff’s outing, which featured TD runs of 48, 4 and 15 yards, sparked Upper Dauphin to a come-from-behind 41-20 victory over Newport.

Aidan Bingaman, so., QB/DB, Upper Dauphin: Bingaman completed 13 of his 17 pass attempts for 174 yards – he was picked off once – as the Trojans dealt Newport a 41-20 setback. Bingaman also orchestrated UD’s impressive offensive outing, as the Trojans totaled 522 yards – including 348 on the ground.

Ethan Grove, so., LB/TE, Newport: Grove stood out in two phases, leading the Buffaloes with 10 tackles from his linebacker spot. He also scored on special teams returning a blocked punt 10 yards to pull the Buffaloes within a single score (27-20) midway through the third quarter.

This poll has ended (since 3 years).
Ethan Grove, so., LB/TE, Newport
39.10%
Isaac Wilson, sr., WR/LB, Mifflin County
26.45%
Branden Fetterhoff, sr., RB/DB, Upper Dauphin
11.83%
Aidan Bingaman, so., QB/DB, Upper Dauphin
8.35%
Derek Gibney, jr., QB, Susquenita
6.03%
Marcus Quaker, jr., QB, West Perry
3.25%
Alex Erby, jr., QB, Steel-High
1.16%
Angel Cabrera, jr., RB/LB, Hershey
0.93%
Trae Kater, sr., RB/DB, Shippensburg
0.70%
Tyshawn Russell, sr., WR, Bishop McDevitt
0.58%
Marquese Williams, sr., RB, Bishop McDevitt
0.58%
Max Schlager, sr., RB, Trinity
0.58%
Charlie Fortney, sr., WR/QB/DB, Lower Dauphin
0.35%
Tanner Newman, sr., WR/DB, Gettysburg
0.12%

Sunday Morning QB: Hershey finding its confidence; CD making strides; West Perry advances to 5-0 for the fifth time in school history; intriguing Colonial division race shaping up and more

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Halfway through the regular season there are still plenty of teams that continue to ride the consistency roller-coaster. Week-to-week results continue to span the gamut and that always makes high school football more fun.

For example, this week Trinity started to climb out of its tailspin by nearly doubling up Boiling Springs, once-beaten East Pennsboro had no problem at all dispatching previously undefeated Greencastle-Antrim, Carlisle had surrendered nearly 100 points its previous two games then turned around and limited Chambersburg to a touchdown to snap a two-game slide.

How about Central Dauphin? The Rams are clearly struggling this season and its defense has been battling to reach the standard for the program. It’s certainly closer after CD limited powerful State College to 19 points in a loss where the offense managed one touchdown. Still, you can clearly see this Rams squad continuing to battle despite a 1-4 mark.

Hershey now believes it can win games, and taking out rival Milton Hershey by a touchdown for the Cocoa Bean Bowl bragging rights shows what can happen when another potential close loss becomes a win. The Trojans have found that ever-elusive confidence. Hershey running back Angel Cabrera had 172 yards on the ground with a touchdown to pace the offense. And their defense came up huge twice, stopping the Spartans deep in the red zone on 4th-down.

For the fifth time in school history West Perry starts a season 5-0. I’m not sure what is more impressive, the 200-plus points scored or the 28 points surrendered through 20 quarters? I know the meat of the Mustangs’ schedule is on deck, but this squad is playing complementary ball and looks ready for a next-level challenge.

Hard to imagine Steel-High struggling offensively, and the Rollers didn’t necessarily struggle out of the gate; it seemed they were a little sluggish and searching for their stride. In a win over fellow state title contender Bishop Canevin and a setback to Westinghouse, a quality loss for sure, Steel-High failed to score more than 21 points. You just knew it wasn’t going to last, though. How about 135 points the last eight quarters, including 61 against Big Spring in Week 5?

Welcome back to the Mid-Penn Conference, Gettysburg. The Warriors are 4-1 overall and unbeaten against MPC squads after blanking Mechanicsburg 14-0 on Thursday night. Next up for Gettysburg is fellow one-loss outfit Shippensburg for Week 6.

Speaking of Gettysburg and Shippensburg, the duo comprises half of the four teams in the MPC Colonial Division that have each reached the halfway point with sparkling 4-1 records. East Pennsboro and Greencastle-Antrim are the other pair.

Speaking of East Pennsboro, the Panthers came out flying Thursday night at home against the Blue Devils with three first-quarter touchdowns on their way to a 23-7 lead. The defense took care of the rest. The game was more even than the final 30-13 final. Four Greencastle-Antrim turnovers was a difference maker.

Speaking of Thursday night games, there were three of them in Week 5. I don’t mind the odd Thursday game during the course of a season. But several of them on a weekly basis are being done for a reason is what it tells me. I’ll take Thursday night over Saturday night any day.

One of the more stunning results for Week 5 saw Lower Dauphin drill Red Land 49-3. All indicators told me this was a toss-up game. Falcons didn’t seem to think so, obviously.

Bishop McDevitt had no trouble rolling past Cedar Cliff, behind five touchdowns and 142 yards from RB Marquese Williams. The victory might have come at a cost as top WR Tyshawn Russell suffered a lower leg injury and was on crutches later in the game.

On Saturday, Harrisburg continued to regain its momentum with Coach Cal back at the helm, knocking off the previously undefeated Cumberland Valley Eagles in commanding fashion. The Commonwealth division racing is shaping up nicely with CV, Harrisburg and State College all vying for the title.

A week after Northern knocked off Shippensburg, the Polar Bears couldn’t keep the momentum going against Waynesboro in a 13-10 loss. Quality win for the Indians who previously had been struggling to find its footing.

4th Down Magazine Mid-Penn Conference Player of the Week Sponsored by Crown Trophy of Harrisburg

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Editor’s note: Irregular voting in both our Mid-Penn and Schuylkill League polls disqualified several candidates from consideration.  Our team at 4th Down reserves the right to disqualify any candidate who gains an advantage through voting outside the spirit of the rules. Our team is also working to implement new safeguards for our next polls to ensure that this weekly honor continues to be fair and fun for all.  

Last week it was running backs who raced to be Athlete of the Week. This week it was Swiss Army knives.

West Perry junior Ian Goodling had his fingerprints all over the Mustangs’ 40-14 win over Trinity last week. The receiver/defensive back/kicker had 33 yards on three receptions. On defense he picked off a pass and returned it 96 yards to the house. He also had another interception. And he drilled 26- and 45-yard field goals and four PATs to finish with 16 points.