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

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Brady Seyler, RB, Red Land: Seyler had himself an evening Friday night against Northern York, rushing for 175 yards on 21 carries. He added a touchdown in a 34-14 loss to the Polar Bears.

Torin Evans, QB Susquehanna Twp.:  Five touchdowns on an evening will garner some attention from our gang who identifies Player of the Week nominees. That’s just what Evans did against Steel-High, slinging it for 257 yards on 13-of-19 passing in a 41-20 victory against Steel-High.

Grant Hall, RB, Big Spring:  The Bulldogs would not be denied Friday night against Greencastle-Antrim. In a 20-16 victory against Blue Devils, Hall rushed for a game-high 232 yards on 27 rushing attempted. He logged three touchdowns on the evening.

Elias Coke, WR/S, Harrisburg: Coke did a little bit of everything against Cedar Cliff Friday night. His night included 104 receiving yards and a touchdown as well as a pick-6 on defense in a 28-20 victory against Cedar Cliff.

Zach Bates, RB/WR/K, Newport: In an overtime thriller Zach Bates did all he could to help Newport notch a victory Friday night against Susquenita. He ran for a touchdown, hauled in eight receptions for 109 yards and legged a pair of field goals in a 29-26 double-overtime loss to Susquenita.

 

Name: Week 5: Overall: 

Andy Sandrik: 17-2; 84-23

Andy Shay: 15-4; 82-25

Adam Kulikowski: 16-3; 78-29

Thursday, Sept. 19

Non-League

Susquehanna Township 41, Steelton-Highspire 20

Andy Shay: Susquehanna Township 28, Steelton-Highspire 20: That was an old-school lesson learned by the Tribe at the hands of West Perry a week ago. Rollers are still a tough out, see if Hanna picked up a few lessons to carry forward.

Andy Sandrik: Susquehanna Township 32, Steelton-Highspire 14: No disrespect to Steel-High, but the Tribe are a significant step up in competition from anything the Rollers have seen this season. 

Adam Kulikowski: Susquehanna Twp. 31, Steelton-Highspire 28: When Hanna faced adversity last week against West Perry, the Indians didn’t respond. Using that experience as motivation through the rest of the season will be paramount. That starts in Week 5. 

Friday, Sept. 20

Commonwealth

Central Dauphin East 34, Altoona 0

Andy Shay: Central Dauphin East 35, Altoona 7: Passing tests with flying colors and picking up momentum that will be needed down the line. Panthers to 5-0. 

Andy Sandrik: Central Dauphin East 23, Altoona 6: East High is not only drawing the attention of the Mid-Penn with its undefeated start, the Panthers are also being talked about as a player in the District 3 picture. 

Adam Kulikowski: Central Dauphin East 41, Altoona 6: Panthers seem determined to prove the doubters wrong this season. Bigger tests lurk in coming weeks. 

Bishop McDevitt 56, Carlisle 7

Andy Shay: Bishop McDevitt 42, Carlisle 0: This will struggle to be competitive beyond the first quarter by all indicators.

Andy Sandrik: Bishop McDecitt 40, Carlisle 0: I took my kids to the Carlisle game last week and it was nice to see the Herd players not just give up on their struggling team. With that said, I can’t think of a single position on the field where Carlisle has an advantage over McDevitt. 

Adam Kulikowski: Bishop McDevitt 55, Carlisle 6:  Crusaders simply have too much talent to allow this tussle to be competitive. 

Harrisburg 28, Cedar Cliff 20

Andy Shay: Harrisburg 40, Cedar Cliff 14: Done picking against the Cougars this regular season. They’ve earned the top spot in the Commonwealth through a road less traveled.

Andy Sandrik: Harrisburg 44, Cedar Cliff 15: The Cougars sleep-walked through their win over Chambersburg last week. Calvin Everett’s squad will need a bigger effort on Friday to win comfortably over the Colts, who know a thing or two about putting points on the board.

Adam Kulikowski: Harrisburg 37, Cedar Cliff 6:  A week after battling Bishop McDevitt, the Colts host a Harrisburg crew who seem to be gaining confidence each week. 

State College 29, Chambersburg 7

Andy Shay: State College 24, Chambersburg 7: Little Lions aren’t the most dynamic offense in the division, but they will make you earn every single first down and point the hard way.

Andy Sandrik: State College 30, Chambersburg 6: The unforgiving nature of the Commonwealth schedule is a tough reality for the teams in the bottom half of the division. Chambersburg knows this as well as anybody. 

Adam Kulikowski: State College 41, Chambersburg 13: The gauntlet of the Commonwealth division is unrelenting–a tough reality for Chambersburg, a team that has scored no more than 14 points in its division match ups to date. 

Cumberland Valley 10, Central Dauphin 7

Andy Shay: Cumberland Valley 27, Central Dauphin 14: If the Rams can keep this game in the teens to win it, their chances go way up. Eagles have glaring flaws, but defense is not one of them.

Andy Sandrik: Cumberland Valley 24, Central Dauphin 23: On paper this is a game that CV should win, so why does it feel like a toss-up right now?

Adam Kulikowski: Central Dauphin 28, Cumberland Valley 27: If the Rams make Cumberland Valley a one-dimensional team, the path to victory for the Eagles becomes  encumbered. 

Keystone

Mechanicsburg 48, Gettysburg 20

Andy Shay: Mechanicsburg 28, Gettysburg 7: Until somebody can make the Wildcats sweat down the stretch, I’m not picking against them.

Andy Sandrik: Mechanicsburg 28, Gettysburg 14: Gettysburg needs this game a lot more than Mechanicsburg does, but I’m not sure how the Warriors are going to get the job done against a Wildcats team that has been the portrait of consistency. 

Adam Kulikowski: Mechanicsburg 34, Gettysburg 20: The Wildcats have consistently played a disciplined brand of football while Gettysburg has ridden a roller coaster each week. Edge to the Cats. 

Hershey 13, Lower Dauphin 3

Andy Shay: Hershey 21, Lower Dauphin 19: Falcons have clearly played better competition than the Trojans and the one-win difference doesn’t impact hopping on the Hershey bus here. Trojans have been more consistent quarter-to-quarter.

Andy Sandrik: Lower Dauphin 21, Hershey 19: Last chance for the Falcons to get back in contention for the Keystone crown, but it won’t be easy against Hershey and the Trojans’ rushing attack. 

Adam Kulikowski: Hershey 28, Lower Dauphin 21: Did we overestimate Lower Dauphin or underestimate other powers in this division? Week 5 might offer a glimpse. 

Shippensburg 42, Mifflin County 13

Andy Shay: Shippensburg 35, Mifflin County 14: If nothing else the Greyhounds offense has been good for 28 or more points in each of their four games. Don’t think the Huskies can match that over 48 minutes.

Andy Sandrik: Shippensburg 33, Mifflin County 13: To have a chance in this one, the Huskies will have to force the Hounds to get away from their game of ball control and chewing up the clock. 

Adam Kulikowski: Shippensburg 27, Mifflin County 14: Greyhounds continue to find ways to add wins to the ledger. No one should be shocked. 

Northern York 34, Red Land 14

Andy Shay: Northern York 20, Red Land 14: Patriots have scored only four touchdowns over its last 12 quarters. Polar Bears aren’t exactly full of firepower, either. Toss-up game all the way.

Andy Sandrik: Northern York 27, Red Land 13: Northern RB Gabe Johnson and the Polar Bears offensive line figured something out last week when the sophomore rumbled for over 300 yards and four TDs.

Adam Kulikowski: Northern York 21, Red Land 7: Give me the gents with just a little more Octane in the tank. 

Waynesboro 47, Palmyra 14

Andy Shay: Waynesboro 29, Palmyra 13: All the Indians games have been pretty tight affairs on their way to a 3-1 mark. Not expecting this one to be a close shave.

Andy Sandrik: Waynesboro 33, Palmyra 14: Defense has been a big issue for the Cougars, who have allowed point totals of 47, 34, and 35 over their last three games. That’s welcome news for a Waynesboro offense that has had plenty of pop this fall. 

Adam Kulikowski: Waynesboro 31, Palmyra 7: Cougars have shown signs of life this year, which is refreshing. But there’s still work to be done. 

Capital

Juniata 35, Camp Hill 7

Andy Shay: Camp Hill 27, Juniata 21: I expect this to be a close affair all the way to the bitter end. Juniata presents some interesting matchup problems for the Lions. Still, Camp Hill has the best player on the field and that will show up and be a difference maker.

Andy Sandrik: Juniata 28, Camp Hill 21: I think Juniata has what it takes to match up against Camp Hill’s best asset — the passing game — and has the manpower to wear the Lions down over four quarters. That’s not to say Camp Hill QB Drew Branstetter and his boys won’t be up for the challenge…

Adam Kulikowski: Juniata 26, Camp Hill 24: Juniata routinely gets overlooked among Mid-Penn powers, but this program repeatedly impressed. Battles upfront will decide this one.

James Buchanan 15, Halifax 0

Andy Shay: James Buchanan 28, Halifax 7: Hey you can knock the Rockets from the ranks of the unbeaten, but they get right back on the win train against the Wildcats.

Andy Sandrik: James Buchanan 30, Halifax 12: How can you tell it’s an election year? The Rockets have a real chance at improving to 4-1 on Friday, that’s how.  

Adam Kulikowski: James Buchanan 35, Halifax 6:  Rockets have to feel good about the start to their campaign. 4-1 is a realistic possibility!

Line Mountain 33, Upper Dauphin 32

Andy Shay: Line Mountain 30, Upper Dauphin 21: This one could be a good old fashion former TVL shootout. Just feels like Line Mountain has a few more options in terms of weapons to hold off UDA.

Andy Sandrik: Line Mountain 28, Upper Dauphin 17: If all else is equal, I’m giving Line Mountain the advantage because they have a game-wrecker in Maxim Johnson, who already has nine sacks and 16 TFLs.

Adam Kulikowski: Line Mountain 36, Upper Dauphin 21: The Eagles posses a variety of weapons to keep the Trojans off balance. Not sure UD can keep up for four quarters.

Susquenita 29, Newport 26

Andy Shay: Newport 14, Susquenita 13: Why the Buffaloes over the Blackhawks? Why Not! Both are winless and one gets to enjoy the sweet taste of success on the scoreboard.

Andy Sandrik: Susquenita 13, Newport 12: Say what you want about these two winless squads, but there will be an electricity in the stadium knowing that one of them will finally get to taste victory. 

Adam Kulikowski: Susquenita 21, Newport 20: Both squads know this is likely the best opportunity to secure a victory. Newport’s eligible participants makes roster depth a factor. 

Colonial

Big Spring 20, Greencastle-Antrim 16

Andy Shay: Greencastle-Antrim 20, Big Spring 13: Could be lower scoring than this, possibly. All I know is this will be air tight deep into the fourth quarter to decide a winner. Bulldogs don’t feel like a winless squad, but they are.

Andy Sandrik: Big Spring 10, Greencastle-Antrim 7: Blue Devils were a little banged up last week, so I’m giving winless Big Spring the benefit of the doubt here, even though the Bulldogs have yet to score beyond 14 points this fall. 

Adam Kulikowski: Greencastle-Antrim 28, Big Spring 14: Big Spring is likely the best of the winless squads in the Mid-Penn, but that’s little consolation if they are winless heading into the second half of the circuit. 

East Pennsboro 49, Boiling Springs 13

Andy Shay: East Pennsboro 42, Boiling Springs 14: Panthers have found their passing game and are lighting up the scoreboard. Bubblers still struggle to keep up defensively and that spells tough match up. 

Andy Sandrik: East Pennsboro 35, Boiling Springs 14: After an 0-2 start, the East Penn Panthers are rolling behind junior QB Turner Barlup, who is completing more than 70 percent of his passes. 

Adam Kulikowski: East Pennsboro 45, Boiling Springs 7: Bubblers have yielded 44, 61, and 33 points over their last three contests. Tough to gain ground in the standings when you lean that heavily on your offense to outgun. 

Middletown 14, West Perry 9

Andy Shay: West Perry 42, Middletown 7: We knew the Mustangs were no joke last season from start to finish. Guess what? That hasn’t changed.

Andy Sandrik: West Perry 33, Middletown 8: The cat is out of the bag for West Perry, who fired off the fake punt heard around the world last week. These Mustangs are better than anyone could have guessed.

Adam Kulikowski: West Perry 55, Middletown 13: Can anyone hold that shifty cat in the West Perry backfield under 100 stripes? Smart money says no. 

Trinity 35, Milton Hershey 25

Andy Shay: Trinity 34, Milton Hershey 13: The T-Rocks new look train keeps rolling down the tracks and I’m not sure the Spartans are equipped to slow down this run game.

Andy Sandrik: Trinity 30, Milton Hershey 13: Not many teams have been able to solve the riddle that is hard-running back Christian Joy, and I’m not sure the Spartans will do so this week, either.

Adam Kulikowski: Trinity 38, Milton Hershey 14: The turmoil of the offseason could have derailed this team, instead it sure seems like it lit a fire under the Shamrocks. 

11.	Conestoga Valley	5-0	11
Grind-it-out victory over two-win Spring Grove. Holding serve and 6-0 is a lock with Lebanon on deck.
10.	Twin Valley	5-0	10
The beat goes on for the Raiders, who have surrendered just 40 points through five games. More stern tests are coming, but this group is riding very high.
9.	Wyomissing	4-1	9
No problem with Elco in Week 5 and the winning streak stretches to three games.
8.	Lampeter-Strasburg	5-0	8
Unbeaten with a couple of solid tests including a 48-minute effort needed to finish off Daniel Boone. Blanking of Warwick in Week 2 still stands out.
7.	Wilson West Lawn	4-1	7
That was a quality win over previously once-beaten Cedar Cliff in a tight squeeze all the way. How you win also matters.
6.	Dallastown	5-0	6
Here we are time for the rubber to meet the road as No. 3 Central York is on the docket next. Chance to really change the narrative, but 5-0 is good enough to date in my book.
5.	Bishop McDevitt	4-1	5
Cheers to Crusaders QB Stone Saunders who tied the state record for career passing touchdowns against Carlisle with 176.
4.	State College	4-1	4
Never expected any competition from Carlisle but the veteran QB and his new cast of receivers are moving the needle on a weekly basis and they are getting better.
3.	Central York	4-1	3
The King Of York County will have that lofty perch tested this week against undefeated Dallastown. Pretty sure this squad knows the drill.
2.	Harrisburg	4-1	2
Nothing easy about the win over Cedar Cliff. Somehow it feels right for this team to take the road less traveled to victories than going the easy route. Battle tested is an understatement.
1.	Manheim Township	5-0	1
Blue Streaks beat Week 5 opponent Hempfield and Week 3 opposition William Penn by a combined score of 80-0. Second half of the schedule doesn’t feature as much meat on the bone, but somehow that feels irrelevant.

Vote now for our 4th Down Magazine Mid-Penn Conference Player of the Week. Our poll will remain open until Wednesday 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.

Browser cookies must be accepted to vote.

Put those Candy Boxes Away; No more Sub Sales; Retire from Washing Cars! And elevate your team’s fundraising this season with Vertical Raise!

Vertical Raise is the premier online fundraising platform for organizations of all types and sizes. Vertical Raise provides solutions to the challenges of fundraising by utilizing its best-in-class software to create the easiest, most efficient and effective fundraising.

Brad Hockenberry, RB, West Perry: Susquehanna Twp. knew they would receive a heavy dose of Hockenberry Friday night. It didn’t matter. Hockenberry dominated this battle, ending the evening with 270 total yards and three scores in a 31-14 victory.

Eli Reider, QB, Mechanicsburg: The Wildcats quarterback completed 12 of 19 passes for 222 stripes and a pair of touchdowns in a 29-0- shutout of Lower Dauphin Friday night.

AJ Serdar, RB, Camp Hill: Serdar only had eight carries on the evening, but he made the most of each touch, racking up 139 stripes. He reached pay dirt twice in a 43-14 victory against Newport Friday night.

Wyatt Enhrenzeller, QB, Juniata: When the dust settled on Juniata’s 48-0 victory against James Buchanan, the Indians’ quarterback’s stat line looked pretty, pretty, pretty nice: 12-of-15 passing, 240 yards and four touchdowns.

Gabe Johnson, RB, Northern: The Polar Bears aren’t afraid of leaning on the hot hand. On Friday evening, that was Gabe Johnson, the sophomore rock toter who accounted for a staggering 46 carries on the evening. The totals on the evening—344 yards, a 7.5 yard-per-carry average and four scores in a 25-22 loss to Gettysburg.

Christain Joy, RB, Trinity:  If you don’t know this young lad’s name, let us introduce you. Joy logged 11 touches Friday night in a 48-0 victory against Susquenita. The results—200 yards and five touchdowns. He also hauled in three passes for another 42 yards.