Each week during the 2021 season we’ll offer some news, notes, tidbits and opinions from each of the five divisions in the Mid-Penn Conference.

Juniata moving closer to crown

With its dependable defense yielding virtually nothing — 22 offensive yards — Juniata churned past Newport last weekend by a 24-0 count and moved one more sizable step toward claiming the Liberty Division title. Kurt Condo’s Indians (6-2, 4-0) pitched their second consecutive shutout (third overall), stretched their winning streak to four games and strengthened their hold on the No. 1 spot in the District 6 Class 4A power rankings.

Burly fullback Seth Laub hammered out a second straight 100-yard effort (nine carries, 135 yards) and scored the first and third touchdowns for Juniata, while QB Aaron Kanagy rushed for another score and Ben Wagner tacked on a first-half field goal. Down lineman Jon Kauffman and inside linebacker Waylon Ehrenzeller shared the team lead with seven tackles — the tandem was responsible for two of the Indians’ four sacks — while Kauffman fell on two Buffaloes fumbles and Makih Hunt swiped a Newport pass.

Juniata did commit three turnovers, so here’s a guess that Condo spent plenty of the week trying to get those miscues cleaned up. Up next for Juniata is a lengthy trek to James Buchanan (1-6, 1-3), which dropped a 42-7 decision to Susquenita last weekend and has lost its last five.

Around the Liberty

Line Mountain (0-7, 0-3) continues its quest to pin down an elusive first victory, the the Eagles came mighty, mighty close last weekend before falling 20-19 at North Penn-Mansfield. What had Brandon Carson’s club in position to win was a productive attack that piled up nearly 400 offensive yards, with most of those coming on the ground as Nolan Baumert rushed 17 times for 175 yards and one score and Beau Keim added 75 more on a dozen totes. Baumert’s 29-yard jaunt early in the third quarter had the Eagles up 19-14, but North Penn-Mansfield connected for the eventual game-winner by converting a fourth-and-long with just more than eight minutes to play.

What hurt Line Mountain was three turnovers, a missed placement and two off-the-mark field goal attempts. Defensively, the Eagles picked up 15 tackles and a fumble recovery from inside ‘backer Chandon Maurer and 10 stops from the ballhawking Keim. Line Mountain also registered 11.5 tackles for loss, while Maurer and Keim split a sack. Newport (2-6, 2-2) was limited to 22 offensive yards in a 24-0 loss to league-leading Juniata, but veteran skipper Todd Rothermel will have something ready to go since he played and coached at Line Mountain. … Now sitting fourth in the District 3 Class 2A power rankings, Susquenita (4-3, 3-1) will be looking to solidify its postseason chances with a victory at Halifax (1-5, 0-3).

Bryce McKee last weekend rushed 17 times for 197 yards and two scores — he also caught two passes for 50 yards and a third touchdown — as Susquenita romped past James Buchanan 42-7. Augie Glass’ club also scored when Laiken Miller recovered a blocked punt in the end zone, and Tristan Brown returned an interception 22 yards to cap a 28-0 first-quarter burst. Already facing numbers issues, Halifax hasn’t played since finishing the first half of a 38-7 loss Oct. 1 to Juniata. So, we’ll see what happens.

UDA heading for Berks CountyWhile Upper Dauphin’s visit to Fleetwood would seem like just another non-league encounter packing few ramifications, that’ll hardly be the case when Kent Smeltz’s Trojans (6-1) step off the bus ready to chase their sixth straight victory. With QB Wil Laskowski rushing for 57 yards and three touchdowns — he also hooked up with Aiden Wiest for a passing score and tacked on three two-point conversions — Smeltz’s bunch eclipsed late fill-in Executive Education 38-14 in Elizabethville.

Christian Snyder added 110 rushing yards on 15 carries for UDA, which played without slippery running back Brady Morgan. Smeltz’s Trojans also put together a terrific defensive effort, posting 10 tackles for loss and seven sacks while strengthening their grip on the No. 3 spot in the District 3 Class 2A power rankings. One of those hits knocked out QB Darmel Lopez, who one week earlier threw for 370-plus yards and four touchdowns in a win over Line Mountain.

Fleetwood (5-3) claimed its third straight victim last weekend, edging Hamburg 28-26 behind three touchdown passes from Villanova recruit Tanner Maddocks and one rushing score from Gavin Morris. These Tigers, who sit 13^th in the District 3 Class 5A power rankings, also sport a huge offensive front, and that will pose an intriguing problem for Smeltz’s smallish Trojans.

Each week during the 2021 season we’ll offer some news, notes, tidbits and opinions from each of the five divisions in the Mid-Penn Conference.

Big battle ahead

There is no mystery behind who the top dog is this season in the Colonial, and it’s a familiar name. That distinction goes to Shippensburg in a runaway. Behind them it’s a chase for playoff spots, which means the Waynesboro-Mechanicsburg matchup this week in Franklin County is a hot-seat game for both Class 5A squads. The Indians at 6-2 overall are in a much better spot and have some breathing room. Mechanicsburg sits at No. 11 in the District 3 power rankings and at 5-3 could fall below the 14-team cut line with another loss. Waynesboro would fall into that bubble category with its third loss.

Motivation to come home

West Perry is almost assured of being one of the eight teams in Class 3A to receive an invite to the District 3 playoffs. Even with a 4-4, record they are still No. 4 in the latest power rankings. They have a tough road game at Greencastle-Antrim this week; the Blue Devils are 3-5 and show up every week. Now it’s about getting a home game for the Mustangs. What is their key to playing in Elliottsburg the opening weekend of the second season? Their schedule. The Mustangs have the second-best opponents winning percentage among the 15 teams in Class 3A.

Each week during the 2021 season we’ll offer some news, notes, tidbits and opinions from each of the five divisions in the Mid-Penn Conference.

It’s like the 4th of July

And down the stretch they come! Get ready for some fireworks the next couple weeks as the top three teams in the division — Steel-High, Boiling Springs and Big Spring — square off to close out the regular season. First, the Rollers travel to Newville to take on the Bulldogs.

Then a week later Steel-High will roll out the welcome mats for visiting Boiling Springs. All I’m going to say is I expect some points to be scored in both games … lots and lots of points.

Shamrocks better than their record

Trinity is the close-but-no-cigar team for me this year. Every season there’s always one. For a while it was Red Land, but in 2021 the team that is clearly better than its record is the T-Rocks. At 3-4 overall they have one bad loss — the blowout by Boiling Springs. Trinity fell to Upper Dauphin by eight, saw Steel-High rally in the fourth quarter to fall by six and last week scored 33 and still fell to Big Spring by nine.

That’s a tough trio of losses. And now they get a Middletown team this week that appears to have found a little something and is playing its best football of the season. If this team can navigate its way to finding a spot in the Class 2A playoff field, I would not want to play them as the No. 1 seed. They are more than battle tested.

Each week during the 2021 season we’ll offer some news, notes, tidbits and opinions from each of the five divisions in the Mid-Penn Conference.

Colts show their mettle

You could make a serious case that Cedar Cliff played its best football game of the 2021 season last week in a 42-14 win over a red-hot and surging Palmyra team. Keep in mind the Colts, and I’m not saying something here they would not say themselves, were embarrassed by their performance the week before against Bishop McDevitt in a 56-0 beatdown.

There’s losing, and then there’s getting embarrassed. They are completely different. To rebound and drub the Cougars in every facet of the game reveals the mettle of this squad. Cedar Cliff is 6-2, and it would be a major surprise if they don’t keep the ball rolling and close the regular season 8-2.

Falcons skipping steps

Lower Dauphin has a real opportunity to be a playoff team in 2021. If you aren’t part of the Falcons team and say you saw that coming, well, are you being truthful now? This program was trying to scrape itself off the ground from the football badlands the last few years, so a good next step would have been to be competitive.

Well, LD and first-year head coach Josh Borrelli skipped right over that step and at 4-3 overall are sitting in a good spot to secure a postseason berth. A victory over one-win Hershey is a must this week. One of the top three surprises this season for sure no matter what.

Five-star performance

Old Dominion dropped its fifth straight and fell to 1-6 thanks to a 43-20 loss to Western Kentucky, but Camp Hill product Zack Kuntz recorded his first 100-yard game in college.

The transfer from Penn State hauled in nine passes for 119 yards, both second on the Monarchs to Ali Jennings’ 13 for 172 on Saturday.

The production nearly doubled Kuntz’s previous high of 61 yards set in Week 2’s win. It also marked his new career high in receptions, breaking his mark of eight set two weeks ago.

In on the action

One week after his career performance of 20 tackles, Villanova product Forrest Rhyne added eight more tackles in Villanova’s 17-10 win at Albany.

Texas A&M’s Andre White (Harrisburg) followed up his eight-tackle week in the upset of No. 1 Alabama with three more takedowns as the Aggies thumped Missouri 35-14.

Another one-time Cougar, Donte Kent, also had five tackles in Central Michigan’s 26-23 overtime victory over Toledo.

Ronald Kent Jr. (Harrisburg) picked up a tackle as Western Carolina fell to 0-6 following a 34-24 loss to Mercer.

Cody Gustafson (Shippensburg High) hauled in two more touchdowns of 4 and 65 yards, giving him 10 on the year, to lead Grove City College (6-1) to a third straight win, 41-29 over Saint Vincent. Gustafson finished with eight grabs for 157 yards, his sixth 100-yard game and fourth in a row. He’s now 85 yards from 1,000 this season, which would be the third of his career.

PSAC performances

Shippensburg suffered its second loss in three weeks to a ranked opponent, this time falling 20-3 to No. 25 Kutztown. Bill Williams (Camp Hill) was smothered, held to 18 yards on 10 carries plus a 4-yard reception. Lower Dauphin grad Evan Morrill finished with four receptions and 33 yards. On defense, Shippensburg High’s Cameron Tinner had three tackles and a sack, his first of the season, for the Red Raiders, while Middletown alumnus Laron Woody had a tackle. 

Carlisle grad Gavyn Barnes had a 12-yard reception in IUP’s 48-21 win over Slippery Rock, while one of his former Mid-Penn Commonwealth opponents, Chambersburg’s Tyler Luther, added a pair of 24-yard field goals and six extra points for IUP.

Timmy Smith (Central Dauphin) led Millersville in a 38-13 loss to No. 15 Shepherd with four carries and 30 yards, while Cedar Cliff grad Jaheim Morris added 10 carries for 5 yards plus three receptions for 8 yards.

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.9 of the high school football season.  

STOCK UP

Mid-Penn Capital

We see you, Mid-Penn Capital Division. This last couple of weeks is going to be very, very entertaining. Undefeated Steel-High has two-loss Big Spring and one-loss Boiling Springs remaining on its schedule. Big Spring also has a game with Middletown, which put a full-metal-jacket fright into Boiling Springs last Friday. So many possibilities with so few answers right now. Doesn’t get much better than that.

The Mid-Penn’s playoff odds

Week 8 is in the books, so that means the PIAA District 3 Power Rankings are relevant. So, I looked. As of today, 16 teams from the Mid-Penn Conference would be playoff eligible from the five divisions spread across the six classifications. Those are some pretty heady numbers in my book.

West Perry

West Perry has a real opportunity to be a six-win team and qualify for the playoffs as a Class 3A school. And, yes, we are well aware the Mustangs were clocked by Shippensburg last Friday.

With a 4-4 overall mark right now, this squad from Elliottsburg has overachieved to be currently resting in the fourth and final playoff spot in the District 3 Class 3A bracket. Lancaster Catholic is breathing down their neck at No. 5, but West Perry isn’t very far behind No. 3 Hamburg and its 5-3 overall record. The Mustangs have Greencastle-Antrim and Susquehanna Township remaining. Can they win both games and secure a playoff berth?

That’s what will most likely be required to lock down a spot with no worries. Go 1-1 and the road becomes murkier. The game with Greencastle this week is sticky. The Blue Devils are 3-5 but have shown up and given a respectable performance each and every week. They require your best to beat them.

STOCK DOWN

Carlisle’s playoff odds

Carlisle secured that signature victory for 2021 it’s been very close to obtaining by edging State College by a touchdown. It improved the Herd to 5-3 overall. So, why are they in the stock down? Because they most likely have to win both of their final two regular season games and finish 7-3 to be a playoff team. I don’t think a 6-4 Carlisle team makes it because its early season schedule of Mechanicsburg, Hershey and Cedar Crest isn’t helping the cause very much, although the 5-3 Wildcats are doing their part. The Herd have Altoona and CD East left to play, and it feels like for a team on such a high after such a big win they are already in playoff mode. That’s tough.

3 winless teams

Susquehanna Township, Line Mountain and Mifflin County are the only remaining Mid-Penn Conference programs without a win in 2021. The ‘Hanna Tribe and Eagles from Mandata have some program history pedigree, so you hope this is just a one-year thing. When you enter Week 9 looking for that first win under your belt everything seems more difficult than you imagined it ever could be.