Each week, our crew will dish out ‘Game Balls” to athletes who turned in impressive performances across our coverage area. Here are our selections for Week of Oct. 9-10 of the regular season. 

Jake Adams’s Game Balls

Max Mosey, QB, Central Dauphin: I’ll be honest. I didn’t think the Rams played the most inspired game Friday night, despite beating Carlisle 35-0. They showed little urgency in the first half when they could’ve scored at least 1-2 more touchdowns and buried the Herd by halftime. And Mosey seemed frustrated at times by that as well. They also didn’t take shots deep against a susceptible defense early on. But credit to CD and Mosey for adjusting in the second half and tossing grenades downfield that blew the game open for good. The aggressive offense really boosted Mosey’s final line, with the lefty completing 10-of-14 passes for 147 yards and three TDs that covered 14, 23 and 30 yards. He also ran to the pylon from 5 yards out, finishing with 32 yards rushing. He wants to put a cinder block on the gas pedal at all times. I respect that.

Jaydan Barrick, TE-MLB, Boiling Springs: If you haven’t already, start showing the Bubblers some respect. They’re 3-0 with three very convincing wins. And each week it seems someone new leads them to victory. This week, just for fun, it wasn’t a running back who shined the most. It was Barrick, whose 16-yard pick-6 and 7-yard blocked punt return TD lifted the Bubblers past rival Big Spring 35-21 in the Battle of the Springs. Those consecutive scores came at the perfect time, too. The Bulldogs had scored first and were making things tough. Bubbletown claimed a 14-7 lead early in the second quarter, but Barrick’s two scoring trips locked the game up. 

Micah Brubaker, QB, Mechanicsburg: Holy Football Gods. Brubaker looks every bit as good as last year’s breakout version, except better. He’s more accurate, he’s playing more within the offense rather than freelancing the majority of the time and he’s still making plays with his legs. Look no further than Friday’s 48-0 whooping of Greencastle-Antrim. The senior toyed with the Blue Devils, running for an astounding 223 rushing yards, nearly 100 more than his career high a season ago. He ran in three TDs of 8, 60 and 72 yards. And his arm wasn’t really needed, although he again completed more than 60% of his passes (6-of-9, 29 yards), his accuracy among those things that’s improved quite a bit in the last 12 months. Those three incompletions are the most he’s had through three games. Brubaker now has four passing scores and seven with his legs.

Andy Shay’s Game Balls

Lek Powell, QB, Bishop McDevitt: That was some third quarter performance by the Crusaders’ signal caller in a 40-28 come-from-behind victory over Cedar Cliff (the Colts did lead 28-27 late in the third quarter for 59 seconds). Powell struggled a bit in the first half with some pressure in the pocket that impacted throws, and then his mechanics went haywire in a hurry. He came out in the third quarter throwing darts and never stopped. He was 9-of-12 for 207 yards and four touchdowns in the third quarter, tossing TD passes covering 9, 44, 70 and 23 yards. And two of his three misfires in the quarter were dropped. Overall, Powell finished with 330 yards through the air and five touchdowns. And don’t forget, he did rally the Crusaders after they fell behind.

Davey Loyd, WR, Hershey: Everyone knows the Trojans in 2020 are going to take some shots down the field. And so far they have been connecting on just enough of them to be huge difference makers. What everyone also knows is Davey Loyd is their best receiver. and the passing game plan always involves him as the No. 1 priority. In the Trojans’ first non-last-minute victory of the season against Palmyra, 40-6, the senior had a very big night. Loyd hauled in four catches for 130 yards. That’s a tidy 32.5 yards per catch. That’s stretching the field like this Hershey offense wants and needs. The major impact, though, is taking three of those four catches to the house for touchdowns. That’s changing a game.

Zack Zeiders, QB-DB, East Pennsboro: When the offense piles up 38 points and nearly 350 total yards, good bet your quarterback enjoyed a pretty big night. Zeiders is the Panthers quarterback and earns my game ball this week not so much for his work as the signal caller, but the combination of his contributions on offense and what he did on defense for 2-1 East Pennsboro, winners of two straight after taking out West Perry 38-21. Zeiders led the Panthers in tackles with eight and also came up with two of the three interceptions for East Pennsboro on the night. That’s a solid outing right there. The key is on a night when the Mustangs turned it over four times, East Pennsboro didn’t have one giveaway. Zeiders took care of the football, and East Pennsboro pounded the ball on the ground on its way to victory. He did have a touchdown rushing as well as two picks he snared. I call this a sneaky game ball, because you have to dig a little to see the entire picture of the impact. Well done, Zack.

Adam Kulikowski Game Balls

Kiev Gregg, RB, Harrisburg: Welcome back, Cougars. Kiev Gregg helped Harrisburg race past Berks Catholic 62-28 in the team’s first competition of the season. Behind a strong offensive line, Gregg reached paydirt three times–8,37,and 20-yard scampers–totalling 112 clicks before the night was over. Who is up next to take on this Cougars team? Bueller?…. Bueller?

Trenten Smith, WR-KR, Cedar Cliff: This young man can ball. On a night when the Colts’ offense totaled just over 200 total yards, Smith electrified the crowd with a 92-yard kick-off return for a touchdown–and it came at a critical moment in the game. As the Colts and Crusaders traded haymakers in the third quarter–combining for 47 points–Smith’s return gave Colin Gillen’s team a 28-27 lead late in the quarter.  Not bad for a lad who never strapped on a helmet before this year in a varsity football game. 

Michael Bullock’s Game Balls

Jacob Condo, QB-LB, Juniata: Condo’s late-game heroics helped the Indians hold off Lower Dauphin 21-14 in overtime in a Mid-Penn crossover. While Condo found Yaneil Ortiz with a short touchdown pass to force the extra session, his short TD run in OT generated the game-winning points. Condo finished 16 of 25 passing for 143 yards and 1 touchdown.

Brayden Boyer, WR-DE-PK, Line Mountain: Registering a pick-six on a well-diagnosed screen pass, Boyer’s 12-yard interception return had Brandon Carson’s Eagles  in complete command midway through the second quarter. While Boyer added a number of stops to his defensive performance, he also provided oomph to the Line Mountain kicking game by converting all six of his placement attempts and blasting a pair of field goals.

Austin Kenny, RB-LB, Susquenita: Kenny accounted for nearly one-third of the Blackhawks’ 500-plus offensive yards, but it wasn’t enough to produce a positive result as Scott Acri’s club lost 48-31 at Upper Dauphin. Kenny wound up rushing for 171 yards on 19 carries — Susquenita piled up 519 offensive yards — and one score.

Bryce McKee, WR, Susquenita: Here’s another Blackhawks performer that uncorked a productive effort in a 48-31 loss at Upper Dauphin. Just a freshman, McKee hauled in seven passes for 152 yards and one touchdown for Scott Acri’s bunch. Susquenita totaled more than 500 yards of offense in the Mid-Penn Liberty Division loss.

Kyle Casner, DB-WR, Upper Dauphin: Casner pitched in plenty as the host Trojans broke into the victory column with a 48-31 victory over Susquenita. Defensively, the 6-1 senior swiped a pair of passes and paced Kent Smeltz’s club with seven tackles. Offensively, Casner collected one pass for 13 yards and pocketed one two-point conversion.

By 4th Down staff:

Welcome to 4th Down Magazine’s vote for Player of the Week presented by Crown Trophy of Harrisburg (in Lemoyne).

The nominees for the week are listed below. Vote for the player with the most impressive performance.

The poll will remain open until Tuesday at 11 p.m. and voting is allowed once per hour. The winner will be announced on Wednesday.

1. Jamir Reynolds-Vasquez, RB, Cedar Cliff: Impressive performance with a game-high 105 rushing yards on 21 carries and a touchdown in a 40-28 loss to Bishop McDevitt. Ran almost exclusively between the tackles and picked up a ton of yards after contact against a physical Crusaders defense.
2. Omari Hopkins, WR-KR, Bishop McDevitt: The senior finished with 171 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns in a 40-28 victory over Cedar Cliff. He caught five passes for 91 yards and a touchdown from his wideout spot, and kicked off the scoring with an electric 80-yard punt return for a score in the first quarter.
3. Micah Brubaker, QB, Mechanicsburg: A pair of Wildcats make this list, and for good reason. Brubaker had a career day on the ground, rushing 15 times for a whopping 223 yards, a career high by almost a football field’s length. Scored thrice from 8, 60 and 72 yards, and completed 6-of-9 passes for 29 yards in a 48-0 win over Greencastle.
4. Lek Powell, QB, Bishop McDevittl: The senior finished with 330 yards through the air with five touchdowns and that’s not really the story. It was the third quarter where he went 9-of-12 for 207 yards and four touchdowns to spark the Crusaders past Cedar Cliff.
5. Jaydan Barrick, TE-MLB, Boiling Springs: A pick-6 and a blocked-punt return for a score land Barrick on this list. Bubblers fans have lots to be happy about right now. Barrick’s defensive score, which covered 16 yards, and special teams TD, which covered 7, have Bubbletown 3-0 and one of the darlings of the 2020 season.
6. Yaniel Ortiz, WB-DB, Juniata: The Indians’ diminutive two-way back flashed his clutch gene several times with the result still in doubt, collecting a 9-yard scoring pass with 1:18 remaining in regulation to force OT against Lower Dauphin and then authoring a 10-yard sack on third down that greatly helped Juniata preserve a 21-14 win. Ortiz finished with 68 yards rushing on 7 carries — his touchdown had Juniata up early — and caught 6 passes for 43 yards and his aforementioned TD. Also recorded six stops.
7. Kiev Gregg, RB, Harrisburg: A Cougar needs to be mentioned this week after they blitzed Berks Catholic 62-28 in the Cougars’ first game of the season. Gregg gets the nod, but count this as a hat tip to the dominant o-line as well. Gregg ran seven times for 112 stripes, scoring on runs of 8, 37 and 20 yards. 
8. Ethan Stroup, FB, Altoona: A bring-your-lunchpail performance for Stroup, who toted the rock 41 times for 232 yards and two scores as the Mountain Lions trampled Chambersburg 42-28. It was the second straight week the Trojans were run through. Stroup’s TDs came on runs of 10 and 18 yards.
9. Chance Crawford, RB-DB, Upper Dauphin: Big two-way night for Crawford, who scored one TD rushing and another with a 98-yard scoop-and-score fumble recovery. Crawford only carried the ball 11 times, for 89 yards and a touchdown, but UDA put away Susquenita 48-31. Also added a 16-yard reception, 79 yards on punt and kickoff returns and rang up three two-point conversions.
10. Davey Loyd, WR, Hershey: Three of his four receptions led to trips to the end zone, a mighty efficient night. Loyd scored on passes from Jackson Bouslough (8-of-9, 176 yards) that went for 35, 10 and 21 yards, finishing with 140 yards in a 40-6 win over Palmyra.
11. Chase Herb, RB-DE, Tri-Valley: Averaging nearly 10 yards per pop, Herb rolled up 215 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 22 carries as the Bulldogs tamed Mahanoy Area 40-7 in Schuylkill 2 play. The 6-foot-3, 215-pounder’s three touchdowns covered 9, 38 and 9 yards as Jeff Sampson’s club took command early. Herb also totaled six stops.
12. Garret Laudenslager, RB-OLB, Line Mountain: Fourth Down’s reigning Player of the Week, Laudenslager continued to rack up sparkling numbers as he rushed for 141 yards and three touchdowns on just 15 carries in the Eagles’ 48-21 thumping of Mid-Penn Liberty playmate Halifax. Laudenslager scored on runs of 46, 4 and 31 yards, thrilling the Senior Night gathering at the Mountain’s Glenn Ressler Field.
13. Ryan Stahl, WR-DB, Halifax: Stahl performed wonderfully in the Wildcats’ 48-21 setback at Mid-Penn Liberty rival Line Mountain, catching 10 passes for 158 yards and three TDs. Stahl’s first score came late in the first half when he grabbed a 14-yard scoring pass, but he later added touchdown receptions of 37 and 10 yards.
14. Bryce Herb, QB-DB, Williams Valley: Herb enjoyed a marvelous night throwing the ball, completing 12 of his 20 attempts for 308 yards and five touchdowns as Williams Valley chewed up Panther Valley 49-20. As a result, the 6-1 senior moved into first place on the Vikings’ career touchdown passes list with 57, surpassing the 53 put up by predecessor Levi Engle. Herb also rushed three times for 40 yards and another score.
15. Jesse Engle, TE-ILB, Williams Valley: Engle continued his remarkable play, catching seven passes for 142 yards and three touchdowns in a 49-20 romp over Panther Valley. Engle also moved into first place on the Vikings’ career touchdown receptions chart with 33 scores, two better than the number totaled by Jake Wolfgang. Engle also enjoyed another banner night defensively, accumulating 12 tackles from his inside backer spot.

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By Andy Shay: 

Each week during the 2020 season we’ll offer some news, notes, tidbits and opinions from each of the five divisions in the Mid-Penn Conference.

Capital Division

Capital Division depth

Look at the MPC Capital showing some depth in the early going. Steel-High, Boiling Springs and Camp Hill are all 2-0. And division kingpin Middletown is still a strong squad at 1-1. The Bubblers have caught my eye a bit. It’s not the fact that they’ve knocked over two lesser opponents, and ended an 11-game losing streak in the process. It’s how they’ve done it by pounding those teams. A more thorough examination awaits from 1-1 Big Spring this week.

Weapons galore at Steel-High

*I know Steel-High has more 6-foot-3 athletic receivers than any team should be allowed. But to me that’s the eye candy of this offense. The meat and potatoes is the offensive line growing in confidence and Odell Greene running for 100-plus a game.

Shuster fueling the Lions success

*Camp Hill QB Daniel Shuster has moved from being a pretty good high school quarterback to very good. He’s spreading the ball around more, making his receivers better and giving the Lions more of a shot to win in 2020. Some small-school college is going to get a good one in the future. Just what I see.

By Michael Bullock and Andy Shay: 

Each week during the 2020 season we’ll offer some news, notes, tidbits and opinions from each of the five divisions in the Mid-Penn Conference.

1. Dominant ground game fuels Line Mountain effort

Receiving triple-figure efforts from quarterback Jacob Feese and running back Garret Laudenslager for the second consecutive week, Line Mountain motored past Upper Dauphin 46-22 in the Mid-Penn Liberty debut for both squads. Laudenslager rushed 15 times for 244 yards and touchdowns covering 19, 64 and 41 yards — all in the second half. Feese, meanwhile, churned out 140 yards on 18 attempts, scoring on runs of 1, 10 and 42 yards for a Line Mountain side (1-1, 1-0) that rolled up 403 rushing yards (45 carries) against the host Trojans. Feese attempted just three passes, completing two for 34 yards. Brandon Carson’s Eagles also scored on a 34-yard fumble return by Cameron Smeltz, who didn’t play in Line Mountain’s season-opening loss at Camp Hill. Up next for Carson’s squad is a home date against Halifax (0-1, 0-1), which dropped a 41-26 decision to Juniata despite a fine all-around effort from junior Bryce Enders. Enders rushed for 88 yards and two touchdowns, caught four passes for 29 yards and a third score and registered 13 tackles defensively. Ryan Stahl added 48 receiving yards and a TD for Earl Mosley’s Wildcats, but he also numbered 10 stops on defense. One key for Halifax will be protecting quarterbacks Micah Deitrich and Carter Enders from a determined Line Mountain pass rush featuring Dominick Bridi and Laudenslager coming off the edges.

2. Newport looking to remain unbeaten

Riding three big yet divergent plays from junior Andrew Bates, Todd Rothermel’s Newport Buffaloes cuffed Susquenita 20-6 last weekend on the road. Bates picked up a muffed lateral and returned it 30 yards for the Buffs’ first score, points that came just 48 seconds into the Perry County showdown. Then, several minutes later, Bates wheeled 84 yards on a quarterback keeper that bumped the ‘Port’s lead to 12-0. Newport’s final touchdown came on the first play of the second quarter, as Bates hooked up with Will Davis for a 19-yard score then found Adam Reich on the ensuing two-point try. Thomas Pyle added 75 yards on 19 carries for the Buffs (2-0, 1-0), while Mason Huggins recorded 11 defensive stops. Up next for Newport is a trip to Mercersburg for a Mid-Penn Liberty scrap with James Buchanan (0-1, 0-0). The Rockets, who lost their opener to Big Spring, did not play last weekend.

3. Upper Dauphin and Susquenita still chasing first victories

Despite holding a narrow lead at one first-half checkpoint, Upper Dauphin (0-2, 0-1) couldn’t slow down a Line Mountain ground assault that piled up more than 400 yards on the ground in a 46-22 loss to the visiting Eagles. Chance Crawford played valiantly in defeat for Kent Smeltz’s Trojans, rushing 12 times for 89 yards and one score, catching 10 passes for 88 yards and accounting for a pair of two-point tries by throwing one pass and running for the other. Preferring to maintain possession by throwing short- and medium-range passes, quarterback Tyler Cleveland completed 19 of his 34 attempts for 193 yards and an eight-yard score to Hayden Harner, who snared a handful of passes for 61 yards. Susquenita (0-2, 0-1) will pull into Trojan Stadium also looking for its first victory after falling to Boiling Springs and Newport. While Scott Acri’s Blackhawks were outgained 277 to 248, Susquenita lost four fumbles and were victimized by three big plays. Austin Kenny accounted for the lone Blackhawks score, crashing over from 3 yards out late in the first half to pull Acri’s club within 20-6. Neither side cracked the goal line after the break. 

4. Juniata one to watch

Newport is 2-0, but the other Liberty squad that I have my eye on as a player is Juniata. The Indians’ junior quarterback Jacob Condo, who checks in at 5-11 and a healthy 215 pounds, has thrown for more than 300 yards with three touchdowns and only one interception. He’s also rushed for a couple scores. And remember, Juniata played Middletown in Week 1. So keep an eye on the Indians … I am.