That old saying “better lucky than good” always bothered me. In sports, particularly at the high school level, you always need a little luck along the way to be considered good.
Central Dauphin East is off to a 3-0 start, our theme this week is undefeated teams, and needed a little fortune Friday night to get there. And in the end, nobody cares that a wee bit of the Irish luck played a role.
The Panthers benefitted from a missed extra point by fellow previously unbeaten Cedar Cliff with 75 showing on the clock to grab a one-point Commonwealth Division victory.
Previous wins over William Penn and Chambersburg were a good start for the Panthers, but slipping past the Colts has set CD East up for next-level success. The road to 5-0 looks smooth with the offensive playmakers the Panthers deploy. Carlisle and Altoona are on deck, and neither of those squads has registered a victory.
In the win over Cedar Cliff QB Demaj Jalloh threw for 233 yards and two touchdowns and RB Leon Parson rumbled for 147 yards on 13 carries. That’s an average of 11.3 yards per carry for Parson and 21.9 yards a completion for Jalloh. That’s a dangerous “explosive play” offense.
The meat of the Panthers schedule is the second half with Cumberland Valley, Central Dauphin, Harrisburg, Bishop McDevitt, and State College awaiting to see what the Panthers have. Get to 5-0 and win at least two of the final five and the second season for CD East is in play.
ROCKETS GET OFF TO FLYING START
James Buchanan is 3-0 for the first time since … who knows when. I’ve been around more than 30 years and I’m sure it’s happened once or twice in three-plus decades – or maybe not, who knows? Either way, the Rockets, behind a defense that has surrendered 13 points in 12 quarters, are unbeaten.
There is some reality coming for JB in the very near future. Next week 1-2 Juniata is the opponent and the Indians are the one-win team you don’t want to play. Does this make the Rockets a postseason contender? Maybe but most likely not as heavy hitters like Camp Hill, Line Mountain, Steel-High, and East Pennsboro are upcoming. Still on the heels of a 1-9 campaign a year ago the potential to post a .500 season is a huge step forward.
CAPITAL SHOWDOWN ON OFFER EARLY
Susquehanna Township and West Perry have emerged as the clear head and shoulders above the rest of the squads in the MPC Capital. The Tribe and Mustangs will each bring spiffy 3-0 records into their contest in Elliottsburg on Friday.
West Perry being 3-0 is kind of not all that surprising, but also at the same time, it is a bit of a surprise because of the manner in which the Mustangs have galloped to 3-0. The lads from Perry County, dominant at times a year ago but hit heavy by graduation at critical positions, have been dominant.
After throwing up nearly 100 points in its opening eight quarters, West Perry squeezed out a 16-0 grinder victory over Upper Dauphin in Week 3. It was the second shutout of the WP defense in three games and there lies your hidden key to success going forward.
The Indians are an explosive and seasoned talent-laden bunch that is averaging more than 40 points a game and has a victory over Penn Hills in the opener as a feather in its cap.
And by explosive, we are talking lethal. QB Torin Evans threw for 413 yards and five touchdowns in the Week 3 win over Boiling Springs. He averaged 27.5 yards per completion. Lethal. And Hanna has weapons everywhere.
Honestly, it’s hard to see a regular season loss on the Tribe’s schedule. I’m not heaping pressure on them to go 10-0, their performance to date merits that plaudit.
CATS ARE RUNNING WILD
Under new head coach Dave Heckard, Mechanicsburg has raced to a tidy 3-0 start behind a rejuvenated offense that is using its best asset, Josh Smith, in a variety of ways and has no trouble putting points on the scoreboard.
It is however the other side of the ball where the rubber meets the road from my seat in the press box. The Wildcats defense has been downright stingy and limiting Mifflin County to only six points in a Week 3 victory is a message delivered.
Fellow MPC Keystone undefeated Shippensburg and the Wildcats are not slated to meet until the final week of the season. And the Greyhounds are making a case as a contender for sure by grinding out wins by scoring 28 points every single game and riding the defense holding serve.
The punch of the Wildcats offense and the level their defense has performed through 12 quarters has more “championship” elements that I can see. All I know is Lower Dauphin will test Mechanicsburg at another level this week.
HARRISBURG DOES IT AGAIN
The chase for the MPC Commonwealth Division title will go through Market Street in the city. The Harrisburg Cougars, despite the adversity of losing its star QB to eligibility and key injuries, are the alpha dog again.
One week after taking out Bishop McDevitt in overtime, the Cougars defense stepped up and slammed the door on State College’s offense by not surrendering a touchdown Saturday. The 7-6 triumph means after getting shellacked in its opener, Harrisburg has dispatched two of the top contenders in the division.
All State College could muster was a pair of field goals against the stingy Cougars defense. Harrisburg also blocked a potential go-ahead field goal in the fourth quarter and ended another drive with an interception.
You can throw the kitchen sink at this Harrisburg team and it just seems to march on and find a way. Does anyone else think the chase in the new-look Commonwealth Division is over? I do.
