Week 5 Picks and Predictions

Friday, Sept. 20

Non-League

Susquehanna Township at Steelton-Highspire

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. 

Commonwealth

Central Dauphin East at Altoona

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 at Carlisle

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 at Cedar Cliff

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 at Chambersburg

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 at Central Dauphin

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 at Gettysburg

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. 

Lower Dauphin at Hershey

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 at Mifflin County

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. 

Red Land at Northern York

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 at Palmyra

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 at Camp Hill

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.

Halifax at James Buchanan

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!

Upper Dauphin at Line Mountain

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.

Newport at Susquenita

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

Greencastle-Antrim at Big Spring

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. 

Boiling Springs at East Pennsboro

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. 

West Perry at Middletown

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. 

Milton Hershey at Trinity

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.