Manheim Twp. vs Wilson-LL Football

Manheim Twp. kicker Jackson Wright (34) nails a 32 yard field goal against Wilson during second half action of an L-L section football game at John Gurski Stadium at Wilson High School Friday September 27, 2019.

 CHRIS KNIGHT Staff Photographer

 

Here is what we learned about all 24 L-L League football teams in Week 6 action, as told by the LNP/LancasterOnline reporters who covered all of the games:

SECTION 1

CEDAR CREST: The Falcons lost their first game of the season, but it was much closer than the 34-14 final on the scoreboard at Warwick. Tyler Cruz showed why he's the Lancaster-Lebanon League's leading rusher, barreling through the line and carrying defenders with him across the field, and QB Chris Danz showcased his arm as Cedar Crest tried to close the gap in the second half. Dealing with the loss, and the injury bug, the Falcons know they are down, but not out. “We're going to show up; we showed up tonight. We're going to be there,” Cedar Crest coach Rob Wildasin said of the rest of the season. “In my six years of coaching we have never gone out and just rolled over for anybody, and we aren't rolling over for anybody. I still think we're a playoff football team. I still wouldn't want to draw us if we get into the playoffs because I think we can make some noise.” — Diana Pugliese

HEMPFIELD: The Knights found a way to beat previously undefeated Lampeter-Strasburg, despite only 32 total yards of offense in the second half and only completing two passes (for 11 yards) all night. It was Hempfield's first win after consecutive losses to Manheim Central, Central York, Warwick and Cedar Crest. “We played some tough competition,” Hempfield coach Ron Zeiber said. “We kept telling our kids we’re going to be a better group of people for playing the types of teams we’re playing. It makes us stronger, so we’ll see what we can do from here.” — Joel Schreiner

MANHEIM TOWNSHIP: Believe the hype; the undefeated Blue Streaks are tough — really tough. Township picked up a 30-14 win at Wilson, becoming the first L-L League Section 1 team to win in West Lawn since — gulp — 2007, when Warwick edged the Bulldogs 14-12. In case you missed it, Streaks’ sophomore Anthony Ivey had 292 receiving yards in the win, a new single-game L-L League record. Township continues its quest for three section championships in a row next Friday with another showdown game, at 6-0 Warwick. — Jeff Reinhart

McCASKEY: Back to the drawing board for the Red Tornado, which continues to give up big chunk plays, this time in a 61-20 defeat against Penn Manor. McCaskey yielded 300-plus yards on the ground and was flagged for 14 penalties, so first-year coach Sam London has plenty of teaching points to work on heading into next Friday’s crossover game vs. Solanco. — Jeff Reinhart

PENN MANOR: The Comets snapped their four-game losing streak in fine fashion, gouging out 338 rushing yards in a 41-point win over McCaskey. Isaiah Stoltzfus was the hero with four TD runs, and Penn Manor’s defense turned in a rugged effort, holding the Tornado to 55 rushing yards and just six first downs. It was a momentum-building win for the Comets, who are at 1-loss Cedar Crest next Friday. — Jeff Reinhart

WARWICK: Things started slowly for the Warriors against Cedar Crest, but the dynamic offense that fans have come to expect took over in the second half, eating up the clock while putting points on the board. Running back Colton Miller finished with 122 yards and four touchdowns, while QB Joey McCracken aired it out for 305 yards and a score. Warwick's offense was able to succeed as its defense held visiting Cedar Crest to just a pair of first downs in the second half. Both sides of the ball will have to perform just as well next week when undefeated Manheim Township comes to Grosh Field. — Diana Pugliese

WILSON: The injury bugaboo crept up and stung the Bulldogs, as a couple of Wilson’s players got dinged up in the setback against Manheim Township. Still, the Bulldogs’ rush defense was solid, but Wilson had no answers up top for Anthony Ivey, who went for 292 receiving yards and a two bombs-away TD grabs from Harrison Kirk, who threw for 387 yards. Wilson still has undefeated Warwick and 1-loss Cedar Crest coming up, and you know the Bulldogs want to get all of their ducks in a row heading into those clashes. — Jeff Reinhart

SECTION 2

COCALICO: Banged up and blitzed by Manheim Central's potent offense, the Eagles showed resiliency in Friday's 46-43 loss, proving to be a tough out no matter their situation. A week earlier, coach Dave Gingrich thought his team packed it in early during a loss to Manheim Township, but the Eagles responded to adversity differently against the Barons, taking Central down to the wire. "They brought it all four quarters tonight," Gingrich said. — Tim Gross

CONESTOGA VALLEY: Down 18-10 at halftime, CV rallied for a 37-25 victory over Garden Spot. Quarterback Bradley Stoltzfus led the Buckskins’ offense — with help from wideouts Keaghan Sweigart, Derek Ulishney and Zach Fisher — to a successful comeback, completing 17-of-23 passes for 351 yards and four touchdowns. If Stoltzfus maintains this level of play, CV might just close out its season on a high note. — Kyle Kutz

ELIZABETHTOWN: The Bears’ downfall in their 28-21 setback against Solanco came on just a handful of plays — a fumble in the third quarter with the ball in Golden Mules’ territory after a turnover on downs, the failure to recover an onside kick, and an offside penalty on fourth-and-short during the final drive that kept Solanco going. However, E-town was balanced on offense. For the first time since their Week 1 win over Donegal, the Bears eclipsed the century mark for both passing and rushing yards. — Kyle Morgan

GARDEN SPOT: Up 18-10 at halftime, the Spartans gave up their 8-point lead and suffered a 37-25 loss to Conestoga Valley. Led by RB John Dykie and QB Jesse Martin, Garden Spot racked up 246 rushing yards on offense, but could not stop Buckskins' QB Bradley Stoltzfus on defense; he passed for 351 yards and four touchdowns. If coach Matt Zamperini can straighten out this defensive unit, the Spartans certainly have enough offensive talent to snap its 20-game losing streak. — Kyle Kutz

LAMPETER-STRASBURG: Down 20-7 in the fourth quarter, the Pioneers stormed back to tie Hempfield, but gave up a 90-yard kickoff return for a touchdown that did them in. It was one of several costly special teams mistakes, to go along with 11 penalties, for L-S, which lost for the first time this season. “Our kids played tough and I’m proud of the way they finished, but the loss is on the way we came out and played,” L-S coach John Manion said. “(Hempfield) was ready to play in the first half and we were not. No excuses.” — Joel Schreiner

MANHEIM CENTRAL: Quarterback Evan Simon showcased his arm and his legs in Friday's victory against Cocalico, but he also showed off his development mentally. Simon read Cocalico's defense and checked out of plays at the line to help keep the Barons' offense rolling. With only five Eagles in the box, Simon dialed up a running play for Jake Harbach up the middle. Central coach Dave Hahn cited the play when crediting Simon's dedication to film study and preparation. — Tim Gross

SOLANCO: Golden Mules coach Tony Cox could be a high roller in Vegas with the way he was gambling during his team's 28-21 victory over E-town. Solanco was 5-for-7 on fourth-down conversions overall, with the two failed attempts coming early in the first and third quarters. Four of the successful conversions came in the second half, where the Mules were able to tie the game at 21-21 with just under six minutes left, setting up Cox's trump card: A surprise onside kick that Solanco recovered at E-town’s 42, leading to a 13-play drive that ended with Nick Yannutz scoring from 3 yards out for the Mules’ win. — Kyle Morgan

L-L LEAGUE FOOTBALL STANDINGS, STATS

SECTION 3

ANNVILLE-CLEONA: The Little Dutchmen practice 50-50 (running-passing), which is a good thing. With the Section 3 leading rusher, Trevor Porche, held to 25 yards on nine carries, and A-C about to go nowhere on its third consecutive series, coach Matt Gingrich launched the air force. Quarterback Junior Bours dialed in tight end Caden Horning for a 49-yard touchdown and, two series later, wideout Quamir Parker made a great one-handed snag at the 22 to complete a 44-yard score. Set up by a 43-yard completion to Parker, Bours' 41-yard connection with Horning on a third-quarter post route set up the Dutchmen’s final touchdown, a 2-yard run by Bours. — Dave Byrne

COLUMBIA: Once again turnovers doomed the Crimson Tide in their overtime loss to Lebanon. Matt McCleary had three passes intercepted, and a lost fumble on Columbia’s first play in OT sealed their fate. The Tide moves the ball. They rank second in Section 3 in total offense. But in their four losses, Columbia has turned the ball over 10 times, including seven interceptions, while its defense has taken the ball away just once. The Tide hasn’t had a winning season since 2011. But with four winnable games remaining, if Columbia can take care of the ball, winning out and finishing 6-4 is not out of the question. — Chris Courogen

DONEGAL: The Indians continue to take care of business, winning their fifth straight game and rushing for more than 250 yards for the third straight week in their 38-13 victory over Octorara. They methodically controlled the game against the Braves, putting together three touchdown drives of at least 11 plays and more than six minutes long. Defensively, Donegal’s secondary had two breakdowns — one that led to a 65-yard touchdown and another ending harmlessly when a fourth-down pass was dropped — while holding Octorara to 240 yards — less than their average offensive output of 258 yards a game. — Will Welliver

ELCO: Let's forget scores, statistics and numbers for a moment. When an Ephrata player was down on the field for several minutes, the Raiders’ players ran over to the opposing sideline and joined the Mounts in a huddle that was all about concern for the athlete and had nothing to do with the scoreboard. No one wants to see injuries, but we all would like to see more of that compassion when they do occur. — Dave Bohr

EPHRATA: A 28-20 loss is a one-score difference, but for the Mounts against Elco, the difference may have been any one play. On Elco's final drive, a 20-play, 12-minute odyssey, they faced 3rd-and-14, 3rd-and-6, 3rd-and-6 again, 4th-and-2 and 3rd-and-7. Ephrata was even with Elco most of the night, but being unable to get off the field in any of those opportunities cost the Mounts any chance of evening the score. — Dave Bohr

LANCASTER CATHOLIC: Alex Cruz is a load. The 6-foot, 225-pound fullback rumbled for 144 yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries in the Crusaders’ win over Annville-Cleona. As the point to QB Gavin Sullivan's counterpoint — Sullivan had 109 yards and a score on 20 carries — Cruz helped Catholic control the pace of the game. The Crusaders’ defense did their part as well. Scorched on several long pass plays, the defense nevertheless tightened up in the last 20 minutes of the game, putting suffocating pressure on A-C QB Junior Bours, pressure that delivered three hurries, an interception and two sacks. — Dave Byrne

LEBANON: Don’t look now, but the Cedars might just be closing in on their first District 3 playoff appearance since 2013. Lebanon’s win over Columbia moved them up a spot in the district power rankings. The Cedars are now at No. 9 in Class 6A. The top eight get in. Only one of Lebanon’s four remaining opponents — 3-2 Annville-Cleona — has a winning record. And the Little Dutchmen have been shown to be susceptible to the pass. The question is, even if the Cedars win out, can they compile enough power ranking points against a slate of two 3A schools, one 4A, and one 5A, to pass current No. 8 Chambersburg. The Trojans’ remaining schedule is all 6A competition, including highly touted Harrisburg. — Chris Courogen

NORTHERN LEBANON: The Vikings snapped their 9-game losing streak in style, piling up 367 yards in a 36-14 victory over Pequea Valley. The QB-WR combo of Ethan Borcky and Nate Leedy-Reidel continued to sizzle; Borcky passed for 328 yards, and Leedy-Reidel had five grabs for 162 yards, including TD catches of 55 and 62 yards, respectively, as NL had a lot of success through the air. Up next for the Vikes is a backyard brawl against Lebanon, which is just a game out in the section chase and fighting for a D3 playoff bid. So NL can throw a monkey wrench into those races. — Jeff Reinhart

OCTORARA: When the Braves found the end zone Friday, they wasted little time doing it; their two touchdown drives combined to last just eight plays, cover 90 yards and use 3:17 of game clock. Octorara also had two promising first-half drives stopped in the red zone (lost fumble, end of half) as they gave Donegal about all it could handle. The Braves haven’t rolled over for anyone this season, and with games vs. Lancaster Catholic and at Lebanon left on the schedule, Octorara will play a role in deciding the Section 3 race. — Will Welliver

PEQUEA VALLEY: The Braves might have found something. PV fell to Northern Lebanon 36-14, yes. But RB Tony Lazar scooted for 139 yards, averaging nearly 10 yards per tote. And backup QB Nate Fisher was efficient in relief, going 6-for-12 for 110 yards with a TD pass — a 54-yard strike to Collin Rohrer, who had a 6-catch effort last week. Lazar, Fisher and Rohrer look to be cornerstone pieces moving forward for the Braves. — Jeff Reinhart

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