Coach Weider’s @Go_Rout Coaches Notebook: Coaching News and top 5 Matches in the LL

Tagged under: Coaches Corner, District 3, News

Pat Weider | August 23, 2021

Ben Thompson takes over at J.P. McCaskey High School

Ben Thompson has taken over as interim head coach for the J.P. McCaskey football team this year. Previous head coach Sam London stepped down to take a college job. Thompson on the transition “The transition has been great. One of the things Coach London always preached was the next-man-up mentality. There was sadness at first, but you have to move on”. Thompson is taking over a program that is on a 26 game losing streak to start the season. Thompson and McCaskey open up at Reading Friday night. 

Top 5 Matches in LL/York Adams League for Week 1

1) Central Dauphin at Wilson- Two powerhouses going against each other here. Wilson is looking to rebound from just missing out in the playoffs last year, while Central Dauphin lost in the first round to Central York. Not an easy match-up for either team in week 1. 

2) Governor Mifflin at York High- This is a game that features Mifflin’s Nicholas Singleton 4 star RB and Penn State’s commit. Meanwhile York High counters with Jahiem White RB who is getting looked at by several colleges. I will be at this game. Should be a fun one to check out.  

3) Lebanon at Cedar Crest- The Cedar bowl, nothing gets better than a cross-town rivalry facing each other. Lebanon is trying to break an 8 game winning streak for Cedar Crest. Both teams did not play last year because of Covid.

4) Cumberland Valley at Manheim Central- 2 former state powers will face off in week one. Both teams are trying to rebound from down years, with both having losing seasons last year. I expect both teams to bounce back this year. 

5) Bermudian Springs at New Oxford- A little under-the-radar game for you. New Oxford is coming off a surprising season last year, as they went 6-1 including going 6-0 in league play. Bermudian is trying to recover after going 4-4 last year.

Football has 4 downs, so here are 4 thoughts on week 1:

1) Week one is tough for coaches and players because you really don’t know what to expect from the start of the season. Many times as a coach you are just guessing what you expect from your team. 

2) Another reason this season is tough is that last year had so much uncertainty with Covid, so teams are trying to figure where they stand to start the season. Coach Headen of Susquehanna Township told a story that they were shut down three times last year.  

3) Friday night it is expected to be hot, so expect cramping and some other heat-related issues with the players. Teams are preparing for this all week, but can always be an issue in week 1. 

4) Enjoy this season. Because of last year most teams did not have fans or had limited fans at the games. I am looking forward to seeing packed houses on Friday nights. 

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