District 3 Class 6A Semi-Final: Cumberland Valley v Manheim Township, the breakdown

Tagged under: District 3, News, Playoffs

Billy Splain | November 16, 2023

Cumberland Valley (7-4) @ Manheim Township (11-0) – 7:00 pm

Don’t let those four losses deceive you. They came early in the season when Eagle head coach Josh Oswalt was rebuilding an offense missing a key component: a quarterback. He had to replace an All-State player. It took a few games, but he found his man. Another note, those losses came to Harrisburg, Twp, Central York and Spring-Ford. Three of which will play football this weekend, in the same bracket. CV is coming off a tight 20-14 win over Wilson. Running back Bryce Staretz and qb Grant Shepley will have to get the scoreboard moving a little faster than usual for CV if they’re going to keep up with an electric Manheim Twp Offense. In their early meeting of Week 0, Township cruised to a 35-6 win. This isn’t the same Eagle team they played that night. This team is better that that one. They also have a Tyler Merrill on the line. That’s helpful.

Township will continue doing what coach they’ve done all year. They’re going to keep the ball in the hands of Hayden Johnson. Why wouldn’t they? He’s thrown for an amazing 2,465 yards, 44 tds and ZERO interceptions. His number one target? Landon Kennell. He’s hauled in 23 of Johnsons td passes and 1,014 yards. This could be, along with a duo in the same bracket from Harrisburg, one of the best QB/WR connections in PA. On the ground it will be Declan Clancy carrying the ball. He’s a sturdy back that has over 1,000 yards and 14 tds on his resume. He’s also a menace on defense. Look for the Blue Streaks  to light it up early and often. The question of this game will be can CV slow down the Blue streaks, or will they have to play along and make it a high scoring game?

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