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DISTRICT 3 POWER RANKINGS (WEEK 3)

Tagged under: District 3, News

| September 14, 2023

  1. Bishop McDevitt- (3-0): McDevitt closes out its non-conference schedule with a 47-21 win over LaSalle College. McDevitt started off a little slow and then they took over this ball game. McDevitt still has enough star power at the skill positions to overwhelm its opponents especially in critical situations in games. This is a big reason why they were able to narrowly escape with wins in their first 2 contests. However, now is the time to give some credit to the big guys up front who are all new starters this year. Coming into the season this was the area that was questioned the most and this group to me will continue to get stronger and stronger as the season goes on. Keystone divisional play is up next and once again McDevitt’s backups and younger players will play a lot of minutes in these games because McDevitt is just on another level compared to the rest of the teams in this division.  They start division play on a Thursday as Palmyra comes to visit 1 Crusader Way.

 

  1. Manheim Twp.- (3-0): WOW! What a statement win as Manheim Twp. really took it to the Cougars beating them 38-6.  Remember, Manheim Twp. beat the Cougars in this game last year and the Cougars went on to beat them in the district title game 44-6. I bring this up to say I’m sure Manheim Twp. was happy with the win but they know most likely they will have to beat this team again for a bigger prize in the end. I will say that this game felt different compared to last season’s regular season matchup.  The Hayden Johnson to Landon Kennel connection is lethal and it was in full force during this match up. Not only that, MT was able to hold the Cougars to 6 points which might be the most impressive part about this victory. Everything just went the Blue Streaks way and I think now finally they got the rest of the state’s attention. They have a very interesting game next as they hit the road to take on a District 1 power in the Spring Ford Rams.

 

  1. Harrisburg- (2-1): Manheim Twp. exposed some weakness that we didn’t see during the first 2 games. I will start on the defensive side of the ball and say Terrell Reynolds (ESU) was missed big time in this matchup. Harrisburg was unable to get any pressure on Hayden Johnson and he can pick you apart if he has a lot of time. Now offensively I’m shocked they were only able to put up 6 points but I will say that losing Kyle Williams (Temple) was going to show at some point. He was the type of player that could just make anything happen at any time he touched the ball especially in pivotal moments in the game. It’s tough to replace a special talent like that.  With all this said it was one game and the Cougars lost this same exact game last year and we know how that ended for this program. The Cougars are one of the best coached teams in District 3 and they make the best adjustments especially in postseason play. I still like this team a lot and I’m not counting them out which is why they only drop 1 spot in my rankings. Carlisle is next and I hope they are ready to play.

 

  1. Central York- (3-0)- They scheduled 3 quality non-conference games and came away winning those games in impressive fashion. Juelz Goff (Pitt commit) is the real deal and with him on this roster he makes this team dangerous. They are playing great football right now and with YAIAA play getting ready to start, that’s not good news for the rest of this league. I don’t believe they will get pushed much during the remainder of their regular season so I expect this will be a good opportunity to get some of their younger players some varsity reps.  Spring Grove will come to town this week to start conference play.

 

  1. Central Dauphin- (2-1) Picked up a big win over Coatesville 35-14. Central Dauphin’s defense and physicality showed up big time in this matchup. Central Dauphin is literally 2 plays away from either being 3-0 or 1-2. Regardless I’m sure they will take a 2-1 start before they start Mid Penn Commonwealth play. Central Dauphin gave up over 40 points in its first 2 games which was very shocking to me. To see them come back and hold Coatesville to 14 points is what you would usually expect out of a Central Dauphin coached team. Offensively they have proven to be very much improved and  if they can continue to build off Friday’s defensive performance they could be a sleeper team come district playoffs. Next up they begin Commonwealth play on the road at Chambersburg.
  2. Cocalico – (2-1): Now this was the team I was expecting to see to start the season. They ran away from Manheim Central in a 48-28 win. I was shocked that Cocalico dropped the opening season game to Warwick but strange things sometimes can happen in the first game of the season.  So, we can excuse that first game and rely on this being the team we expect to see going forward.  Preparing for Cocalico is a tough task as they bring a physical hard-nosed approach to the game. They want to control the line of scrimmage and they just did as they ran for 480 yards vs Manheim Central. They are clicking now and I don’t see them slowing down in their next game vs Octorara Area.

 

  1. Wyomissing- (3-0): Down 20 points at half they came back to beat a very talented Trinity squad. Special teams were a huge let down in this game and it almost cost them this game. However, the Wing T ground attack ended up being a little too much for Trinity. They ran for 400 yards on the ground as they are usually accustomed to doing.  Freshman Justice Hardy caught the game tying touchdown and the extra point sealed the win. This was a tough earned win and I’m sure a win like this will pay off big time down the road. Berks Catholic is up next.

 

  1. Manheim Central- (2-1): Listen there was a reason Cocalico was the preseason favorite to repeat as 5A district champ. I wasn’t really shocked that the Barons lost this game but I didn’t expect them to give up 48 points.  That has me worried some going forward in games where they will face similar talent across the board. We know Manheim Central can score with the best of them but if they have any hopes of being competitive in a potential district title rematch vs McDevitt they need to get better defensively. I still think this group is a solid team and if they can improve defensively they will be fine. Also, half of this game vs Cocalico was postponed so that could have played a role as far as the score is concerned. Regardless, I don’t believe they were ready to handle the physicality from Cocalico. The Barons will travel to Susquehannock on Thursday.

 

  1. Steel High- (3-0): They pulled off a tough win against West Catholic (Philly) 29-22. This was a nice win for this team especially going down to Philly and coming back home with a win. It’s always a shock when Steel High is not putting up at least 40 or more points on their opponents. It just goes to show that they can also slug it out and win close games too. This team is the favorite to repeat as 1A state champs for a reason and they have shown that already in its first 3 games. Next up is Boiling springs and I expect the Rollers to put up a lot of points in this one.

 

  1. Trinity- (2-1): What a tough loss and let down after being up 34-14 at halftime against Wyomissing. That score at half was a little deceiving as Trinity did score twice off blocked punts. Messiah Mickens also got hurt early in this game but he did end up returning. Next a 50-minute delay happened in the game and when they came out to resume the game it was all Wyomissing.  Wyomissing won the game 35-34 and left the Shamrocks stunned. Going forward I am a little worried about the injury that Mickens did suffer in this game. However, this game did showcase that Trinity does in fact have other players that are capable of making plays and for that I give them the last spot in these rankings. Trinity will need to regroup as they host a very dangerous team in West Perry.  This will be one of the games of the week in District 3.

HM: Exeter Twp. West Perry, Wilson, Lampeter Strasburg

Bonus:

Exeter Twp.-(3-0):  I will start by saying this team could probably be included on these rankings. It’s just to me out of all the teams on this list they are the team that would have the most question marks. Their first 3 games have not been competitive at all as they have scored 127 points in 3 games. They will begin divisional play and we will start to learn more about this team.  Governor Mifflin comes to town and that game has become very interesting the last few seasons.

 

 

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