District 3 Power Rankings (Week 4)

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Terry Clark Jr. | September 21, 2023

District 3 Power Rankings after Week 4

1. Bishop McDevitt- (4-0): As expected McDevitt won 68-7 in an extremely lopsided game versus Palmyra. I won’t spend too much more on this topic after this but I will say McDevitt being in the Keystone division is the worst decision the Mid Penn has ever made. McDevitt is one of the best football programs in the history of the Mid Penn conference you should want one of your best programs in your best division. Its just leads to bad football and embarrassing outcomes in these games against teams that are extremely overmatched. Everyone I’m sure would agree with me and say a change is needed because this is ridiculous.  With that being said McDevitt’s next game is against Cedar Cliff who comes into this match up at 4-0. There are some people that believe the Colts have a chance to make this game competitive. Well I’m here to tell you that I am not one of those people that believe they can but I do hope that I am wrong. Cedar Cliff has improved from a year ago and if there was a team in the Keystone division to make it a competitive game vs McDevitt it would be the Cedar Cliff Colts.

2. Manheim Twp.- (4-0): They pick up another win over District 1 Spring-Ford 63-28. Manheim Twp. was in complete control of this game from the start and put up 63 points against a solid program. Spring-Ford will be one of the better District 1 teams this year so this should once again show you that this team this year is legit. Hayden Johnson is one of the best QBs in the state I think we can all agree on that but Landon Kennel is making a case for being one of the top WRs in the state.  They combined for 5 TDs which tied their program’s record. Next up is Hempfield and I just don’t see Manheim Twp. slowing down anytime soon.

3. Harrisburg- (3-1):  Nice bounce back win after that tough loss last week. I talked about it last week but I felt bad for the Cougars next opponent which happened to be Carlisle. I knew the 60-7 outcome was coming which is just a reminder to let everyone know that you should not count them out just yet. Also, congratulations to Coach Cal as he picked up his 100^th career win. The defense was very dominant led by Ryan Epps who finished the game with 3 sacks. Offensively the Cougars did what they wanted and it was clear this game they wanted to establish the run. They ran for 330 yards in this game so it’s safe to say they came in with a clear game plan and executed it. Next up is a matchup vs Cumberland Valley that is coming off an overtime victory over CD East.

4. Central York- (4-0)- They moved to 4-0 as they picked up a 56-7 win over Spring Grove. As expected, Central York had no problem in this matchup. As we discussed last week this program is on another level compared to the rest of this league. I can’t see them being pushed at all in the next 6 weeks. However, they should be used to this by now as it has been this way for a few years now. The key here will be to remain focused and clean up mistakes so that they are ready for postseason play. South Western is up next.

5. Central Dauphin- (3-1) Picked up a nice win over an improved Chambersburg squad 35-7. Central Dauphin is rolling right but now once again they will be challenged this Friday. State College comes to town in what should be one of the best matchups in week 5.  Central Dauphin’s defense has been playing better as of late but will have another tough running back matchup in trying to slow down Sophomore D’Antae Sheffey, one of the best Sophomore prospects in the state. Juelz Goff was able to have his way with the Rams defense so it should be interesting to see what adjustments the Rams will make to attempt to slow Sheffey down. Should be a great matchup.

6. Cocalico- (3-1): Cocalico continues to roll as they picked up a 49-14 victory over Octorara Area. Outside of the first game, Cocalico has put up 45 or more points in their last 3 games. They are clicking offensively right now and have that Wing T offense rolling. Next up should be an interesting matchup as 4-0 Lampeter-Strasburg comes to town. As we know LS is always a tough program but this will also give us an opportunity to see just how good this team is.  The Pioneers have not played in a competitive game yet so it should be interesting to see how they matchup vs a very experienced team in Cocalico. It should be one of the better matchups in week 5. I believe Cocalico will come away with the victory but I am curious to see if LS will be able to slow them down. Should be a great football environment.

7. Exeter Twp.- (4-0): This team made the biggest jump on my rankings as they went from unranked to 7. As I said last week I wanted to see them matchup vs a competitive opponent. Governor Mifflin is not what they once were but they can’t be taken too lightly. Exeter Twp. got a nice win over its rival 31-10. It’s clear that this team relies heavily on its defense to set the tone. I’m still not all the way sold on this team just yet due to graduation losses but I do think from what I know now they should for sure be ranked at this spot. This program has established standards and this group is up for the challenge of getting over that hurdle in capturing District Gold. Should be interesting to see how it all plays out. Lebanon is next.

8. Wyomissing- (4-0): I had to slide this team back 1 spot to make room for Exeter Twp. It had nothing to do with their 35-7 win over Berks Catholic. They won that game as expected but the move was made as a judgement call. This year’s group is not as talented as previous Wyomissing teams but they still are just as dangerous. That means that you have to execute a flawless game plan to beat this squad. The system they have established is very strong and they are able to plug and play and still be competitive. Which is why they are always going to be a state contender at the 3A level. Next up is a matchup vs ELCO who comes into the game at 4-0.

9. Manheim Central- (3-1): I moved this team down 2 spots in this week’s rankings after a 28-7 win over Susquehannock. A win is a win at the end of the day but you would have thought this offense would have been able to put up more than 28 points. Some credit goes to Susquehannock as they came with a ball control game plan that was able to slow this team down. Last week I discussed being worried about this defense and this game is another indication of why it worries me. Susquehannock owned the time of possession game and pretty much had the ball for the majority of the 2^nd half. Manheim Central has to be able to get defense stops and vs a team that matches their talent level this could be a big problem. They have time to figure it out but it needs to happen fast. Warwick is up next and they should not be taken lightly as they were able to beat Cocalico in the first game of the season.

10. Steel High- (4-0): The Rollers hold down my last spot as they picked up a 55-7 win over Boiling Springs. That game went pretty much as expected as Boiling Springs is going through a rebuilding phase. The question will always be can the Rollers do it vs bigger schools? What people don’t realize is that they play in a division with bigger schools. Sure, there are no 5A or 6A teams but as I mentioned before if we are going by strictly the best 11 players on the field Steel High can match up with a lot of teams and do well. The problem will come in regards to depth due to them being a 1A school. Regardless this team is the Defending 1A state champs and is the favorite to repeat for a reason.  You have to respect that. Big Spring is next.

HM:. West Perry, Wilson, Lampeter Strasburg, Trinity, Cedar Crest

Bonus:

West Perry. -(4-0):  They picked up a big victory over a talented Trinity team 19-16. This team is very well coached and they get the most out of the players they do have on this team. Last year they had one of the best seasons in their schools history and it seems this year they are right on pace to match it.

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