District 3 Class 5A Second Round Playoff Preview

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Billy Splain | November 9, 2023

Hershey (8-3) @ New Oxford (9-1) Friday – 7:00 pm

Hershey is coming off a big upset win over Exeter last week. The Trojans have been playing good football and look to extend their success against a tough New Oxford team. Cameron Sweeney continues to lead the Trojans on a winning path. The Colonials are rested up after their bye week and are ready to partake in some playoff football. New Oxford is averaging right around 35 points per outing while giving up 14 points each game. Led by QB Idriz Ahmetovic, the Colonials are an evenly spread offense. He’s thrown for over 1,300 yards with 21 tds. Running the ball are Clayton Nieves and Jarrett Bitzer who’ve combined for over 1,000 yards. New Oxford’s only blemish is a loss to Maryland powerhouse Fort Hill. As with any game in this round, this one should be a good one.

Ephrata (10-1) @ Garden Spot (9-1) – 7:00 pm

Talk about a big time matchup, Ephrata and Garden Spot are both teams capable of getting the win this Friday. The Mountaineers are a well balanced team, but make no mistake, as Sam McCracken goes so go the first time playoff game winners. The pulled out a close one last week 14-13 for their first playoff win ever. McCracken has over 2,100 yards and 18 trips to the paint. Running back Brayden Brown adds 1,100 more yards and 11 trips to the endzone. The Mountaineer defense is led by a stud linebacker by the name of Quinton Fautz and DB Jeremiah Knowles. They’re a problem for any offense. Garden Spot will counter with Kyle Harting behind center. He’s thrown for nearly 1,800 and a whopping 32 touchdowns. Add in his 1,000 yards and 12 trips to the endzone on the ground and you know what Ephrata has to prepare for. Jace Conrad and Trenton Hoober are the main targets, hauling in over 1,000 yards in the air.

South Western (8-3) @ Cedar Cliff (9-1) (West Shore Stadium) Friday – 7:00 pm

The Mustangs advanced with a comfortable win over Greencastle last week. They’ll need to prepare for a Colts team led by quarterback Bennett Seacrest. He’s compiled 1,000 yards and 11 tds through the air while running back Eric Shriver has crossed 1,100+ stripes including 17 trips to the endzone. Cedar Cliff is scoring 36.6 per outing while giving up 16. Take away that 48 points to McDevitt and the number drops to 10. For the Mustangs, Bryce Graham leads the way from the QB spot. He’s got 1,600 plus in the air with 13 td passes. On the ground its Austin Rollman and his 1,100 yards and 20 scores. The Mustang receiving corps have 5 players with nearly 200 yards or more receiving so the Cedar Cliff DBs will have to play very well.

Conestoga Valley (9-2) @ Cocalico (9-1) Friday – 7:00 pm

The Buckskins won big last week over Dover and look to continue their offensive success against a stingy Eagles defense. But this is an even match as both teams allow just 13 points per game. So the push? Conestoga Valley is scoring 31 points a game while Cocalico is scoring 37 each contest. Not much of a push there. Buckskin qb William Cheek is the key for the visitors. Along with running back Jayden Johnson, the Buckskins are able to move the ball. Cocalico counters with a punishing ground game led by Aaryn Lonenecker, Sam Steffey, Josh Myers and Dan Horning. All told the Eagles have run for nearly 3,300 yards this season. It’s a difficult offense to stop. Air vs ground. Whichever team figures out the way to move better will likely get the win here.

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