Central Pennsylvania Games to Watch: Week Four

Week four of the Pennsylvania High School football season is upon us and we have three games in Central Pennsylvania here to keep an eye on this evening. All three matchups pit some of the state’s best teams against each other and are filled with talent. <strong>Southern Columbia vs Wyoming Area: </strong> One of the biggest games of the week in the entire state, two 3-0 teams will clash in Exeter. The Southern Columbia Tigers carry a 62-game win streak into the week three matchup and if you count just regular-season games, that win streak is at 93 games. The Tigers have sent multiple players to the FBS level over the last few years including Julian Fleming to Ohio State just two years ago but they have not missed a step in 2021. They’ve outscored their opponents 135-15 so far this season, an average victory of 45-5. Wyoming Area, on the other hand, has dominated their opponents as well, outscoring them 113-50, an average win of 37.6-16. It’s going to take a big game out of Wyoming Area to have the opportunity to beat Southern Columbia and while they still may come up short, they still may be the biggest threat to knock off the Tigers this season. The quarterback may be the big question mark for Wyoming Valley, Blaise Sokach-Minnick was their primary signal-caller last week completing 11-of-14 passing attempts for four touchdowns. There’s plenty of talent on the field to see in this game with both teams boasting multiple players in our rankings. They’ll need a big game out of their rushing attack, where they’ve had success so far this season, rushing for 228-yards per game. If Wyoming Valley has a chance in this one, it will come by controlling the clock and winning the turnover battle. <strong>Players to Watch: </strong> <ul> <li><strong>Southern Columbia</strong> <ul> <li>2022 RB [player_tooltip player_id="27651" first="Gavin" last="Garcia"] (Kent State)</li> <li>2022 DL [player_tooltip player_id="87834" first="Derek" last="Berlitz"]</li> <li>2023 RB [player_tooltip player_id="160487" first="Braeden" last="Wisloski"]</li> <li>2023 ATH [player_tooltip player_id="91811" first="Wes" last="Barnes"]</li> </ul> </li> <li><strong>Wyoming Area:</strong> <ul> <li>2022 OL Nick Elco</li> <li>2023 LB [player_tooltip player_id="91682" first="Drew" last="Mruk"]</li> </ul> </li> </ul> <strong>Manheim Central vs Perkiomen Valley:</strong> Manheim Central quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="156231" first="Judd" last="Novak"] has been tremendous so far this season, The class of 2022 signal-caller has completed 67.2% of his passes for 604-yards and seven touchdowns, to just two interceptions. He’s also shown off his dual-threat ability adding 113 yards and two touchdowns on the ground over 18 carries. Perkiomen Valley will need to keep close eyes on senior tailback Chris Heffernan who has 257 rushing yards and two touchdowns this season as well as wide receiver [player_tooltip player_id="87828" first="Owen" last="Sensenig"] who has 17 receptions and two touchdowns for 310-yards so far this season. Perkiomen Valley Quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="27663" first="Ethan" last="Kohler"] is off to a strong start, completing 63.6% of his passes for 647-yards and seven touchdowns. He has yet to throw an interception this season. On the ground, junior running back has been a menace to opposing defenses with 293-yards and four touchdowns this season. That’s not to mention his 10 receptions for 145-yards and a touchdown this season. As a team, the Vikings are averaging over 200-yards on the ground per game. Manheim Central will also need to keep a close eye on wide receivers Michael Poruban and Dawson Debebe, combined the two have totaled 22 receptions for 378-yards and four touchdowns. <strong>Players to Watch: </strong> <ul> <li><strong>Manheim Central:</strong> <ul> <li>2022 QB [player_tooltip player_id="156231" first="Judd" last="Novak"]</li> <li>2022 WR [player_tooltip player_id="87828" first="Owen" last="Sensenig"]</li> <li>2022 RB Chris Heffernan</li> <li>2022 WR Michael Poruban</li> <li>2023 WR Dawson Debebe</li> </ul> </li> <li><strong>Perkiomen Valley:</strong> <ul> <li>2022 QB [player_tooltip player_id="27663" first="Ethan" last="Kohler"]</li> <li>2022 LB [player_tooltip player_id="178669" first="Bryan" last="Helenski"]</li> <li>2023 ATH [player_tooltip player_id="160474" first="Leo" last="Hunsberger"]</li> </ul> </li> </ul> <strong>Chambersburg vs State College: </strong> If you’re in State College for this weekend’s big game between Penn State and Auburn, perhaps swinging by this high school game could be enticing on Friday night. Both teams enter the week at 2-1 on the season, and as the first conference matchup for both teams, this season should prove to be a pivotal game for both teams seasons. Chambersburg will need to keep the State College run game in check in this one, the Little Lions are averaging 203.3 yards per game on the ground. Keeping track of Jashuan Green and TJ Yoder will also be highly important for their success as Green has amassed 11 catches for 233-yards and three touchdowns so far this season while Yoder has eight receptions for 126-yards and a score. We haven’t been able to find stats on Chambersburg but the Trojans are a solid and talented team with a few players that we’re keeping eyes on going forward. <strong>Players to Watch: </strong> <ul> <li><strong>State College:</strong> <ul> <li>2022 WR Jashuan Green</li> <li>2022 WR TJ Yoder</li> <li>2023 OL [player_tooltip player_id="99862" first="Michael" last="Dincher"]</li> <li>2023 DL [player_tooltip player_id="64047" first="Stephen" last="Scourtis"]</li> <li>2023 QB [player_tooltip player_id="146779" first="Ian" last="Brandt"]</li> </ul> </li> <li><strong>Chambersburg:</strong> <ul> <li>2022 TE [player_tooltip player_id="178690" first="James" last="Lilley"]</li> </ul> </li> </ul> &nbsp;