PIAA Playoffs Round 1 Breakdown – Harrisburg Metro games

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Camp Hill (7-5) vs West Catholic (1-9)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Really interesting matchup here with two teams looking to make Cinderella-like runs in the playoffs this season. West Catholic is better than their 1-9 record may show, they've played a rather tough schedule this season with opponents such as Steelton-Highspire, Neumann-Goretti, and Conwell-Egan among others. Camp Hill has won three straight, making them red hot entering the playoffs, and upset Trinity last week 20-13 to win the District 3 Class 2A title. The winner of this matchup will take on the winner of Williams Valley vs Dunmore next weekend in the state quarterfinals. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Key players to watch in this one will include Camp Hill junior signal caller [player_tooltip player_id='768750' first='Drew' last='Branstetter'] who had a fantastic junior season with a 62.6% completion percentage for 2,788 yards and 31 touchdowns to nine interceptions. Sophomore tailback [player_tooltip player_id='941097' first='Alexander' last='Serdar'] will be a name to tuck away in this one. He hasn't had a ton of carries but when does get the opportunity he's made the most of it, averaging 4.6 yards per carry, best of any ball carrier for the Lions. The Lions also have a dynamic duo of wide receivers in Alex Long (60-866-9) and Noah Doi (60-848-11). </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Defensively, it's hard to find a more productive duo than senior Kobe Moore (109 tackles, 9.0 TFL), and Ma Scaringi (103 tackles, 9.0 TFL). Both linebackers have been great for Camp Hill from start to finish this season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>West Catholic has quite a few standouts as well including QB [player_tooltip player_id='281312' first='Kal-El' last='Durham'], DE [player_tooltip player_id='142027' first='Jayzen' last='Flint'], WR [player_tooltip player_id='178640' first='Kahir' last='Thompson'], and free safety [player_tooltip player_id='1156161' first='Angelo' last='Rossi']. Unfortunately, we could not find any stats for West Catholic this season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Prediction: </strong>Camp Hill 34 - West Catholic 14</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Hershey (9-3) vs Ephrata (11-1)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This should be a fantastic game in Ephrata on Saturday. The Mountaineers won their first playoff game ever earlier this postseason and now have the home-field advantage against Hershey on Friday night. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Ephrata offense is one of the best in the state this year, averaging almost 40 points per game. Their defense isn't too shabby either, allowing under 20 points per game this season. Ephrata has multiple notable playmakers including RB [player_tooltip player_id='1520464' first='Brayden' last='Brown'] who is averaging over 100 yards per game, quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='855486' first='Sam' last='McCracken'] has been solid this season as well. Defensively, [player_tooltip player_id='377363' first='Quintin' last='Pfautz'] leads the way, he's one of the most fundamentally sound and overlooked defensive players in the state. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>For Hershey, [player_tooltip player_id='166549' first='Angel' last='Cabrera'] has been tremendous this season averaging 151.8 yards per game on the ground. The Trojans offense will go as far as Cabrera carries them on Friday night in Ephrata. The Trojans this season have been strong offensively but not as dynamic or as explosive as Ephrata, averaging just under 28 points per game. Their defense has been solid, allowing 23 points per game. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Pick: </strong>Ephrata 38 - Hershey 24</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Cumberland Valley (7-4) vs Manheim Township (11-0)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A rematch from the season opener for both teams, Cumberland Valley will be looking for revenge after Manheim Township dominated the season opener to the tune of 35-6. If the Eagles are going to find a way to win this game, they'll need to slow down the duo of Blue Streaks quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='914950' first='Hayden' last='Johnson'] and wide receiver [player_tooltip player_id='256168' first='Landon' last='Kennel']. Perhaps the best quarterback-wide receiver duo in the state, the duo has been unstoppable this season. Johnson has completed 76.1% of his passes for 2,465 yards and 44 touchdowns with no interceptions. Kennel has 55 receptions for 1,014 yards and 23 touchdowns. The Blue Steaks defense has been insanely good allowing just 95 points on the season but it has often made a footnote thanks to their incredible offensive outputs this season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Cumberland Valley started the season very poorly, going 1-4 in their first five games but found their groove in late September and has won six straight including picking up wins over State College, Altoona, and Wilson. This is a Cumberland Valley squad clicking on defense while their offense has been quite solid as well. The Eagles will need to stay ahead of the sticks in this one and limit the possessions for Manheim Township, meaning senior tailback [player_tooltip player_id='377506' first='Bryce' last='Staretz'] will have a pivotal role as Cumberland Valley looks to pull off the upset. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ultimately, I'll take Manheim Township to win this one. While Cumberland Valley may be able to have some success against the Blue Streaks, I have a hard time seeing Johnson and Kennel both completely shut down. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Pick: </strong>Manheim Township 34 - Cumberland Valley 23</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Lampeter-Strasburg (9-2) vs Bishop McDevitt (11-0)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lampeter-Strasburg has had a very good season but will have their hands full with Bishop McDevitt on Friday night, one of the best teams in the country. McDevitt has one of the most prolific offenses in the state and the country, averaging nearly 50 points per game this season. After being tested early in the season by Mount St. Joseph (Maryland) and DePaul Catholic (New Jersey), the Crusaders have routinely cruised to victory. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lampeter-Strasburg bounced back last week with a 23-20 win in double overtime over Wyomissing, bouncing back from an 18-13 loss to Wyomissing at the end of October. They'll now take on Bishop McDevitt, hoping to pull off quite the upset. The Pioneers have a very good offense to go along with an elite defense but this will be by far the most talented team that they have faced all season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>For Bishop McDevitt, there are a ton of names we could go over but there are a few names in the state that are bigger than Crusaders signal caller [player_tooltip player_id='154352' first='Stone' last='Saunders'] and wide receiver [player_tooltip player_id='255045' first='Rico' last='Scott']. Running backs [player_tooltip player_id='402461' first='Nazir' last='Jones-Davis'] and Marucie Barnes have also been great this season as just sophomores. Defensively, [player_tooltip player_id='91629' first='Ty' last='Kephart'], Venny Brooks, and [player_tooltip player_id='386324' first='Lucas' last='Lawler'] lead the way. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Standouts for the Pioneers include senior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='558398' first='Trenton' last='Wagner'] and running back John Mellinger. Wide receivers Demoj Gray and Dean Herr have both been very good for the Pioneers as well with 400+ receiving yards. Defensively, Bishop McDevitt will have to be aware of Julian Lopez and Danny Wichler who both have had a knack of getting into the backfield this season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Pick: </strong>Bishop McDevitt 49 - Lampeter-Strasburg 17</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Cocalico (10-1) vs Cedar Cliff (10-1)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Probably two names that haven't received enough attention this fall. Cocalico and Cedar Cliff have put together really strong seasons that deserve much more recognition. Cocalico fell in their season 17-14 to Warick rebounded with a 49-14 win over Solanco one week later and never looked back. The Eagles have won 10 straight games now with many of them in blowout fashion. Their defense has been great all season, only allowing 20 or more points once this season. Their offense, isn't too bad either, averaging over 38 points per game this season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Cedar Cliff like Cocalico has only lost one game this season, a 48-7 defeat to the hands of Bishop McDevitt. Outside that lone loss, the Colts have routinely won with rather ease outside a 21-16 win over Lower Dauphin in early October. Since then, the Colts have been running through opponents both literally and figuratively. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Names to know for Cedar Cliff begins with quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='599047' first='Bennett' last='Secrest'] while tailback Erik Schriver has been great this season, averaging 6.8 yards per carry this season. They do have a few weapons in the passing game too including Nathan Lusk and Carter Enders.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Cocalico is led by tailback [player_tooltip player_id='1105939' first='Aaryn' last='Longenecker'] who has totaled over 1,000 rushing yards this season including 12 touchdowns. [player_tooltip player_id='827551' first='Sam' last='Steffey'], [player_tooltip player_id='1131225' first='Josh' last='Myer'], and [player_tooltip player_id='941159' first='Dane' last='Horning'] have all rushed for over 500 yards as well this season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Pick: </strong>Cocalico 27 - Cedar Cliff 24</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Central York (11-0) vs Harrisburg (10-1)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This one has a chance to be the game of the weekend across the state with both teams playing their best football as of late. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Starting with Harrisburg, the only blemish is a 38-6 loss to Manheim Township earlier this season. Since then, the scores have mostly not been close; 60-7, 42-7, 54-7, 34-27, 20-0, 60-14, 47-21, 54-28. This has been a Cougars team on a mission since that loss in September to the Blue Streaks. For Central York, it has been much of the same, domination after domination. The closest they've come to defeat this season is a 42-34 win last week over Central Dauphin, CD has been the only team this season to really figure out the Panthers' defense, scoring 35 and 34 points in their two matchups. You can bet Harrisburg will be looking closely at those films. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>When it comes to players to watch, for Harrisburg it all starts with quarterback Shawn Lee and athlete [player_tooltip player_id='212414' first='Elias' last='Coke']. Lee has emerged as one of the best quarterbacks in the state while Coke has multiple Power Five offers as both as a wide receiver and safety. Other top standouts include running back [player_tooltip player_id='916996' first='Nehemiah' last='Ewell'] and ATH Kymir Williams but there is a ton of talent throughout the Cougars roster. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>For Central York, quarterback Brooklyn Nace has been solid as a sophomore while senior tailback and Pittsburgh commitment [player_tooltip player_id='255055' first='Juelz' last='Goff'] is the star of the Panthers' offense. Central York also has a great wide receiver room with numerous receivers that can make their fair share of big players including Ethan Carlos and Preston Fink. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Pick: </strong>Harrisburg 38 - Central York 35</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->