myerstownherald.com

By GARY SIEGRIST
Somewhere amidst the euphoria we feel about the Phillies, I suppose we should revert back to reality and recognize exactly what is happening on the local high school football scene…
While it is not the ideal situation we hoped for once this season began, there still looms large the potential for a final-game all-for-nothing matchup in Myerstown between Elco and Lancaster Catholic one week from today.
Sure, as the Phils have shown us, anything can happen. But while it isn’t exactly what we had hoped for, the prospect still looms for a final game between Elco and Lancaster Catholic with meaning. And all it takes is for everyone to take care of business this week to set it up…
Matter-of-fact, this one could become all of what we had hoped for, provided the Raiders get a little help from their friends. Lampeter-Strasburg visits Fredericksburg this week and Lancaster Catholic travels to Annville-Cleona. And while assuming the Raiders take care of business against Donegal, all kinds of possibilities could arise heading into the final week of the regular season.
Barring a surprising turn of events, the knock-em-down, drag-it-out affair between two teams vying for the L-L Section III championship we had hoped for won‘t materialize. But the Raiders can still hope to turn this thing into a three-team tie at the top, which is better than the alternative.
And a victory over Lancaster Catholic would go a long way into putting the bad memory of the trip to Lampeter-Strasburg a couple of weeks ago behind.
We’ll get through week nine before we venture into the District III AAA playoff implications of it all…
You got to give it to Cedar Crest. Could this team be the subject of its own reality show this year or what?
The Falcons start out their season with a brand new coach and promptly blow out arch-rival Lebanon, then show flashes of brilliance but struggle through four straight L-L Section One losses.
Crest then takes the bus trip to McCaskey last Friday only to find out its game has been cancelled because of -get this – a sinkhole in the end zone.
Without head coach Tom Waranavage (illness), the Falcons dig a 22-6 second-half hole in their rescheduled game with the Red Tornado on Monday.
They then score 21 straight points to secure the win.
We suppose Waranavage ran out of Pepto.
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Game: Lampeter-Strasburg (5-3, 4-1) at Northern Lebanon (5-3, 3-2) Lancaster-Lebanon League Section III
Place: Frederick Gahres Stadium at Northern Lebanon High School, Fredericksburg, 7 p.m.
Last Year: Lampeter-Strasburg 34, Northern Lebanon 6
Outlook: While the main potential of this match-up would be to help arch-rival Elco, you can’t ignore what a win here would do to serve as a stepping stone as the young Vikings to prepare for the future. We might be talking about the implications a quality win over a Section III opponent holds for this group a year from now.
If you’re the Eagles: The Pioneers must feel sort of in limbo. This game holds major implications for their Section III status and District III playoff hopes, but L-S has already clocked in with a win over Elco and a loss to Lancaster Catholic. It is truly take-care-of-business from here on out.
If you’re the Vikings: Again, this game is more for the future than the present for the Vikes. A win here could serve as something to look back upon in the years to come for this up-and-coming team. It’s been a touch road this year for Northern Lebanon, and we’re talking about their home schedule. All the tough ones were in Fredericksburg. This is the finale.
The Pick: Lampeter-Strasburg 21, Northern Lebanon 20
Other games:
Donegal at Elco
Lancaster Catholic at Annville-Cleona
Lebanon at Manheim Central
Reading at Cedar Crest
Trinity at Palmyra
– GARY SIEGRIST