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.
—
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
October 29, 2009
ELCO’S DREAM MATCHUP LOOMS
October 22, 2009
STUNNING SHOWDOWN FOR A-C, ELCO
By GARY SIEGRIST
You would think Annville-Cleona would be surprised to be playing a late-October game in Myerstown which will keep the winner in the race for the Lancaster-Lebanon League Section Three championship.
You might even think that the Little Dutchmen might be a little in awe of the importance their meeting with Elco has taken shape.
Little could have predicted such during the early parts of this 2009 football season. Back when the relatively inexperienced A-C was struggling and Elco was seemingly preparing for one final “Dancing with the Stars” dream matchup with Lancaster Catholic on Nov. 6.
So maybe it’s good that Mother Nature threw the Dutchmen a curve ball during the week they were to prepare for a meeting between two teams trying to keep pace with Catholic and Lampeter-Strasburg.
Monday night, A-C came from behind for a 21-14 win at Columbia in a game washed out by last weekend’s rainfall.
That leaves merely three — or call it 2 ½ — days to prepare for its now biggest game of the season.
“The way it has played out,” said veteran Dutchmen coach Terry Lehman on Tuesday night, “we’re acually still a little sore from Monday night. It’s gonna be a fast week, so I don’t even know if it will sink in (how big of a game this has become). This week is really gonna be a blur.”
It won’t be a blur for the Raiders, who received a wake-up call two weeks ago courtesy of the Pioneers. Thanks to a blowout win over Pequea Valley on Friday, Elco has already begun to regroup from that initial loss of the season.
“I think that is now behind us,” said Raider coach Mark Evans of the 40-14 road loss to L-S. “And I think we have learned from it. We learned that we have to be mentally and physically ready to play each and every time we step onto the football field.”
The mental part hasn’t been a problem most of the year for the Little Dutchmen.
It’s the physical part which has been a challenge. Already very inexperienced when the season began, A-C has battled through injuries to both its starting quarterback and its best running back.
Rickey Snyder has battled a recurring ankle injury to post big numbers on the ground. Monday night, Snyder rushed for 149 yards on 34 carries.
And Tyson Hayes has become more and more comfortable replacing Jordan James at quarterback. Hayes had a both a touchdown pass and a game-winning QB sneak in the fourth quarter at Columbia.
“We played a tough non-league schedule, and basically had all new skill people except for Rickey,” said Lehman of the Dutchmen’s slow start. “Add to that the injuries and new quarterback, it has made us change our whole offensive attack.
“We didn’t just throw Tyson to the wolves. We have kind of controlled things as he has gone along. But he’s now at the point where he may be ready to let loose.”
It all blends to make an interesting dynamic for a game which Elco will honor the alumni of the 40 years Elco football has now been in existence. As if this game needed any more, Lehman is part of that group.
“We are proud to have the ‘Dean of Lebanon County coaches’ as part of the Elco football history,” said Evans with a chuckle. “He just loves when I call him that.”
Lehman didn’t mention it.
“We’ll be there, and we’ll play hard,” he said. “What happens, happens.”
—
Game: Annville-Cleona (3-4, 3-1) at Elco (6-1, 3-1)
Where: Elco High School Stadium, 7 p.m.
Last year: Elco 49, Annville-Cleona 42
If you’re A-C: As Terry Lehman has suggested, the short week caused be the Columbia postponement could be a positive. The Dutchmen played well during it’s other big Section III showdown in Lebanon County this season, before dropping a 21-7 decision at Northern Lebanon. And his surprising team doesn’t have a lot of time to contemplate the magnitude of this one. But anytime you have dealt with the injuries A-C has had, short weeks become a question mark.
If you’re Elco: After the L-S game Mark Evans put it to his team as only he could: “Pain of discipline or pain of regret? You choose. You can either move forward now or live in regret.” The Raiders moved forward last week, but against a considerably weaker opponent it will face on Friday. This will be the real test of how much the Raiders have recovered. Not to mention it is make-or-break time as far as the Section III title and District III AAA playoff implications are concerned. There has never been a greater need for that “complete game” Evans always speaks about.
The pick: Elco 38, Annville-Cleona 19
September 17, 2009
ELCO PRIMED FOR CEDAR CHALLENGE
By GARY SIEGRIST
It’s one of those games that when the schedules come out, you tend to circle it, whether consciously or not.
Sure, it’s merely a non-league matchup, the last for each team before it heads into the Lancaster-Lebanon League portion of its season. But it’s more than that around here. It’s two Lebanon County schools butting heads, and now not only for bragging rights but for positioning for a possible District III AAA playoff berth at season’s end.
This Lebanon vs. Elco thing has all the makings for a rivalry, which is no doubt the reason the respective schools got together a few years back to make it happen.
“You can throw the records out the window,” said Elco coach Mark Evans in his best coach-speak voice. “Any time you play against another county opponent, it brings a different element. You are talking about guys who go against each other in wrestling, basketball, track, etc. And it’s football that starts the year off, that gives you the bragging rights.”
This year’s matchup looked much better on paper before the season began. The Cedars and Raiders both earned a spot in those district playoffs a year ago. And while Elco is the team with the majority of experience returning, Lebanon did throw a 45-10 spot on the Raiders at Lebanon Alumni Stadium a year ago.
But two games into this young season, the Cedars are struggling a bit to find themselves offensively. They didn’t get on track until late in the Cedar Crest game, and managed a mere safety in a rain-soaked match-up with Spring Grove last week.
The Raiders, meanwhile, are clicking on all cylinders after a 43-12 win over Pine Grove last week. That makes for an interesting match-up between Elco’s offense and Lebanon’s defense, which at least kept the Cedars within striking distance against Spring Grove.
“Lebanon’s offensive and defensive lines are solid,” Evans said. “It will be a great challenge for our offense. They are pretty sound defensively inside the tackle box, so it will be a good test.”
And Evans has experience growing with a young quarterback, as the Cedars are doing now. It was just two years ago when Arron Achey was a sophomore starter for the Raiders.
“The Trautman kid (QB Alex) has been coming along each week,” Evans said. “So it will be a good test for us defensively, as well.”
—-
GAME: Lebanon (0-2) at Elco (2-0)
WHERE: Elco High School, 7 p.m.
LAST YEAR: Lebanon 45, Elco 10
KEYS: Not only does Lebanon have to find away to contain Arron Achey and the powerful Elco offense, the Cedars must put some points of their own on the board this week. If they can get on track, look for a high scoring game. To this point in the season, that has been a big if.
OUTLOOK: The Cedars’ defense kept them in the game last week against Spring Grove, but has been burned by the big play before (see Cedar Bowl, week one). Taking that into consideration, Elco’s offensive firepower is scary. Mark Evans would like his defense to become more consistent as time goes on, but we don’t see that as a major issue here.
THE PICK: Elco 34, Lebanon 16
