myerstownherald.com

By GARY SIEGRIST
For one football team, it is the biggest game of many to come.
For another, it is routine. Something it has already experienced. Another challenge along the way.
For one, the first home game at an upgraded facility, during what has started as a promising season.
For another, it is old hat. Another game which has been circled on an opponent’s schedule.
Whichever point of view you find yourself on as Friday night’s showdown between Elco and Northern Lebanon approaches, know this: It says here that this is the biggest regular-season game in Lebanon County you will see this year.
“It’s a huge game,” said Northern Lebanon coach Jack Beidler, whose team enters its shot at Lebanon County’s top-ranked team with a 2-1 record. “Not only is it a county rivalry, but Elco has been Northern Lebanon’s biggest rival over the years. And it’s opening night for us. It will be good to finally play at home, with a brand-new press box and (Viking) hall of fame night going on.”
Not even to mention it is the Lancaster-Lebanon League Section III opener for both schools.
“No matter who you play in section three, it’s gonna be a battle,” Beidler said. “And with what they have been able to do last year and so far this year, Elco is very deserving of the accolades they are receiving.”
Yes, accolades come when you start the season with three straight wins, the last two by a combined 94-26 margin of victory. But for Elco, this regular season is about a group taking care of business and preparing itself for one last career berth in the postseason.
“It’s really just another game,” Raider coach Mark Evans said. “We aren’t treating it any differently. In football, you have such a short season that every game is a big one. So you try to simply get in a routine, and look at each game as nothing out of the ordinary.
Elco has done a good job of that so far, even after allowing a 99-yard touchdown on the opening kickoff last week against Lebanon. The Raiders scored 37 straight points after that bump in the road.
“As good as we are playing,” Evans said, “we really have to start to do all of the little things right now. Take that kickoff return… We had some kids out there doing their own thing, and it got us off to a bad start.”
One player you can’t say that about is four-year starting quarterback Arron Achey. Always an outstanding running quarterback, Achey has improved on his passing consistency this year, making him an even bigger threat.
“Achey is much more complete,” said Beidler, who also serves as the Vikings’ defensive coordinator.
“It used to be we needed Arron to rush for over 100 yards for us to be successful,” Evans said. “We are now able to deal with only 50-60 yards on the ground because he has become much more consistent throwing the ball.”
So while we’re at it, allow us to add another element to this intriguing match-up: Experience vs. youth. Northern Lebanon’s backfield currently features three sophomores – QB Tanner Dresch and running backs Colton Ryan and Ryan Daub. The latter combined for over 450 yards and four touchdowns on the ground this year.
The improvement of that sophomore backfield even had Beidler sounding more and more like Evans as the interview went on.
“Any way you look at it, you still have to strive to improve each game,” Beidler said. “We have to look at this as taking one step at a time. Is it a big game? Yes. But we are just going to come out hard and see what we can do.”
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GAME: Elco (3-0) at Northern Lebanon (2-1), Lancaster-Lebanon League Section III opener
WHERE: Frederick L. Gahres Stadium, Fredericksburg
LAST YEAR: Northern Lebanon 24, Elco 21
IF YOU’RE ELCO: Talk all you want about this being just another game, the reality is that it’s not. It’s Northern Lebanon. It’s the Section III opener. It’s on the road, against a team that has been solid so far this year. As far as Lebanon County is concerned, it’s the Cedar Bowl with meaning. And it is, as the way things have shaken out, Elco’s biggest test so far, by a long shot. This is the Raiders’ true chance at making an opening statement.
IF YOU’RE NORTHERN LEBANON: You have entered the season with a huge question mark when projected starting quarterback Nathan McKillop went down with a knee injury. You have hit the road and overcome with an all-sophomore backfield to enter this showdown with a 2-1 record. Realistically, you are further along this season than many people projected you to be. The pressure is off. Lace ‘em up and let ‘er rip.
THE PICK: Elco 35, Northern Lebanon 28