A victory tonight at Northern Lebanon will give Catholic, the league's last unbeaten team at 5-0 in the L-L and 8-0 overall, at least a tie for the section title with one game remaining in the regular season.

"We have to finish out these last two games strong," Crusaders' two-way tackle Tom Nardo said after last week's 14-6 showdown over Lampeter-Strasburg, and Catholic will try to do that with wins tonight at Northern Lebanon (2-3, 3-5) and next week at Pequea Valley.

Nardo and Co. are no doubt aware that victories in their final two games secure the top seed in the upcoming District Three Class AA playoffs, where the Crusaders have some unfinished business to tend to.

At Manheim Central, section titles have become second nature. The Barons (5-0, 7-1) can claim a share of the program's fifth straight Section Two crown, and 17th overall, with a win tonight at longtime rival Conestoga Valley.

While the Buckskins (1-4, 1-7) have not beaten the Barons since 1991, a loss that knocked Manheim out of the district playoffs, Central coach Mike Williams is expecting a 100-yard war in Witmer.

"They're going to play us like they're 10-and-oh," said Williams, whose Barons are ranked fourth in the district Class AAA power rankings.

"There's a lot of emotion there. You can go back to when they had (Jim) Cantafio (as head coach). They were the standard for our league, and we never thought we'd beat them. They made us get better, and we got into the weights more and started winning some games against them. It's a great rivalry."

Just how great can be seen by the names that spill forth from the past -- Sam Turner and Mike Brown, Brady Myers and Jordan Steffy of the Bucks; Dan Kreider and Chad Vinelli, Jeff Smoker and Mike Byrne of the Barons.

"It's nice when there's a little more on the line, but we're approaching it as a big game," said CV coach Gerad Novak, who has been part of the rivalry since joining Cantafio's staff in 1983. "It's Manheim Central-CV, and there are always a lot of people who like to see these two teams go at it."

How storied is the Central-CV rivalry? Just ask Baron back Jeff Ochoa, who grew up watching the Barons and Bucks do battle.

"It's special," said Ochoa, who rumbled for a career-best three touchdowns against the Cedars and has 10 TDs this season. "CV always plays us tough, and we're going to have to get ready on a short week."

In bruising Section One, color the front-runners black and blue. At Hempfield, the Black Knights (4-1, 7-1) are coming off their best game of the season, a 56-28 win over Wilson, and travel tonight to Penn Manor (2-3, 4-4) to meet a Comets squad coming off a 41-40 shocking of McCaskey.

At Manheim Township, the Blue Streaks (4-1, 7-1) are back on track following a 35-27 shootout win over Cedar Crest, and will host Reading (0-5, 1-7) tonight.

Township and Hempfield need to win to solidify their district playoff standings in Class AAAA. The Streaks are ranked second; the Knights sixth.

Along with Central, L-S and Cocalico remain in the playoff race in Class AAA. L-S is seeded sixth and Cocalico eighth.

The Eagles (4-1, 6-2) head to Class AA contender Bermudian Springs (6-2) tonight for a non-league contest, while the Pioneers (4-1, 7-1) play host to Columbia (3-2, 5-3).

L-S is seeking not just a district berth but the first 9-1 finish in team history.

"We have a lot to play for," L-S coach John Manion said following the game against Catholic, and how each of the aforementioned fares on this, the penultimate weekend of the regular season, will help determine the postseason picture.

Tonight: Section One (All games 7 p.m.) -- Reading at Manheim Township; Hempfield at Penn Manor; Wilson at McCaskey; Warwick at Cedar Crest;

Section Two (All games 7:30 p.m.) --Manheim Central at Conestoga Valley; Solanco at Ephrata; Garden Spot at Lebanon;

Section Three (All games 7:30 p.m.) --Lancaster Catholic at Northern Lebanon; Columbia at Lampeter-Strasburg; Pequea Valley at Elco;

Non-league: (Both games 7:30 p.m.) --Cocalico at Bermudian Springs; Central Dauphin at Elizabethtown;

Saturday: Section Three -- Donegal at Annville-Cleona, 1:30 p.m.

Weather: Partly clear and cold tonight, with highs in the mid-30s. Mostly cloudy Saturday with highs in the lows 50s.

Lancaster Catholic at Northern Lebanon: The Vikings are coming off an emotional, 27-21 overtime victory against Lebanon County rival Annville-Cleona, a win highlighted by Travis Dresch's three TDs, including the game-winner from 10 yards out, and 231 yards rushing.

Dresch has run for 739 yards this season and is averaging 7.4 yards per carry. QB T.J. Gardner (397, 4.1) is also a threat, and the two have combined to fuel a ground attack that ranks as the section's best with 1,890 yards. Last week, they gained 311 against A-C.

The Vikes' vaunted ground game will be tested by a Crusader defense that surrendered just 14 yards on 20 carries against a strong L-S squad. Catholic has registered four shutouts this season, and its 52 points allowed is the lowest in the league.

The Crusaders have also perfected the art of the takeaway, as evidenced last week when they forced L-S into four turnovers, including an eventual game-winning interception return for a score by safety Nick Downey.

"You can't let your guard down for even a few seconds against that team," Manion remarked, and Harbach said the Crusaders simply practice what their coaches preach.

"We want to shut people down, make them do things they don't want to do," Harbach said.

Nardo, linebacker Bobby Checchia, and Downey are all-star caliber players manning the three lines of the Crusaders' defense. But give them the ball, and they can do just as much damage.

Checchia slammed his 220-pound frame into the L-S defense for 93 yards, and his three-yard scoring run marked his 14th TD of the season. Backfield mate Matt Bleacher balances Checchia's inside power thrusts with outside speed.

Downey (60-98 for 718 yards, 11 TDs, 5 Ints.) leads Section Three QBs in pass efficiency (99.8), and Bobby Bushong (20-258) ranks among section leaders in receiving.

The Vikes, meanwhile, have struggled defensively, and have surrendered yardage in sizable chunks.

Still, with a title so close, Harbach won't let his team take anything for granted.

"We have to stay focused because upsets happen," Harbach said. "We want to play our best game."

Manheim Central at CV: Graham Zug knows all about the Central-CV rivalry.

Like many of the current Barons and Bucks, Zug grew up watching Smoker and Steffy, and no doubt has heard about CV's Bob Aungst, Eric Esbenshade and Darryl Daniel, as well as former Barons Matt Nagy, Brett Kolk, and Brad Barnett.

"I grew up watching those games," Zug said. "It's a great rivalry."

Zug expects to be matched with CV WR/DB Ty Bynum in one of those games-within-a-game that sometimes takes place between star players.

Bynum leads the L-L with 61 receptions, Zug is second with 47. Zug has 17 TDs this season; Bynum nine.

It's likely that Zug, a senior, and Bynum, a junior, will go head-to-head for much of tonight's game.

"Oh yeah," Novak said. "They'll be matched up all night long. It could be quite a game to watch, those two battling it out on offense and defense in the secondary."

"I bet we'll match up," said Zug, who had eight catches for 146 yards and two TDs in one half of play against Lebanon last Monday. "It will be a good challenge for both of us."

Zug drew the attention of NCAA Division I scouts from the University of Virginia and Connecticut Monday night, and Novak said Bynum is receiving letters from numerous colleges as well.

Zug, QB Brandon Miller (1,352 yards passing, 482 rushing), and backs Nate Mast (515 yards rushing) and Ochoa (399) are playmakers. Central linemen Marcus Zimmerman, Andrew Trafford, Jay Campbell, Blake Aston, and Joe Cooper are, in Cedars' coach Bill Giovino's words, "solid technicians."

CV's offense is triggered by the combination of QB Matt Zigment (1,809 yards passing, 13 TDs) and Bynum. Just as Bynum draws favorable comparison to CV receivers of the past like Esbenshade, Daniel, Corey Jones, Stephon Smalls, C.J. Lapp and Steve Frey, Zigment has been filling the air with footballs in a manner reminiscent of former Buck QBs Aungst, Steffy, Rusty Smith, Mike Cook, and Tyler Demmy.

The Bucks' passing game, the most proficient (1,558 yards) in Section Two, will test a Baron defense that is the section's stingiest against the pass (459).

"They're playing hard, even though they haven't had a lot of success," Williams said. "I think we'll both play with a lot of emotion."

Of course. It's Central-CV. Barons-Bucks.

That's all either side needs to know.

Section One Back: Penn Manor QB Dean Roark rushed 13 times for 112 yards and three TDs in a 41-40 win over McCaskey. He also completed 6-of-10 passes for 103 yards and one score. He produced two-point conversions via the run and the pass.

Section One Lineman: Hempfield LB Alex Puskar registered 11 tackles and five hurries in a 56-28 win over Wilson.

Section Two Back: Ephrata QB/DB Blake Crowther carried 11 times for 132 yards and one score, and threw for two TDs totaling 94 yards in a 27-7 win over Dallastown. On defense, he had two tackles.

Section Two Lineman: Mountaineers' center/LB Will Rabuck had six tackles, including two solo, against the Wildcats. He also received a high blocking grade on offense.

Section Three Back: Travis Dresch of Northern Lebanon rushed 34 times for 231 yards and three TDs in a 27-21 win over Annville-Cleona. On defense, Dresch had nine tackles, one interception, and one pass defensed.

Section Three Lineman: Elco OT/DE David Stoppi had eight tackles and one fumble recovery in a 44-7 victory over Donegal. He also produced two sacks and was credited with a solid blocking performance on offense.