Two words sum up Elizabethtown's win over Manheim Central last year:

Too easy.

Too easy for Bear running backs, who romped for 530 rushing yards to fuel a 56-14 rout of their longtime rivals.

Too easy for an E-town defense that yielded just one countering strike — Central's other score came courtesy of its special teams — and held the Barons to 183 yards.

Too easy for a rivalry whose history contains two of the greatest games — Central's pair of 15-14 nail-biters in 1989 — in the L-L Football League's last 20 years.

"Very humbling," Barons boss Mike Williams said. "They saw a chance to send Manheim Central home with its tail between its legs and they took it."

Central (4-0 L-L, 5-2 overall) and E-town (3-1, 5-2) rematch tonight in Manheim with first place in Section Two at stake, and this one looks to be anything but easy.

For either team.

"We don't mention last year at all," E-town coach Jeff Polites said. "They play physical, we play physical, so it's going to be a physical game for both teams."

Bears-Barons is one of three big games on the Week 8 slate. In Section One, a pair of heavyweight contests are on tap as Penn Manor (4-0, 7-0) travels to Warwick (3-1, 5-2) and Wilson (4-0, 7-0) hosts Manheim Township (3-1, 4-3).

All-purpose back Dan Wertz will be a notable absentee from the Blue Streaks' offense. A senior who has accounted for 80 percent of Township's yardage this season, Wertz injured his shoulder in last Friday's loss at Penn Manor.

According to a source, he is sidelined indefinitely as a part of the offense. He will, however, continue his punting duties.

Junior Brian Sourber takes over as triggerman of the Streaks' "Razorback" set.

"We've minimized the package a little bit," Township coach Mike Melnyk said. "And we've put in some different wrinkles as we always do."

In one other note, McCaskey coach Scott Feldman said 20 of his players, including five starters, will sit out the first half of tonight's game at Cedar Crest after missing Tuesday's practice.

Their absence left the Red Tornado with 33 players. Feldman said they returned to practice Wednesday and Thursday.

"Until this week, we didn't have that (disciplinary) problem," he said. "The kids have been good.

"I felt we were making some strides. Warwick was a game we definitely could have won (last Friday). And here's another game we can win. We'll see what happens."

Schedule

Tonight: Section One — Manheim Township at Wilson, 7 p.m.; McCaskey at Cedar Crest, 7 p.m.; Penn Manor at Warwick, 7 p.m.; Reading at Hempfield, 7 p.m.

Section Two — Elizabethtown at Manhiem Central, 7 p.m.; Garden Spot at Cocalico, 7 p.m.; Lebanon at Conestoga Valley, 7 p.m.; Ephrata at Solanco, 7:30 p.m.

Section Three — Donegal at Northern Lebanon, 7 p.m.; Elco at Annville-Cleona, 7 p.m.; Lancaster Catholic at Columbia, 7 p.m.; Lampeter-Strasburg at Pequea Valley, 7:30 p.m.

Games to Watch

Elizabethtown at Manheim Central: Revenge is a strong word. Too strong, maybe, for high school kids.

But Williams does allow that he and his coaching staff have used last year's loss at E-town as a means to motivate this year's squad. And that the motivation process began in the offseason.

"The coaches remembered it, and we wanted to make sure the kids remembered it," Williams said.

What Williams remembers of last year's Bears' team, and what he sees in this version, is the strength of E-town's running backs, in this case, Shane Rosenberry (91-492, 5.4, 9 TDs), Conrad Heisey (87-600, 6.9, 6) and Mitch Weidman (64-466, 7.3, 6).

"They run hard and break tackles," Williams said. "They fight for extra yardage. How many yards they get on first down will be key."

E-town's 1,747 yards rushing (249.6 per game) is third-best in the L-L. Central's rush defense (997, 142.4), headed by Division I prospect Dakota Royer, is second-best in Section Two.

Something's got to give tonight.

"Our offense has done it for us every game," Polites said. "We're looking to do it again."

When the Barons have the ball, all eyes are on QB Jeremy Knosp. He leads the team in rushing (64-333, 5.2, 5 TDs) and his 11 TDs passing matches the total posted by counterpart Kyle McNeil.

Minus a dominant ground game (Central's 1,179 yards rank 16th), Knosp has had to air it out more often. He's thrown almost twice as many passes (153-88) as McNeil as Central has veered away from its mid-line option in favor of a spread offense.

"Knosp is a quality kid and they've done a great job with the spread," Polites said. "They're a good, solid team; well-coached.

"We've seen all kinds of offenses this year. We played Muhlenberg (in Week Two) and they throw the ball a lot, so that was a good test for us."

Rosenberry, who also stars at linebacker, fronts a Bear defense that is surrendering an average of just 118 passing yards per game.

Williams believes Central will likely have to fill the air with footballs to keep pace with E-town's high-octane offense.

"We're going to have to score a bunch of points," he said.

In other words, don't expect the kind of 15-14 games that re-ignited this rivalry back in 1989.

"Those games in the '80s made it a rivalry," Polites said. "The kids see it as a big rivalry, and it deserves to be."

Penn Manor at Warwick: This week's history lesson isn't reserved for just the Barons and Bears. The Comets are making some history of their own.

This year's squad is just the third in team annals and the first since 1986 to start the season 7-0. Penn Manor also won its first seven games in 1974 and '77.

"These kids are very special," Comets coach Todd Mealy said. "We're not the most talented team but we're playing above our talent level. These kids have fierce determination and they're passionate about what they're doing. They've invested in the coaching staff and the program and that has made the difference."

Penn Manor is not without playmakers. Running backs Sean Noll (105-601, 5.7, 4 TDs) and Jared Shearer (46-239, 5.2, 2), team with QB P.J. Rehm (839 all-purpose yards, 10 TDs) front a grinding option offense. Receivers Aaron Frederick (14-233, 16.6, 4) and Cody Booth (12-141, 11.8, 1) are primary targets in the passing game.

But it's on defense where the Comets appear strongest. Their 169.3 yards per game average ranks second in Section One and third in the L-L.

Booth owns a league-leading 10 sacks and a team-high 46 stops. Linebacker Zach Fisher follows with 33 tackles.

"Their front eight are very solid," Warwick coach Bob Locker said. "This is far and away the toughest challenge we've faced."

Penn Manor will be challenged, too, Challenged by a Warrior offense that prefers to travel via terra firma. Eric Resch (178-983, 5.5, 14 TDs) is the L-L's third-leading rusher. Chris Schaeffer (53-245, 3.6, 4) adds punch to a ground game whose 1,511 yards is second-best in the section.

QB Randy Yost (40-of-76 for 693 yards, 5 TDs, 2 INTs.), an all-section wideout last year, is a steady hand at the wheel.

"Coach (Locker) does a lot of things, he keeps you on your toes," Mealy said.

Maybe, but neither coach danced around the obvious — the matchup of two offenses that own a 2-to-1 run-to-pass ratio.

"What we do best is run," Locker said. "We'll see if we can run or not."

E-mail: egruver@lnpnews.com