L-L League football
This Week in High School Football
On its trip from the locker room to the field tonight, Lancaster Catholic's football team will pause.
Pause to remember the past.
Pause to ponder the future.
One by one, team members will touch the District Three championship medals from the 2005 and 2008 campaigns, glittering gold pieces that have been affixed to the goal post nearest the Crusaders' entrance to the field.
The reason for this ritual is two-fold:
"We want to remember where we've been," running back Jordan Stewart said this week at practice.
"And remind ourselves of where we want to go."
Where Catholic wants to go is the Class AA state final, a destination they fell one step shy of last season.
The Crusaders' pilgrimage to high school football's Holy Grail continues tonight. Catholic, 9-1 and the No. 1 seed, opens defense of its district title against No. 8 York Suburban (7-3) at Rossmere Stadium.
Kickoff is 7 p.m.
It is one of eight playoff games tonight involving L-L teams.
In Class AAA, top-seed Manheim Central, 10-0 and a district finalist last year, hosts Shippensburg (6-4).
Also in Triple-A, No. 7 Cocalico (8-2) faces former L-L Section Three neighbor and No. 10 Elco (8-2) in Denver. Lampeter-Strasburg (No. 13, 7-3), the 2007 district champion, travels to Conrad Weiser (4, 8-2). Conestoga Valley (11, 6-4) heads to Northern (6, 8-2).
In Class AAAA, L-L Section One king and second seed Wilson (9-1) welcomes No. 15 York (6-4) to West Lawn. Penn Manor (5, 8-2) hosts Chambersburg (12, 5-5) and Manheim Township (8, 7-3) takes on Governor Mifflin (9, 6-4) in Neffsville.
Each of the above is a 7 p.m. start.
Winners advance to next week's round; losers pack up their gear. Which is why a sense of urgency is ever-present in this second season.
Particularly for the seniors.
"It's win or go home now," said Crusader quarterback Kyle Smith, who last week set state career records for touchdown passes and is fourth in yards passing.
"You have to cherish every game. Hopefully, we got on a roll with a big win last week over Elco."
Catholic has been rolling all season, scoring at least 35 points in all but two of its games en route to a fifth straight Section Three title.
Paced by Smith, Stewart, receiver Tyler Purvis and a powerful line, the Crusaders haven't scored less than 48 points in a game the second half of this season. They've posted at least 51 points three times and reached a high of 62 in Week Six.
Smith has thrown for 1,680 yards in nine games — an average of 187 per game — despite playing less than four quarters each week due to Catholic invoking the mercy rule seven times. He's also thrown for 35 TDs and been intercepted just twice.
Stewart missed the first two games of the season but has still rushed for 1,082 yards and 14 TDs.
Purvis completes Catholic's Big Three of skill players on offense. His 39 receptions rank among the best in the league. He's converted 12 of those into scores and is averaging better than 18 yards per catch.
Suburban enters the playoffs having split its last four games. The Trojans love to run; a 235 yards per game average is evident of that. Thousand-yard back Cody Waltimyer keys a ground game that will be tested by a Crusader defense that has three shutouts to its credit and has held six opponents to seven points or less.
A defense that Crusaders' coach Bruce Harbach expects to be sky-high come kickoff.
"It's the playoffs, it's the best (time of the season)," he said. "You walk out on the field and there's a different feeling in the air."
Stewart agreed.
"It's a good feeling," he said, "to be out here practicing when it's Thanksgiving."
A feeling the Crusaders and several L-L programs have experienced before.
And want to again.
Shippensburg at Manheim Central: Talk about entering the postseason on a high note. The Section Two champs haven't surrendered a point since Week Six and have outscored their last four opponents 159-0.
QB Justin Gorman has accounted for 1,951 yards and 27 TDs. His 619 rushing yards rank second on the team to Joe Gruber (912, 13 TDs). Dan Trafford (29-456), Dakota Royer (21-424) and Derek Hart (19-248) head a diverse receiving corps.
Ship junior back Todde' Statum (1,548 yards, 18 TDs rushing) is the prime mover in an offense averaging 24 points per game. Statum needs 94 yards to break the school rushing record.
Elco at Cocalico: The only accouterments missing from this collision will be leather helmets.
QB Matt Carty rides herd on the L-L's most prolific ground game (3,127 yards). Of the Eagles' 44 TDs, 38 have come overland. Austin Hartman leads Eagle backs with 1,366 yards rushing and 19 TDs.
The Raiders counter with their own ferocious ground attack. QB Arron Achey has both passed and rushed for more than 1,000 yards, and he and Justin Weatherholtz have combined for more than 1,600 yards rushing and 21 TDs. Weatherholtz, however, is a question mark. He sprained his ankle two weeks ago against Donegal, dressed but did not play last week and is questionable for tonight.
Lampeter-Strasburg at Conrad Weiser: All-purpose backs Chad Frey of L-S and D.J. Robinson of Weiser headline this matchup. Frey has scored a team-high 16 TDs as a runner, receiver and return specialist, and also leads the defense with 4 interceptions. Robinson has scored a team-best 14 TDs.
L-S sack specialist Zach Halpin leads the L-L with 14 takedowns. Weiser counters with Matt Moyer, who has 106 stops this season.
Conestoga Valley at Northern: Do the Bucks stop here?
CV has lost its last two games and three of its final four. Still, the Bucks can call on Kevin Kelley, the L-L's leading ground gainer, who is poised to surpass 2,000 yards rushing. Kelley has rushed for 23 TDs this year and averages 191 yards on the ground per game.
Chambersburg at Penn Manor: The Comets were absent five starters in last week's win at Cedar Crest, and QB P.J. Rehm sat out the second half after taking a hit to the helmet.
Comets coach Todd Mealy said Thursday night that Rehm (mild concussion) will be a game-time decision. Injured Comet starters expected to play tonight include WR/DB Demetrius Dixon (hyperextended knee), OL-DL Kenny Tomaszfski (lower back), Jared Shearer (bruised quad), WR-CB Aaron Frederick (high ankle sprain), NG Nate Ruhl (concussion) and special teams player Alex Cummins (bruised shoulder).
Backs ConRoy Smith (919 yards, 9 TDs) and Derek Burkhard (887, 4) fuel a Trojan ground game averaging 216 yards per outing. Hurt by the lack of a passing game, Chambersburg has lost three of its last four.
Governor Mifflin at Manheim Township: Déjà vu rules the day here.
The Mustangs and Blue Streaks are familiar foes; Mifflin resided in Section One as recently as 2007. Running back Brian Sourber fronts the Streaks in rushing, receiving, scoring and sacks.
Mifflin has surrendered more points than it has scored — 186-184. Thousand-yard back Zach Schmidt ignites a ground-bound offense that will be tested by the Blue Streaks' "46" front.
