JEFF REINHART | Sports WriterPutting a pause on the Week 12 preview items to share some awards. The official L-L League awards — players of the year, coaches of the year, section-by-section all-stars — will be out early next month. Stay tuned. For now, some awards of my choosing:
1. Coach of the Year. In all five sections:
Section 1 — Mark Evans, Manheim Township. A 6-0 run through section play for the Blue Streaks’ second outright crown in three years — and 11th overall, and fifth under Evans. All with a first-year starting QB and a revamped O-line. Oh yeah, and with a gut-check Week 10 win behind enemy lines at Wilson. Not too shabby.
Section 2 — Jon Scepanski, Conestoga Valley. A second straight 10-0 regular season ride. A second straight outright section championship — and 12th overall. And 22 regular season victories in a row, plus the 2-seed in the bonkers D3-5A bracket. Bucks are 35-9 under Scepanski, by the way. Is that any good?
Section 3 — Tony Cox, Solanco. A 9-game winning streak after a gut-punch Week 1 OT loss at rival Lampeter-Strasburg. He got his team’s attention that night, and got them focused on the section run. Which the Golden Mules won outright for the second time in four years — bookend titles for the senior class. A lot of physical football being played in Quarryville this fall — all under Cox’s tutelage.
Section 4 — Brett Myers, Twin Valley. A 10-0 regular season ride? Check. A 7-0 league push, with the Raiders’ first outright L-L crown? Check. Top offense in the L-L? Check. Top defense in the L-L? Check. Second-highest scoring team in the state? Check. Top-ranked Class 4A team in the state? Check. Any questions?
Section 5 — Nate Bagley, Columbia. First-year skipper took the Crimson Tide from a 13-game losing streak, to five wins, a spirited run in section play, and back to the D3 playoffs for the first time in four years. Raise your hand if you saw that coming.
2. Player of the Year. In all five sections:
Section 1 — Taylor Veilleux, FB-NG, Manheim Township. Blood and guts leader for the section-champ Blue Streaks. He’s always right in the middle of the action, on both sides of the ball. Can’t miss Veilleux — or his No. 0 jersey. Tough, tough nut.
Section 2 — Sawyer Esbenshade, QB, Conestoga Valley. Cool as a cucumber — or the other side of the pillow — in the pocket for the section-champ Bucks. With Esbenshade in the starting role behind center, CV is (gulp) 21-1 heading into the D3-5A quarterfinals. Pinpoint passer leads the L-L in passing yards (2,146) and TD tosses (30) through Week 11.
Section 3 — Johnny Garcia, FB, Solanco. Does a ton of heavy lifting for the section-champ Golden Mules, including 1,300-plus rushing yards as Solanco’s feature back in their punishing triple-option. He’s a hoss. He’s also in the 4,000-yard rushing club, and Garcia has been a constant coming out of the Mules’ backfield the last four years. He’s a good egg, too.
Section 4 — Drew Engle, RB-DB, Twin Valley. Could have gone any number of ways here, but Engle rebounded spectacularly after missing pretty much all of last season with an injury. Rushed for 1,100-plus yards to spark the O. Ball-hawks on D. Chips in on special teams. Gamer and true leader for the section-champ Raiders, who are enjoying their best season in program history.
Section 5 — Hudson Sellers, LB, Annville-Cleona. Simply jaw-dropping stat-line includes 109 tackles, 29 TFL and 13 sacks — heading into the D3-3A semifinals — for a Dutchmen squad that kept finding ways to win, and ended up playing for section gold in Week 10. Sellers makes A-C tick.
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3. Glue kids. In all five sections:
Section 1 — Orion Abrams, WR, Hempfield. League-best 77 receptions for a league-high 1,017 receiving yards and 12 TD grabs for a Black Knights’ squad that upset previously unbeaten Exeter, won six games, and is back in the D3-6A playoffs. What a season on the flanks for Abrams.
Section 2 — Two incredible backs here: Leo Brown, RB, Exeter and Cameron Small, RB, Muhlenberg. Brown — sliding in for 2,000-yard rusher Jayden Zandier — has bolted for 2,175 yards heading into the D3-5A quarterfinals. He’s just the 12th back in L-L history to eclipse 2K in one season. He’s been unreal. Small, a 2K rusher in 2024, zoomed for 1,766 stripes this fall, and wrapped up his prep career in the 4,000-yard club. Brown, Small are both at 25 TD runs this season, most in the league.
Section 3 — Gabe Martin, athlete, Garden Spot. Had to go with the athlete tag here, because Martin did a little bit of everything for the Spartans. He threw the ball. He ran the ball. He caught the ball. He was one of Garden Spot’s top tacklers on defense. Tireless. And one of the Spartans’ leaders and role models.
Section 4 — Brayden Mastrippolito, RB-DB, Octorara. A crazy good breakout season in Atglen included 1,275 rushing yards and 15 TD bolts — plus a 94-yard kick-return TD, and a 75-yard pick-6. Too bad he got dinged up late in the season. But what a season for Mastrippolito.
Section 5 — Cameron McClair, athlete, Columbia. Again, an athlete tag for Mr. McClair, who played QB and DE, and he handled the punting and kicking duties for the Crimson Tide, who had an excellent turnaround season. Final stat-line included 1,100-plus passing yards with just two picks, six TD keepers, 71 tackles, 10 TFL, 11 sacks — and a lot of black and blue body parts on Saturday morning. McClair will be back for his fourth and final season on the hill next fall.
