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It turned out to be a lot like umpteen Manheim Central games with Lancaster-Lebanon League Section Two rivals over the past two-plus decades.
Central-Conestoga Valley used to be special. Whether it will be again is what this story is about.
But Friday night it was just the Barons figuring out what the other guy does best and smothering it. When Central had the ball it was the Barons doing so many things, so well, that the Buckskins couldn't deal with it all.
It was so noncompetitive that, in the final seconds, down 30-0, CV coach Tom Nichols opted to try a field goal, just "to come out with something positive."
Central didn't even allow that luxury. Dan Trafford smothered the kick. Penn State signee Dakota Royer scooped it up and, as the clock ran out, cruised to the easiest touchdown of a career that's far from over.
"We're a long way from where they're at," a waterlogged Nichols said afterward.
CV is also a long way from 1-9, which is what the 'Skins were last year.
Enter Nichols, who played at CV and West Chester University, coached at both places, and was most recently the head man at Coatesville High School.
He took the job last summer, after Gerad Novak resigned, and utterly changed the style and culture.
CV was built into a monster in the 1980s by Jim Cantafio, a passing-game guru. Even though Cantafio has been gone, to Wyoming Valley West, Wilson and now Cedar Cliff, for nearly 20 years, CV football has been wide-open, spread-offense stuff pretty much ever since.
Nichols played for and coached under Cantafio. But he was an offensive lineman. He was an offensive line coach.
"They tend to be strong on the basics," Cantafio said by telephone Friday. "Tee it up and get after it. It's not my style, but it's his, and he's done a fantastic job with it."
It's hard to play that style without being big and strong enough to push people around. It's hard to get big and strong quickly, especially when you take over the program too late to install a completely new weight-training program.
Nichols seems to have pulled it off, though. CV is now 5-2, including wins over L-L Section One toughies Hempfield and Warwick. Friday's loss was the Buckskins' first in Section Two.
"I am a little surprised we did it so quickly," Nichols admitted.
He did have some players. Last year's team was loaded with non-seniors, including, in Kevin Kelley, a running back to build a ground game around.
"It's not like the cupboard wasn't full," Nichols said. "The kids had to learn a new system, but they were still on the field last year.
"It's kind of the way I've always done it, rely on the offensive line and running backs.
"I've had a lot of different kinds of running backs. Kevin is a great one."
Kelley, who lives with Novak, has rolled for 1,340 yards in 187 runs and 18 touchdowns. The yardage and TDs both lead the league by a mile, and are among the top figures in the state.
All of which added some juice to Friday's matchup. Central has a reputation for targeting star RBs and taking them out of games. Recall the mid-1990s game in which Lebanon's Mike Kitchen came in leading the state in rushing, with over 1,000 yards through four games. Central held him to, uh, zero.
Central coach Mike Williams admitted that a picture of Kelley adorned Central's locker room last week.
Kelley was a long way from zero: 142 yards in 25 tries. But 66 of those came in the game's final minute, against mostly Central's second-team defense. The Barons' front seven did take away the run, leaving CV with not a lot of options.
"They kept us off their linebackers," Nichols said. "Nobody else has been able to do that. Their defensive line did a heck of a job."
But Central is one of the best Class AAA teams in the state. Friday isn't a sizable step backward for CV. The biggest step forward may come after the season. Nichols is still teaching at Coatesville. He's got to get inside CV's building full time.
"I've never gone 1-9, but I imagine it's got to be tough to get kids to come out," he said. "I've got to be there every day. When you have kids walking the halls who ought to be playing, that's a problem."
Nichols said CV has a 6-7, 250-pound kid … who's on the cross country team. Nichols went to a meet to talk to him.
"He ran right by me," he said.
It's a work in progress.
Mike Gross is assistant sports editor of the Sunday News. E-mail him at mgross@lnpnews.com.
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