Media Center
Related Topics
Related Stories
THE GAME: No. 1 seed Manheim Central Barons (13-0 overall; Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 2 outright champ) vs. No. 2 Susquehanna Township Indians (12-1 overall; Mid-Penn Conference Colonial Division), District 3 Triple-A championship.
WHERE: Hersheypark Stadium.
WHEN: Friday, 7 p.m.
LIVE BLOG: I will be blogging live from this game at LancSports.com, so if you can't make it to Hershey kindly find me online for scoring updates, instant analysis, scores from around the state and your questions and comments.
WINNER GETS: District 7 (WPIAL) champ West Allegheny (11-2) or District 10 champ Erie Cathedral Prep (11-2) in a PIAA Triple-A state semifinal game.
WHO ELSE IS STILL ALIVE: The District 3 winner advances to the 'West' bracket and will take on West Allegheny or Erie Cathedral Prep in the 'West' final. In the 'East' bracket this weekend, District 1 champ Pottsgrove (14-0) will take on District 12 champ and reigning Triple-A state runner-up Archbishop Wood (10-2; lost to Thomas Jefferson in last year's state finale), and District 4 champ Selinsgrove (13-0 and No. 1 in Triple-A in the latest Harrisburg Patriot-News state rankings) faces District 11 champ Allentown Central Catholic (12-1). Those winners will meet in the 'East' final. … The PIAA Triple-A state championship game is set for Friday, Dec. 18 at 7 p.m. in Hersheypark Stadium.
PATH TO THE TITLE GAME: Manheim Central steamrolled Shippensburg 49-8 in the first round, held off Daniel Boone 24-20 in the quarterfinals and drubbed Conrad Weiser 42-7 in the semifinals. … Susquehanna Township toppled New Oxford 42-7 in the first round, outlasted Cocalico 50-32 in the quarterfinals and edged West York 7-6 in the semifinals.
NOTABLE: Manheim Central is No. 2 in Triple-A and Susquehanna Township is No. 8 in Triple-A in the latest Harrisburg Patriot-News state rankings. … One common opponent between the Barons and the Indians — Cocalico. Manheim Central edged the Eagles 17-14 in the Section 2 opener in Week 4 when the Barons rallied to tie it late and then won it with 1.8 seconds to go when
Taylor Groff boomed a 40-yard field goal. Susquehanna Township topped Cocalico 50-32 in a District 3 Triple-A quarterfinal game. Indians' shifty QB
Ben Dupree rushed for 341 yards and three TD in the win over the Eagles.
THE COACHES: Manheim Central is coached by
Mike Williams (29th season; 300-59-3 overall).
Williams is the 10th coach in PIAA history to hit the 300-win milestone, and he has more victories than any coach in District 3 history. … Susquehanna Township is coached by
Joe Headen (7th season; 43-33 overall).
KEY STATS: Manheim Central's key stat is 194.8 — the Barons' 3-4 scheme defense is allowing 194.8 yards per game, tops in the L-L League. … Susquehanna Township's key stat is 3,732 — multi-purpose senior QB
Ben Dupree has accounted for 3,732 yards (1,583 rushing and 2,149 passing) and 37 total touchdowns.
MANHEIM CENTRAL STAT PACK: Leading rusher — RB
Joe Gruber (171 carries for 1,148 yards, 6.7 avg., 17 TD); Leading passer — QB
Justin Gorman (130-of-219 for 1,881 yards, 16 TD, 9 picks); Leading receiver — RB
Dan Trafford (33 catches for 561 yards, 17.0 avg., 5 TD).
SUQUEHANNA TOWNSHIP STAT PACK: Leading rusher — QB
Ben Dupree (170 carries for 1,583 yards, 9.3 avg., 16 TD); Leading passer — QB
Ben Dupree (132-of-205 for 2,149 yards, 21 TD, 10 picks); Leading receiver — WR
Tajh Turner (48 catches for 741 yards, 15.4 avg., 5 TD).
ABOUT MANHEIM CENTRAL: Barons have outscored their opponents 529-111, which is an average score of 40.7 to 8.5. … Manheim Central has six shutout victories this season: Susquehannock (58-0), Solanco (45-0), Conestoga Valley (36-0), Elizabethtown (27-0), Lebanon (47-0) and Garden Spot (49-0). … Barons have outscored playoff foes 115-35. … 212 first downs, second-most in L-L League. … 32 punts for 44.7 average per boot; P
Dan Trafford has been a major weapon in that department, particularly in the postseason. … 23 giveaways and L-L League-leading 31 takeaways for a plus-8 in turnover ratio. … 81 penalties for 719 yards in march-offs. … Spread Gun offense is averaging 373.7 yards per game (2,851 rushing yards; 2,007 passing yards). … Barons have allowed 1,513 rushing yards and 1,019 passing yards. … Manheim Central has picked off 16 passes and recovered 15 fumbles. … L-L League's No. 1 defense is sparked by LB
Lowen Johnson (57 solo stops, 161 tackle points, a pick, three fumble recoveries and 6 ½ sacks), LB
Brett Barber (138 tackle points, 62 solo stops), DE
John Fair (team-best 68 solo tackles, 114 tackle points, 4 ½ sacks), LB
Dakota Royer (6 ½ sacks, three fumble recovers), DB
Casey Ebersole (team-best 4 picks) and LB
Joe Gruber (103 tackle points, 3 ½ sacks). … K
Taylor Groff is 56-for-59 on extra points and 8-for-8 on field goals. The eight field goals include game-winners against Wilson and Cocalico, and are the most by any kicker in the L-L League this season. … Barons have a District 3 record 15 championships — all in Triple-A — and are 41-6 overall in District 3 playoff games. … Central won titles in 1989 (over Elizabethtown), 1990 (over Central York), 1992 (over Conestoga Valley), 1993 (over Gettysburg), 1994 (over Conestoga Valley), 1995 (over Garden Spot), 1996 (over New Oxford), 1997 (over Cocalico), 1998 (over Muhlenberg), 1999 (over West Perry), 2000 (over Conestoga Valley), 2001 (over Spring Grove), 2003 (over Lower Dauphin), 2004 (over Mechanicsburg) and 2005 (over Muhlenberg). The Barons also lost in title games in 1988 (to Middletown) and last year (to West York). … 2003 PIAA Triple-A state champ (beat Pine-Richland). … 2004 PIAA Triple-A state runner-up (lost to Thomas Jefferson).
ABOUT SUSQUEHANNA TOWNSHIP: As mentioned above, QB
Ben Dupree is a major, major dual threat, and his legs and right arm will test Manheim Central's top-ranked D. ... Indians have outscored their opponents 465-185, which is an average score of 35.8 to 14.2. … Susquehanna Township has a pair of shutout victories this season: Mechanicsburg (40-0) and Gettysburg (48-0). … Lone loss was a 36-32 setback to District 3 Quad-A playoff qualifier Chambersburg in Week 6. … Indians are averaging 429.4 yards per game, with 3,320 rushing yards and 2,262 passing yards. … Defense has been stingy, allowing just 197.2 yards per game, with 1,578 rushing yards and 985 passing yards against. … Indians are a plus-1 in turnover ratio with 23 giveaways and 24 takeaways. … 90 penalties for 778 yards. … Indians have only punted 22 times, but average just 22.6 yards per punt. … RB
Adrian Arp is poised to join the 1,000-yard club: 156 carries for 944 yards (6.1 avg.) and 13 TD runs. … WR
Josh Grafton is a home-run threat (37 catches for 659 yards, 17.8 avg., 7 TD). … This is the Indians' first trip to a District 3 Triple-A title game; Susquehanna Township fell to York Suburban in the 1986 Double-A championship game.
Sports writer Jeffrey Reinhart can be reached at
jreinhart@LNPnews.com or 291-8777.
(2776)
