Bishop McDevitt information

Below are a few nuggets about Cumberland Valley's opponent in Saturday night's District 3 Class AAAA title game, Bishop McDevitt. Game time is 6 p.m. at Hersheypark Stadium.

The following will appear in an entire preview capsule in Friday's edition of The Sentinel. Along with the 3-AAAA preview capsule, The Sentinel will also preview the PIAA quarterfinal between Woodland Hills and State College, which is set for Friday at Mansion Park Stadium in Altoona at 7 p.m. The winners meet at week later in the state semifinals at a site and time to be announced.

Bishop McDevitt notes: has not played for district title since 2005 when it beat State College, 20-17. A year prior, beat Carlisle, 48-21, for district gold. ... won 3-AAA titles in 1985 and 1987. ... won 3-AA titles in 1995, 1996 and 1997. ... was tied with Penn Manor, 21-21, in the second quarter when Johnson hit Sye for a 25-yard touchdown on an untimed down with no time left in the half. A personal foul on Penn Manor preceded the score. ... after allowing a season-high 17 points to State College in regular-season finale, defense has given up 24 points to Harrisburg and 21 to Penn Manor in the playoffs. ... average final score is 45-12. ... Williams is a University of Pittsburgh recruit. .. Cornelius is a Purdue University recruit. ... scored at least 41 points in all but the State College game. ... Johnson has completed 133 of 195 passes for 2,491 yards, 31 touchdowns and three interceptions. ... Poteat has rushed for 1,504 yards on 237 carries with 21 touchdowns. All categories lead the team. ... dangerous trio of receivers is led by Williams (895 yards, 18 touchdowns) and complemented by Cornelius (430, 4) and Sye (392, 6). ... leading tackler is Duckett with 66. ... Spence has a team-high six sacks. ... Brandon True and Ford lead the team with four interceptions each. ... invoked mercy rule against eight opponents. ... ranked No. 2 in Class AAAA by the Pennsylvania Football News behind District 1 finalist North Penn. ... Mid-Penn Keystone Division champion.

Eagles vanguish ghosts

No matter how badly Cumberland Valley football coach Tim Rimpfel tried to downplay what happened last season, it was obvious he wanted to beat Wilson this time around.

Almost a year ago to the day, the Bulldogs took advantage of eight CV turnovers and routed the Eagles, 35-7, in the District 3 Class AAAA semifinals at Hersheypark Stadium. During the lopsided contest, Wilson was apparently taunting the Eagles and being all-around sore winners. During the week senior fullback/linebacker Travis Friend went as far as to say it was and still is obvious Wilson has zero respect for CV.

Before Friday night's 3-AAAA semifinal in Wilson's backyard - John Gurski Stadium in West Lawn - CV was met with unprintable jeering from the Wilson student section before taking the field. Rimpfel said after the game the section even commenced to chanting the score of last year's game moments before CV took the field.

So beating the Bulldogs, 28-21, on a last-second touchdown in their own house had to feel great. But it doesn't mean the work is done. It's true that CV finally rectified what happened in last year's final, but the Eagles must be on guard that it doesn't happen again.

Likely waiting for CV is Bishop McDevitt, which is ranked No. 1 in most statewide polls. The top-seeded and unbeaten Crusaders meet No. 5 Penn Manor (10-2) at Severance Field in Harrisburg today. Kick is set for 1 p.m.

The District 3 champion will then enter PIAA play at the semifinal round against either Woodland Hills (12-1) or State College (10-2). Those two are set to play at 7 p.m. Friday at Mansion Park in Altoona. Woodland Hills captured the District 7 title with a 10-0 win over Gateway on Friday at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh. State College won the 6-8-9-10 subregional last Saturday, 16-7, over Erie McDowell at Mansell Stadium in DuBois.

If Woodland Hills wins, the semifinal will be at a midway point between Harrisburg and Pittsburgh. If State College wins, the game will played at District 6 site. Either way, we'd be surprised if the site is none other than Mansion Park.

BPI predictions for Class AAAA

Below is a look at what the Born Power Index thinks will happen in the PIAA Class AAAA playoffs:

First Round

Easton by 6 over Parkland (District 11 championship)

LaSalle College by 22 over George Washington (District 12 championship)

North Penn by 10 over Avon Grove

Ridley by 8 over Downingtown East

State College defeated Erie McDowell, 16-7, Saturday

Gateway by 7 over Woodland Hills (District 7 championship)

Bishop McDevitt by 24 over Penn Manor

Cumberland Valley by 3 over Wilson

Quarterfinals

LaSalle College by 3 over Easton

North Penn by 7 over Ridley (District 1 championship)

Gateway by 21 over State College

Bishop McDevitt by 12 over Cumberland Valley (District 3 championship)

Semifinals

LaSalle College by 3 over North Penn

Gateway by 7 over Bishop McDevitt

Championship

Dec. 19 at Hersheypark Stadium, 7 p.m.

Gateway by 11 over LaSalle College

Note: Helmets for each class are courtesy of Pennsylvania High School Helmet Project

BPI predictions for Class AA

Below is a look at what the Born Power Index thinks will happen in the PIAA Class AA playoffs:

First Round

Loyalsock by 5 over Lewisburg (District 4 championship)

Lancaster Catholic by 13 over Delone Catholic (District 3 championship)

North Schuylkill by 9 over Northern Lehigh (District 11 championship)

West Catholic by 7 over Dunmore

Forest Hills by 4 over Tyrone (District 6 championship)

Wimington by 16 over Sharon (District 10 championship)

Karns City by 11 over Bedford

Greensburg Central Catholic by 2 over Aliquippa (District 7 championship)

Quarterfinals

Lancaster Catholic by 10 over Loyalsock

West Catholic by 12 over North Schuylkill

Wilmington by 6 over Forest Hills

Greensburg Central Catholic by 21 over Karns City

Semifinals

West Catholic by 3 over Lancaster Catholic

Greensburg Central Catholic over Wilmington in OT

Championship

Dec. 19 at Hersheypark Stadium 1 p.m.

Greensburg Central Catholic by 4 over West Catholic

BPI predictions for Class AAA

Below is a look at what the Born Power Index thinks will happen in the PIAA Class AAA playoffs:

First Round

Archbishop Wood defeated Simon Gratz, 42-6, Friday (District 12 championship)

Pottsgrove by 3 over Interboro (District 1 championship)

Selinsgrove by 19 over Greater Johnstown

Allentown Central Catholic by 3 over Abington Heights

Manheim Central by 19 over Conrad Weiser

Susquehanna Twp. by 16 over West York

Hopewell by 3 over West Allegheny (District 7 championship)

Erie Cathedral Prep by 31 over Schenley

Quarterfinals

Pottsgrove by 2 over Archbishop Wood

Selinsgrove by 8 over Allentown Central Catholic

Manheim Central by 8 over Susquehanna Twp. (District 3 championship)

Erie Cathedral Prep by 9 over Hopewell

Semifinals

Selinsgrove by 17 over Pottsgrove

Erie Cathedral Prep by 9 over Manheim Central

Championship

Dec. 18 at Hersheypark Stadium, 7 p.m.

Erie Cathedral Prep over Selinsgrove by 4

BPI predictions for Class A

Below is a look at what the Born Power Index thinks will happen in the PIAA Class A playoffs:

First Round

Millersburg by 9 over Upper Dauphin (District 3 championship)

Bishop McCort by 14 over Bellwood-Antis (District 6 championship)

Tri-Valley by 3 over St. Pius X

Southern Columbia by 18 over Northwest Area

Farrell by 10 over Sharpsville (District 10 championship)

Coudersport by 1 over Clarion (District 9 championship)

Clairton by 15 over Rochester (District 7 championship)

Conemaugh Twp. defeated Windber, 21-20, Friday night (District 5 championship)

Quarterfinals

Bishop McCort by 24 over Millersburg

Southern Columbia by 17 over Tri-Valley

Farrell by 15 over Coudersport

Clairton by 35 over Conemaugh Twp.

Semifinals

Bishop McCort by 12 over Southern Columbia

Clairton by 17 over Farrell

Championship

Dec. 18 at Hersheypark Stadium

Clairton by 13 over Bishop McCort

Read up on Wilson

Looking for some information on Cumberland Valley's next opponent? The Eagles head to suburban Reading on Friday for a 7 p.m. kickoff against Lancaster-Lebanon Section I champion Wilson at Gurski Stadium in the District 3 Class AAAA semifinals. Below are some links to recent articles about the second-seeded and defending champion Bulldogs (11-1).

Game story from Wilson's 34-7 quarterfinal victory over Central York from the Reading Eagle.

Preview story for the Central York at Wilson 3-AAAA quarterfinal game from the Reading Eagle.

Game story from Wilson's 31-7 first round victory over York William Penn from the Reading Eagle.

A story explaining how Wilson went 9-1 in the regular season after losing 19 seniors from last year's team that won the district and went to the state semifinals from the Reading Eagle.

Team statistics for Wilson from the Reading Eagle.

CV saves the area

We'll admit: the expectations for the area football teams were a little down this year. Before getting all hot and bothered, hear us out. Mechanicsburg had only one starter back from its 12-1, District 3-AAA semifinalist outfit; Trinity was losing a truck load of high-profile athletes and Camp Hill bid farewell to three Associated Press Class A all-state selections.

The only team that had a legitimate shot to qualify for the PIAA playoffs was Cumberland Valley and even the Eagles had to replace more than a few key parts from last year's team that went 12-2 and played for the 3-AAAA championship. Most of the teams in the area, although there were some squads we thought could surprise, were filled with question mark after question mark. So when seven of our teams qualified for the postseason and six lost their first games, we weren't overly shocked.

As we sit here a little more than a day before the PIAA officially releases its playoff brackets, to have even one team in the field can be considered an accomplishment. That team is CV, which bounced Central Dauphin, 24-21, at Landis Field on Friday to advance into the 3-AAAA semifinals against Wilson on Friday at 7 p.m. at Gurski Stadium. The winner of that game plays the winner between Penn Manor and Governor Mifflin or Bishop McDevitt on Dec. 5 in the 3-AAAA title game. The winner there moves into the state semifinals against the District 7 champion or State College or Erie McDowell.

It's the second straight year CV has graced the state bracket and is the fourth year in a row The Sentinel has at least one team in the state field. The last year all of our teams were eliminated before the PIAA filled out its brackets was 2005.

So the Eagles are back in and will be gunning for their ninth 3-AAAA title against a team that they have played three times in the district final, including last year's 35-7 rout by the Bulldogs. With the schedule pushed back a week, this game will fall nearly one year to the day after Wilson's easy win last season on Nov. 29 at Hersheypark Stadium.

Mid-Penn Conference at the bottom

Through one round of the District 3 football playoffs, the Mid-Penn Conference is the only league with an overall losing record.

That could be viewed one of two ways. The first is that the MPC qualified the most teams for district play and thus has a wider margin for error. With 17 schools, the conference had five more than the YAIAA, which is second with 12. Berks and the Lancaster-Lebanon League each advanced eight. Millersburg, in Class A, is the lone representative in the District 3 field from the Tri-Valley Conference.

The other way to look at the conference's 7-10 record is to say maybe the other leagues have caught up. In big school play, the MPC was only 5-7 while the L-L was 4-3 and Berks 4-1 - Muhlenberg's 42-7 loss at Cumberland Valley (right) was the lone blemish on Berk's big-school record. The YAIAA finished 2-4.

Overall, the L-L posted the best record from the first round with a 5-3 mark while the YAIAA and Berks each finished at .500. Central York hosts Dallastown on Saturday night in a YAIAA Division I rematch in the 3-AAAA field.

Ultimately, the leagues will be judged by their overall body of work, not just the first round.

Shippensburg University football crystal ball

We know the discussion of NCAA Division II football isn't a high school sport, but it's worthy of taking a look at what could happen to Shippensburg over the next few days.

Before a sub-par showing at Cheyney, the Red Raiders were No. 2 in the Super Regional 1 rankings. Shippensburg dropped a spot after a 31-10 win against Cheyney that helped them clinch the PSAC East Division outright. But the win obviously wasn't impressive enough to hold off California, the same team Shippensburg hosts at 1 p.m. Saturday in the PSAC championship.

Here's the problem for Shippensburg: Not including California, only three other teams in top 10 of the rankings are playing an opponent with a winning record. That means if the Red Raiders lose, they're going to drop and probably miss out on hosting a national playoff game. If Shippensburg gets crushed, there's a chance the Red Raiders could miss the playoffs altogether. Frankly, we don't see that happening. It'd be tough to leave an outright division champion out of the field but losses to Shepherd and C.W. Post will hurt Shippensburg.

Below is a look at how we think the region will play out with comments about why we think each team will land where:

1. California (9-2 overall, No. 2 this week) -- It's tough to keep the PSAC champion from being the top seed. A big win over Shippensburg will give the Vulcans top billing. A close call and West Liberty State will remain No. 1.

2. West Liberty State (10-1, 1) -- Hilltoppers will beat Concord but the lack of strength the WVIAC provides will keep them from the top seed. Plus, West Liberty lost to Edinboro, 42-30, in Week 1. Keep that result in mind.

3. Bloomsburg (9-2, 5) -- Yes, the Huskies lost two straight. But losing to Shippensburg and West Chester isn't the end of the world. Plus, the team stayed in the top six despite the mini losing streak. Bloomsburg should erase any doubts by crushing Gannon.

4. Bentley (9-1, 4) -- There's probably a few PSAC teams more deserving than Bentley but the Northeast 10 has to be represented and here's the answer. What's worse, the committee will probably award Bentley with a home game for winning its conference.

5. Shippensburg (8-3, 3) -- Outside of a 63-0 loss to California, Shippensburg should make the field. We'd argue the Raiders deserve a home game (a game at Bentley is winnable but scary) that they won't get. A way to avoid a long trip and play at Seth Grove Stadium next week: Beat California.

6. Edinboro (8-3, 7) -- Follow along if you can. The Fighting Scots enter this week just outside the playoff picture and travel to Millersville (3-7) while East Stroudsburg, which is currently No. 6, hosts Slippery Rock (6-4). We think both teams will win but have Edinboro with the last spot. Why? Becuase the Scots handed West Liberty its only loss. Edinboro might be doomed by its loss to Clarion (7-3) last week. East Stroudsburg's best win: 21-20 over a sub-par West Chester team. But the Warrios beat Clarion this fall. If the committee is forced to choose between these teams, we think it will select Edinboro because of that win over West Liberty.

Near misses: East Stroudsburg (8-3), Charleston (9-2), Clarion (8-3), Bowie State (7-4).

Here's how we see this field playing out:

First Round (winning team bolded)

Shippensburg at Bentley

Edinboro at Bloomsburg

Second Round

Shippensburg at California

Bloomsburg at West Liberty

National Quarterfinals

Bloomsburg at California

The winner of Super Regional 1 will play the winner of Super Regional 2 in the national semifinals. That will be a bad draw for California, which will be making its third straight semifinal appearance. The likely opponent is unbeaten and top-ranked North Alabama. The Lions, who have a slew of Division I-A transfers, are coached by former Auburn boss Tommy Bowden and would likely host this game. North Alabama plays its home games at Braley Stadium, which is the site of the national championship game. The NCAA determines the semifinal host by which facility is better. Plain and simple.