Top Games No. 9: Trinity at Camp Hill

In recent years, this backyard rivalry, which returns Sept. 9 at Camp Hill's Seibert Memorial Park, hasn't been much of a game.

When Camp Hill has solid teams, the Lions compete with Trinity, but when they experience lean years, this game is usually one-sided.

Last season, Trinity and quarterback Patrick Dill, right, ran roughshod over Camp Hill in a 49-0 rout. That was the first of 12 straight wins for the Shamrocks on their way to a second District 3 Class AA title. Trinity, which lost to Lewisburg in the PIAA Class AA quarterfinals, finished with a 12-2 record last season.

In the offseason, veteran Camp Hill coach Frank Kindler resigned after an ugly 1-9 season. Frank Gay, the former Red Land coach, stepped in to lead the Lions.

How Gay fares with the small numbers at Camp Hill is yet to be seen, but remember that Gay's Red Land teams were always a hard-nosed bunch. If he brings that mentality to Camp Hill, the Lions will definitely compete.

Now, for Trinity. The Shamrocks are still on the short list of 3-AA favorites despite the lingering cloud stemming from an alleged hazing incident during the team's visit to Lebanon Valley College for a team camp in July.

The outcome of the police and the school's investigation could determine how far this talented team goes.

Top Games No. 10: Big Spring at Shippensburg

The annual battle for the Little Brown Jug returns to Shippensburg on Sept. 23.

The Greyhounds are no doubt seeking some revenge from last year when Big Spring stole a 20-19 victory in Newville.

Shippensburg scored with 1:54 remaining on Branson Allen's 3-yard run and coach Eric Foust elected to go for two and the win. On the play, Big Spring defensive lineman Dakota Matthews stopped Shippensburg quarterback Marshal Witmer short of the goal line to preserve the victory.

It was Big Spring's first win over Shippensburg since 2004 and helped the Bulldogs reach the District 3 Class AAA playoffs for the first time.

"One of our goals was the win back the Little Brown Jug," Big Spring coach Brent Stroh said in the days following last year's game. "For the community, it's a pride thing, but it's still just one game. The bottom line was, win or lose, this game wouldn't determine the fate of our season."

Big Spring went on to finish the regular season with a 5-5 record. The Bulldogs then lost to Lampeter-Strasburg, 41-13, in the 3-AAA first round. Shippensburg ended with an 8-2 regular-season record and lost to Hershey, 15-6, in the 3-AAA first round.

Top Football Games 2011 coming soon

We're putting the finishing touches on our list of what we expect to be the most meaningful football games of the upcoming season.

Please check back over the next two weeks of the preseason (camps open tomorrow) morning as we go through the 10 games -- we're planning to post one or two each day.

By the middle of the season, some games we're talking about in August probably won't look as good by Halloween while some that missed the cut will surprise us.

Please stay tuned.

Baltimore captures AAABA crown

If you've never been to the All-American Amateur Baseball Association national tournament in Johnstown, you're missing out.

This season, the Baltimore franchise won its second title in a row and 28th overall by beating Livonia and New Orleans on Saturday to finish the double-elimination tournament with a 6-0 record.

Now for the reason we're talking AAABA baseball today: we would love to see the Harrisburg area at the very least apply for a franchise.

A team comprised of former and current Mid-Penn Conference players would no doubt compete for a national championship and we would like nothing more than to see that happen.

An ideal setup would have the Harrisburg franchise competing in either the East Shore Twilight League or the West Shore Twilight League in the regular season before partaking in the AAABA postseason.

Hopefully one day, we'll see this happen.

Gateway Kickoff Classic's date changed

Bishop McDevitt's season-opening return trip to Gateway High School in suburban Pittsburgh will now take place Sunday, Sept. 4 at noon, according to Easternpafootball.com blogger Joshua Funk.

McDevitt and the host Gators are the first game of a doubleheader in the Gateway Kickoff Classic. The other matchup features Philadelphia Catholic League power Archbishop Wood against WPIAL heavyweight Pittsburgh Central Catholic. That game begins at 3:30.

Now, if only we could find a way to get a season-opening event like this at Hersheypark Stadium.

Top football games this fall (honorable mention)

Here is our list of the top football games this year. These are the honorable mention games. The Top 10 Games of the Year will be announced next week right here. These games are listed by week.

Cumberland Valley at Red Lion, Sept. 2 (Week 1) -- Eagles won two games vs. Lions last year by a combined count of 80-13, including a 35-7 rout in the District 3 Class AAAA final in December (left). We figure this season opener might be a little closer. Note: This game could be moved to Chapman Field if the new artificial surface at Horn Field isn't ready in time.

Bishop McDevitt at Cedar Cliff, Oct. 7 (Week 6) -- We think the Colts could have a big season and this game will tell us more. If they want to win the Keystone Division, the Colts must beat McDevitt.

Chambersburg at Carlisle, Oct. 14 (Week 7) -- Recently, there hasn't been anything on the line when these rivals play. That probably won't change this year, but it's usually fun when these two get together.

East Pennsboro at Boiling Springs, Oct. 28 (Week 9) -- A nice rivalry game near the end of the season. East Penn got its mojo back by beating the Bubblers, 35-7, late last season. Revenge could be in order.

Trinity at Milton Hershey, Oct. 28 (Week 9) -- As long as former Trinity coach Jeff Boger is coaching the Spartans, this game will make the list. Trust us, Boger will have Milton Hershey among the district's best before long.

Carlisle at Cumberland Valley, Nov. 4 (Week 10) -- Former CV player Josh Oswalt's first test as Carlisle head coach against his former team was ugly. The Eagles cruised to a 48-7 win last November at Ken Millen Stadium. By the time this game rolls around, the slew of new faces at CV should be finding their rhythm. Carlisle better be ready.

Crazy schedule for Mifflin County

It won't be easy for Mifflin County when the new, merged high school enters the Mid-Penn as a full-time, varsity-only member.

But, in terms of scheduling, the Commonwealth Division might offer some relief for the Huskies.

This year, Mifflin County starts with five road games before hosting Ohio powerhouse Cardinal Mooney on Oct. 7 at 7 p.m.

The Huskies do close with five straight home games, but they have two more odd-ball opponents in Maryland Christian and Blue Mountain.

At least next year, the fans of Mifflin County will start to see a more balanced schedule filled with opponents who will become familiar.