Week 1 winners and losers

It's time to reflect on the first week of the high school football season. Some teams were better than we thought, others ... not so much. But it's a long season and those good (or bad) vibes from Week 1 can quickly be replaced by Week 5 or 6.

Biggest winners

Northern -- OK, coach Mauck, you got me. Worried about a stiff Bermudian Springs defense and a young backfield, Northern coach Rick Mauck stressed his concerns about the Polar Bears' opener. And I bought it. A tight 214 yards from RB Robbie Bleiler on 12 carries and a stout defense lifted Northern to a 30-13 destruction of the Eagles.

Mechanicsburg -- A big, physical offensive line dominated Carlisle and opened loads of daylight for RB Tarik Leftenant, who chipped in 173 yards and three touchdowns for the Wildcats. It never hurts to pitch a shutout right off the bat.

Trinity -- This is the new Redeem Team. A 25-0 loss in the District 3-AA final to a team it beat earlier in the year 34-13 left a bad taste in the Shamrocks' mouth. The road to redemption started Friday with a 20-0 whitewash of state-ranked Lancaster Catholic. Three forced fumbles and 10 tackles from Matt Connors paced the 'Rocks' suffocating defense. QB Ted Spinelli (above) rushed for 100 yards in the muck.

Biggest losers

Red Land -- Yes, the Patriots beat rival Cedar Cliff, 10-7, but there won't be many more of those favorable outcomes if the team, back in the Class AAAA ranks, continues to pile up over 100 yards of penalties.

Carlisle -- This was a team with high hopes of starting 3-0 and using that as a springboard to at the very least a .500 record. The reality is the Thundering Herd struggled against Mechanicsburg's skill people and will face an even faster team in Central Dauphin East on Friday. A week later a highly-touted Hempfield team that blasted Conestoga Valley, 41-13, comes to town. Then it's a trip to defending 3/6-AAAA champion Harrisburg before ... well, let's just take it one week at a time.