Week 3 winners and losers

Friday marked the first night that weather really made its presence felt. The rain rotated between steady and heavy most of the night, which is supposed to slow offenses down. Someone forgot to tell Cedar Cliff and Lower Dauphin, who rung up more than 500 yards on offense. Other teams (Northern, Camp Hill) weren't as good on offense in the third week of the season, which offered some edge-of-your-seats results.

Biggest winners:

Cedar Cliff -- The Colts handed new coach Jim Cantafio his first win and QB Jake Troutman threw for 197 yards as Cedar Cliff made a 21-14 halftime lead stand. Against a second-half team like Lower Dauphin, that stout defense after the break was a welcome sight.

Cumberland Valley -- Mike Frenette ran for 247 yards to help the Eagles do something Mid-Penn teams don't often do: win at Mansion Park in Altoona. CV hadn't won at Mansion since 1992 when the Eagles and coach Tim Rimpfel won the PIAA Class AAAA title. The win Friday, coupled with State College's 27-13 win over Central Dauphin, makes CV appear to be one of the better teams in the conference. If not for a late turnover, the Eagles could have beaten State College in a game the Little Lions won, 17-14, Sept. 5.

Mechanicsburg -- After two easy wins, the Wildcats proved they can win the close ones. A blocked extra point with 11.7 seconds left lifted the team to a 3-0 start. Considering Mechanicsburg played two of its first three on the road, this team is battle tested heading to Dillsburg on Friday.

Biggest losers:

East Pennsboro -- It's happening again. The Panthers simply cannot win the close games. This time it was a 41-40 double-overtime loss at Palmyra. If it can't win the close ones, it'll be another season at home during playoff time for East Penn.

Northern -- Sure, sure, the Polar Bears won. But 12-6 against winless Milton Hershey? If it weren't for two safeties, it's unclear who would have won this game. Let's just chalk this up to the Bears looking ahead to their game with Mechanicsburg on Friday. Two safeties, though, makes it imperative to give props to Northern's 'D'.