Week 9 recap

Once again, the weekend’s games aren’t completed due to heavy rain Friday. Cedar Cliff is playing today while three games are being played Monday. With the exception of those games, here’s a recap:

Biggest winners:
Big Spring – Mike Stoudt ran for a 3-yard touchdown in overtime and the Bulldogs held Susquenita out of the end zone to end a 30-game losing streak. The skid dated to 2004. The Bulldogs fought back from a 7-0 halftime deficit to win a game that, at least on paper, looked equal.
Trinity – If you count the Steelton-Highspire game as a road contest – Steel-High programs were sold and the gate was given to the Rollers after the game was moved to COBO Field thanks to the new surface at Memorial Field not being completed – Trinity had only one road shutout prior to its game at James Buchanan on Friday. Chalk up a second road shutout, via a 35-0 win, and the sixth in nine games for a streaking Shamrocks club.

Biggest losers
Cumberland Valley – Chris Jordan threw four interceptions and the Eagles offense never found its rhythm against a stout Harrisburg defense. The Cougars, at the expense of CV, may have cemented their status as team-to-beat in District 3-6 Class AAAA with an impressive 41-0 rout of the Eagles.
Red Land – The Patriots weren’t perfect in the regular season last year either. After a 40-7 loss to Gettysburg at home, Red Land coach Frank Gay will need to make sure his team understands that it still can compete for a district and state title, but not if it plays like it did Friday. Last year’s team ran off seven straight wins on its way to a District 3 title and a berth in the PIAA Class AAA semifinals after losing to Susquehanna Twp.
Boiling Springs – A 30-8 loss at home to Steelton-Highspire makes it virtually impossible for the Bubblers to make the playoffs. They’ll need to beat undefeated Trinity and get loads of help to earn the eighth and final seed.

Monday Night Lights 2

With more postponements this week, five area schools have yet to play as of Sunday afternoon. Here's the Monday football schedule:

Colonial Division
East Pennsboro at Northern, 7
Shippensburg at West Perry, 7
Capital Division
Waynesboro at Camp Hill, 6:30

District 3 playoff pairings after Week 8

The following is a glance at what the District 3 football playoff pairings would be if the season ended today:

District 3-6 Class AAAA
Upper Bracket
(16) Dallastown at (1) Harrisburg
(9) Muhlenberg at (8) Cumberland Valley
(12) Central York at (5) Altoona
(13) State College at (4) Governor Mifflin
Lower Bracket
(15) Red Lion at (2) York High
(10) Wilson West Lawn at (7) Warwick
(11) Central Dauphin at (6) Bishop McDevitt
(14) Lower Dauphin at (3) Manheim Twp.

District 3 Class AAA
Upper Bracket
(16) Spring Grove at (1) Elizabethtown
(9) Conrad Weiser at (8) Daniel Boone
(12) Manheim Central at (5) West York
(13) Northern Lebanon at (4) Hershey
Lower Bracket
(15) Cocalico at (2) Red Land
(10) Lampeter Strasburg at (7) Gettysburg
(11) Solanco at (6) Greencastle-Antrim
(14) Shippensburg at (3) Northern

District 3 Class AA
(8) Juniata at (1) Trinity
(5) Milton Hershey at (4) Wyomissing
(6) Delone Catholic at (3) Columbia
(7) Biglerville at (2) Lancaster Catholic

District 3 Class A
(8) Upper Dauphin at (1) Millersburg
(5) Reading Holy Name at (4) Camp Hill
(6) Reading Central Catholic at (3) Steelton-Highspire
(7) Fairfield at (2) Halifax

*For complete rankings of all 12 PIAA districts check out the computer rankings section thanks to the Pennsylvania Football News.

Week 9 predictions

Here are the MaxPreps picks for Week 9. For The Sentinel's staff picks and previews of each area game pick up a copy of Thursday's edition.

Friday
Commonwealth Division
Altoona 38, Carlisle 3
Keystone Division
Gettysburg 31, Red Land 27
Hershey 28, Mechanicsburg 12
Colonial Division
Northern 44, East Pennsboro 14
Shippensburg 22, West Perry 21
Susquenita 24, Big Spring 21
Capital Division
Camp Hill 17, Waynesboro 13
Steelton-Highspire 31, Boiling Springs 21
Trinity 48, James Buchanan 0

Saturday
Commonwealth Division
Bishop McDevitt 42, Cedar Cliff 7
Harrisburg 31, Cumberland Valley 17

Sunday matinee fallout

Every week Red Land takes its opponents' best shot.
Sunday afternoon the Patriots stayed off the canvas after Mechanicsburg popped them in the mouth, showed their grit with an impressive 13-play touchdown drive to squelch the Wildcats' upset bid and walked out of Memorial Park Stadium with a 28-13 win.
Eight weeks into a season in which it is the hunted, Red Land is starting to feel the effect.
Wide receiver Kyle Otstot left the Sunday's game in the first quarter after spraining an ankle and running back Dan Yenger suffered what coach Frank Gay called a bruised lower back. Yenger was limited to defense and special teams after the second-quarter injury.
With the two-week main event that will determine the Mid-Penn Conference Keystone Division champion set to start Friday night, Red Land needs all four days between now and the time Gettysburg marches into West Shore Stadium on Friday to get healthy.
Gay said Otstot and Yenger will be back to full-time duties when the Patriots close the season with Gettysburg and a trip to Hershey.
Both teams, with one loss in the Mid-Penn Keystone Division, are nipping at Red Land's heels.
Here's a glance at the Keystone standings followed by remaining games for Red Land, Hershey, Gettysburg and Lower Dauphin:

Team Division W-L
Red Land 5-0
Hershey 4-1
Gettysburg 4-1
Lower Dauphin 4-1

Parenthesis represent team's record against other three division contenders; results are against same teams:
Red Land (1-0)
Gettysburg
at Hershey
Results
at Lower Dauphin, W 27-7

Hershey (1-1)
Mechanicsburg
Red Land
Results
at Gettysburg, W 42-35 (OT)
vs. Lower Dauphin at Milton Hershey, L 14-20

Gettysburg (0-1)
at Red Land
Lower Dauphin
Results
vs. Hershey, L 35-42 (OT)

Lower Dauphin (1-1)
at Middletown
at Gettysburg
Results
vs. Red Land, L 7-27
vs. Hershey at Milton Hershey, W 20-14

Week 8 recap

The three games that have yet to be played throw a wrench into a complete Week 8 recap. Figuring the favorites -- Red Land, Boiling Springs and Cumberland Valley -- all win, here's how the eighth week turned out:

Biggest winners:
Trinity -- Rod Trevino's touchdown run with 1:00 to play gave the Shamrocks a 7-0 win over Milton Hershey and most likely the Mid-Penn Capital Division title. Plus, battling not only Milton Hershey but the elements as well, Trinity proved it can deal with adversity.
East Pennsboro -- It's doubtful the Panthers will be seeing the postseason this year but any time one can knock off a rival, it's good for the program. West Perry had little answer for the two-headed rushing attack of Tyler Rivera and John Hostetler, who accounted for all three East Penn scores in a 21-14 win.
Susquenita -- Sure, the Blackhawks were shut out for the fourth time this year in a 42-0 loss to Northern, but the future is bright. Games remain at Big Spring and Kennard Dale, teams with a cumulative 1-15 record.

Biggest losers:
Shippensburg -- After a promising start, the Greyhounds continue to slide in the District 3 Class AAA rankings. The latest setback -- a 27-7 loss to Greencastle-Antrim -- will make it tough for Shippensburg to host a playoff game. With games remaining at a steadily improving West Perry team and at Colonial Division monster Northern, coach Eric Foust has his work cut out for him to avoid a season-ending, four-game losing streak.
Big Spring -- A 38-7 loss to a winless Chambersburg team that hadn't won on the road since 2004 is rather unsettling. Still, there's light at the end of the tunnel because that 30-game losing streak has to end some time.

Sunday and Monday Night Lights

Here it is Sunday morning and Week 8 still isn't complete. We have four local teams -- two play each other -- ready to go after bad weather forced postponements Friday. Here is our remaining schedule:

Sunday
Keystone Division
Red Land at Mechanicsburg, 4

Monday
Capital Division
Boiling Springs at Waynesboro, 5:30
Nonconference
Cumberland Valley at Avon Grove, 5