Typically, the start of postseason play brings with it a renewal of sorts. A fresh start if you will. True enough, yes, but maybe that wasn’t exactly the case across the entire board on Friday night when it came time for the onset of the District 3-6A playoffs to get underway. Well, at least for one matchup that is. Instead, the similarities – even down to the conditions that Mother Nature would provide – were nothing if not eerily similar.
You know that phrase, “Absence makes the heart grow fonder?” It’s funny, but if you were to ask that same question to either Cumberland Valley or Manheim Township, not even 77 days apart could let them stay separated from one another any longer. You see, way back on opening night of the season, August 26th to be exact, the Blue Streaks went west and began their season in earnest with anything but a layup when they found the Eagles waiting there for them on the other sideline that night. And while there has been hundreds of high school football games that have been played since that late August night, you’d be hard-pressed to find a much better contest than the one these two big-school juggernauts put on that would eventually culminate in 31-27 final verdict in favor of Cumberland Valley.
Since then, the idea of a potential rematch between the two in some form or fashion inside the 6A playoff bracket almost seemed preordained to occur.
Sticking with the Streaks for just a moment, following that opening night setback, Manheim Township proceeded to rip off a perfect 3-0 nonconference mark the rest of the way that featured triumphs against the likes of Dallastown, Harrisburg, and Spring-Ford respectively. Ironically then, although the use of the word “ironic” would certainly be up for debate within the Blue Streaks’ camp, the opening night of league play also came with its own share of shortcomings as Township fell just short of their archnemesis, Hempfield, to begin the Lancaster-Lebanon League Section One slate. Since then though, just as they were able to do in the nonleague portion, Manheim Township would then promptly rattle off a winning streak the rest of the way –four games in a row this time to be precise – before a Senior Night loss at home to another rival, Wilson, in the Streaks’ last time out. Simply put, the aspect of a Manheim Township crew marinating in the wake of a rare home loss for the better part of two weeks likely wouldn’t figure to be the most advantageous of situations for the opposition to try and handle.
Try on, Cumberland Valley.
Just like their season-opening playmates, the Eagles’ 2022 campaign featured many of the same mile markers the rest of the way. Chief among them, an unbeaten record against nonconference competition thanks to victories over Central York and hello, what’s this, a common opponent in District 1’s Spring-Ford? Then, just like Township, the Eagles got knocked off their perch early in the divisional season once they stubbed their toe against Harrisburg –the same team that Township was able to vanquish a few weeks earlier – before CV by and large handled the likes of CD East and Chambersburg with relative ease afterward, which preceded a two-game skid against two playoff teams in State College and Carlisle respectively before the Eagles were able to regain their mojo in the final week of the regular season which came courtesy of a 37-6 domination over Altoona on their Senior Night.
Suffice to say, for two teams that share a lot of the same characteristics, enormous suburban-based enrollment with football programs that irrefutably brand names locally, that also claim residency in two rival conferences in the Lancaster-Lebanon League and Mid-Penn Conference, could not have been more on display. So, from opening night of the season to opening night of the postseason, the timing was indeed apropos for Cumberland Valley and Manheim Township to renew acquaintances with one another. Literally, the air that hung above Chapman Field on the outskirts of Mechanicsburg could not have agreed more when you consider that the August 26th contest featured a lengthy delay while trying to avoid downpours and lightning strikes which, yeah, try and figure this one out, likely would have to be done yet again 13 days shy of Thanksgiving thanks to the remnants of Hurricane Nicole who had traversed her way in from Florida up to the Susquehanna Valley?
And in the end, while the second edition of Cumberland Valley and Manheim Township in 2022 would take on the same familiar script as its predecessor in terms of a thrilling, white-knuckle finish, that was where the comparisons would stop. Instead, this time around, Manheim Township would be the ones to taste the sweet nectar of victory at the end of 48 grueling minutes.
You wouldn’t have suspected that however in terms of how the game began at least.
After receiving the opening kickoff to begin the contest, Cumberland Valley promptly ushered themselves down the field with relative ease on their initial offensive series on Friday night. The one doing the lion’s share of the damage? None other than CV’s bulldozing back, Bryce Staretz, as the Eagles’ junior hammer pounded his way through the interior of the Streaks’ defense with consistent chunks of yardage to get things started for the hosts. Case in point, his 12-yard galivant on a 3rd & 5 play which advanced the CV attack down to the Blue Streaks’ 31-yard line. From there, that would be all the further the Eagles would have to travel as a beautiful 31-yard touchdown pass lobbed in the thick, humid air by way of Cumberland Valley senior quarterback, Isaac Sines, into the waiting hands of junior wideout, Caiden Pines, made quite the first impression as Sines’ PAT would follow suit to make it a 7-0 Eagles’ advantage just 2:17 into the contest.
Simply put, giving up that initial score wasn’t exactly the most opportune way to start if you were Manheim Township. Well, it quickly went from bad to worse in that respect.
On the ensuing kickoff, while the Streaks appeared to have set themselves up with respectable field position following a nice return, that all became nullified in short order as the ball was wrestled away just prior to the play being called dead with CV in turn falling on the loose pill while simultaneously setting up shop for themselves at the Township 48-yard line.
And on this drive, the Eagles showed off almost all their weaponry from an offensive perspective, dinking and dunking their way down the field in hopes of punching in yet another score.
Sines on a scramble to the Streaks’ 18. Sines finding Pines for a nice flip on the outside flanks to get down to the 9-yard line. Then, a Staretz bowling ball run to get down to the Township 3 was just some of the key plays which helped set the stage. Set the stage for what would amount to a 3-yard Sines touchdown keeper with his PAT added afterwards which made it a 14-0 Cumberland Valley cushion with 6:50 left to play in the opening stanza, all of which took place with the Township offensive unit having yet to take to the field.
Finally, as far as the guests were concerned, that would change once the Streaks returned the ensuing kickoff back to their own 32-yard line to begin their initial series.
Sure, while there were some in the L-L League that may have put up gaudier offensive stats as a whole this season, if there is a short list of offenses that defensive coordinators would prefer to scheme against, rest assured that the one the Blue Streaks’ claim would not land within that group. With Hayden Johnson pulling the strings, this can be the most lethal of the entire bunch. Turns out, Cumberland Valley would soon see why.
Needing a spark, the Blue Streaks’ quarterback did exactly that, finding a wide-open Asher Wolfe running unabated down the seam, as the 43-yard hookup between the junior tandem rolled Township all the way down to the Eagles’ 20-yard line within a flash. And while Township would have certainly wanted to cross the goal line, points of any kind were at a premium here, yes, albeit with much of the contest still left to be played. So, following a gang sack tallied by Cumberland Valley defensively on a 3rd & 6 at the CV 16, the Streaks sent out junior kicker, Hunter Nguyen, who promptly delivered for his troops with a 35-yard boot through the uprights which made it a 14-3 affair in favor of Cumberland Valley with 3:19 still left in the first.
Granted, while not even nine minutes had gone by at this point, if there had been one prevailing theme that had seemed to emerge thus far, it was most certainly that Cumberland Valley’s offense could do whatever it wanted to give the output of their first two drives. And while this drive too would begin in similar fashion, it was evident that Manheim Township junior, Eli Rodriguez, had more than enough of that to stomach as the Streaks’ linebacker stormed his way through the Cumberland Valley offensive line and blew up the quarterback/running back mesh point, forcing a fumble recovery which culminated in a Township recovery right near the midfield stripe with the opening quarter ending soon thereafter with CV maintaining their 11-point cushion once all was said and done.
Like their previous offensive series, Manheim Township only continued to play downhill following their aforementioned theft courtesy of Rodriguez, picking up chunks of yardage at a time. For that, look to a key 3rd & 2 conversion at the CV 13 which resulted in a Johnson scamper down to the Eagles’ 2 with Johnson proceeding to call his own number right then and there on the very next play as his 2-yard sneak for a touchdown clipped the CV lead down to four following at Nguyen PAT, 14-10, with 10:31 left in the opening half.
But they weren’t done there.
Finally, forcing a timely three-and-out of Cumberland Valley on the Eagles’ next series, Township went back to work while beginning the proceedings at their own 32-yard line.
Another drive is more precise incisions.
An 8-yard pass from Johnson to Nick Palumbo on a 3rd & 4 to move the sticks. A 10-yard pass from Johnson to Antonio Vasquez to get down to the Cumberland Valley 31. A 7-yard rush up in the middle by Declan Clancy ushered the march down to the 18-yard line. As one can tell but just this snippet of plays alone, it was a series of methodical papercut-like moves which was the DNA of this Manheim Township drive. And to cap the 68-yard drive off once and for all? A 1-yard touchdown sneak by Hayden Johnson, his second in as many drives, as Township had rattled off 17 straight points to surge in front, 17-14, with 3:42 still left before halftime.
That Cumberland Valley offense? Yeah, while they may have been stymied last time out with a quick series, they too contain more than enough ammunition that can put even the stiffest of defenses on edge. On their ensuing drive, CV would push the Streaks over that proverbial edge once again.
While starting off at your own 9-yard line may not be the most advantageous way to try and make a living, a quick dart from Sines to Pines in the form of an 11-yard pickup on the first play of the series not only moved the sticks, but it also put a pep back in the Eagles’ collective step. And hey, not even staring down the barrel of a 3rd & 6 did much in deterring CV either as a 22-yard hookup from Sines to Pines on that very play had the ball now resting on the Eagles’ 46-yard line. Then, following passes caught by Griffin Huffman, two by Tzuriel Ogunnnaike, and another to J.D Hunter, Cumberland Valley looked up and saw themselves at the Township 17. Ultimately, in the most fitting of ways possible, the maestro of it all, Isaac Sines, was able to offer the punctuation on this impressive series as the senior’s 6-yard touchdown run handed Cumberland Valley the crucial go-ahead, momentum-shifting score just 14 seconds before the intermission, as CV trotted off into the dressing room with ownership of the 21-17 lead.
That said, if Township’s first drive of the second half was to serve as any sort of indication, a microcosm of the entire night if you will, rest assured it meant that the Blue Streaks would refuse to blink.
Coming out of the recess, the Streaks suddenly found themselves eye-to-eye with a 3rd & 6 at their own 32 to begin the third frame. No matter when you have Hayden Johnson behind center, arguably the most efficient quarterback in the mid-state, continuing to sling the ball all around the yard. Here too in this very instance as his 6-yard find to another junior, Antonio Vasquez, was just enough to move the sticks, allowing the Township drive to continue onward. Yet again, Johnson continued to remain white-hot with his dimes. First, a pass to, you guessed it, yet another junior, Landon Kennel, which gave the Blue Streaks another fresh set of downs. But the dinks and dunks morphed into nuclear bombs right then and there as a 46-yard toss all the way down to the Cumberland Valley 5-yard line hauled in by, one more 11th grader, Nick Palumbo, put the Streaks on the precipice on going back on top. Turns out they wouldn’t have to wait long for that dream to come to fruition as a 3-yard touchdown plunge from Hayden Johnson, his third rushing TD of the contest, put Township back in front, 23-21, as the PAT was blocked with 7:39 left to play in the third.
At this point, if it wasn’t already clear enough, there was a heavyweight fight brewing between two worthy combatants facing off in the ring with one another. And while Township hit CV across the chin to start the third, the Eagles would immediately give their guests an uppercut right back.
Similar to their very first drive of the ballgame, Cumberland Valley began their initial series of the third quarter on their own side of the field, albeit 10 yards further back in this instance, before starting things off in earnest. For that, leaning on the legs of Bryce Staretz is certainly a good place to start, such as the case when the Eagles’ powerful back helped move the chains on a 3rd & 1 play to get the ball past the emblazoned CV logo painted at the 50-yard line and into Manheim Township territory. From there, another successful third down conversion, this of the 3rd & 8 variety, permitted the CV offense to remain on the field as a 12-yard toss from Isaac Sines to Griffin Huffman got the Eagles down to the Streaks’ 33. Then, Cumberland Valley needed to travel just five yards further before a 28-yard pitch and catch touchdown from the senior duo of Isaac Sines to J.D Hunter resulted in a timely Eagles’ score as Sines’ PAT made it 28-23 in favor which is where things would remain once the final 1:55 evaporated from the third quarter clock.
The fourth quarter? That should’ve come with a seat belt.
After forcing Township to punt on their series following the Sines to Hunter score, the Eagles appeared to be in business with their offense continuing to hum along at a rapid clip. Of course, it doesn’t hurt if you can get assistance in other areas, such as the case when Manheim Township was flagged for defensive pass interference on a 3rd & 4 play, allowing the Eagles’ O to remain on the field.
However, the laundry gods giveth and taketh away.
Despite finding themselves on the precipice of cracking into the Manheim Township redzone, an ill-timed holding penalty whistled against Cumberland Valley amounted to a key 20-yard walk-off, ultimately forcing the Eagles into facing a 3rd & 25 attempt shortly thereafter with the ball resting at the Streaks’ 45-yard line. And while a 15-yard pass from Sines to Hunter led to a 4th & 10 try, a Sines scramble out of the pocket cruelly came just one yard shy of keeping the drive alive for Cumberland Valley, allowing Manheim Township to trot onto the field at their own 21-yard line with 6:51 left to play.
That’s when Manheim Township made a move.
Despite holding Cumberland Valley on downs just a moment earlier, it wasn’t all smooth sailing for the Blue Streaks following the change in possession. No, especially not when you consider that Township quickly found themselves up against a 3rd & 4 attempt at their own 27. But the visitors would have a rebuttal for that as well, a 21-yard hookup on said play from Johnson to Ethan Dansereau, propelling Manheim Township just two yards shy of the midfield stripe. From there, Township opted to go away from hitting singles and doubles and went for the jugular. It would prove to be a wise decision in that respect as a 47-yard touchdown grab hauled in by Nick Palumbo running down the Eagles’ sideline gave the Streaks the slimmest of cushions, 29-28, following Hunter Nguyen’s PAT with 4:54 still left to play.
Your turn, Cumberland Valley.
Like their opposition, the Eagles would also refuse to flinch in the face of adversity all night long. For proof of that, look no further than a pair of key third down conversions on Cumberland Valley’s ensuing offensive series — all of which came courtesy of Isaac Sines’ handiwork, first in the form of a 10-yard throw on a 3rd & 3 along with a 25-yard scramble on a 3rd & 7 — to help get inside Township territory. And while their final third down conversion on this drive would ultimately fall by the wayside in the form of an incomplete pass, Cumberland Valley’s MVP was more than up for the challenge in his other role, specialist, as Isaac Sines’ 39-yard field goal attempt was not only tough as nails, but it also, more importantly, gave the lead right back to Cumberland Valley, 31-29, with just 1:42 left to play.
As far as the history books will show for posterity purposes, it was a 69-yard drive with 1:38 left on the clock.
That was the assignment still left in front of Manheim Township once the Streaks regained control while operating with that two-point deficit. First, assistance in any form would be most accepted in trying to achieve the task at hand. For that reason, the Blue Streaks gladly accepted the defensive holding call whistled against Cumberland Valley in the early stages of the drive, a penalty which helped Township gather their feet and settle down just a bit. Speaking of feet, as he had done all night long up until that point, Hayden Johnson’s wheels continued to remain on display as his scramble shortly thereafter moved the ball to the Cumberland Valley 45-yard line. From there, a pass on the outside to Asher Wolfe promptly put the ball on the 32-yard line.
In terms of Manheim Township’s football history, it remains unclear as to where this next play ranks in the annals. After all, this is a program not devoid of successes that coincidently won a district championship — against Cumberland Valley no less – just six years ago in thrilling, late-game fashion. Okay, aside from trying to figure out the numerical order as far as where it would rank, perhaps a name alone to describe it will suffice. How about it gets referred to as “The Catch”?
With momentum clearly residing on the Township sideline at this point in time, it almost seemed to be a matter of when, not if, the Streaks would find the endzone. Here. Right here they would.
With Hayden Johnson rolling out to his right to get a better view of things downfield, he saw his trusty target, Landon Kennel on a go route while engaged in a fierce one-on-one battle with a Cumberland Valley corner.
Keyword there, is trust.
And once Johnson saw what he wanted to see before chucking the ball downfield, Kennel proceeded to rise up and take the 50/50 ball all his own, ripping it away from the defender’s clutches, not to mention while also getting his feet down inside the pylon as well, as the frontrunner for Play of the Year nominee in L-L League football made it a 37-31 Manheim Township advantage following Johnson’s two-point conversion run in the immediate aftermath with just 51 seconds left to play.
Way more than enough time for Cumberland Valley to try and muster something up.
The downside to Kennel’s score from the Manheim Township angle? That it was apparently so exciting that the sideline couldn’t contain itself which in turn led to the Streaks being whistled for an unsportsmanlike penalty to would be administered on the kickoff which helped ultimately lead to the Eagles setting up shop at their own 39-yard line one final time.
First big play, Sines to Hunter down to the Township 46. Second big play, Sines to Hunter down to the Township 35. Third big play, Sines to Staretz down to the Township 27. Fourth big play, Sines eluding pressuring and running out of the pocket with a crucial scamper down to the Township 16. Simply put, without much of a sweat all things considered, Cumberland Valley was already knocking on the door for a walk-off victory inside the final minute. Those aspirations seemed all but a given once a Sines fired off another completion that came to within a whisker of the goal line. However, unfortunately as far as those residing in the home stands were concerned, the prolonged play had its downsides considering that the Eagles were tagged with a critical ineligible man downfield penalty, moving the proceedings all the way back to the Township 21-yard line with just three seconds left to go. And while Cumberland Valley would have one final go of it, the final play of the contest ended in a defensive rejection swatted down in the endzone by the Township secondary, ironically by Landon Kennel no less, as Manheim Township earned the right to be the last team standing in a 37-31 thriller over a fantastic Cumberland Valley crew in the opening round of the District 3-6A playoffs that will surely be recanted for years to come.
“Our kids never wavered. Our perseverance was incredible,” Manheim Township head coach Mark Evans said proudly after addressing his squad in the postgame scrum following the heart-stopper. “Our leadership was solid. We just kept chipping away and chipping away. That was a great high school football game.”
Part of the reason as to why he likely felt like it was such a memorable contest? Surely due to the fact that it featured courageous moments and mental fortitude displayed by both sides throughout, but especially his own following the early 14-0 hole they found themselves in before even beginning an offensive possession.
“Not all. Not with this group,” Evans said when asked if the early two-touchdown deficit led to some worrying glances on the Streaks’ sideline early on. “I’ve been around a lot of guys that would’ve folded, packed it in, but this group was down 10-0 to (Cumberland Valley) in Week 1 and never wavered. We just didn’t know how to play to win at that point. That’s what our message was at halftime. Playing to win, not playing not to lose. In the second half last time we played them, our kids in the fourth quarter started playing not to lose rather than playing to win. That was the message all week long as well. Our leadership and our experience had to be the difference makers. It was.”
Speaking of difference makers, hard to do much better than what Landon Kennel offered up with the game hanging in the balance on this night. However, don’t find fault if even he too was struggling to recall precisely everything surrounding the whirlwind moment that was the magnificent final catch for the go-ahead score.
“I had a go route and I saw (Hayden Johnson) rolling out. I know my quarterback has all the trust in the world in me. I knew he was going to throw it,” Kennel said of the snapshots leading up to his game-winning snag. “Honestly, I’m in awe. I’m in shock. I kind of forget what happened,” he added candidly.
So, what does it all mean? It means Hempfield vs Manheim Township Part II in the District 3-6A semifinal round. And if you’re wondering, both the players and coaches have a unified front in terms of their outlook heading into next Friday night against their biggest rival in Streaks’ camp.
“The retribution tour continues,” said Kennel without a hint of hesitation in his voice. “We just need to move on. Just another game. Gotta stay focused all week.”
As far as the head man? Again, the comparisons, even down to the uses of similes themselves, were plentiful.
“The redemption tour continues,” said Evans. “1-0. That’s all we can do. We also have to act like we’ve done this before. We didn’t do anything tonight but win a football game. We have to keep our heads about us and keep chipping away at this.”
