It’s the eighth week of the high school football season which means that while the temperature outside will only continue to plummet, the stakes and implications that await a great number of teams from around the state will only continue to ramp up and intensity with a level of high heat that would make even the middle of July blush. And as far as the world of Lancaster-Lebanon Section One was most concerned, the stage that was set heading into the second Friday of October in 2022 was a little more unique compared to most years in recent memory around these parts.
Granted, while there are still games left to be played, this for all intents and purposes figures to be the first time in a decade-plus that neither Manheim Township nor Wilson has the ability to control its own destiny throughout the final leg of the regular season slate when it comes to potentially snagging that coveted section title. Instead, that honor has been bestowed upon the Hempfield Black Knights this season by virtue of both their triumphs over the aforementioned Blue Streaks and Bulldogs earlier in the campaign, putting the gang from Landisville squarely on the doorstep of perhaps winning what would be their first section title in a generation.
However, that’s not to say or intimate in the slightest that the rest of the division should be treated to something akin to that chopped liver, relegated to simply nothing more than playing out the string. Oh no. Far from it in fact. Just take a look at Township and Reading High most specifically.
For the Streaks, a crew that came into the evening at Albright College’s Shirk Stadium with a somewhat unassuming 5-2 record to their name, a deeper dive into their resume clearly shows Manheim Township has most certainly seen a litany of esteemed competition. Just try a few of these on for size —Cumberland Valley, Harrisburg, and Spring-Ford to name just a few. And that’s just the nonconference mind you. Suffice to say, Blue Streaks’ head coach Mark Evans’ squad was nothing if not grizzled heading into the final furlong of the season. And with that powerful nonconference gauntlet coupled with the ever-present tests that always await your arrival in Lancaster-Lebanon League Section One, Township found themselves entering the contest against the division’s newest member, Reading High, sitting firmly on the #5-line in the eventual 8-team District 3-6A field. So yeah, while the final verdict remains in question as to whether or not Township finishes the year with a least a share of the section crown, the bigger prize of a possible District 3 title is still right there for the taking. First up in that list of assignments though came Friday night with a visit to the fourth-largest city in all the state.
In the early portion of the 2022 season, there was perhaps no greater darling around town than that of the Reading High Red Knights. Hard to argue too when you consider that they began the year with a somewhat surprising 2-1 start by virtue of wins over Muhlenberg and Red Lion respectively, starting the murmurs en masse that perhaps that ol’ Reading High may finally find itself competing in the football postseason for the first time in a long time. However, that promising start eventually gave way to three straight defeats, nary of which the Red Knights were able to hit double digits in terms of scoring outputs, before a resounding 38-0 defeat at the hands of their oldest archnemesis, McCaskey, in what was the 100th meeting in the series between the two last Friday night. And with that dominant win sitting squarely in their back pocket, the Red Knights found themselves sitting at #11-line of the District 3 power rankings heading into their contest against Manheim Township, meaning that a win would certainly go a long way in helping to better solidify that postseason cause.
So, with two teams so close to the postseason that they could likely taste it, a Section One-sized dish sat right there waiting for either one of the two there to gobble up. As it quickly became apparent, it would be the Blue Streaks who would indulge themselves.
If the goal set forth in Manheim Township’s locker room prior to the start of Friday night’s contest was to start fast, rest assured that the message was received loud and clear.
Granted, while the Blue Streaks did surrender a Reading High fourth down conversion on the Red Knights’ initial series with the football, forcing the hosts into a punting situation shortly thereafter allowed Township to set up shop with the football for the first time, albeit while residing 90 yards away from the endzone.
No matter.
No, not if Manheim Township sophomore running back, Delcan Clancy, had anything to say about it as the Blue Streaks’ powerfully built tailback rumbled his way through the heart of the Red Knights’ line of scrimmage for a 70-yard incision on the third play of the drive which propelled the Township attack all the way down to the Reading 20 within a blink. From there, Clancy would continue to tote the rock for his troops with another jaunt down to the 5-yard line just two plays later before a Hayden Johnson to Landon Kennel touchdown connection –a lethal theme that would quickly round into form and then some as the first half moved along — in the form of a 5-yard pitch and catch between the junior tandem allowed the guests to enjoy a 7-0 advantage following a Hunter Nguyen PAT with 7:39 still left to play in the opening period.
On their first assignment defensively, despite allowing Reading High to move the sticks just once on the Red Knights’ initial possession, the Blue Streaks’ second task in stopping the explosive Reading offense was passed with even greater colors.
This time around, Township didn’t even need to force Reading into a punting situation. Instead, thievery was on the minds of the Streaks’ defensive secondary on their second series, namely Don Rodriguez that is, as the sophomore corner read his keys and stole an interception to aid the Manheim Township cause, allowing the Streaks to begin their second offensive drive while knocking on the door almost immediately considering the ball was now resting on the Red Knights’ 30-yard line following Rodriguez’s timely theft.
Remember that Johnson-to-Kennel duo? Yeah, Reading High certainly does too once they awoke on Saturday morning as the pair’s second touchdown hookup–this time in the form of a 21-yard drag route across the middle – quickly upped the Township cushion to a 14-0 count following another Nguyen PAT with 5:05 left to play in the opening stanza.
And while no more damage would be inflicted upon the Shirk Stadium scoreboard over the final five minutes and change of the opening period, the Blue Streaks certainly set themselves up quite nicely once the second quarter got underway in earnest, thanks in no small part to a devastating sack registered on the Streaks’ ensuing defensive series following their offense’s most recent touchdown by way of yet another cog in the embarrassment of seemingly endless riches of young talent found littered throughout the Township roster in a junior defensive lineman, Eli Rodriguez, which eventually laid the groundwork for what would turn into another Reading High punt as the first quarter drew to a close.
In fact, once they got the ball back in their hands, Township wasted no time in finding the endzone yet again for a third time on a young evening.
But this wasn’t just any ordinary touchdown the Streaks would tally next. No, even setting aside the fact that their next score would take place on the very first play of the second quarter, the hat trick of Hayden Johnson throws to Landon Kennel touchdown receptions was completed in earnest as the 16-yard dart between the pair made it a 21-0 bulge in favor of the school from the suburbs of Lancaster following a Quin Arnold PAT this time around with 11:53 left before the halftime recess.
However, the picturesque sunset which had just preceded kickoff on this night would be nothing if not deceiving. Despite the calm and tranquil conditions provided by Mother Nature, Reading High was about to set sail right into the teeth of a Manheim Township typhoon.
Sure enough, yet another untimely Red Knights’ turnover begat the hosts on their next offensive series as a fumble pounced on by a rare Manheim Township senior found amongst the throngs of Blue Streaks’ underclassmen, Jake Cramer, allowed the Streaks’ offense to begin these proceedings at the Reading High 32-yard following thanks to the linebacker’s wherewithal to find the loose pill.
And with their newfound prize, Township only continued to keep the pedal down.
First up in the march, a 15-yard pitch and catch from Johnson to yet another junior hanging out in the Streaks’ wide receiver rotation, Nick Palmubo, which ushered the Township attack down the Reading High 17-yard line in just one play. Then, following a sizable jaunt courtesy of Declan Clancy once more which allowed the ball to then rest on the Red Knights’ 3-yard line, Clancy would finish this march off for good with his first and only touchdown of the contest with a 3-yard plunge which made it a 28-0 contest following a Ryan Aszmus PAT with 9:59 left before the break.
Then came another bad case of déjà vu as far as the Red Knights were concerned.
Eerily similar to the manner in which their previous offensive drive had just ended in the abrupt form of an ill-timed fumble, the hosts’ ensuing offensive drive would also meet a similar fate. This time, the takeaway defensively for Township would officially be credited to sophomore linebacker, Charlie Hill, as the Streaks continued to have what surely felt like a permanent residency on the Red Knights’ side of the field for most of the night.
On this drive, while operating offensively, senior running back Shymere Covington found himself as the Streaks’ feature back and certainly did not do anything to disappoint. After first ripping off a 16-yard sprint which helped propel his offensive brethren down to the Reading High 5-yard line, Covington was able to finish off what he himself had helped initiate as the senior’s 3-yard walk-in touchdown on a third and goal made it 35-0 in favor of the Streaks with 7:01 left to go in the opening half once Hunter Nguyen found his way back to the top of the Township PAT pecking order.
But Covington was far from finished.
After forcing Reading High into yet another punt on the heels of the Red Knights’ next offensive series, Township’s offense trotted back onto the field while residing 48 yards from paydirt this time around. And with the smell of the chalk line still clearly pungent, Covington followed his nose –much less his powerful lower body strength – into the endzone once again as the senior bulldozing back ran his way through a would-be Reading High tackle for the 48-yard touchdown jaunt to complete the one-play march as the Streaks’ lead exploded out to a 42-0 difference with 5:23 still left before the half at that point in time.
Needless to say, the size of the hill Reading High found themselves having to climb at that point probably felt similar to that of Mount Penn which coincidently provides the backdrop to Albright College’s Shirk Stadium. However, even aside from the fact that the Red Knights found themselves down by half a dozen scores, they continued to show resolve.
Needing something, anything really to try and find a spark, Reading turned to its basketball tandem of senior quarterback Amier Burdine to fellow senior, wideout Ruben Rodriguez, to try and muster up some offense. And while those two most specifically will be essential to what figures to be another run towards a state title this upcoming season for the Red Knights on the hardwood come this winter, the connection shared on the FieldTurf on a 3rd & 7 against Manheim Township proved to be equally potent as a magnificent toe-tap along the sideline by Rodriguez –who also found a roster spot with the Puerto Rican U18 national basketball team this summer I may add – breathed life into the Reading High football attack as they quickly found themselves on the Township 35-yard line following the long chunk play.
However, the good juju that Reading had been able to enjoy was just as quickly washed away in the form of a Julian Larue sack for Manheim Township which promptly took the wind out of the Red Knights’ collective sails on this particular drive.
Ironically though, Larue’s aforementioned sack might have come across as rather pedestrian when you consider what he was about to do next.
After helping lead to what would amount to an eventual Reading High punt, the Manheim Township sophomore two-way lineman burst his way through the Red Knights’ punt protection and blocked the would-be Reading punt as the ball then skittered with convulsion on the turf before eventually being scooped up by you guessed it, Julian Larue, as his punt block turned touchdown run put the Blue Streaks up by a 49-0 count which is where things would remain once both squads retired to their respective dressing rooms once the final 1:13 evaporated off the second quarter clock.
At this point, with the outcome of the contest being nothing but a formality that was just 24 minutes of game action being cemented away for certain, the object of the second half for Manheim Township was to keep the foot on the accelerator and not let up, regardless of who would earn the right to play over the final minutes and change under the Friday night lights. For those tasked with the hosting duties, it would be paramount to show that no matter what the scoreboard may have read off, the foundation and core of what Red Knight football hopes to become in the long term under the guidance of the first-year head coach, Troy Godinet, is something that is non-negotiable. And frankly, if we’re keeping score, the second half on Friday night would have to be characterized as one that was a win for Reading High in that regard.
Right out of the chute, after holding Township to a three-and-out offensively to begin the third frame –highlighted by a key tackle on 3rd & 8 by way of senior defensive back, Josh Orbe-Carreras – Reading went right back to work while on offense and did not mess around.
And as it had been for the team’s most successful play up until that point in the contest, Amier Burdine to Ruben Rodriguez proved to be worth its weight in gold on the Red Knights’ opening possession of the third quarter as the pair was able to hook up once again, this time in the form of a 32-yard strike along the Township sideline, as the Red Knights found themselves on the precipice of authoring their first score of the night. And author they would with Burdine serving the role as a publisher as the senior quarterback’s 15-yard gallop into the endzone coupled with Alexis Alvarado’s two-point conversion run to follow suit made it a 49-8 contest which is precisely where the scoring would remain over the final 5:52 of the third quarter clock.
Inside the final frame, Township continued to show off its fangs on the defensive side of the ball, most notably in the form of a Jon Perez interception as he absolutely showcased his film study work by cheating up and robbing a Reading High bubble screen, Burdine and his offensive mates continued to get good work in as the fourth clock only continued to bleed out thanks to the mercy rule which had long since been triggered into effect.
In fact, Burdine would go on to tally a second touchdown to his evening’s resume while commandeering the Red Knights’ offensive attack as his 87-yard touchdown sprint off a zone read fake inside the final period seemed to fool all 11 Blue Streaks’ defenders on the field at the time as Burdine’s untouched touchdown jaunt around the right side made it a 49-14 count following the subsequent failed two-point conversion with 5:43 left to play at that point.
But even with the sound second-half effort registered by the Red Knights, the damage inflicted upon them in the early going by their houseguests proved far too great to reasonably try and overcome as Manheim Township made the trip back home down Route 222 with a 49-14 victory for their spoils late Friday night once the final gun had sounded.
That said, even despite the sizable margin of the victory registered by the Blue Streaks, there were still some pesky loose ends that bubbled up to the surface during the second half much to the chagrin of Manheim Township. And as someone, the likes of Streaks’ head coach Mark Evans knows full well, and as he made clear to his club in their postgame huddle, being much tidier from here on out will be of the utmost importance for his club as they set their sights on a wide-open District 3-6A playoff field in just a few weeks. Without it, their promising 2022 season may come to an end much sooner than anyone inside their camp hopes to witness.
“It’s attention to detail. If you want to be a dominant team and a dominant program year in and year out, these are the opportunities you cherish,” Evans said afterward. “That’s what’s important to me. You cherish the reps. Whether it’s one play, two, ten, or twenty. When you get a chance to get into the game, you need to be locked in, focused, and ready to go.”
Simply put though, perhaps that more than anything is the truest form of evidence of just how far the Blue Streaks’ program has come as a whole over what is now the better part of a decade. Now, the standard of excellence internally has been so clearly raised and rightly set into stone by the successful Township teams of the recent past that it would be nothing if not foolish to not recognize Manheim Township as one of the premier brands of District 3-6A high school football on the outside too. No longer is this a school that fields some good teams here and there. Instead, Manheim Township has metastasized itself into a full-on football program in every sense of the vernacular where the standard is not a topic for debate.
And with a rightful seat there at the table amongst the 6A crop this year, the Blue Streaks certainly figure to be part of that discussion as mentioned. “Our weeks nine and ten are still meaningful, big-time games,” Evans added of the final pair of challenges against Penn Manor and Wilson respectively despite the Streaks no longer having nearly as clean a path to a possible Section One title this season. “I think it’s anybody’s District 3-6A (championship). It’s a wild race,” he added. “We don’t have control of our destiny as far as the section goes, but all we can do is win out, get a home game for districts and then see what happens.”
NEXT UP: What “happens” now for the Blue Streaks is a final homestand for their final two games of the regular season with a homecoming date against the Penn Manor Comets upcoming next Friday night before welcoming engaging in the latest chapter in what has undoubtedly morphed itself into appointment-viewing over the last several seasons as the Wilson Bulldogs will then saunter into Neffsville as well just seven days after that for what can only rightfully be described as “big boy football.”
For Reading High, the final two games of their 2022 campaign are certainly not for the faint of heart. Suffice to say, the Red Knights’ final few chapters of this season take a back seat to no one within District 3-6A ranks most specifically when you consider that the football program from the largest public school system in the state of Pennsylvania drew not just Manheim Township this week, but awaits a matchup with Central York this coming week, before what could very likely end up serving as Hempfield’s official coronation as Section One champs when the Black Knights visit Albright in just two weeks. That said, even despite finishing the season with what on the surface may seem like a less than stellar overall record once a bow is finally put on it, a deeper dive into the Red Knights’ program overall shows without much a shadow of a doubt that this program is clearly trending upwards. And if that happens to be the case, look out L-L Section One– You’ve officially been warned. As history has shown us –not all that far removed either– if Reading High can build itself into the top half of the division here sooner rather than later, this becomes arguably one of the most dangerous of all the programs inside the 37-team mega-conference. And for that, the L-L League and District 3 will certainly be all the better for it.
