The Game: District 3 “AAA” Championship game
Where: Hersheypark Stadium
When: Friday, Nov. 28th, 2008, kickoff @ 7 p.m.
It had become the goal of the York-Adams league “AAA” teams for what seemed like forever – beat Manheim Central. Three of the league’s reps had their chances. Heck, one nearly knocked the mighty Barons off. But it seemed like each time, Manheim either found a way to win or just flat-out dominated.
So when West York Area (12-1) gets its shot against the Barons (11-2) Friday night, it will do so in the hopes of accomplishing what the 1993 Central York, 1996 New Oxford, and 2000 Spring Grove squads couldn’t do: beat the Barons for a District title.
The sentence is easier said than done. MC is 15-1 all-time in District 3 title games, with the lone loss coming to Middletown in 1988, 33-7. And Central York, NO, and Spring Grove were outscored by a combined 99-37.
But West York has a little history in the District championship game itself.
As a “AA” school, the Bulldogs won District 3 titles in 1988 and 1991. West York appeared in the Eastern Finals each of those years, falling in 1988 to Bethlehem Catholic 15-0 and to Hanover Area (District 2) 20-3 in ’91.
But no York-Adams school, class “AAA” or “AAAA,” has ever appeared in an Eastern Final. And the only York County school to ever play in an Eastern Final was Mid-Penn rep. Red Land, who fell to Pottsville 17-7 in 2006.
So West York has a chance to make history. But it won’t be as easy without the services of star tailback Brandon Real.
There’s no question that Real was an added dimension to the Bulldog offense. His 2,607 rushing yards and 41 touchdowns might both be single-season York County records. Real’s career rushing total, though, will end at 3,980 yards, just 20 yards shy of becoming York County’s first-ever 4,000-yard rusher.
Real broke his collarbone in the Bulldogs’ 20-0 victory over Garden Spot, but not before he ran for 181 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
So, minus their biggest weapon, West York went from proverbial favorite to slight underdog in just a matter of two and a half hours. The current leading Bulldog rusher has a grand total of 388 yards.
West York, though, still has a big weapon in quarterback Alex George, who has thrown for 1,447 yards and 16 touchdowns while running for 153 yards and three more touchdowns.
Potential All-state receiver candidate Nate Jacobs has hauled in 31 passes for 800 yards and 11 touchdowns. Other targets for George are Corey Harris and Blaine Fissel.
Defensively, West York has a trio of defenders who combined for 25 sacks and a duo of defensive backs that have picked off a combined 10 passes. The Bulldog defense has forced 39 turnovers and 44 sacks.
The Bulldogs are also on the verge of District 3 history, and are just five points shy of becoming the third school in District history to reach 600 points scored. Manheim Central did it three times (1994, 2003, 2005), and now-defunct Harrisburg Tech scored 701 points in 1922.
Will West York get the 600-point mark? Better yet, will the Bulldogs do what three other York-Adams League teams could not do – defeat Manheim Central?
No doubt the task got tougher – but we’ll find out if WY can do it Friday night.
West York statistics from Maxpreps.com, the 2007 PIAA finals media guide, and the Pennsylvania Football News Resource Guide.
