BERWICK, Pa. – Don’t let the scorecard deceive you.
Yes, Manheim Central did finish the Berwick 7-on-7 scrimmage with a 2-4 overall record.
Yes, Manheim Central got off to an 0-3 start before drawing victories against Delaware Valley and Danville by a combined 57-36.
Yes, Manheim Central only had 18 kids on the trip.
But don’t let the numbers deceive you. Manheim Central head coach Mike Williams was the first to point that out.
“(Our first two games) we only got stopped twice,” the veteran said. “Other than that, they couldn’t stop us, and we couldn’t stop them.”
One of Manheim’s first losses wasn’t without controversy, however. Mount Carmel was given a fifth down at the end of the game by mistake, and the Red Tornadoes capitalized, pulling out a 22-21 win.
Through the first two games, which were lost by a combined 2 points, Williams was pleased.
“We’re happy with the offense,” he said. “On defense, we’ve got small numbers, and the kids were tired. It’s hard to stop anyone in a 7-on-7.
Williams, a straight-shooter who calls it like it is, is always good for a memorable soundbyte or two depending on the situation. He came through with his description of the quarterbacks participating in the Berwick 7-on-7.
“The Berwick QB is good, the Danville QB is good, and the Mount Carmel QB is very good,” Williams said. “It’s not like you’re sitting here playing a bunch of po-dunks. You’re playing some good teams.”
Central’s defense had no answer for Mount Carmel’s passing attack spearheaded by Marcus Wasilewski, a Division-1 recruit and career 3,900-yard passer.
In the first match-up with Central, Wasilewski carved up the Baron defense, hitting two long and impressive touchdown passes over the middle to in-stride receivers on a skinny post rout.
The second meeting, he did more of the same, threading the needle and building what was at one point a 21-7 lead.
“We were done for against Mount Carmel (in the semis),” Williams said. “We had nothing left in the tank.”
And the 276-game winner was quick to point out that, again, it was only a 7-on-7, and not anything to get too wrapped up about.
“This has no bearing on your team. This is just for fun,” Williams said. “I mean, we all wanna win because they keep score, but that doesn’t have any bearing on the football team (down the road).
“We came here to mix things up and teach the kids. We weren’t worried about winning the thing. We came here to learn.
“And we’re right there with those guys.”
Central lost a back-and-forth 29-28 decision to Berwick to start, then fell to Mount Carmel 22-21. Central then fell to Danville 28-27 before routing Delaware Valley 28-7.
In single-elimination play, the Barons defeated Danville 29-28 before bowing to Mount Carmel 21-14.
In all, Manheim scored 118 points on the day.
“We lost some tough ones, but we got a lot out of this,” Williams said.
And with less than 40 days until opening kickoff, its still too early to write the Barons off just yet.
One Response
It sounds like Manheim did alright. When I first read that they wre 2-4 and dropped their first 3 I thought the worst. Then I saw the scores were 22-21, 29-28,28-27 and 21-14 in the 4 losses. Last years team didn’t have any offense to speak of so hopefully they are more confident and will get in a rhythm as the season progresses.I would like to catch a MCA game this year. They sound like the team to beat in Double A.