On Friday night, in stadiums dotting high school campuses dotting all corners both near and far from around the state and every which way in between, hope sprang eternal. It was on this night that the renewal of a time-honored tradition –the high school football season- was ushered into existence for the 2023 calendar year. Now sure, while most everyone was nothing if not totally forward-focused on their upcoming campaign that was now staring right back at them, there were some matchups slated for opening night that would be next to impossible to illustrate had it not been their 2022 encounters. And in the wide world of the District 3 landscape, you’d have a tall task to find many others with a better backstory to rival that of Cumberland Valley and Manheim Township.
Let’s go back for a minute. Well, maybe not a minute. How about 366 days’ worth of minutes instead? There, way back on the opening night of the 2022 season, the Blue Streaks and Eagles waged a memorable skirmish against one another (not the least of which was due in part to the nearly hour-long lightning delay) that ended in a 31-27 final tally awarded in Cumberland Valley’s favor with plenty of twists and turns along the way.
Twists and turns you say? How about getting a second helping of these two 6A mid-state behemoths yet again then come postseason?
Yes, as if their first matchup wasn’t already good enough to stand alone based on its own merits, getting a fresh chance at redemption 77 days later wasn’t an offer anyone found inside Blue Streaks’ camp was willing to pass up on. Or, as they more candidly described it at the time, partaking in the initial leg of the “Revenge Tour.” But if the saying goes that revenge is a dish best-served cold, Township quickly found out that while this assignment may not have been cold in temperature necessarily, it was a chore equally as difficult to slice through as that of an undercooked steak.
In this their second matchup of the year, even more wonkiness was afoot. Granted, while a nighttime lightning delay just 13 days before Thanksgiving certainly would’ve been newsworthy –perhaps even a little alarming quite frankly—the zaniness this time around came in the form of Manheim Township finding themselves inside a 14-point hole, all of which transpired sans the appearance of the Blue Streaks’ offensive troops having taken a single snap from scrimmage yet until that point in the evening.
Suffice to say, Township would more than makeup for lost time throughout the course of the following 42 minutes of play however as the visitors proceeded to ring up 37 points from there on out, including what was certainly on the extremely short list of “Plays of the Year” in all of 2022 with Hayden Johnson’s go-ahead touchdown pass to Landon Kennel with 51 seconds left to play which put MT up for good en route to the final 37-31 decision that night in Mechanicsburg.
So yeah, if that (somewhat) brief synopsis of Cumberland Valley and Manheim Township’s head-to-head battles of the recent past –and we’re not even talking about the 2017 District 3 final either– wasn’t already enough to tantalize the palate, certainly the fact the rubber match between these two marquee brands that had now carried over from last season added just a little bit extra juice and added flavor to this already baked-in headliner matchup of opening weekend 2023 to say the least.
Yet in keeping with the theme of headlines, not only would Manheim Township take those honors this time around, but they would also enjoy the privilege of writing the beginning, middle, and end of this particular narrative.
As with most early-season contests, the initial few series exercised by both teams resembled a bit of a feeling-out process if you will. But after each side took their respective turns at punting the ball away to one another, Manheim Township began their second offensive series of the season at their own 28-yard line with 4:49 left to go in the opening frame and never looked back.
For starters, the drive was sparked by Streaks’ senior triggerman turned Lehigh commit, Hayden Johnson, using his wheels instead of his Picasso-like right arm as Johnson’s 11-yard scamper gave the home-standing Streaks their first bit of actualized momentum. From there, Johnson went back to the air and found his favorite target amongst Township’s embarrassment of riches found at the skill positions, All-State wideout Landon Kennel, as the future Monmouth Hawk hauled in a 21-yard reception from his fellow senior classmate with the Township attack now down at the CV 44 within the blink of an eye. Later, aided by a key pass interference call that moved the chains following a 3rd & 3 play, another third down conversion, this of the more traditional variety, came when Johnson dumped it off to Declan Clancy found wandering out of the backfield as the 9-yard pickup on 3rd & 6 put Township right on the doorstep of drawing first blood. Sure enough, the wait for said incision wouldn’t last very long as a 7-yard dart from Johnson to Kennel made it a 7-0 affair following Hunter Nguyen’s PAT which is precisely where the score remained once the eventual 29 seconds evaporated off the first quarter clock.
But for as much as it may have felt like the first quarter was played in a bit of malaise and overall sleepiness in terms of explosiveness, Manheim Township’s second quarter performance felt more like a rock concert played at full volume.
Truth be told, it couldn’t have started out much louder for the hosts as senior defensive back Nick Palumbo hauled in a magnificent interception on the very first play of the second stanza, allowing the Streaks’ offensive troops to set up shop at their own 33-yard line.
Cue the dynamite.
As is usually the case for Township, Hayden Johnson is the epitome of offensive efficiency. And while “game manager” has become a bit of a curse word in football circles, Manheim Township’s senior quarterback might be the best example of all when it comes to destroying that notion. While consistently taking what the defense gives him, along with rarely making anything resembling an egregious error, Johnson also knows when to take his appropriate shots. Such is the case here on this drive as his 42-yard strike into the mitts of senior wideout Antonio Vazquez quickly ushered the Township attack down to the Eagles’ 25-yard line. And speaking of shots, it was time for another not long thereafter as a 32-yard rope across the middle to Declan Clancy for the score put the Streaks up by a 14-0 count with 10:24 left to go in the opening half.
Then, following two more Cumberland Valley three-and-outs, Township just kept rolling downhill.
This time, however, the task at hand seemed relatively easier following a shanked CV punt which gave Township a fresh drive at the Cumberland Valley 18-yard line. And again, just like on their first scoring drive found earlier in the contest, Hayden Johnson’s legs were oh so valuable as his scramble on a 3rd & 7 technically picked up 14 yards –but it felt closer to that of 50—as his scamper out of danger set the ball within a whisker of the goal line. But while he might’ve come up just short one play prior, his efforts were handsomely rewarded on the very play as his 1-yard QB sneak made it a 21-0 count following Nguyen’s successful third PAT of the evening with 2:17 left before the break.
You say you like two-minute drills? Well, Township has that in their arsenal as well it would appear.
Here, taking over control at their own 29 with just 62 ticks left in the first half, up-tempo was the name of the game. To start it off, Johnson to Kennel promptly picked up 29 yards. Next play, Johnson to Asher Wolfe for 14 yards, and Manheim Township was suddenly on the verge of knocking the door down yet again. That said, Cumberland Valley’s defensive troops would provide some stout resistance over the course of the following few plays as it took Township converting a 4th & 2 attempt to keep this drive alive. For the life-saving efforts specifically, it was a 9-yard Johnson-to-Kennel connection that resuscitated the Streaks. And from there, an absolutely gorgeous 6-yard pitch and catch into the back corner of the endzone between the same duo made it a 27-0 affair following a botched PAT attempt as both teams retired to their respective dressing rooms with Manheim Township having exhibited a magnificent opening 24 minutes.
As it turned out, not even halftime would slow down the Blue Streaks.
In fact, it took Township all of two plays to find the endzone coming out of the break as a 12-yard run by Declan Clancy gave way to Clancy getting involved in the passing game once again as his second TD reception of the evening, this of the 56-yard variety, made it a clean 35-0 Blue Streaks’ cushion following a successful two-point play from Hayden Johnson to Nick Palumbo with not even 40 seconds having left the third quarter clock.
But make no mistake about it, while the Manheim Township offense can help sell the tickets, you simply could not undervalue the work of the Streaks’ defensive unit all night long on Friday by any stretch of the imagination. Ironically, in last season’s District 3 playoff bout between these two where it felt like defense was optional at times, there was no negotiating with Township’s defense this evening. Aided by a swarming assault that never let Cumberland Valley’s offense up for much air with solid efforts put on tape by the likes of Julian Larue, Declan Clancy, and Nick Palumbo to name just a very few, the starting 11 for Township defensively was the sole reason as to why they enjoyed the fruits of a 35-0 advantage heading into the final 12 minutes of play this matchup.
Finally, albeit much too late in terms of affecting the eventual outcome of how this one would play out, Cumberland Valley’s offense found its mojo once inside the final stanza.
Sparked by a 27-yard pass reception from junior quarterback Deagan Rardain to senior receiver Caiden Pines, the Eagles had finally at long last crossed the midfield stripe for the first time in the contest with the ball now resting at the Blue Streaks’ 34-yard line and 9:50 left to be played. And while Township wouldn’t exactly allow CV to hit paydirt by strolling in as they pleased, something best exemplified by a nice tackle courtesy of senior interior lineman Daniel Stroud in particular, an 18-yard jaunt by Bryce Staretz formally moved the Cumberland Valley attack down to the Township 3. From there, Staretz would be bestowed the honors as the Eagles’ senior running back mowed his way in for the 3-yard TD run which made it a 35-6 ballgame with 5:57 left to play as the ensuing PAT operation was snuffed out by the Township defensive crew.
Yet even here, with the end result being nothing more than a formality, Township’s defense continued to cut it loose.
Look no further than a sack tallied senior lineman Raydel Abad-Leon that preceded a subsequent tackle for loss, this one via another senior Streak found in the defensive line room, Alex McCloud, in the waning minutes for brief glimpses on just how dominant performance this was put forth by Manheim Township from kickoff to final buzzer that would end in a 35-6 final triumph over Cumberland Valley once the dust had finally settled on opening night 2023.
To put it mildly, save for the one mishap that came following a PAT inside the second quarter, Friday night was top-to-bottom a thorough performance put forth in all three phases from Manheim Township across the board. Of course, when you have the inherent advantage of having an FCS quarterback at the controls, sleep comes a little bit easier at night when that happens to be your cornerstone.
“Experience,” Manheim Township head coach Mark Evans said afterward when asked about the jump Hayden Johnson has taken just in this offseason alone. “It’s experience. It’s growth. It’s plying his craft. He works at it, and he’s driven,” Evans continued. “He’s an ultra-competitor. He wants perfection. When you have a kid like that, you really don’t have to do a lot because he’s harder on himself than we are.” That said, it’d be hard to find many cavities in a 23-26 performance that included five touchdowns –four of the throwing variety—to go along with what was also a devilishly undervalued punting performance put forth by Johnson on this night as well.
But as in the case of the ultimate team sport, one man cannot do it alone. It takes all 11 clicking at the same time to make the engine go. As an entire ensemble, Coach Evans has labeled this 2023 crew with the acronym of “T.O.P.”
“We have the talent. We have to maximize the opportunities in front of us. And most importantly, we have to continue to press on,” the Streaks’ boss said in describing the mantra. “Right now, that’s great. Go celebrate and enjoy the win, but we’re only as good as our next game. Have fun with it, and make good decisions, but come back tomorrow and be ready to work. We’ll be in the weight room at 8 am doing all that stuff and I think those things are what’s required as you want to go from good to great. We know we have a good team, and that’s not to sound arrogant or immodest, but we have to continue to do work if we want to pursue that greatness. Let’s chase greatness.”
NEXT UP: From here, Township will take their show on the road when they renew acquaintances with Dallastown next week, a team that gave defending Lancaster-Lebanon Section One champion Hempfield all they could handle on Friday night, before falling by a 16-14 count. If you’re looking for a headline to watch in that Week 2 battle taking place over in York County, keep an eye on how this stubborn Township D tries to keep a lid on Dallastown junior wide receiver Michael Scott, an intriguing prospect who is already on the radar of some notable Power 5 schools.
For Cumberland Valley on the other hand, it’s back to the drawing board come their date next week against Central York before diving head-first into the bed of nails that is the Mid-Penn Commonwealth come divisional play later in the season. And given that the Eagles had just gone up against arguably the top offense in the L-L League in Manheim Township, there may be no greater litmus test for their adventure next week against a Panthers crew that put up 45 points in a 45-35 duel against Central Dauphin on opening night.
