What to expect in Section 1 of the Lancaster-Lebanon League this season

By Mike Drago Last updated Aug 21, 2025

Wilson's Chase Herb makes a tackle against Manheim Township. (Joe Mays photo)

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(This story was originally published July 21)

	Projection
1.	Wilson
2.	Manheim Township
3.	Cedar Crest
4.	Hempfield
5.	McCaskey
6.	Penn Manor
7.	Reading High

Wilson wrapped up the 2024 regular season with a 34-16 win at Manheim Township, completing a perfect run through the league and clinching its record 29th Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 1 championship.

Either the Bulldogs or the Blue Streaks have finished first in Section 1 every year but once over the last six seasons, and 17 times over the last 19 years.

Those two teams are projected to be back at the top again, though unlike last year Wilson is given the early edge.

Here’s an early team-by-team glance at how the seven teams stack up.

Check back next month for more-detailed breakdowns of Reading High, Wilson, and all the Berks County teams.

Wilson’s Michael Glover makes a leaping catch against Gov. Mifflin. (Jeremy Drey photo)

Wilson Bulldogs

Classification: 6A
Coach: Doug Dahms, 20^th season, 196-44.
Last season: 6-0 league, 11-2 overall.
2024 postseason: As No. 2 seed, knocked off Cedar Crest and Central York before losing to No. 1 Harrisburg 48-14 in District 3 Class 6A championship game.
Need to replace: Section 1 Offensive Back of the Year (at QB) and all-league DB Madyx Gruber, all-league G Derek Reiniger, all-league LB & second-team all-league P Christo Hunsicker, TE/ILB Brady Kline, TE/DE Cam Zullinger, DT Junior Catul.
Who’s back: QB Mason Young, QB/LB Cole Peterson, all-league RB Correll Akings (1,078 rushing yards, 18 TDs), RB/S Monty Greer (9.3 yards per carry), WR/DB Jaiden Carpenter, WR/S Eli Dean, All-State TE Michael Glover (40 receptions, seven TDs), C Aidan Giagnacovo, G Prestyn Simons, OT Avery Manara, second-team all-league OT Jesse Etchberger, all-league DE Rahmel Gaston, DT Malachi Toles, LB EJ Brownback, LB Ethan Harding, second-team all-league S Chase Herb, PK Preston Oxenreider.
Key early game: Week 3 rematch vs. Nazareth and QB Peyton Falzone, a one-time Penn State recruit now slated to play at Auburn.
Outlook: Compared to most years the Bulldogs return with a relatively experienced lineup and chock full of play-makers in Correll Akings, Michael Glover, Monty Greer, and Jaiden Carpenter. Plenty back up front. The key will be finding a replacement for magical QB Madyx Gruber, who put them over the top last season.

Manheim Township Blue Streaks

Classification: 6A
Coach: Mark Evans, 14^th season, 110-43.
Last season: 5-1 league, 10-2 overall.
2024 postseason: No. 1 seed beat Cumberland Valley before losing to eventual champ Harrisburg 35-14 in District 3 semifinal.
Need to replace: QB Carson Weisser, Section 1 Outstanding Back and all-league LB Declan Clancy, all-league WR Lex Haberbosch, Section 1 Offensive Lineman of the Year Owen Marks, all-league OT Spencer McClintock, Section 1 Defensive Lineman of the Year Julian Larue, Section 1 Defensive Back of the Year Donnie Rodriguez, all-league PK Johnny Morales.
Who’s back: QB Jack Kenneff, all-league RB and DL Taylor Veilleux, RB/DB Riley Rontal, WR/DB Daryus Dixon, WR/FS Riley Whalen, WR/KR and all-league KR Allan Feliciano Maldonado, second-team all-league DE Marcos Fernandez, DE Dehvyn Lauano.
Key early game: Week 2 clash at Central York will provide early glimpse of District 3 Class 6A hierarchy.
Outlook: It’s time for a major re-loading project in Neffsville, where the Blue Streaks graduated more experience and talent than any team in the section. That doesn’t mean Mark Evans won’t produce another competitive squad capable of making a run at the section title; he almost always does. Once again look for that Week 10 finale vs. Wilson to determine the section champ.

Cedar Crest Falcons

Isaiah Zimmerman
(Chris Knight/LNP photos)

Classification: 6A
Coach: Nick Lambros, second season, 8-4.
Last season: 4-2 league, 8-4 overall.
2024 postseason: No. 7 seed beat Hempfield 49-29 in opening round before losing 28-3 at Wilson.
Need to replace: Second-team all-league QB Jackson Custer (1,151 passing yards, 16 TDs), all-league WR Jack Waranavage (29 receptions), second-team all-league C Nate Harbaugh, second-team all-league T Alex Kissinger, Section 1 Outstanding Lineman Tristan Long, all-league LB Malachi Victor.
Who’s back: All-league RB Isaiah Zimmerman (1,500 rushing yards, 17 TDs), WR Cameron Tirado (26 receptions), second-team all-league G Jayden Storm, second-team all-league DE Wyatt Fox, second-team all-league LB Landyn Kline, LB Garrett Starry (129 tackles), second-team all-league DB Luke Oriel.
Key early game: No doubt Week 3 meeting with Warwick is circled on the calendar after 19-3 loss last year.
Outlook: Falcons are on a roll, coming off back-to-back eight-win seasons. Even a head coaching change didn’t interrupt that momentum last year as longtime assistant Nick Lambros completed a smooth transition in his first year as head coach. Need to replace 22 seniors who helped team reach districts the past two season and find a new QB, always a key for success. Isaiah Zimmerman gives the Falcons one of the league’s premier backs but he’ll be running behind a completely rebuilt O-line. Despite the heavy graduation losses don’t expect a huge dropoff.

Hempfield Black Knights

Classification: 6A
Coach: George Eager, sixth season, 27-26.
Last season: 3-3 league, 4-7 overall.
2024 postseason: Despite losing record, squeezed into District 3 Class 6A field as the No. 10 seed; lost to Cedar Crest 49-29 in opening round.
Need to replace: Section 1 Receiver of the Year Braden Charles, second-team all-league WR Cam Margeson, second-team all-league TE Phillip Krauser, TE and second-team all-league LB David Ennis, second-team all-league S Dominick Acevedo.
Who’s back: QB/S Derek Katch, RB/LB Ethan Caldwell, WR/LB Orion Abrams, WR/CB and all-league KR Zion Caban, WR/CB PJ Poole, WR/CB Gabe Williams, C/DT Jazan Godwin, OT and all-league DE Cadyn Buckwalter, OT/DE Nate Swanger, OLB Kyrell Lewis, all-league PK/P Brady Biscoe.
Key early game: Week 3 rematch against Gov. Mifflin, which won last year’s meeting 28-23.
Outlook: Black Knights start in a good place, with the return of 2,000-yard passer Derek Katch, who enters the season as the top QB in Section 1. The bad news? Most of his top weapons are gone, save for WR Orion Abrams, who had 27 catches a year ago. Should be strong on the D-line and in the kicking game with the return of PK/P Brady Biscoe.

McCaskey Red Tornado

Classification: 6A
Coach: Todd Mealy, first season. (76-37 in 10 seasons at Penn Manor and Lancaster Catholic.)
Last season: 0-6 league, 2-8 overall.
2024 postseason: DNQ.
Need to replace: QB Jalen Cintron, all-league Athlete and DB DeAndre Jones, all-league WR Alisay Ramos, second-team all-league RB Marquises Washington.
Who’s back: QB/FS Qua’May Pettway, FB/DE Khali Sloan, H-B/LB Bruszavion Baisch, WR/CB Quinnes Jones-Hawkins, WR/LB Johnzell Sibley, TE/LB Sam Ruggiero, second-team all-league OL Ka’jhie Hollman, OL/DL Dieumel Gerard, CB Gean Vargas.
Key early game: McCaskey scored early wins last season against Bartram and Elizabethtown and those two are back on the schedule, in Weeks 1 and 3.
Outlook: If anyone can revive the sunken Red Tornado its new head coach Todd Mealy, a three-time Coach of the Year in the Lancaster-Lebanon League who teaches in the school district. That said, there’s a lot of rebuilding to be done after losing 80 percent of last year’s offensive weapons. There’s a big learning curve ahead, especially at the most critical position, QB, where there is no one any experience at that position in the program.

Penn Manor Comets

Classification: 6A
Coach: Jordan Clark, first season.
Last season: 2-4 league, 2-7 overall.
2024 postseason: DNQ.
Need to replace: All-League second-team WR Jack Warfel, all-league G Matt Neumann, all-league DE Josue Isosa, all-league DB Jahmai Torres, second-team all-league LS Jason Osman.
Who’s back: QB/P Connor Smeigh, KR and second-team all-league RB Jalen Dupree, WR/QB Elijah Valentin, WR/CB Jaden Worthy, TE/LB Tristan Ronan, G and second-team all-league DL Elijah Hess, OT/DT Elijah Hess, G/DT Brady Evans.
Key early game: It’ll be tough for the Comets to find a win in the early non-league games vs. Conestoga Valley, Dallastown, or Solanco, or in the Week 4 league opener at Cedar Crest. It would be a great sign for the program to come out of that first month with a W.
Outlook: Comets are starting over after a season in which they struggled to put points on the board and won just twice. They’ve got a first-year head coach in Jordan Clark, who was a special teams assistant at Manheim Township the past three seasons. He replaces John Brubaker, whose teams won just 27 times over the past 10 seasons. Looking at a rebuilding job.

Reading High Red Knights

Classification: 6A
Coach: Troy Godinet, fourth season, 6-24.
Last season: 1-5 league, 2-8 overall.
2024 postseason: DNQ.
Need to replace: QB Kayson Fritz, RB Alexis Alvarado, second-team all-league WR Jared Santos, G Romello Fuentes, all-league OT Keyshawn Efese, second-team all-league DE Lenard Brown, second-team all-league DT Julio Castro, Section 1 Linebacker of the Year Gabriel Laws, all-league S Xavier Beatty,
Who’s back: QB/OLB Jason Plylaharn, RB/CB/KR Jeremiah Camara, WR/DB Idris Weaver, WR/DB Ashton Linsinbigler, G/DT Isiah Ruiz, G/DE Cyrus Rinkevich, DE Jamier Jacob, DT Emere Woods, P Cam Kauffman.
Key early game: Week 2 at Muhlenberg. Always a big rivalry game for the Red Knights, who have won three in a row in the series.
Outlook: Red Knights had some of the heaviest graduation losses of any team in Section 1. They’re the only team in the section without a returning all-league pick. They’re back in the rebuilding mode.