Manheim Central shows grit but drops to 1-2 with loss to Dallastown
2025 Berks football coverage presented by
Utilities Employees Credit Union
(This story was produced by LNP/Lancasteronline, and published in partnership with MikeDragoSports.com.)
By Christian Eby — LNP/Lancasteronline
MANHEIM — Members of Manheim Central’s football team broke from the cluster on the sideline. They turned to the home crowd at Rettew Field and raised their arms and helmets. The faithful began chanting and cheering, hoping to generate a spark within the shell-shocked Barons.
| Final | |
| Dallastown | 28 |
| Manheim Central | 16 |
Central trailed Dallastown by two scores in the first six minutes of Friday’s non-league matchup. A 50-yard touchdown run and a 27-yard interception return for six dictated the Barons’ early derail.
But as the roaring from the crowd grew in octaves, so did the hosts’ energy and momentum. Manheim refused to submit and gave the Wildcats a formidable struggle.
“That could have went the wrong way real fast after that first quarter,” Barons coach Dave Hahn said, “but our kids hung tough. They fought and battled their way back into the game, and I’m proud of them for that.”
Despite Central’s turnaround, the Wildcats’ early punches stood tall and underlined a 28-16 victory. Dallastown (2-1) survived 14 penalties, which negated 120 yards.
The Wildcats’ Christopher Cromartie was a pinball the Barons (1-2) couldn’t knock down. The senior running back chewed up 192 yards and two scores, including a backbreaking 62-yard gallop with 10:37 remaining in regulation.
“They had some other big plays, and we were fortunate that they had some penalties,” Hahn said. “It’s football. You’re gonna get penalties. You’re gonna have big plays. We just gotta stop them. We gotta eliminate those big plays.”
While the large gains and the initial gut-punches threw off the Barons, it wasn’t long before they returned to course. After Azarien Flowers pirated Gavin Jahnigen and went the distance with 5:58 left in the first quarter, alternating quarterback Logan Kappel marched Manheim down the field on an eight-play, 80-yard drive and flicked a 5-yard TD pass to Logan Geib.
Kappel flashed the same composure and mechanics two possessions later, capping a seven-play stretch with a 1-yard keeper to slice the Dallastown lead to 21-16. The Barons blocked a punt midway through the second to scrape across a safety.
“We’re just still making a lot of little mistakes,” Hahn said, “and those little details and little mistakes are hurting us in the grand scheme of things. It’s the lack of consistency. But I believe in these kids, and we’re close to turning that corner.”
The Wildcats shed the Barons’ responses. Following Geib’s TD grab, Kody Kissner and Tyrell Etheredge dialed up a 31-yard strike for a 21-9 advantage. And after Central cut the deficit to five at halftime, the Wildcats batted a punt of their own and forced two turnovers on downs.
Flowers tacked on a second interception late in the third quarter with the Barons threatening in opposing territory. Kappel, a victim of five receiver drops, connected on 10 of his 22 attempts for 112 yards while Jahnigen was limited to 33 yards on four completions.
“Our biggest challenge now is staying together, keep working hard, ignore the naysayers and just keep plugging away,” Hahn said. “Because we’re going to turn the corner. It’s just a matter of time, and they just need to keep giving the great effort that they have been.”
When the odds were dropping at an alarming rate in Friday’s first quarter, the Barons raised their arms and helmets and uplifted one another. Central has a spark, and it’s not going to be extinguished without a dogfight.
“The thing that I can recognize out of these guys,” Hahn said, “even though we are making the mistakes and we lack the consistency, they’ve got heart like no other. We’re battling. We’re still physical. We’re still tough. We’re still getting after guys. So I think that’s important, because when we do turn the corner, we’re going to need that toughness.”
