Week 7 Glance: Schuylkill Valley positioned for Section 5 title despite rough start

Some wrote Schuylkill Valley off after a pair of losses to open the season.

Panthers coach Bruce Harbach has kept his focus on Oct. 28, a date he’s had circled for months. It’s the final game of the regular season and a date with Lancaster Catholic — the team he coached for 16 years.

He’s hoping that game will determine the Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 5 title; after four straight wins the chances for that have not been extinguished.

The Panthers (3-0, 4-2) haven’t played a demanding schedule and Harbach knows that, but he also knows his team is improving and positioned to make a run at the Section 5 title.

“After last week’s game (a 39-12 win at Northern Lebanon) I told the kids: ‘Look who’s on top,’ ” Harbach said, pointing to the standings that show the Panthers tied with Lancaster Catholic for first place in Section 5.

“Everybody knows the toughest part of our schedule is coming up,” Harbach said. “Our kids aren’t looking ahead to Annville-Cleona, or Hamburg or Catholic, they’re just focused one week at a time.”

This week that means Columbia (0-3, 2-4), considered a Section 5 contender in the preseason but no longer after a four-game losing streak.

A win by the Panthers will set them up for a closing gauntlet that includes Annville-Cleona (2-1, 4-2), Hamburg (2-1, 5-1) and Lancaster Catholic (3-0, 6-0). If they win out they’re the section champs; if they beat either Annville-Cleona or Hamburg and close with a win over Catholic they’ll share the title — still a big deal, considering this is just Harbach’s second season running the program.

“Right now, we can play with anybody,” Harbach said. “Our defense has (tightened) up a little bit. We’re not turning the ball over. We have a great kicker (Noah Wamsher); we’re confident that if we get to the 20 we can score. Our confidence level’s really risen.”

The biggest game in the league this week will be played Friday at Gurski Stadium, where Hempfield (3-0, 5-1) meets Wilson (2-0, 5-1) for sole possession of first place in Section 1. The Bulldogs have won five straight and are looking for their third straight Seciton 1 title; the Black Knights haven’t won a section title since 2005.

Exeter (3-0, 6-0), ranked No. 3 in the state in Class 5A, looks to stay unbeaten against Muhlenberg (1-2, 2-4) in a Section 2 game. The Eagles have won eight straight in the series and 11-of-12.

Exeter coach Matt Bauer, a Muhlenberg grad, is looking for his 100th win in 14 seasons with the Eagles.

Twin Valley (1-2, 3-3) will try to snap a two-game losing streak when it heads to Garden Spot (3-0, 5-1) Friday. The Spartans are tied for the Section 3 lead with Elizabethtown and Solanco, which meet Friday in Quarryville.

Berks Catholic (2-1, 2-4) looks to derail the Section 4 title hopes of Lampeter-Strasburg (3-0, 5-1) when they meet at Pioneer Field. The Saints are looking for a third straight win.

Wyomissing (3-0, 6-0) will attempt to extend its Berks-record winning streak to 32 straight regular season games when it hosts Cocalico (2-1, 3-3) Saturday in Section 4 play. The Spartans, ranked No. 1 in the state in Class 3A, claimed sole possession of the record with a 41-7 win at Donegal last week.

Hamburg (2-1, 5-1) needs a win at Pequea Valley (1-2, 1-5) to stay in contention for the Section 5 title. The Hawks took their first loss last week at Lancaster Catholic, 38-35. Now they need to win out and hope someone can knock off the state-ranked Crusaders (3-0, 6-0) to have a chance for a share of the title.

That team could be Schuylkill Valley. That’s what Harbach’s hoping.

“Our kids have responded so well,” he said of rebounding from the 0-2 start. “I haven’t seen this much excitement (in the program) since I’ve been here. The kids are looking forward to our games.”