Manheim Township dominates Harrisburg in early District 3 playoff preview
2023 Berks football coverage presented by
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(This story was produced by LNP/Lancasteronline, and published in partnership with MikeDragoSports.com.)
By Jeff Reinhart — LNP/Lancasteronline
Manheim Township on Saturday fired the first shot across the bow in the District 3 Class 6A football chase.
It’s still pretty early in the season, yes. But the Blue Streaks flexed their muscles, got three touchdown passes from QB Hayden Johnson, and stormed past back-to-back reigning district champ Harrisburg 38-6 in a much-anticipated nonleague game in Neffsville.
The game was originally scheduled for Friday night but was postponed to Saturday morning because of lightning and thunderstorms.
Harrisburg came to town at No. 1 in the D3-6A power rankings and at No. 5 in the PennLive Class 6A state rankings. Safe to say this score will open up some eyes around the state.
“We wanted to get up early and finish strong,” said Johnson, a Lehigh commit and a member of the league’s 5,000-yard passing club. “We really came out hot, and that was the best thing possible for us.”
How hot? 31-0 late in the second quarter hot.
It was the second year in a row Township clipped the Cougars in a regular season game. Harrisburg got the ultimate revenge last November, pinning a 44-6 loss on the Streaks in the district finale.
Township (3-0) dominated Saturday, sailing to a 31-0 first-half lead, while feasting on a fumble recovery and a blocked punt during that dizzying blitz.
“We’ve been waiting a while for this one,” Johnson said. “But I don’t think we’ve really proven anything yet. You have to prove yourselves to be that top dog. The last couple of years we’ve won some really good games. But we haven’t sealed it in the end.”
Johnson threw for 277 yards with three TD strikes — two to Landon Kennel, a Monmouth commit — and he added a TD keeper of his own, and Township’s defense stood tall with an interception and four sacks, holding Harrisburg to 183 total yards and seven first downs.
The Cougars (2-1) were never really in it.
“Our kids have willpower right now,” Township coach Mark Evans said. “They have that will to win. This one came down to who had the stronger will. That was our message to them all week. Our will was tested, but what mattered most was us. Do what we do and earn the outcome.”
Township grabbed a quick 7-0 lead and never looked back, when Johnson lofted a 72-yard TD pass to Kennel, who beat his man and was off to the races. After Declan Clancy recovered a fumble for the Streaks, Johnson zoomed 35 yards for a TD on the very next play and it was 14-0 midway through the first quarter.
Township kept the pedal to the metal in the second quarter. First, Johnson lobbed a 1-yard TD fade to Kennel (6 catches for 162 yards) in the corner of the end zone and it was 21-0. And Clancy made it 28-0 with a 13-yard TD rumble midway through the quarter.