District 3 playoff preview: Elco vs. Twin Valley
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District 3 Class 4A quarterfinal
No. 7 Elco (8-3) vs. No. 2 Twin Valley (9-1)
Kick: Friday, 7, at Twin Valley Stadium.
Series: Twin Valley leads 2-0.
Common opponents: Conrad Weiser – Elco won 28-21; Twin Valley won 49-0.
Coaches: Elco, Bob Miller, 12th season, 64-56; Twin Valley, Brett Myers, second season, 16-6.
Elco Raiders update: Finished fourth in Section 4 of Lancaster-Lebanon League at 4-3, with losses to Cocalico, Wyomissing and Lampeter-Strasburg, each still alive in the playoffs. . . Opened playoffs with 34-7 win over No. 10 Big Spring as L-L rushing leader Jake Williams ran for 251 yards and 3 TDs. . . He had 202 by halftime. . . Williams leads the league with 2,233 yards and 29 TDs. . . He has accounted for 62 percent of his team’s yards from scrimmage. . . Williams has rushed for 200 or more yards 7 times this season and has rushed for over 4,700 yards in his career. . . QB Steven Rosado has attempted just 45 passes and has more rushing yards (263) than passing yards (260). . . He completed 1 pass in last week’s win. . . Elliot Kreider, an all-league TE as a junior, leads team with 8 receptions and is second on team in rushing with 289 yards. . . Kreider also leads team in tackles and has 10 TFL. . . Victory last week was just fourth in District 3 play. . . Finished 4-6 last season.
Did you know? Twin Valley has broken its program record for points in a season and is averaging 41.4 points per game, well above the program record 32.2 set last season.
Twin Valley Raiders update: Set program record with 9 victories. . . Shared Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 3 title with Ephrata and Garden Spot. . . Lone loss came in Week 8 at Ephrata when leading rushers and scorers Drew Engle and Evan Johnson were dinged and couldn’t go more than a few plays each. . . Engle, a sophomore, has rushed for a program-record 1,240 yards and is averaging 11.1 yards per carry. . . Johnson, a junior, has rushed for 1,043 yards and is averaging 10.4 yards per carry. . . He’s second in program history with 2,380 rushing yards and second with 32 career TDs. . . Johnson set the program single-season record last year with 17 TDs. . . QB Evan Myers, a junior, has passed for 1,220 yards and is completing 59.5 percent of his passes. . . He’s third on the team in rushing, is averaging 7.0 yards per carry and has 8 TDs. . . Ranked No. 1 in the league in total offense (448 yards per game) and No. 1 in rushing (308). . . Freshman LB Lucas Myers leads team with 85 solo tackles. . . Earned first district playoff victory last season, beating Milton Hershey 43-29. . . Qualified for districts for the first time in 2021. . . Listed among Teams To Watch in PennLive.com Class 4A state rankings.
Fast fact: Twin Valley QB Evan Myers needs 14 yards to become the program’s all-time passing leader. The junior has thrown for 3,922 yards. Zach Gardner set the record with 3,935 from 2016-18.
Up next: Winner plays No. 3 Manheim Central (9-1) or No. 6 Susquehanna Township (7-3) Nov. 10 at the site of the higher-seeded team.