District 3 playoff preview: Wilson vs. Central York
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District 3 Class 6A semifinal
No. 4 Wilson (9-2) vs. No. 1 Central York (10-1)
Kick: Friday, 7, at Central York High School.
Series: Wilson leads 5-0.
Last meeting: Madyx Gruber threw three touchdown passes and Correll Aking scored on a 6-yard TD run with 2:24 remaining to essentially seal Wilson’s 28-20 win last year in a District 3 semifinal at Gurski Stadium. Tight end Michael Glover caught TD passes of 12 and 18 yards late in the first half to give the Bulldogs the lead for good. The Panthers pulled within 21-20 with 4:40 remaining on Matthew Parker’s 43-yard field goal, his second of the game (the first came from 56 yards to close the first half.) Central York had more total yards but was hurt by three turnovers and nine penalties.
District playoff history: Wilson is making its 33rd appearance and seeking its 13th championship-game appearance, and second in a row. It lost to Harrisburg 42-12 last year. Overall, the Bulldogs are 45-25 in district play. . . Central York won its only championship in 2020 and has been turned back in the semifinals in each the past four years, twice by Wilson.
Common opponents: Central York beat Manheim Township 36-28 in Week 2; Wilson lost to Township 20-14 in Week 10. . . Central York beat York High 56-14; Wilson beat York High 28-14.
Fast fact: Mason Young needs 2 yards to become the eighth Wilson quarterback to pass for 2,000 yards in a season, and the third in three years. Madyx Gruber (2,018) did it last year; Tommy Hunsicker (2,180) in 2023. The all-time leader is Zach Zweizig, who threw for 2,326 in 2009.
Bulldogs update: Advanced with 28-14 win over York High as Mason Young threw three touchdown passes and Michael Glover scored twice, once on a catch and once on a 21-yard run that made it 21-8 in the final minute of the third quarter. . . Bulldogs withstood 40 rushes and 247 yards by Syracuse recruit Shavane Anderson Jr. but won because they played without a turnover, while the Bearcats had two. . . Young ranks No. 3 in the Lancaster-Lebanon League in passing efficiency and No. 2 in passing yards (1,998) and touchdowns (26). . . Team ranked No. 10 in the Lancaster-Lebanon League in total offense, No. 5 in scoring (38.5). . . Correll Akings leads team with 13 TDs. . . Jaiden Carpenter has 11 touchdown receptions, third-most in program history. He caught a 76-yard scoring pass last week. . . He’s third in the league in TD catches. . . Ranked No. 7 in the league in total defense during the regular season; No. 3 against the rush, allowing 103 yards per game. . . LB EJ Brownback leads team with 108 tackles, and 18.5 tackles for loss. . . S Chase Herb is second with 59 tackles; he had 10 stops last week. . . Carpenter leads team with 7 pass break-ups; Herb has 6. . . Freshman Preston Oxenreider has been good on 54-of-56 PATs and on his only FG attempt, from 25 yards.
Did you know? Central York is the only District 3 Class 6A team to reach the semifinals in each of the last six years. It hasn’t reached the final since claiming its lone title in 2020.
Panthers update: Unbeaten against Pennsylvania competition and ranked No. 6 in the state by PennLive.com. . . Lone loss came in Week 9 at Archbishop Hoban of Ohio, 46-21. . . Were within 26-21 in the third quarter before Brooklyn Nace was intercepted and saw the ball returned for a TD. . . That’s the only interception that Nace, a three-year starter and Old Dominion recruit, has thrown all season. . . . Nace was named York/Adams Division I Offensive MVP after throwing for 2,513 yards and 34 TDs this season; he’s completing 78.1 percent of his passes. . . Last week in a 42-7 quarterfinal win over Cedar Cliff he completed 13-of-17 passes for 171 and five touchdowns, all of them in the first half and each to all-league WR Brendyn Smith. . . Smith is a Kent State recruit who has 70 receptions for 1,116 yards and 18 touchdowns. . . RB Legend Johnson has rushed for 1,094 yards and scored 21 TDs. . . Last year against Wilson, Nace completed 18-of-32 passes for 171 yards and was picked off once, by Madyx Gruber. . . Nace completed 15-of-16 passes in win over York High. . . Averaging 46.3 points per game, tops among Class 6A teams in District 3 and second-most among all District 3 teams. . . Have punted 11 times in 11 games. . . Lineup includes 13 all-league picks, including two-way selections Smith (WR and KR) and Colin Gurley (TE and DE). . . Gurley has recorded 14 tackles for loss and 5 sacks. . . All-League S Dwayne Morgan leads team with 4 INTs and 3 blocked punts. . . All-League OLB Josh Bahr has 2 blocked punts. . . Defense has 17 interceptions. . . All-League PK Brady Burt, a soph, has 38 touchbacks. . . Head coach Gerry Yonichiuk is in his sixth season with the program. He took the team to a district title and the PIAA championship game in his first season, 2020, and was named Pennsylvania’s Class 6A Coach of the Year. . . At his previous stop he took Lebanon to its only district playoff appearance.
Series flashback 2021: Wilson upset undefeated Central York 14-11 in a district semifinal. The defending district champs had a shot to tie the game in the final seconds with a 32-yard field goal but it sailed wide. The game ended the career of Central York quarterback Beau Pribula, a Penn State recruit soon to be named Pennsylvania’s Class 6A Player of the Year.
Fast fact: Central York has enjoyed 10 straight winning seasons and has won seven straight York/Adams Division I titles.
Quotable: “It comes back to the balance on offense. You can see how explosive Legend Johnson is, as well as his younger brother. You have that with Brooklyn (Nace), and then the weapons we have outside. . . It’s the balance of that and the confidence and belief in what they can do.” — Central York coach Gerry Yonchiuk, to the York Daily Record
Winner plays: No. 2 Harrisburg (11-0) or No. 3 Manheim Township (10-1) for championship Nov. 21 at site of higher-seeded team.
