Four Downs: 4 big takes from Week 8
Four biggest takeaways from Week 8 of the 2022 high school football season:
1ST DOWN
The Frost Bowl’s never been as hot as it was Friday night when Dominic Giuffre and his Schuylkill Valley teammates put on a thrilling show in a 41-34 victory a Hamburg.
It gave the Panthers a six-game winning streak for the first time in program history and keeps them on track for their first football championship of any kind. They’re tied with Lancaster Catholic for first place in Section 5 of the Lancaster-Lebanon League with two games to go and meet the Crusaders in the season finale in Leesport.
Giuffre scored four touchdowns and became the first Schuylkill Valley player to top 300 rushing yards in a game.
The Hawks weren’t at full strength. Top back Pierce Mason doesn’t look fully recovered from an ankle injury and Hamburg’s second backfield option, two-way starter Derek Ruiz, was out. And still the Hawks had a chance at the end had they recovered an onside kick with 40 seconds left.
And this: If the District 3 Class 3A playoffs started today Hamburg would play at Schuylkill Valley in the opening round.
2ND DOWN
The new-look, 37-team, five-section Lancaster-Lebanon League is playing out even better than imagined — especially for local schools.
Berks teams could win championships in three of the five sections: Exeter is tied for first in Section 2, Wyomissing is tied for first in Section 4 and Schuylkill Valley is tied for first in Section 5.
It looks like each will come down to the final week.
Exeter plays at Manheim Central in what will be the Game of the Year in the L-L; both teams are unbeaten and state-ranked. Plus, the Barons have a considerable chip on their shoulder after the playoff beatdown the Eagles administered last season.
Schuylkill Valley gets Lancaster Catholic at home. There’ll be some extra juice in that one considering that Panthers coach Bruce Harbach coached at Catholic and his former assistant Chris Maiorino is now the Crusaders head coach.
The Section 4 title will be decided on the final day of the season when Lampeter-Strasburg visits Wyomissing.
3RD DOWN
People often say that hitting a round ball, thrown at 90-plus mph, with a round bat is the most difficult thing to do in sports. Returning a punt has to be very high on the list of difficult sports challenges.
Well, maybe not on Cam Jones’ list.
With teams doing everything they can to kick the ball away from him the Wilson senior has managed to take five kicks back to the house this season — on just six chances. That’s like batting .500 in a league where the best hitters struggle to stay around .300.
Last season there were 10 punts returned for touchdowns by Berks players — Jones had four of them.
This season there have been a total of eight in Berks; Jones has all but three.
Friday, in a 56-7 win at Penn Manor, Edison Case fielded a punt, then tossed it back to Jones who took it 94 yards for a score, the longest punt return in program history.
Jones’ five punt return TDs are almost certainly a Berks record.
4TH DOWN
The District 3 Class 6A power rankings got jumbled this weekend with Harrisburg, Cumberland Valley and Hempfield — three of the top four teams — each losing. That’s rare.
Still, that likely won’t help Wilson secure an opening-round home game; too much traffic in front of it. Even by winning out, including beating current No. 5 Manheim Township in Week 10, it’s unlikely the Bulldogs finish higher than fifth. A loss to the Blue Streaks could mean a No. 8 seed an opener at No. 1 Central York.
Don’t fret: That match-up didn’t turn out too badly last season for the Bulldogs, who won a semifinal at Central.
