Game of the Week: Manheim Township vs. Wilson, presented by Kevin Miller of Berkshire Investment Group
Manheim Township (8-1) vs. Wilson (8-1)
Kick: Friday, 7, at Gurski Stadium.
Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 1 records: Blue Streaks 5-0, Bulldogs 5-0.
Series: Wilson leads 40-13-1.
Last year: Brady Kline’s fourth-quarter touchdown catch sparked a big finish as the Bulldogs pulled away against the unbeaten Blue Streaks to clinch the Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 1 title, their first since 2021. Madyx Gruber threw for 207 yards and three TD passes and ran for a TD in the final two minutes to clinch the win, which snapped Township’s 19-game home winning streak. The Bulldogs led 22-7 at halftime. Township entered ranked No. 5 in the state; Wilson was No. 9.
Chris Knight/LNP photo)
Blue Streaks update: Have won seven straight since Week 2 loss at Central York, 36-28. . . Ranked No. 7 in league in total offense, at 372 yards per game. . . No. 8 in total defense. . . Defense has 11 interceptions and 17 takeaways. . . Jack Kenneff, a first-year starter at QB, is completing 70.9 percent of his passes and is ranked No. 5 in the league in passing efficiency. . . He is second with 1,654 passing yards, and third with 20 TDs. . . Top target is Daryus Dixon, who’s third in the league with 40 receptions and leads with 13 TD catches. . . Marcos Fernandez leads team in rushing with 678 yards; he ran for a season-high 249 yards last week in win over Penn Manor. . . No. 3 in District 3 Class 6A power ratings, behind Harrisburg and Central York; top six earn first-round byes. . . Graduated 10 all-league picks, including Section 1 Offensive Back of the Year Declan Clancy, from team that went 10-2 last year. . . Ranked No. 10 in the state in Class 6A by PennLive.com.
Did you know? Wilson has won four of the last five meetings in the series and is 17-5 during Doug Dahms’ 20 seasons as head coach. The Bulldogs won 12 straight from 2008-2016.
Bulldogs update: Have won six straight since Week 3 loss to Nazareth, 30-20. . . Have trailed at halftime just once during winning streak, 14-7 to Hempfield in Week 7; rallied to win 38-28. . . Have mercy-ruled 4-of-5 league opponents: Reading, Cedar Crest, Penn Manor and McCaskey. . . led those teams by a combined 154-21 at halftime. . . Averaging 41.2 points, third-highest in the league and fifth in District 3. . . Mason Young, a first-year starter at QB, is second in the league with 22 TD passes, third with 1,619 passing yards and fourth in passing efficiency. . . Spreads the ball around evenly: Michael Glover and Elijah Dean each have 27 catches, Jaiden Carpenter has 24. . . Carpenter is third in league with 10 TD catches. . . LB EJ Brownback leads team with 81 tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss, and 3 interceptions. . . Defense has 17 takeaways, returning seven for scores. . . Brownback has 3 Pick-Sixes. . . Chase Herb has team-high 5 pass breakups. . . No. 4 in District 3 Class 6A power ratings, behind Harrisburg, Central York, and Manheim Township; top six earn first-round byes. . . A loss could force them to go on road for quarterfinal opener. . . Ranked 9 in the state in Class 6A by PennLive.com.
Fast fact: Wilson’s Correll Akings has scored at least one touchdown in all nine games; he leads team with 13 TDs.
Did you know? Manheim Township beat Wilson 38-14 in 2017, snapping the Bulldogs’ Section 1 winning streak at 68 games, the longest in Lancaster-Lebanon League history.
Series flashback 2020: Facing long odds without three key players, Wilson used special teams, some clutch defensive stands, and big runs by Jadyn Jones to win at Manheim Township 31-28 in a league-opener that set the tone for a season that saw the Bulldogs make a perfect run through Section 1. The Bulldogs were without quarterback Kaleb Brown, wide receiver/safety Troy Corson, their leading receiver; and running back/kick return Mason Lenart. Jones busted off a 65-yard TD run the first time he touched the ball, scored on a clinching 15-yard run with 1:23 left and finished with 237 yards on 29 carries. “He had a whole load on his back, and he did a great job,” said Bulldogs coach Doug Dahms. “Jadyn’s tough as nails; he ran like a mad man.”
Fast fact: Manheim Township beat Plymouth-Whitemarsh 37-31 in Week 4 at Neffsville. Wilson beat P-W 27-7 in Week 2 on the road.
Recent Section 1 champs
| 2024 | Wilson |
| 2023 | Manheim Township |
| 2022 | Hempfield |
| 2021 | Wilson |
| 2020 | Wilson |
| 2019 | Manheim Township |
| 2018 | Warwick, Wilson, Manheim Twp. |
| 2017 | Manheim Township |
| 2016 | Wilson |
| 2015 | Wilson |
| 2014 | Wilson |
| 2013 | Wilson |
| 2012 | Wilson |
| 2011 | Wilson |
| 2010 | Wilson |
| 2009 | Wilson |
| 2008 | Wilson |
| 2007 | Manheim Township |
| 2006 | Wilson |
| 2005 | Hempfield, Manheim Township |
| 2004 | Wilson |
| 2003 | Reading, McCaskey |
| 2002 | Wilson |
| 2001 | Cedar Crest, McCaskey |
| 2000 | Cedar Crest, Reading, Wilson |
