Barons are back with convincing win over Cocalico
2025 Berks football coverage presented by
Utilities Employees Credit Union
(This story was produced by LNP/Lancasteronline, and published in partnership with MikeDragoSports.com.)
By Jeff Reinhart — LNP/Lancasteronline
DENVER — Are the Barons back?
After Friday’s result, Manheim Central’s football team is picking up some serious steam, and the Barons — after a rare down season in 2024 but now on the prowl — are back in a familiar position: First place.
| Final | |
| Manheim | 35 |
| Cocalico | 7 |
Cody Hess caught two touchdown passes and registered two of Central’s five sacks, Logan Kappel had three TD tosses and the visiting Barons ripped off their third win in a row with a 35-7 Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 3 victory Friday night over longtime rival Cocalico.
The Barons (2-0, 4-2) are tied for the top spot in the section hunt with Solanco, which just so happens to be coming to Manheim for a first-place showdown next Friday.
“It will be good to be in a big game like that,” Central coach Dave Hahn said. “Manheim Central will be in the talk again, and that means something. I hope it brings a lot of energy to our kids. I don’t know if we’re exactly all the back to where we’ve typically been. But we’re getting better and we’re improving. If we can keep doing that, we’ll be there at the end of the year.”
Central, which has flushed last year’s 3-7 finish, is now in the section and District 3 Class 5A chases after missing out on the playoffs last fall.
Cocalico dipped to 1-2 in the section and to an uncharacteristic 1-5 overall. The Eagles came into the game 1-4 for the first time since 2006. Cocalico also had its two-game winning streak against Central snapped.
“Beating Cocalico, especially after losing to them the last two years, feels really good,” Hess said. “Especially beating them here. We had a good game plan and a good setup. Guys stuck with their assignments, and everyone took care of business.”
Central’s defense played with an edge throughout. The Barons constantly crashed the backfield to put pressure on Cocalico quarterback Connor Horning, who had next to no time to make reads in the Eagles’ ground-and-pound Veer attack. The Eagles were held to 92 rushing yards on 42 carries, just 2.1 yards per attempt.
“Tip your cap,” Cocalico coach Bryan Strohl said. “They made our offense work extremely hard to get a yard. They were aggressive. They were flying. At times we just didn’t pick them up. They made us work for everything.”
“Our defense has been pretty stout for us all year long,” Hahn said. “We’ve had an occasional bend the last three weeks, but they haven’t broken. I’m proud of our D. I thought we played tough, physical Baron football. They did a great job.”
Central got on the board first when Kappel zipped an 18-yard TD pass to Malik Cornish on a clutch fourth-and-10 call. The Barons pushed their lead to 14-0 on the last play of the first quarter when Kappel flipped a 1-yard TD toss to Hess, who had eight receptions.
Xavier Oxceva’s 49-yard punt return set up that TD.
Cocalico warmed to the task midway through the second quarter, getting a 1-yard keeper from QB Connor Horning. His 23-yard pass to Brendon Zimmerman set up that score.
But Central retaliated, with Kappel hitting Hess in stride for a 51-yard TD. Hess was wide open, and the Barons were up 21-7 at the half.
Central had a pair of fourth-quarter scores to ice it. One play after the Barons turned the Eagles over on downs, Caleb Moyer broke off a 43-yard TD sprint for a 28-7 cushion. And after Central’s Jayvior Morales picked off a pass — the Barons’ 10th interception this season — Logan Geib darted 10 yards for a TD to cap it with 3:32 to play.
“We’re definitely feeling like we’re getting back to where we need to be,” Hess said. “We had the goal of going 3-0 the last three weeks. Now we’ll have all eyes on Solanco.”
