Manheim Township smashes Hempfield to remain unbeaten
2023 Berks football coverage presented by
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(This story was produced by LNP/Lancasteronline, and published in partnership with MikeDragoSports.com.)
By Jason Guarente — LNP/Lancasteronline
NEFFSVILLE — Four of Manheim Township’s players walk toward midfield for the coin toss each game. Each is a captain. Only one is the legacy captain.
Coach Mark Evans and his staff have created this special recognition. The coaches and outgoing seniors discuss and vote. They hand out the honor at the annual banquet.
This season it belongs to Eli Rodriguez.
“It’s a cool way to continue to develop leadership through the program,” Evans said. “So the kids know. I’m giving you something, so now I expect something.”
The reason Rodriguez was chosen isn’t hard to see. It was clear when Manheim Township knocked off Hempfield 48-7 in a Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 1 game at Landisville on Friday night.
Township plays great defense. Rodriguez is a defensive centerpiece. That part of the Blue Streaks can get overlooked with their high-octane offense often blocking out the sun.
This could be the Hayden Johnson story. Again. It could be the Landon Kennel story. Again.
Johnson passed for 278 yards and five touchdowns. The senior became the 10th quarterback in league history to reach 6,000 yards for his career. Other Township quarterbacks on that list are Pat Bostick and Brennan Scott.
Kennel caught nine passes for 156 yards and four TDs. This was one week after he tied Jay Ridinger’s school record with five receiving touchdowns.
Offense is exciting. It tends to grab one’s attention.
Lost in the video game stats is what the defense has achieved. That group gave up almost nothing Friday. One trick play, a 65-yard pass on a receiver option, was all Hempfield (1-1 L-L, 2-3 overall) could muster.
Township forced two turnovers, an interception and fumble recovery by Stewars Jaquez-Cabral. Rodriguez was in the backfield for both.
The 5-foot-11, 225-pound senior doesn’t always line up in the same place. He can be a linebacker or edge rusher. He’s a wrecking ball wherever he starts.
“He gets the team fired up,” senior Declan Clancy said. “He makes the big plays. He comes off the edge and is always getting pressure on the quarterback.”
Rodriguez and his defensive teammates, the ones who don’t play both ways, sometimes watch and marvel at how the offense marches down the field. They know what it’s like to face those guys. They experience it in practice every day. It has made them better.
Township (1-0, 5-0) has played five games against a top-notch schedule. It has held four opponents under 10 points.
“We try to come with all our guys, all our intensity, all our energy,” Rodriguez said. “Really try to put everything we can into every side of the ball. This is the result.”
Township recaptured the Kurjiaka Trophy that is awarded to the winner of this heated rivalry. The Blue Streaks have owned the hardware in eight of 10 seasons. The Black Knights won the previous two.
“It’s in our possession again,” Evans said. “We hope to keep it that way.”
Clancy is the team’s primary ball carrier and a punishing linebacker. The senior plays bigger than his 5-foot-10, 190-pound frame suggests.
What was better from his perspective? The 48 points scored or the seven allowed? The answer was both.
“We’re happy with our offense going out there and scoring points,” Clancy said. “We’re happy with our defense. We shut teams down. We have a lot of guys who want to make plays and want to get to the ball.”
A team with a once-in-a-generation kind of offense picked a defensive player as its legacy captain.
That tells you how much the Blue Streaks value Rodriguez.
