Unbeaten Manheim Township back in 6A title game
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(This story was produced by LNP/Lancasteronline, and published in partnership with MikeDragoSports.com.)
By Jeff Reinhart — LNP/Lancasteronline
NEFFSVILLE — For the second year in a row, Manheim Township will play for the District 3 Class 6A championship.
You get the distinct feeling that the way this team is going, the Blue Streaks won’t be happy with the runners-up tag again this season.
Township continued its winning ways Friday night, putting on another tour de force offensive performance — and sprinkling in some key defensive plays along the way — in a 37-27 victory over Cumberland Valley in a semifinal.
“They challenged us,” said Township coach Mark Evans, who earned his 100th victory with the Blue Streaks (12-0). “We needed to be challenged, and our resolve needed to be tested. Our guys got tested and they responded to that test, and I’m so proud of them for that.”
Township, the No. 1 seed, picked up its second win over CV this season; the Streaks beat the Eagles in a non-leaguer in Week 1; Township also KO’d the Eagles (7-5) in the district playoffs last year.
Up next for the Streaks: They’ll get the survivor of Saturday’s Central York at Harrisburg semifinal. The Cougars rolled over Township in last year’s finale, and the Streaks would love some payback. They’ll host the title game this time.
“We want gold,” said Township receiver Landon Kennel, who had two more TD catches Friday, giving him 25. “Now we have to go to work and practice hard next week and be ready for whoever is coming here.”
The Streaks were happy that they’ll get to practice on Thanksgiving Day next week.
Two of the biggest plays against CV were not turned in by Township’s lethal offense, which gouged out 442 yards and 21 first downs.
Already up 7-0 in the first quarter, DB Don Rodriguez jumped a rout, picked off Grant Shepley’s pass, and darted 32 yards for a pick-6 and a 14-0 lead.
“Play of the game right there,” Kennel said. “Play of the game.”
“He’s our energizer bunny,” Evans said of Rodriguez.
After CV hogged the ball for six-plus minutes in the third quarter, and sliced Township’s lead down to 34-27 on Shepley’s 9-yard TD flip to Adam Somerville on fourth down, the Streaks countered with the game-icing drive. Hunter Nguyen booted a 25-yard field goal for a 10-point lead with 4:55 to go, and Township slammed the door.
“Hunter was the hero of the day,” Evans said. “We needed to make it a two-score game, and Hunter had his moment.”
There was plenty of offensive fireworks in between. Hayden Johnson passed for 273 yards with three TD tosses for Township, giving him 47 TD throws against no interceptions this season.
Johnson hit Lex Haberbosch for a 35-yard TD to open the scoring on a crowd-pleasing, double flea-flicker trick play. He zipped a 7-yard TD pass to Kennel for a 20-7 lead late in the first quarter. And he hit Kennel again, on a 6-yard dart, late in the second quarter, as the Streaks grabbed a 34-19 lead at the half.
Bryce Staretz rushed for 166 yards with two TD runs for CV, the No. 4 seed. Shepley also hit Caiden Pines for a 46-yard TD strike in the second quarter, but Township’s Taylor Veilleux slammed in from a yard out to answer that score. Johnson’s 67-yard pass to Daryus Dixon set up that TD.
But the Eagles hung tough, making it a one-score game on Somerville’s TD grab midway through the third quarter.
“Fourth quarter had to be our quarter,” Evans said. “That was our mentality.”
Township got a key stop in the fourth, and Nguyen’s field goal iced it.
“I always keep faith in our defense,” Kennel said. “They’ve been really good all year. I’m really proud of how they stepped up in the second half.”