Week 8 Glance: Exeter has a score to settle with Hempfield

The Game of the Week in the Lancaster-Lebanon League isn’t even a league game, but do we really care?

When two section leaders and two of the best teams in District 3 get together it figures to be must-see football even if it won’t affect the L-L standings.

Not that Exeter (7-0) vs. Hempfield (6-1) Friday night in Landisville won’t mean a lot.

The Eagles are looking to stay unbeaten, hold onto No. 2 in the District 3 Class 5A power ratings and make up for last year’s slip in Landisville. They led 14-0 early in the second quarter only to lose 17-14.

They took that defeat to heart, turned their season around after it and lost just once over the following two months on the way to their first district championship.

The Black Knights have a way of sneaking up on people and pulling out close games. They did it a week ago at Wilson when the Bulldogs failed to put them away early, then saw the Knights score a TD with 17 seconds left to win it 17-14.

Exeter, tied for first place in Section 2, is used to crushing people: It has mercy-ruled six of its seven opponents, is averaging 43 points and winning by an average of 34 points.

Hempfield, in first place in Section 1, has won three times this season by four points or less. (It won twice last year by a field goal.)

It’s winning its games on average by a mere 11.2 points, but it keeps winning. Victories next week at Cedar Crest and in Week 10 at Reading will send the Black Knights to their first outright Section 1 title in 28 years.

Exeter vs. Hempfield might not alter the league standings but it will play a big part in any discussion about which team might be the best in the entire league, an argument that will surely include state-ranked unbeatens Manheim Central and Wyomissing.

The biggest league game on the Week 8 card is the 42nd Frost Bowl: Schuylkill Valley (4-0, 5-2) at Hamburg (3-1, 6-1).

The Hawks have won three straight, lead the trophy series 24-16-1 and the overall series 24-22-1. These northern Berks neighbors have been playing since 1970, the year after the Hamburg program was born. This might be the most important of the 48 meetings because both teams are contending for the Section 5 title.

The Panthers, who have won five straight, can win out and claim the title outright; the Hawks can win out and possibly tie for the title, with either Lancaster Catholic or with both Catholic and Schuylkill Valley.

Those games are among a dozen Berks match-ups Friday night, each one of which has District 3 playoff implications.

In Section 1, Wilson (2-1, 5-2) is at Penn Manor (2-1, 4-3) and Manheim Township (2-1, 5-2) plays Reading High (1-3, 3-4) at Shirk Stadium.

The Bulldogs and Blue Streaks might well be out of the Section 1 title hunt after close losses to Hempfied but each remains in the thick of it for a District 3 Class 6A berth. With three games to go in the regular season the Bulldogs are ranked No. 7, the Blue Streaks No. 5. The top eight qualify.

In Section 2, Lebanon (0-4, 0-7) is at Gov. Mifflin (1-2, 2-5) and Warwick (1-2, 2-5) is at Muhlenberg (1-3, 2-5).

The Mustangs are pretty much out of the district playoff race; their biggest goal now is to avoid their first losing season since 2003. That won’t be easy. They’ll need to win out, which means beating Manheim Central (7-0) next week and Warwick (2-5) in Week 10.

In Section 3, Ephrata (2-2, 4-3) is at Twin Valley (2-2, 4-3); Solanco (3-0, 7-0) is at Daniel Boone (0-3, 1-6); and Elizabethtown (2-1, 6-1) is at Fleetwood (0-3, 2-5).

The Raiders have a chance to win out and secure a home opener in the District 3 Class 4A Tournament but first they’ll have to stop the Mounts’ Andre Weidman, who went off for 382 yards last week against Fleetwood.

The Blazers, who have lost four straight, may have the toughest challenge of the week: They face unbeaten Section 3 leader Solanco, which last week handed Elizabethtown its first loss, 35-32.

The Tigers, also looking to snap a four-game losing streak, don’t have it much easier: They get the Bears, who are sure to be grizzly after their first loss.

In Section 4, Berks Catholic (2-2, 2-5) is at Octorara (0-4, 1-6) and Wyomissing (4-0, 7-0) is at Conrad Weiser (2-2, 3-4).

The Saints are one win away from their first losing season but still very much in the Class 3A playoff race. They’re currently No. 7, fighting to make the six-team field. If they win out — which means closing with wins over Cocalico (3-4) and Elco (4-3) — they can extend their season.

The Spartans, meanwhile, continue to mow down opponents. They’ve won a Berks-record 32 straight games and are a couple games away from their first Lancaster-Lebanon League title. They’ll meet Lampeter-Strasburg (4-0, 6-1) in Week 10.

In Section 5, Kutztown (1-3, 2-5) can do Berks rivals Hamburg and Schuylkill Valley a solid by knocking off state-ranked and first-place Lancaster Catholic (4-0, 7-0).