FOX43 HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL FRENZY GAME OF THE WEEK
Annville-Cleona (3-2) at Lancaster Catholic (4-1)
It's a battle between two of the three teams chasing first-place Donegal in what's shaping up to be a wild Section 3 race.
Lancaster Catholic's 14-game regular-season winning streak came to an end last week with a surprising 30-22 loss to Lebanon. The Crusaders had the advantage in yardage, first downs, and time of possession, but fumbled the ball five times (losing three) and gave up a touchdown on a blocked punt during a 22-point explosion by Lebanon in the third quarter.
Catholic generally relies on its ground game, which churns out an average of 229.2 yards per game. Running backs Jeff Harley (66-396, nine touchdowns) and Alex Cruz (42-342, five TDs) power the rushing attack, with help from quarterback Gavin Sullivan, who has rushed for 296 yards and a touchdown on 73 carries to go along with the 513 yards and two scores he's thrown for.
A-C has the section's most prolific offense, averaging 381.4 yards per game, most of that coming on the ground. RB Trevor Porsche does most of the heavy lifting; he has 647 yards and nine touchdowns on 113 attempts, which ranks third among all L-L League backs. Quarterback Jeremy Bours is second on the team in rushing (50-332, eight TDs), and has passed for 420 yards and four touchdowns.
If the game comes down to defense, it appears Catholic has the advantage. The Crusaders allow just 261 yards per game, while the Little Dutchmen rank near the bottom of the league, yielding 394 yards per game.
The Dutchmen face Donegal in Week 8, while Catholic gets the Indians in Week 9. Donegal already has a win in hand over Lebanon, the other team in the second-place logjam. The winner of Friday's clash keeps a showdown with the Indians intact. The loser is likely out of the hunt for the section crown.
