SALUNGA-LANDISVILLE, Pa. — It's official: we're into the second half of the regular season in high school football.
The stakes only get higher from here.
There's another full slate of games set for this week in Central Pennsylvania, including a handful of Thursday night matchups in the Mid-Penn.
FOX43 will live-stream one of those matchups: the Commonwealth showdown between Chambersburg (2-3) and Cumberland Valley (4-1) in Mechanicsburg. The game will be on Arrow TV and FOX43+ through our partnership with High School Sports Live.
Friday's Frenzy Game of the Week returns to the Lancaster-Lebanon League, where Hempfield (4-1) hosts Penn Manor (3-2) in a Section 1 clash. We'll get you ready for the action Friday at 6 with the High School Football Frenzy, then wrap everything up at 11 with the Frenzy Post-Game show.
Here's a preview of our Game of the Week, along with four other games to watch in Week 6.
Game of the Week
Penn Manor (3-2) at Hempfield (4-1): The visiting Comets and the host Knights are part of a three-way tie for first place in Section 1 along with perennial powerhouse Wilson. All three teams are 2-0 in section play.
Penn Manor got off to a 1-2 start that included a blowout loss to Lampeter-Strasburg (35-0) and a heartbreaker against Solanco (29-26). But they've righted their ship since then, collecting Section 1 victories over Cedar Crest (14-9) and Reading (36-7).
The Comets rely on a punishing ground game spearheaded by quarterback Eli Warfel (46-296, four TDs) and running backs Jonathan Osman (51-247, TD) and Noah Bolin (44-171, three TDs). Penn Manor's offense averages 250 yards per game, while its defense yields 274 yards per game.
Hempfield knocked off arch-rival Manheim Township 17-14 last week for its second straight victory. The Black Knights' only loss was a 30-20 setback against Central York in Week 3.
Quarterback Jackson Landis leads the Hempfield attack. He's completed 51 of 92 pass attempts for 598 yards and three touchdowns and is second on the team in rushing, with 134 yards and nine scores on 35 carries. Grant Hoover (73-437, two TDs) is the Knights' top rusher, while Micah Gates (17-232, TD) is Landis' top target.
Other Games to Watch
Hamburg (5-0) at Lancaster Catholic (5-0): The visiting Hawks join fellow Berks County interloper Schuylkill Valley and the host Crusaders in a three-way tie for first place in Section 5 of the L-L League, so the stakes are high in this matchup.
Hamburg boasts the L-L League's top-scoring offense, averaging 51.6 points per game. The Hawks are led by the dangerous tandem of quarterback Xander Menapace and running back Pierce Mason. Menapace has completed 49 of 73 passes for 709 yards and eight touchdowns, while Mason ranks second among all L-L League rushers with 847 yards and 16 touchdowns on 61 attempts. Mason was reportedly banged up in Hamburg's win over Kutztown last week, so his status for Friday is questionable.
The resurgent Crusaders are led by quarterback Will Cranford, who has completed 47 of 75 pass attempts for 887 yards and 12 scores. His top targets are wideouts Jaevon Parker (16-398, seven TDs) and RJ Gonzalez (14-259, three TDs).
Solanco (5-0) at Twin Valley (3-2): The Golden Mules are tied in first place with undefeated Elizabethtown in the L-L League Section 3 race, so they need a win here to set up a huge showdown with the Bears next week in Quarryville (E-town is a heavy favorite against struggling Daniel Boone this week).
Twin Valley would love to throw a wrench into those plans, and might be able to do it. The Raiders gave E-town everything it could handle in a 47-42 shootout loss last week. Running backs Jayden Goebel (67-372, five TDs) and Evan Johnson (46-342, seven TDs) power a punishing ground attack that churns out 232 yards per game.
Solanco also loves to pound the ball. The Golden Mules are ranked third in the league in rushing, averaging 276 yards per game, and have six players who have logged at least 10 carries this season. Quarterback Brody Mellinger (94-369, seven TDs) and running back Cole Harris (85-368, five TDs) are the main workhorses.
Bishop McDevitt (3-1) at Milton Hershey (3-2): The Crusaders roared to their third straight victory last week with a 48-7 drubbing of Cedar Cliff, maintaining their position in a three-way tie for first place in the Mid-Penn Keystone with Hershey and Mifflin County. Since it dropped a 19-14 decision to Imhotep Charter in its season opener, McDevitt has won three straight games and averaged 545 points per game.
McDevitt enters this week a little banged up, as top wideout Tyshawn Russell went down with an injury against Cedar Cliff. His status moving forward is murky, but Crusader coach Jeff Weachter indicated Russell's season isn't over. McDevitt still has plenty of weapons, led by Minnesota recruit Marquese Williams (48-504, 10 TDs) and sophomore QB Stone Saunders (61-98, 981 yards, eight TDs).
Milton Hershey has lost two of its last three games, including a 28-21 setback to arch-rival Hershey last week. The Spartans got a big game from QB Kenneth Emile (22-of-29, 225 yards, two TDs) in the loss to Hershey.
Central York (4-1) at Dallastown (3-2): Central and Dallastown are part of a three-way tie for first place in the York-Adams Interscholastic Athletic Association Division I race, joining York High. The visiting Panthers held off South Western 30-28 last week for their third straight win, while the host Wildcats knocked off Northeastern 35-21 to also win their third straight after an 0-2 start.
The Panthers' win over South Western was their 22nd straight Division I victory; they haven't lost a game in their division since 2018. They got big games from QB Nasir Still and RB Juelz Goff last week, along with a one-handed touchdown catch from WR Parker Hines that went viral.
Dallastown opened the season with losses to Hempfield (30-13) and Manheim Township (40-0), but have won three in a row since. The Wildcats, who are celebrating their 75th season, had a huge night from wideout Kenny Williams in last week's victory over Northeastern. Williams caught a touchdown pass and was voted Homecoming King at halftime.