YORK, Pa. — The District 3 Class 4A playoffs got underway last week with a pair of first-round matchups, but the real action starts this week. The top six seeds, led by undefeated defending champ Bishop McDevitt, are joining the fray.
The Crusaders will host Milton Hershey, which survived a tough first-round battle with Eastern York. Twin Valley, the No. 2 seed, takes on No. 7 Elco, which fought its way to the quarterfinals with a first-round win over Big Spring.
This week's other games were already set. Here's a look at all the matchups.
No. 8 Milton Hershey (6-5) at No. 1 Bishop McDevitt (10-0)
Friday, 7 p.m.
ABOUT MILTON HERSHEY: The Spartans advanced to the quarterfinals with a 29-23 victory over Eastern York, riding a strong game from QB Jason Burney, who passed for 228 yards and three scores. It was Milton Hershey's third win in four games.
The Spartans have had a bit of an up-and-down season. They beat playoff qualifiers Susquehanna Township and Lower Dauphin, but also lost four out of five games in the season's second half, including a 54-18 blowout loss to Cedar Cliff in Week 10. They finished sixth in the Mid-Penn Keystone division race behind McDevitt, Cedar Cliff, Lower Dauphin, Mifflin County and Hershey.
Burney has thrown for 2,349 yards and 30 touchdowns this season. Elijah Johnson is the Spartans' top rusher, with 955 yards and eight scores. Mohamad Koroma is Milton Hershey's top wideout, with 59 catches for 765 yards and seven TDs.
ABOUT BISHOP McDEVITT: The Crusaders wrapped up a perfect regular season with the Mid-Penn Keystone title, and now open defense of the district crown they captured last year with a rematch against their division rivals. McDevitt blasted Milton Hershey 55-14 on Sept. 29.
The Crusaders' high-flying offense is piloted by senior QB Stone Saunders, who committed to the University of Kentucky earlier this season. Saunders has completed 153 of 218 passes for 2,550 yards and 44 touchdowns. If the Crusaders make a deep playoff run, Saunders has a shot at breaking the state record for passing TDs in a season, which stands at 57.
McDevitt has two receivers who are closing in on the 1,000-yard milestone. Senior Rico Scott has hauled in 58 catches for 949 yards and 17 scores, while senior Chase Regan has 32 grabs for 852 yards and 12 scores. Sophmore Nazir Jones-Davis leads the ground game with 684 yards and six scores on 81 carries.
The Crusaders have won two straight District 3 Class 4A titles and 16 championships overall. That's just two behind Manheim Central's record of 18 trophies (the Barons are the No. 3 seed this year).
No. 5 Lampeter-Strasburg (8-2) at No. 4 East Pennsboro (9-1)
Friday, 7 p.m.
ABOUT L-S: The Pioneers finished third in the Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 4 race behind Cocalico and Wyomissing in the regular season. L-S the section champion Eagles a battle before falling 24-10 on Sept. 22, and fell 18-13 to Wyomissing in Week 10.
The Pioneers' only win over a playoff team came in Week 8, when they stomped Elco 49-0. The Raiders are the only team over .500 that L-S has beaten so far.
The Pioneers' balanced offense is paced by QB Trent Wagner (86-134-4, 1,343 yards, 19 TDs) through the air and RB Johnathan Mellinger (136-1,311, 16 TDs) on the ground. L-S averages 365 yards per game on offense, while the defense yields 173.4 yards per game.
This is Lampeter-Strasburg's 18th district playoff appearance; the Pioneers are 22-14 in program history. They've won three district titles, the last coming in 2020. L-S lost 7-0 to Bishop McDevitt in the 2021 title game.
ABOUT EAST PENNSBORO: The Panthers won the Mid-Penn Colonial title in the regular season, with only a 28-21 upset loss to Northern York on Oct. 6 preventing a perfect regular-season run. East Pennsboro defeated fellow playoff qualifier Susquehanna Township 31-28 in Week 9 to capture the division crown.
East Pennsboro's offense averages 306 yards per game, most of which comes via the air attack. Quarterback Keith Oates III threw for more than 2,000 yards and had 16 touchdowns this season. Junior JJ Gossard leads the ground game with 757 yards and six TDs on 162 carries, while senior wideouts Trey Good (46-750, six TDs) and Breckin Swope (42-715, six TDs) are Oates' top targets.
The Panthers have a 5-10 playoff record in 11 appearances. They have never won a title.
No. 7 Elco (8-3) at No. 2 Twin Valley (9-1)
Friday, 7 p.m.
ABOUT ELCO: The Raiders punched their ticket to the quarterfinals with a 34-7 rout of Big Spring last week behind a vintage performance from L-L League rushing leader Jake Williams, who racked up 251 yards and three touchdowns on the ground. It was Elco's fourth win in five games. The Raiders finished fourth in the L-L League Section 4 race in the regular season.
Williams' big night propelled him past the 2,000-yard plateau for the season; his total now stands at 2,223 yards and 29 touchdowns on 192 rushes. Elco averages just under 300 yards per game on the ground, so much of their offensive game plan revolves around him. No one else on the Raiders has logged more than 60 carries or gained more than 300 yards all season.
Last week's win was the third playoff win in program history for the Raiders, who have never won a title. They reached the 2001 final, falling to Wyomissing.
ABOUT TWIN VALLEY: The Raiders finished in a three-way tie for first in the L-L League Section 3 race, along with playoff qualifiers Garden Spot and Ephrata. TV held off Garden Spot 35-34 in their head-to-head matchup on Oct. 6, but got blown out 52-33 by Ephrata a week later. The Raiders rebounded to win their last two games to lock up the No. 2 spot in Districts.
TV averages 324.1 rushing yards per game, paced by a pair of 1,000-yard rushers in Drew Engle (112-1,240, 12 TDs) and Evan Johnson (100-1,043, 13 TDs). But the Raiders are far from one-dimensional; quarterback Evan Myers has completed 94 of 158 pass attempts for 1,220 yards and eight scores.
The Raiders are making their third straight appearance in the district playoffs; they never made the postseason before 2021. TV is 1-2 in the postseason.
No. 6 Susquehanna Township (7-3) at No. 3 Manheim Central (8-1)
Friday, 7 p.m.
ABOUT SUSQUEHANNA TOWNSHIP: The Indians finished second in the Mid-Penn Colonial race, thanks to a 31-28 loss to East Pennsboro in Week 9. Hanna also fell to playoff qualifier Milton Hershey in its season opener (35-34) and was upset by Mechanicsburg (14-13) in Week 4. The Indians did win five of their last six regular-season games.
Sophomore QB Torin Evans was one of eight Mid-Penn quarterbacks to pass for more than 2,000 yards in the regular season. He connected on 150 of 214 throws for 2,059 yards and 22 touchdowns, with just one interception. His top target, wideout Lex Cyrus, hauled in 67 catches for 1,115 yards and 13 scores.
Dorian Smith paced Hanna's ground attack with 1,395 yards and 16 touchdowns on 161 carries.
Friday's matchup will be the fifth time Hanna has met Manheim Central in the playoffs. The Indians are 2-2 against the Barons. Hanna is 13-16 in 17 playoff appearances and has never won a title.
ABOUT MANHEIM CENTRAL: The Barons captured the L-L League Section 2 title -- again -- with a clean run through its section slate. Central's only loss was a 48-28 setback against former division rival Cocalico in Week 3. The Barons have won seven straight since, and no one has come closer than within 21 points of them over that run.
The Baron offense is paced by QB Zac Hahn, one of the L-L League's four 2,000-yard passers this season. Hahn, the son of Central's head coach, threw for 2,302 yards and 33 touchdowns on 69.7 percent passing. He was only intercepted twice. RB Brycen Arnold (166-1,266, 17 TDs) and wideout Aaron Enterline (62-1,255, 22 TDs) are the other key cogs of Central's attack.
Manheim Central has won a record 18 district titles in the history of its storied program. The last one came in 2018, when the Barons won the second of two straight 5A titles.