DENVER, Pa. — Editor's note: The above video is from Nov. 17.
This year's District 3 Class 5A championship game is a battle for neighborhood bragging rights.
Defending champion Cocalico hosts Ephrata Friday night at 7 p.m. The two schools are separated by a mere 4.1 miles, and the title game showdown is the hottest ticket in northern Lancaster County.
In fact, due to limited seating capacity at the Eagles' home stadium, tickets for the game are already sold out, District 3 officials announced over the weekend.
Many disappointed fans of both teams will have to settle for local cable channel Blue Ridge 11's broadcast of the showdown, because that's as close to the action as they're going to get.
Here's a preview of Friday's matchup.
Ephrata (12-1) at Cocalico (11-1)
Friday, 7 p.m. at Cocalico HS
ABOUT EPHRATA: The Mountaineers are making the most of their first playoff appearance since 1987. They picked up the first District 3 postseason victory in program history with a 14-13 triumph over Lower Dauphin in the first round, and have since added two more wins to their ledger, including a 47-7 rout of Hershey in last week's semifinals.
The Mounts spotted Hershey a short-lived 7-0 lead and answered with 47 consecutive points, led by running back Brayden Brown and quarterback Sam McCracken. Brown rushed for 99 yards and three touchdowns on 16 carries, while McCracken completed 10 of 12 passes for 187 yards and two scores. Quintin Pfautz added a 51-yard pick-six for Ephrata, which held Hershey to 162 total yards.
It was the seventh straight victory for Ephrata, whose only loss was a 42-22 setback against Garden Spot on Sept. 29. The Mounts avenged that defeat in the District 3 quarterfinals, hammering the Spartans 31-10.
McCracken has completed 134 of 228 passes for 2,315 yards and 24 touchdowns for the Mounts, while Brown has 1,308 yards and 14 scores on 201 carries. The trio of Jeremiah Knowles (41-650, seven TDs), Nick Keller (26-648, seven TDs), and Angel Collazo (35-574, five TDs) are McCracken's top targets.
ABOUT COCALICO: The Eagles booked their return to the district finals with a 31-13 semifinal victory over Cedar Cliff. Aaryn Longenecker and Dane Horning scored two touchdowns each for Cocalico, which racked up 349 rushing yards and outgained the Colts 414-191 in total yards.
Longenecker rushed for 148 yards on nine carries, while Horning had 120 yards on 33 attempts. QB Josh Myer completed both of his pass attempts for 45 yards and added 93 yards on the ground for the Eagles, who won their 11th straight. Cocalico's only loss of the season was a 17-14 stunner against Warwick in the season opener.
Cocalico's Veer offense is heavily reliant on the ground attack, which generates an average of 323.2 yards per game (the Eagles average just 24.8 yards per game through the air).
Longenecker is the lead back, with 1,201 yards and 14 touchdowns on 87 carries. Sam Steffey, the Eagles' second-leading rusher, missed last week's game, but has 821 yards and 16 scores on 132 attempts. Myer is third on the team in rushing with 689 yards and 11 scores on 123 carries, while Horning has 673 yards and 10 TDs on 114 rushes.
The Eagles are chasing their fifth district title. They are 4-7 in 11 championship game appearances.
NOTE: The District 3 title game also serves as the PIAA Class 5A playoff quarterfinals. The winner between Cocalico and Ephrata will advance to the state semifinals, where they will face either District 7 champion Peters Township or District 10 champ Erie Cathedral Prep.