YORK, Pa. — The District 3 Class 5A playoffs continue with four quarterfinal matchups Friday night.
The top four seeds in the bracket -- New Oxford, Cedar Cliff, Cocalico and Garden Spot -- were all idle last week after receiving first-round byes. They'll host their quarterfinal matchups on Friday against last week's first-round winners.
Here's a look at those matchups.
No. 8 Hershey (8-3) at No. 1 New Oxford (9-1)
Friday, 7 p.m.
ABOUT HERSHEY: The Trojans rallied from a 21-0 halftime deficit to defeat Exeter Township 28-27 in last week's first-round matchup. Hershey was also down 27-7 at one point, but took advantage of three second-half turnovers by Exeter and an explosive effort from running back Angel Cabrera to earn the hard-fought victory.
Cabrera scored four touchdowns in the second half and finished with 175 yards on 35 carries for Hershey.
In the regular season, the Trojans tied for third with Lower Dauphin in the Mid-Penn Keystone race behind Bishop McDevitt and Cedar Cliff. Hershey dropped a 41-21 decision to Cedar Cliff, fell 42-7 to McDevitt, and lost 21-14 in overtime against Lower Dauphin.
Cabrera has 1,583 yards and 24 touchdowns on 268 carries this season.
ABOUT NEW OXFORD: The Colonials captured the YAIAA Division 2 title in the regular season. Their only loss was a 49-21 non-conference setback against Maryland powerhouse Fort Hill in Week 9. New Oxford defeated playoff qualifiers South Western, Dover and Eastern York this season.
WR Brennan Holmes is the Colonials' top playmaker; he had 919 yards and 20 touchdowns on just 39 catches -- an average of 27 yards per catch. QB Idriz Ahmetovic completed 75 of 120 passes for 1,323 yards and 21 touchdowns, so Holmes has accounted for almost all of New Oxford's passing yardage and all but one of its TDs through the air.
New Oxford is making its 10th appearance in the district playoffs and has a 4-9 overall record. The Colonials have never won a title, and their only championship game appearance came back in 1996.
No. 5 Ephrata (10-1) at No. 4 Garden Spot (9-1)
Friday, 7 p.m.
ABOUT EPHRATA: The Mountaineers picked up the first district playoff win in program history with last week's 14-13 triumph over Lower Dauphin. Their reward is a rematch with the only team to beat them so far this season in Garden Spot. The Spartans won that game 42-22 on September 29. Ephrata has won five straight since then.
Last week's clash with LD was Ephrata's first playoff appearance in 36 years, and the Mounts made it worth the wait. They spotted the Falcons a 13-8 lead in the second half and endured the frustration of having three drives end on downs. They finally took the lead for good with 3:57 left when Brayden Brown, who rushed for 116 yards, scored from 5 yards out.
Brown has 1,108 yards and 11 touchdowns on 160 carries for Ephrata. QB Sam McCracken has completed 108 of 188 passes for 1,857 yards and 18 TDs for the Mounts.
ABOUT GARDEN SPOT: The Spartans finished in a three-way tie with Ephrata and Twin Valley in the L-L League Section 3 race. Garden Spot won its head-to-head matchup with Ephrata, but fell 35-34 to Twin Valley, the second seed in the Class 4A bracket.
Garden Spot's balanced offense averaged 369 yards per game in the regular season. QB Kye Harting completed 118 of 213 pass attempts for 1,776 yards and 32 touchdowns, while adding a team-high 1,089 yards and 12 scores on the ground. The trio of Jace Conrad (43-600, 7 TDs), Trenton Hoober (29-546, 13 TDs) and A.J. Hurst (21-360, 8 TDs) are Hartig's top targets.
The Spartans are in the playoffs for the 13th time. They have a 4-12 overall record and have made one trip to the finals, back in 1995.
No. 7 South Western (8-3) at No. 2 Cedar Cliff (9-1)
Friday, 7 p.m.
ABOUT SOUTH WESTERN: The Mustangs fought their way to the quarterfinals with a 21-3 victory over Greencastle-Antrim last week, riding a strong performance from RB Austin Rollman, who rushed for 192 yards and three touchdowns, and a strong night from their defense to earn their first playoff win since 2011.
During the regular season, South Western finished second in the YAIAA Division 2 race behind New Oxford. The Mustangs have won six in a row since they slogged through a three-game skid at the season's midpoint. During that hiccup, South Western fell to New Oxford (41-27), Dallastown, (24-20) and Central York (29-7).
With last week's effort, Rollman eclipsed the 1,000-yard milestone for the season. He has 1,136 yards and 20 touchdowns for the Mustangs. QB Bryce Graham has completed 136 of 234 passes for 1,649 yards and 13 scores for South Western.
ABOUT CEDAR CLIFF: The Colts finished second to Bishop McDevitt in the Mid-Penn Keystone race in the regular season. The Crusaders were the only team to beat Cedar Cliff, winning 48-7 on Sept. 22. The Colts have won five in a row since then.
The Colts average 217 yards per game on the ground, led by senior RB Erik Shriver (167-1,136, 17 TDs). Junior Bennet Secrest threw for 1,080 yards and 12 touchdowns to lead the air attack.
Cedar Cliff is 14-14 in 17 previous district playoff appearances. The Colts have won three titles, but the most recent was in 1996. They lost 45-7 to Cocalico in the 2019 Class 5A championship game, which was the last time they got that far.
No. 6 Conestoga Valley (9-2) at No. 3 Cocalico (9-1)
Friday, 7 p.m.
ABOUT CONESTOGA VALLEY: The Buckskins blasted Dover 40-9 in the first round last week to earn a date with their former L-L League Section 2 neighbors in the quarterfinals. Jayden Johnson carried CV over Dover with three touchdowns, including a 91-yard TD return on the game's opening kickoff. Johnson finished with 68 yards on nine carries for the Buckskins, who won a district playoff game for the first time since 2009.
CV finished second behind Manheim Central in the L-L League Section 2 race in the regular season; the Barons handed the Buckskins one of their two regular-season losses (47-14 on Oct. 13). CV's other loss came against Garden Spot, a 27-26 heartbreaker on Sept. 9.
With his performance last week, Johnson eclipsed the 1,000-yard milestone for CV; his total for the season now stands at 1,009 yards on 128 carries. Johnson has found the end zone 16 times. Johnson is also the Buckskins' leading receiver, with 405 yards and seven scores on 19 catches. QB Liam Cheek has completed 74 of 148 pass attempts for 1,277 yards and 17 scores for CV.
ABOUT COCALICO: The defending 5A champions were idle last week after winning the L-L League Section 4 title in the regular season. Cocalico enters the playoffs riding a seven-game winning streak since falling 48-28 to Manheim Central in Week 3.
Cocalico has more than lived up to its reputation as a ground-and-pound team during the season, averaging 323.2 yards per game on the ground. There are four Eagles with at least 500 rushing yards in the backfield, paced by Aaryn Longenecker (67-952, 11 TDs) and Sam Steffy (116-741, 13 TDs). QB Josh Myer attempted just 34 passes all season, but he's third on the team in rushing with 549 yards and 10 TDs on 100 rushes.
The Eagles are making their 24th playoff appearance and have a 30-19 overall record. Cocalico has won four titles, including last year's 5A crown.