YORK, Pa. — There's no shortage of familiar faces in this year's District 3 Class 6A semifinals.
The two-time defending champion, Harrisburg, is back in the semis for a fifth straight season. The Cougars get a rematch with Central York, who they defeated at this stage during last year's title run, Saturday afternoon at Severance Field.
Last year's runner-up, Manheim Township, is back in the semis as well, which means three of last year's four semifinalists have returned. The only new face, Cumberland Valley, is certainly no stranger to making it this far, but it's been a while -- the Eagles are chasing their first district title since 2015.
This week's winners will advance to the championship game on Thanksgiving weekend. The title game will be played at the home of the highest remaining seed.
Here's a look at this week's semifinal matchups.
Cumberland Valley (7-4) at Manheim Township (11-0)
Friday, 7 p.m. in Neffsville
ABOUT CUMBERLAND VALLEY: The Eagles' incredible resurgent season continued with a 20-14 triumph over Wilson last week in the quarterfinals. It was the sixth straight win for Cumberland Valley, which lost its first three games and was 1-4 at the regular season's midpoint.
In last week's win over Wilson, Bryce Staretz rushed for 143 yards and scored a pair of touchdowns to carry the Eagles to victory. CV's defense held the Bulldogs to one offensive touchdown; Wilson's other score came on a blocked punt that was returned for a TD.
Cumberland Valley will now have a chance to avenge one of its early season losses; the Eagles were hammered 35-6 by Township in their season opener. But the Blue Streaks might as well burn that game film. This CV team is clearly not the same one that Township faced back in August.
Staretz has rushed for 1,408 yards and 18 touchdowns on 269 carries for CV this season; he's been the main workhorse on offense. QB Grant Shepley, who had a TD pass to Caiden Pines last week to account for the Eagles' other score, has completed 50 of 72 passes for 568 yards and three touchdowns in five starts. Pines is the team's leading receiver, with 45 catches for 502 yards and two TDs.
CV is one of the district's most successful programs and has a rich playoff history. The Eagles are No. 3 overall in the record book with 13 championships, the most recent a Class 4A title in 2015. CV has made 20 appearances in the district finals and has a 13-7 record there. The Eagles' overall playoff record is 51-17 in 31 postseason appearances.
ABOUT MANHEIM TOWNSHIP: The Blue Streaks rolled to their 11th straight victory with a 44-8 triumph over William Penn in last week's quarterfinals. Senior QB Hayden Johnson threw for 232 yards and four touchdowns to lead Township's offense, which racked up 430 yards against the Bearcats.
Johnson led the Lancaster-Lebanon League in passing touchdowns during the regular season, and his four TDs last week boosted his season total to 44. The Lehigh University recruit has thrown for 2,465 yards in 11 games, completing 153 of 201 pass attempts (76.1 percent). Johnson has yet to throw an interception this season.
The Streaks like to spread the ball around -- six players have at least 10 catches -- but Johnson's top target is Landon Kennel, who has 55 receptions for 1,015 yards and 23 touchdowns this season. Kennel, who has committed to Monmouth University, caught four passes for 139 yards and a score last week.
Township's top rusher is Declan Clancy, who had 123 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries against York. Clancy has 1,004 yards and 14 scores on 154 attempts this season.
The Streaks are chasing their second district title. They lost 44-6 to Harrisburg in last year's final.
Central York (11-0) at Harrisburg (10-1)
Saturday, 1 p.m. at Harrisburg's Severance Field
ABOUT CENTRAL YORK: The Panthers made it back to the semifinals by surviving a 42-34 shootout with Central Dauphin last week. It was the 11th straight victory for the undefeated Panthers, who captured the YAIAA Division 1 title in the regular season.
But it was far from easy.
In a game where both team's offenses ran wild, it was Central York that came up with one of the few defensive stops when it counted most, turning the Rams away on fourth-and-goal from the Panther 5-yard line with just under two minutes remaining. Central then got a clutch first down run from Juelz Goff and were able to kneel out the clock from there.
Goff, a University of Pittsburgh recruit, finished with 103 total yards -- a little below his normal standards -- but found the end zone three times in the victory, with was Central's second over CD this season. The Panthers won their season opener against the Rams in similar fashion, surviving 45-35.
Now the Panthers get another crack at Harrisburg, who defeated them 44-7 in last year's semifinal. They'll need a big game from Goff, who has 1,592 yards and 33 touchdowns on 245 carries.
Sophomore QB Brooklyn Nace, who 12 of 15 passes for 192 yards and three TDs last week against CD, has thrown for 1,681 yards and 15 touchdowns this year. His top target is Ethan Carlos, who caught two of Nace's three TD throws last week. This season, Carlos has caught 42 passes for 771 yards.
Central York is the only York County team to win a Class 6A district title; the took the crown in 2020. They haven't been back to the championship game since.
ABOUT HARRISBURG: The Cougars opened their quest for a third straight district title with a 54-28 victory over Cedar Crest in last Saturday's quarterfinals. Harrisburg led 21-14 at halftime, but exploded for 33 points in the second half to pull away from the feisty Falcons. Shawn Lee threw for 249 yards, rushed for 110 yards, and accounted for five touchdowns to lead the way for Harrisburg, which won its eighth straight. The only team to defeat the Cougars this season is Manheim Township, which rolled to a 38-6 victory in Week 3.
Harrisburg's offense averages 438.8 yards and 41.8 points per game. Lee's strong performance last week boosted his season totals to 1,905 yards and 23 touchdowns through the air and 1,128 yards and 15 scores on the ground.
But he's not the only guy opposing defenses need to watch. Nehemiah Ewell has racked up 936 yards and 12 touchdowns on 118 carries for the Cougars, while sophomore Elias Coke leads a talented group of wideouts with 38 catches for 752 yards and 11 scores.
Harrisburg has made five straight visits to the semifinals, although they had to forfeit their semifinal game in 2020 due to a COVID-19 breakout in the locker room. The Cougars are chasing their third straight district championship.