WITMER, Pa. — It's certain that the players for Manheim Central and Conestoga Valley understand that Friday night's Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 2 clash is a rivalry game.
But it's doubtful that they understand just how intense the feud between their two teams was when things were at their peak -- more than two decades before the seniors on both sides were even born.
Central will visit Witmer Friday at 7 p.m. in the FOX43 High School Football Frenzy Game of the Week. Just like in the old days, the stakes for both teams on Friday will be high; Central and CV are both 6-1 overall and 4-0 in Section 2, a half-game ahead of undefeated Exeter (3-0, 7-0).
Friday's winner will remain in position for a showdown with the Eagles in the regular season's final weeks; CV faces Exeter in Week 9, while Central gets the Eagles in the regular-season finale.
There are potential District 3 playoff implications for both teams as well.
The FOX43 Frenzy team will be live from CV High School to preview all the action -- and if there's one thing this rivalry has had over the years, it's action.
From the early 1980s to the mid-1990s, the annual showdown between Central and CV was referred to as "Lancaster County's Super Bowl," or simply, "The Game."
The rivalry involved two of the league's most successful and legendary coaches -- Jim Cantafio and Mike Williams.
Cantafio's Buckskins were the first Lancaster County team to reach the state championship game in 1991, while Williams' Barons became the first county team to win a state title 12 years later, when Central defeated Pine-Richland in the "Snow Bowl" at Hersheypark Stadium -- still one of the best and most memorable championship games in PIAA history.
When the rivalry was at its peak, Lancaster's two daily newspapers relentlessly hyped every meeting, and the coaches obliged by supplying some of the best bulletin board material ever presented to the local scribes.
The roots of the rivalry stretch back to 1981, when Cantafio was in his second season at CV and Williams his first at Central. That season was the first time that CV moved from Section 1 to Section 2, where Williams' Barons resided.
Cantafio's offensive philosophy was full of ideas most football fans take for granted these days: spread formations with four wideouts, quarterbacks lined up in the shotgun, passes all over the field. But at the time, they were innovations many other local coaches were still trying to decipher.
Central's program was still in its infancy under Williams, but it eventually became a statewide powerhouse that captured 15 District 3 Class 3A between 1989 and 2005, including a run of 10 straight from 1992-2001. But when he first got started in Manheim, Williams knew the Buckskins were the team to beat.
The real fireworks started in 1982, when Central and CV met for the second time with Cantafio and Williams on opposing sidelines. The game featured two lead changes in the final 2:37 of regulation, and Central prevailed 20-17. But CV had a last-second touchdown erased by a controversial penalty that left Cantafio livid -- a position he made clear in his post-game comments to reporters.
The next salvo came in 1985; this time, it was Williams who went ballistic. Cantafio's Buckskins, who would capture the Section 2 title that year, hammered Central 47-8. Williams was angered that Cantafio went for a 2-point conversion after CV's final touchdown, accusing his counterpart of running up the score. Cantafio claimed that his field goal unit had already taken off its pads, forcing his decision to attempt the two-point conversion.
From that point on, whenever CV and Central met, the hype was at a fever pitch -- even after Cantafio's departure from CV in 1994. Gerad Novak, who was one of Cantafio's assistants, took over the program in 1995.
Two years later, Novak made his contribution to the rivalry's lore when he and Williams had a fiery post-game verbal confrontation while their teams were shaking hands after a closely contested Baron victory. The two coaches had to be separated by assistants.
In the two-plus decades since then, the fever of the rivalry has cooled as Central exerted its dominance over the Buckskins. The Barons have won 24 of the last 26 meetings since 1991. (The rivalry took a four-season hiatus from 2014-17 when CV switched sections.)
CV's most-recent win over Central was a 41-35 nail-biter in 2020, but the Buckskins have dropped the last two meetings by a combined margin of 83-7.
This year, the Buckskins enters the showdown on a four-game winning streak since dropping a 27-26 decision to Garden Spot in Week 3.
CV has gotten it done with a defense that has given up just 68 points and 215 yards per game this season, which ranks only behind Exeter among Section 2 squads.
But the Buckskin offense is no slouch, averaging 346 yards and 30 points per game. QB Liam Cheek has completed 46 of 90 passes for 838 yards and 10 TDs, while running back Jayden Johnson (82-648, 11 TDs) is a big part of every offensive game plan as well.
Central's only loss came against another one of its fiercest rivals; the Barons fell 48-28 to Cocalico back in Week 3. They've been on a rampage since, reeling off four straight wins by a combined margin of 175-20. Quarterback Zac Hahn is one of the league's top passers, ranking third in yardage (1,646) and second in touchdowns (25). He's also thrown just one interception.
Meanwhile, RB Brycen Arnold is one of four L-L League players to have already cracked the 1,000-yard rushing plateau; his 1,058 yards rank fourth in the league. He's also scored 14 TDs. Wideout Aaron Enterline (42-900, 16 TDs) leads the league in receiving yardage, and is second in TD catches.
Friday night's outcome will have implications on both teams' District 3 playoff hopes. Central is currently No. 3 in the Class 4A power rankings, which are used to determine the 10-team playoff field. The top six teams receive first-round byes and advance straight to the quarterfinals.
CV is ranked No. 5 in Class 5A, where the top 12 teams make the playoffs. The Buckskins need to move into the top four to earn a bye through the first round.
