HARRISBURG, Pa. — Editor's note: The above video is from Nov. 17.
They've been on a collision course for weeks, and Friday night it finally happens: Manheim Central and Bishop McDevitt square off in a District 3 Class 4A championship game rematch.
The undefeated Crusaders host the Barons Friday at 7 p.m. at McDevitt's Ortenzio Stadium. It's a rematch of last year's title game, which McDevitt won 40-0.
The Crusaders and the Barons have 34 district championships between them. Central has won a record 18 titles, while McDevitt has 16 trophies in its case.
But McDevitt has had more recent success than Central; the Crusaders have won two straight Class 4A titles and has nine championships overall since 2010, while the Barons' only title over that stretch was a Class 5A crown they captured in 2018.
Friday's battle will pit two of the state's most-potent offenses and two of its top quarterbacks against each other.
Here's a look at the matchup.
Manheim Central (11-1) at Bishop McDevitt (12-0)
Friday, 7 p.m. at Bishop McDevitt HS
ABOUT MANHEIM CENTRAL: The Barons set up the championship rematch with a 65-28 rout of Twin Valley. Brycen Armold's return to the lineup after a three-game absence provided a huge spark to Central's offense, which racked up 598 yards against TV.
Armold exploded for 367 yards and six touchdowns on 24 carries for Central, which also got a huge performance from quarterback Zac Hahn, who threw for two touchdowns and rushed for another.
It was the ninth straight win for the Barons, whose only loss was a 48-28 setback to District 3 Class 5A finalist Cocalico on Sept. 9. Central is averaging 45.9 points and 432 yards per game on offense this season, while its defense has yielded 16.2 points and 257.9 yards per game.
Despite missing three games, Armold has rushed for 1,633 yards and 23 touchdowns for the Barons this season. Hahn, the son of Central coach Greg Hahn, has completed 197 of 279 passes for 2,824 yards and 39 touchdowns with three interceptions. His top target, Aaron Enterline, has 1,479 yards and 25 touchdowns on 74 receptions.
ABOUT BISHOP McDEVITT: The defending district and state champions returned to the title game with a 43-7 rout of Lampeter-Strasburg, rolling to their 12th straight victory this season and their 25th in a row dating back to last year. L-S became the latest team to get Mercy Ruled by the rampaging Crusaders, who haven't let an opponent get within 40 points of them since the third week of the regular season.
McDevitt racked up 487 yards against L-S, led on the ground by 100-yard performances from Nazir Jones-Davis (9-103, three TDs) and Maurice Barnes (20-126) and a workmanlike performance from Kentucky-bound QB Stone Saunders (15-26-1, 235 yards, two TDs).
Saunders eclipsed the 3,000-yard passing mark for the season; he's now at 3,182 yards and 52 TDs on 185-of-269 passing. Saunders is closing in on the state record for touchdown passes in a season. If he can throw five more touchdowns, he'll match the mark of 57 set by Central (Philadelphia) QB Jeff Hoenstine.
Jones-Davis (92-807, nine TDs) and Barnes (109-644, seven TDs) lead the Crusader ground attack, while Rico Scott (70-1,218, 21 TDs) and Chase Regan (40-1,011, 10 TDs) are Saunders' top targets.
McDevitt's offense averages 447 yards per game. The Crusaders have outscored opponents 575-143 this season.
NOTE: Friday's winner advances to the PIAA Class 4A semifinals against either District 2 champ Dallas or District 12 champ Msgr. Bonner.