YORK, Pa. — The District 3 Class 6A semifinals feature three former champions and one upstart chasing its first title.
Central York comes in looking to defend the title it won last season.
Wilson and Harrisburg have 10 championship trophies between them.
Hempfield is the only team that has never captured district gold. The Black Knights are trying to reach a district title game for the first time since 1984.
So this weekend's two semifinal matchups have plenty of intrigue.
Let's take a closer look at each game.
Wilson (8-3) at Central York (11-0)
Friday, 7 p.m. at Panther Stadium
ABOUT WILSON: The Bulldogs captured the L-L League Section 1 championship in the regular season and punched their ticket to the semifinals with a 50-32 victory over York High last week. Wilson QB Brad Hoffman scored three touchdowns on the ground and racked up 179 yards on 17 carries, while RB Jadyn Jones added 156 yards and a pair of TDs on 22 attempts.
The Bulldogs overcame a huge night from York star Jaheim White, who rushed for 242 yards and three touchdowns and threw a 78-yard TD pass to Landon Farrell. But Wilson stopped the Bearcats six times on fourth down and took the lead for good in the second half with an 81-yard touchdown on a kickoff return by Cameron Jones to hang on for the victory.
The Bulldogs won the first-ever District 3 Class 6A title in 2016, after the playoffs expanded from four to six classes. It was Wilson's seventh title overall.
ABOUT CENTRAL YORK: Led by Penn State recruit Beau Pribula, the Panthers won their 11th straight game with a 26-14 triumph over Manheim Township in the quarterfinals. Pribula scored on a pair of short TD runs and connected with Treyshawn Smith for a pair of scores through the air to help Central York subdue the Blue Streaks.
The Panthers captured their first district title last year on their way to a run to the state finals. They enter this year's playoffs as the top seed.
Pribula has thrown for more than 2,200 yards and 32 touchdowns in 10 starts this season (the Panthers defeated Red Lion by forfeit in the regular season).
Wilson and Central York have faced three common opponents this season: Exeter Township, Hempfield, and Manheim Township. Central defeated Exeter 35-28, beat Hempfield 35-21 and defeated Township last week. Wilson lost to Exeter 42-14 in Week 3, but defeated Hempfield (28-21) and Township (21-14) in back-to-back games in Weeks 9 and 10.
Hempfield (7-4) at Harrisburg (10-1)
Saturday, 1 p.m. at Severance Field
ABOUT HEMPFIELD: The sixth-seeded Black Knights stunned No. 3 Central Dauphin East 35-2 last week to fight their way into the semifinals after finishing in a three-way tie for second place in the L-L League Section 1 race in the regular season.
Hempfield's defense reigned supreme against CD East, limiting the Panthers to just 122 total yards and zero offensive points. East's only score came when Hempfield snapped the ball through the back of its own end zone on a punt attempt in the second quarter.
Other than that miscue, Hempfield was nearly flawless. The Black Knights smothered Penn State Mekhi Flowers -- his first catch came early in the fourth quarter, and East's plan to get him going on the ground by direct-snapping him the ball went nowhere. Hempfield also shut down highly regarded RB Marcel McDaniels, stopping him on three consecutive carries from the 1-yard line after giving East a short field after their safety. The Knights even got a defensive touchdown on a 14-yard pick-six by Aidan Shorter.
Hempfield has played arguably the toughest schedule of anyone in the semis. In addition to CD East, the Knights have faced five other playoff teams: Exeter (W 17-14), Central York (L 35-21), Wilson (L 28-21), Manheim Township (W 17-14) and Manheim Central (L 14-0).
The Black Knights are chasing their first district title. Their last trip to the championship game came back in 1984, when they lost to Cumberland Valley in the Class 3A final.
ABOUT HARRISBURG: The Cougars advanced to the semifinals with a 36-7 rout of Mid-Penn Commonwealth neighbor Carlisle last week. It was Harrisburg's second win of the season over the Thundering Herd.
Mahkai Hopkins rushed for 119 yards and three touchdowns and defensive star Terrell Reynolds blocked a punt to force a safety and upped his single-season sack total to 19.5 as the Courgar defense held Carlisle to 146 total yards, forced three turnovers, and scored on a pick-six.
Harrisburg has won seven straight since suffering its only loss of the season, a 49-13 rout against Governor Mifflin, the top seed in the Class 5A bracket, back on Sept. 17.
The Cougars and Hempfield have faced two common opponents: Manheim Township and CD East. Harrisburg defeated Township 20-17 in overtime on Sept. 11 and knocked off CD East 25-20 on Oct. 9. Hempfield defeated Township 17-14 and blew out East last week.
The Cougars won a 6A title in 2018, lost in the championship in 2019, and last year were forced to bow out by forfeit in the semifinals due to an ill-timed COVID-19 outbreak in the locker room. They're looking to get back into the finals and make the kind of deep playoff run they were denied last year.
Harrisburg has won three district titles overall.
