YORK, Pa. — The final week of the regular season in high school football is upon us, and it is loaded with intriguing matchups.
In fact, there so many good games on the Week 10 docket in Central Pennsylvania, it would be easy for us to write up a Frenzy Ten this week.
But this is the Frenzy Five, and we are nothing if not brand-conscious here at FOX43. So we pared the list of games under discussion to the normal five -- but we'll add some honorable mentions at the end.
FRENZY GAME OF THE WEEK
Central York (8-1) at York (6-2): As always seems to be the case in this traditional Week 10 matchup, the stakes are huge. The winner of this showdown claims the YAIAA Division I title and goes into the District 3 Class 6A playoffs with some major momentum.
The host Bearcats have won six in a row since an 0-2 start to the season, including a 52-14 rout of South Western last week. York hasn't scored less than 40 points during its current six-game run, and leads the league in yardage (448 per game) and scoring (46 points per game).
Running back Jaheim White is the league's second-leading rusher, with 1,482 yards on just 139 carries (a 10.7 per-carry average). His 31 touchdowns lead the YAIAA. QB Sam Stoner's 1,786 passing yards and 21 touchdowns both rank second among league passers. WR David Warde has 50 catches for 855 yards and 9 scores.
Central York is riding a seven-game winning streak into Friday's matchup; the Panthers' only loss was a 35-33 heartbreaker to Cumberland Valley in Week 2. They defeated Reading 44-8 last week in a non-conference tuneup.
The Panther offense ranks third in the YAIAA in yardage (341 per game) and is second in scoring (41.7 points per game). Central's defense, which yields 267 yards per game, ranks third in the league.
Juelz Goff is one of four YAIAA players to hit the 1,000-yard plateau so far this season; he's got 1,090 yards on 129 carries. Goff has found the end zone 17 times. QB Nasir Still has completed 71 of 105 passes for 1,010 yards and 15 touchdowns to go along with 487 yards on the ground.
Both teams will be playing in the District 3 Class 6A playoffs in a week, but a win Friday would secure home field advantage through Districts for the Panthers.
Central York has won three straight Week 10 showdowns with the Bearcats and are chasing their fourth straight division title.
OTHER GAMES TO WATCH
Exeter Township (5-0, 9-0) at Manheim Central (5-0, 9-0): It's a battle of unbeatens in Manheim, with the winner claiming the L-L League Section 2 championship. This game is also a rematch of last year's District 3 Class 5A quarterfinal, which Exeter won, 43-27.
Both programs are highly regarded statewide. The Barons are ranked No. 6 in Class 4A by both Pennlive and Pennsylvania Football News, while Exeter is the state's second-ranked Class 5A team by both publications.
Central is looking to add a 28th section championship trophy to its impressive collection. The Barons are ranked first in the L-L League in total offense (464 yards per game) and scoring (55.7 points per game). QB Zac Hahn has thrown for 1,774 yards and a league-high 25 touchdowns this season, while RB Brycen Arnold ranks second among league rushers with 1,620 yards and 25 TDs on 169 carries.
Exeter counters with the league's fifth-ranked offense (372 yards and 42.5 points per game). QB Mason Rotelli has completed 72 of 98 passes for 1,195 yards and 16 TDs, while RB Richie Karstien (127-996, 15 TDs) is closing in on the 1,000-yard milestone.
On the flanks, Central's Bode Sipel (30-482, 6 TDs) and Aaron Enterline (27-793, 10 TDs) will try to outgain the Exeter tandem of Joey Schlaffer (29-646, 9 TDs) and Zach Zandier (18-335, 3 TDs).
Central is ranked No. 1 in the District 3 Class 4A power rankings, while Exeter checks in at No. 2 in Class 5A. Both are hoping to make deep postseason runs.
Garden Spot (4-1, 7-2) at Solanco (5-0, 9-0): Solanco has already clinched a share of the L-L League Section 3 crown, but the surging Spartans can grab a share of the title for themselves with an upset in Quarryville.
If the Golden Mules prevail, they would wrap up their first outright section title since 1990. Solanco has won four section crowns in program history, but shared three of them with other teams. This is also the first time since 2015 that Solanco has entered the final week of the regular season with a 9-0 record; the Mules lost to Manheim Central in the final week that year.
Garden Spot's offense has gone nuclear in the latter half of the season. The Spartans exploded for 66 points in last week's showdown victory over Elizabethtown. Were it not for a 37-29 shootout loss to Twin Valley in Week 7, they would have a chance to win sole possession of the section crown on Friday.
Garden Spot is averaging 413 yards per game, which ranks fourth among all L-L League squads. QB Kye Harting, who accounted for five total touchdowns in last week's rout of E-town, has passed for 1,640 yards, rushed for 935 yards, and put up 29 total touchdowns this season.
Solanco boasts the league's best rushing attack, averaging 314 yards per game on the ground. QB Brody Mellinger has passed for 471 yards, rushed for 630 yards, and accounted for 23 total touchdowns, and he's far from Solanco's only threat. Cole Harris (792 rush yards ,7 TDs), Josian Forren (726 rush yards, 10 TDs), and Elijah Cunningham (473 rush yards, 266 receiving yards, 8 total TDs) will all see plenty of touches against Garden Spot as well.
Lampeter-Strasburg (6-0, 8-1) at Wyomissing (6-0, 9-0): The L-L League Section 4 championship will be up for grabs Saturday afternoon when the Pioneers make the trip to Berks County to take on the powerful Spartans, who are riding a 33-game regular-season winning streak into the season finale.
Wyomissing, the two-time District 3 Class 3A champ, is ranked No. 1 in the state by both Pennlive and Pennsylvania Football News. The Spartans have made two straight appearances in the PIAA title game, losing both. They're looking for another deep playoff run this year.
Points could be hard to come by in this one, as the league's top two defenses will mix it up. Wyomissing allows just 151 yards per game and has given up just 69 points all year, while L-S yields just 165 yards per game and has allowed 98 points.
It's doubtful that L-S has come up against an offense this potent; Wyomissing's ground attack ranks third in the league with 2,772 yards. Playing behind a gigantic offensive line, the Spartans have two backs who average more than 12 yards per carry -- Charlie McIntyre (51-653, 9 TDs) and Drew Eisenhower (49-595, 8 TD) -- and Matt Kramer, the Spartans' No. 3 back, has gained 582 yards and scored 17 TDs. His average sits at a mere 9.1 yards per carry. Yikes.
L-S counters with a more-balanced attack that averages 370 yards per game. QB Trent Wagner has thrown for 1,319 yards and 18 touchdowns, while RB Carson Coleman has a team-high 886 yards and 14 scores on the ground. Dual-threat Hunter Hildenbrand has 301 rushing yards, a team-high 27 catches for 648 yards, and 11 total scores.
The Pioneers are ranked third in the District 3 Class 4A power rankings and are looking to lock up a first-round bye in the 10-team playoff field.
West Perry (4-0, 9-0) at Steelton-Highspire (4-0, 7-1): The Mid-Penn Capital championship will be up for grabs in another Saturday afternoon showdown as the Mustangs take their unblemished record to Steelton to face the mighty Rollers, who haven't lost since Week 2.
West Perry is having its best season in more than a decade; the last nine-win campaign for the Mustangs was all the way back in 2006 (though they won eight games in 2012 and 2018).
This year, West Perry has put up at least 30 points in eight of its nine wins and has only trailed in one game all season. The Mustangs' balanced offense is led by dual-threat QB Marcus Quaker, who has 1,754 yards and 19 touchdowns through the air and 930 yards and 19 scores on the ground.
Trent Herrera (809 rush yards, 9 TDs) and Ian Goodling (61 catches, 1,093 yards, 13 TDs) are huge weapons West Perry as well.
Steel-High is coming off its closest call in weeks; the Rollers needed overtime to outlast Trinity, 35-28, in a Thursday night game last week in Camp Hill.
Other than last week -- and their 39-18 loss to Westinghouse in Week 2 -- it's been a season of blowouts for the Rollers, who come in averaging 49.7 points per game.
QB Alex Erby is the main catalyst on an offense full of weapons; he's thrown for 1,427 yards and 21 touchdowns this season.
The Roller ground game also got a boost last week with the return of Ronald Burnette, who returned from an injury to reel off 268 yards and three scores in the win over Trinity.
Steel-High has already clinched the No. 1 seed in the District 3 Class 1A playoffs and will host Fairfield in the championship game. The Rollers are ranked second in the state by Pennlive and No .1 by PA Football News. West Perry is the No. 8 team in Class 3A, according to both publications.
The Mustangs, No. 3 in the District 3 Class 3A power rankings, is assured of a playoff berth,
Honorable Mentions:
Lancaster Catholic (6-0, 9-0) at Schuylkill Valley (5-1, 6-3): Lancaster Catholic already has clinched at least a share of the L-L League Section 5 championship, and can win it outright with a victory here. Both teams are also looking ahead to the Class 3A playoffs. Catholic can wrap up the No. 2 seed and a first-round bye with a win. Schuylkill Valley's playoff spot appears safe, but a win here would be huge for momentum. This game pits Catholic against former coach Bruce Harbach, who led the Crusaders to state titles in 2009 and 2011.
Manheim Township (7-2) at Wilson (7-2): Hempfield appears poised to claim the L-L League Section 1 title outright, but the winner of this game would move into a first-place tie should the Black Knights falter against Reading. Both teams appear to be locked into Class 6A playoff berths, but Township could lock up a home game in the first round with a win here.
Milton Hershey (6-3) at Cedar Cliff (6-3): Both of these squads fell out of Mid-Penn Keystone title contention weeks ago, but are still looking for the best-possible position in their respective playoff brackets. Milton Hershey is currently ranked fifth in the 10-team Class 4A bracket, while Cedar Cliff is No. 10 in the 12-team Class 5A field.