Uh oh, don’t look now, but Week 4 of the high school football season falls on Friday the 13th.
Now, I’m not a superstitious fellow, but I’ll tell you some fine fellows who are: Football coaches.
They are also paranoid, anxious and have a few other maladies.
And to top it all off, it’s the start of the Lancaster-Lebanon League season so the coaches are wrapped tighter than a 5-year-old in her grandmother’s arms.
Coaches will brush off Friday the 13th as just another day on the calendar, but I’ll bet all of them will be wearing their lucky sweaters and eating their favorite breakfast foods … no sense in taking any chances.
Most of the teams in Berks have surely answered some of the preseason questions they had during their non-league portion of the season, but there are some questions that remain and some new ones.
Here’s a question about/for each Berks team as it opens league play.
Berks Catholic – Will moving down to Section 5 (from Section 4) help the Saints? They were 3-4 last year in the higher section. This question could be answered as soon as Friday when Pequea Valley comes to Reading. The Braves were 1-6 in Section 5 last year.
Conrad Weiser – Are the Scouts a contender in Section 3? At 3-0 their non-league record and 93-14 scoring advantage the first three weeks say they are. Another team on the move in the LL, the Scouts go up to Section 3. And by opening LL play against rival Fleetwood, our questions for the Scouts could be answered in short order.
Daniel Boone – Will a formidable non-league schedule help the Blazers? It certainly can’t hurt. Losses to Exeter, Schuylkill Valley and Muhlenberg will have the Blazers ready for Section 5 competition. Friday’s opponent is 2-1 Octorara, but here’s where a coach (Octorara’s Ed Smith) might be worried about that Friday the 13th stuff.
Exeter – So, how good is Exeter? The stats say one thing, the quality of their non-league schedule suggests it’s one of the bigger questions out there as LL play starts. The Eagles have outscored their first three opponents 134-7. Those three teams, Daniel Boone, Boyertown and Pleasant Valley, are all 0-3. At 2-1, Gov. Mifflin will be Exeter’s first real test.
Fleetwood – Is Section 3 weaker than last year and is Fleetwood better? Two of the top teams from a year ago, Twin Valley and Ephrata, are now in other divisions but Manheim Central, the Section 2 winner a year ago, is down to Section 3. Fleetwood went 2-4 in this section last year but has played well enroute to a 2-1 record entering league play. The Tigers have every reason to think they are in the hunt, but so do the Conrad Weiser Scouts. Thank goodness for us they play Friday night – we will find out which team is a title contender right out of the gate.
Gov. Mifflin – This one dictates a short-term question: Can the Mustangs slow down Exeter Friday night? Needless to say, it’s a tall order, but something tells me that we’ll see a lot of Grady Garner (66 carries, 395 yards this season) as the Mustangs will not live up to their nickname and try to grind this one out. But please, if you do grind it out and win, don’t change your name to the Plough Horses or the Clydesdales, you have a very cool nickname.
Hamburg – Rusty? The Hawks haven’t played in two weeks because of a cancelation by Midd-West last week. Gotta believe they will be laser-focused when they arrive at Annville-Cleona High School.
Kutztown – Can the Cougars mimic Muhlenberg? The Muhls were supposed to lose the opener to Schuylkill Valley, but shocked the Panthers in Week 1. You can bet that Kutztown coach Larry Chester is hammering home what the Muhls did.
Muhlenberg – Will the Muhls play at home at all this season? Because of turf safety concerns with its new field, the Muhls have moved Friday’s game to Lebanon after moving last Friday’s game to Kutztown University. Rob Flowers has shown those distractions don’t matter with his team off to a 2-1 start. Expect more of the same Friday against Lebanon.
Reading High – Can the Red Knights top last year’s win total of 1 and win a league game? They have one win this season, beating Muhlenberg, but there are winnable games down the road which would help coach Troy Godinet as he tries to rebuild the program.
Schuylkill Valley – Can the Panthers shift gears now that league play is here? They may be 1-2 heading into their league opener against Kutztown, but the Panthers are still one of the favorites to win Section 5.
Twin Valley – Will Twin Valley’s stadium be sold out on Oct. 11? I know coaches hate when the media looks ahead, but the Raiders, ranked third in the state in Class 4A, will be heavy favorites in their next four games before hosting Wyomissing on Oct. 11 in a big Section 4 contest.
Wilson – Do the Bulldogs have anything to prove? Nope! After last week’s loss to state-ranked Nazareth, 35-31, the Bulldogs are a darn good football team and will be in the mix in Section 1 until the last weekend of the season, which oh by the way, is against Manheim Township. Get your tickets early.
Wyomissing – Did we save the best question for last? Is there a more interesting section in the LL than Section 4? (I know, that’s 15 questions, but I had to double down on the Spartans). With three state-ranked teams in this section, Twin Valley (third), Wyomissing (fifth) and Lampeter-Strasburg (ninth), the games involving those three when they meet each other have statewide ramifications.
And so, now that we’ve raised some questions, answered one or two and left far too many open, here’s one more for you:
Which game are you going to Friday night? (or Saturday because Wyomissing plays then).
Source: Berkshire mont
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