Section titles in the Lancaster-Lebanon League will be on the line as the regular season of the 2023 high school football season comes to a close in Week 10.
In a marquee Section 5 matchup, Schuylkill Valley (6-0, 8-1) will travel to Lancaster Catholic (5-1, 8-1) looking to win the championship outright after earning a share of it with a 14-13 win over Annville-Cleona in Week 9.
“It’s Week 10 for us and we’re playing for a championship,” Panthers coach Bruce Harbach said. “We share it, but we don’t want to share it with anybody. So we’re playing for an outright championship for the first time in school history and our kids are motivated, very motivated.”
Harbach coached at Lancaster Catholic for 16 seasons (2002-17), leading the Crusaders to two state championships (2009, 2011), four District 3 titles, eight L-L section championships and a 139-55 record. While Harbach said he may feel some nostalgia returning to Crusader Stadium, he remains humbly focused on guiding Schuylkill Valley to more success.
“It’s not about me, it’s about our football team, it’s about us controlling what we can control,” Harbach said. “When I get down to the stadium I’ll look at the state championship signs and think of the memories of the 16 years down there, great memories and great kids, and reflect on how successful we were.
“We’re changing the culture here at Schuylkill Valley. The community is so excited, parents are so excited, kids are naturally fired up for this one, especially with it down at Lancaster Catholic. The staff has done a terrific job to put kids in the right position. A key to coaching is putting athletes in the right position to be successful, and that’s what we’ve done.”
The Panthers are led on offense by All-State senior running back Dominic Giuffre, who has almost fully recovered from a right arm injury he suffered in Week 4. Giuffre, who will have his arm wrapped Friday night, according to Harbach, returned to the field last week and rushed for 140 yards on 15 carries, including a 60-yard touchdown run that proved to be the game-winner.
“Having him in Week 10 with fresh legs and not being banged up is a big plus for us,” Harbach, in his third season at Schuylkill Valley, said of Giuffre. “We have multiple weapons we can get the ball to.”
Senior quarterback Logan Nawrocki was 10-of-17 passing for 132 yards and threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to senior receiver Luke Martinez to open the scoring against the Little Dutchmen. Nawrocki has thrown 14 TD passes this season.
Lancaster Catholic beat Pequea Valley 33-0 last week and boasts the top scoring differential in Section 5 with 358 points scored and 152 allowed.
In Section 1, Wilson (5-0, 7-2) will host Manheim Township (5-0, 9-0) for the Section 1 crown in a game that Bulldogs coach Doug Dahms said he believes his offense will have to be at its very best.
The Blue Streaks have not allowed a score in their previous three games and have the top scoring differential in the league with 426 points scored and just 53 allowed.
“They have a tremendous quarterback (senior Hayden Johnson), two really good receivers, a real good running back (Declan Clancy), and they’re very fast defensively,” Dahms said. “Basically, they’re a very, very good football team. Obviously, we’re gonna have to play a flawless game. We have to try to at least limit them on some of their possessions so they don’t score all the time and we’re going to have to put a lot of points on the board.”
Senior quarterback Tommy Hunsicker has thrown for 1,905 yards and 20 touchdowns for the Bulldogs and holds the top quarterback rating in Berks at 182.71. He is also Wilson’s leading rusher with 456 rushing yards and eight touchdowns.
A trio of wide receivers supports Hunsicker. Senior Edison Case has a team-high 440 receiving yards and seven touchdowns, junior Madyx Gruber has 377 yards and seven touchdowns and senior Jackson Wagner has 333 yards and two touchdowns.
Rounding out an offense hoping to break through a strong Manheim Township defense is sophomore running back Correll Akings, who has 444 rushing yards and eight touchdowns.
“We’ll take a look at what they’re doing and we’ll try to take advantage of some things that we think we can do,” Dahms said. “It’s gonna be a nail-biter.”
Following a 34-27 loss at Conestoga Valley that snapped a 20-game regular season winning streak, Exeter (4-1, 8-1) will host Manheim Central (5-0, 8-1) looking to earn a share of Section 2.
Eagles coach Matt Bauer said he believes his team will bounce back against the Barons.
Jayden Zandier, a junior, finished with 194 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries against the Buckskins and also had a 54-yard receiving touchdown.
“Obviously, a win would be huge and I think we will bounce back in the right way,” Bauer said. “Last week was definitely a wake-up call for us. This group is a resilient bunch and they want to fight back for sure.”
Exeter is tied for second in the section with Conestoga Valley (4-1, 7-2).
Elsewhere in the county, Twin Valley (5-1, 8-1) hosts Hatboro-Horsham in a non-league gam, but still has a chance at the outright Section 3 title. The Raiders would claim sole possession of the championship with an Ephrata (4-1, 8-1) loss against Elizabethtown (2-3, 2-7) and a Garden Spot (4-1, 8-1) loss against Solanco (2-3, 3-6).
Wyomissing has a chance for a share of the Section 4 title should the Spartans (5-1, 8-1) win against Lampeter-Strasburg (5-1, 8-1) and Cocalico (6-0, 8-1) fall to Conrad Weiser (2-4, 2-7).
Teams also will be playing for postseason position Friday.
Per District 3 power rankings, five Berks teams are in district qualifying playoffs spots going into the final week. Another four are in position to qualify for the Eastern Conference playoffs.
In Class 6A, Wilson is fourth in the district power rankings; the top eight teams qualify.
In Class 5A, where the top 12 teams qualify, Exeter is seventh. Gov. Mifflin (2-3, 4-5), which hosts Warwick (2-3, 3-6) in a Section 2 game, is 13th. The Mustangs appear headed to the Eastern Conference 5A/6A final.
In Class 4A, where the top 10 teams qualify, Twin Valley is second. Fleetwood (1-4, 4-5), which plays at Daniel Boone (0-5, 1-8) in a Section 3 game, is 12th. The Tigers likely would at least lock up a spot in the Eastern Conference 4A final with a win.
In Class 3A, where the top six teams qualify, Wyomissing is second and Schuylkill Valley third. Berks Catholic (3-3, 4-5), which hosts Elco (3-3, 6-3) in a Section 4 game, is seventh. Hamburg (2-4, 5-4), which plays at Columbia (1-5, 2-7) in a Section 5 game, is eighth.
If the Eastern Conference rankings through Week 9 hold, the Saints and the Hawks would meet in the EC Class 3A final.
Week 10 schedule
Friday at 7 p.m.
Reading High at Hempfield
Manheim Township at Wilson
Manheim Central at Exeter
Warwick at Gov. Mifflin
Conestoga Valley at Muhlenberg
Fleetwood at Daniel Boone
Elco at Berks Catholic
Cocalico at Conrad Weiser
Wyomissing at Lampeter-Strasburg
Schuylkill Valley at Lancaster Catholic
Hamburg at Columbia
Kutztown at Pequea Valley
Hatboro-Horsham at Twin Valley
Source: Berkshire mont
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