In a bit of mild vindication for me, the only teams that moved on to the second round of the playoffs were the top four teams in my rankings. So maybe I kind of know what I'm talking about with this. Maybe.
No change at the top this week. Central beat a tougher opponent in Harrisburg and came through in the clutch, but West York can't help it if they draw a team like Hershey in the first round. Plus, the Bulldogs absolutely pounded Hershey in a 38-0 win. Further down in the rankings there is some movement based on performances last week.
Have a thought of your own you'd like to add? The comments section is there for you.
1. West York (10-1): A 38-point win of the shutout variety in the postseason? Yeah, I think the Bulldogs are feeling pretty good about themselves.
2. Central York (10-1): The Panthers turned a difficult first-round draw into a gutsy, confidence boosting victory. It wasn't pretty, but Central showed again that it knows how to step up its play in the second half and secure a victory.
3. William Penn (10-1): The Bearcats survived a first-round battle with Red Land that was probably a little too close for comfort. McDevitt comes to town on Friday in a contest that will demand William Penn's strongest episode of the season.
4. Delone Catholic (10-1): The Squires made a statement. Not only did they shout out Suburban, they held the Trojans to only 85 total yards and five first downs.Defending district champs indeed.
5. Red Lion (6-5): If the Lions had a little more speed, they may have been able to pick up a few more wins. Still, Red Lion looked respectable in late-season losses to Central York in Week 9 and Bishop McDevitt in the first round of the playoffs, and won its five other games since starting the season 1-3.
6. Bermudian Springs (8-3): The Eagles can hang their hat on their shutout victory of Delone that helped them earn a share of the Division III title, but they could not do much against Wymossing last week.
7. Dallastown (7-4): The Wildcats avoided a crash landing after the dismissal of eight varsity players, but sputtered at the end of the season with a Week 10 loss to rival Red Lion and a blowout defeat against Penn Manor to end the year with a first-round playoff loss for the second straight year.
8. Biglerville (7-4): The Canners have something to build on for the future, winning the program's first division title in 37 years and making the playoffs. They'll just have to play a little better in the postseason next time.
9. Kennard-Dale (5-6): Speaking of building for the future, the Rams won in the final week of the regular season to get into the playoffs and then came up a few points short of pulling off a huge upset. Kennard-Dale clearly came to play, even if they ended up coming up short.
10. York Suburban (7-4): Making the playoffs is something to be proud of, but the Trojans have to do better than 85 yards in their most important game of the season. But with plenty of key players returning for 2009, the Trojans should be a force to be reckoned with in Division II.
1. West York (10-1) - Opponents record of 55-55 best of the top 4 teams - they also won games they should have won by the right margins, are a missed FG or dropped pass from 11-0 - #6 Conrad Weiser visit the dog pound on Friday.
2. Delone Catholic (10-1) - I know it is a Div.III team but they are the defending District Champions and until they lose deserve this lofty rank. A Tough #3 Middletown team is next - give the home Squires a close victory.
3. Central York (10-1) - Played a tough 5-5 draw in Harrisburg, forced 7 turnovers and won 24-21. Will need a more consistent performance to beat Governor Mifflin, but home field gives them the edge.
4. William Penn (10-1) - The Defense lead them to the 21-7 win over Red Land - offense has not been the machine we saw earlier this season - will need to return to that Offensive dominance to beat Bishop McDevitt at Smalls Field.
5. Bermudian Springs (8-3) - didn't bring their "A" game to Wyomissing last week - but did hand Delone its only loss.
6. Biglerville (8-3) - Overmatched by Perennial district III power Lancaster Catholic
7. York Suburban (7-4) – finished strong winning last 3 games to get into playoffs.
8. Red Lion (6-5) – They did beat a winning team in Dallastown to get into the playoffs but not enough against a McDevitt squad last week.
9. Dallastown (7-4) – Made the playoffs on strength of early season success – the team that played last week was undermanned for District playoff competition.
10. Kennard Dale (5-6) – 4 of their losses including the almost upset of Greencastle last week were by 7 points or less. Play much more like a 7-4 team.
10a. Littlestown (7-3) Left just outside the gate of the AA playoffs – 3 losses all to District III playoffs qualifiers; Kennard Dale, Delone, and West York. Deserved a better fate.
Good Luck to the 4 YAIAA teams remaining in the playoffs - all at home this week.
Biglerville finished with a record of (7-4) NOT (8-3)
1. West York - Brandon Reel. Plus they beat Central albeit in Week 1. Still this team is legit.
2. Central York - THis is the most sound team in all of the Y-A. Good QB, good RB, good WRs, and a hell of a defense not to mention an outstanding coach.
3. Delone - they put up big points and are a favorite in D3. Plus they blanked a Suburban team that has some serious fire power comming out of the backfield.
4. William Penn - That week 9 Win against Southwestern was a wakeup call to fans/ and hopefully the Bearcats. THey arent as good as we all thought. They line looks gassed in the 4th, and unfortunatley you cant give the ball to Generrette every play.
after that, I think all the teams are on the same level, West, Central, Delon and W.P are the only real threats commin out of Y-A. Having said this, I do believe all of these teams are capable of going the distance.
How many times do I have to post this comment before people understand that Delone did NOT win that game by their defense shutting down Waltimyer and Cross. YS's coaches lost that game for them by not keeping things status quo and letting the kids play the way they played the previous 3 games. I for one am sick and tired of reading how Delone's defense held YS's rushing game, when in fact, between Waltimyer and Cross they only got the ball 10 times that night! Am I the only person with any common sense? You have the leagues 3rd leading rusher and 4th leading scorer going into that game. That should raise a red flag right there! Ok people I am done ranting. I need to put this issue to rest now. Thanks for listening!