AccuWeather.com tells me the rain isn't supposed to come until after midnight this week, so that should be an improvement on Week 1. Does that mean the action on the field will be even better? With my fingers crossed, I give you a few quick takes leading up to Friday night's action.

Best matchup: Kole Kraut and the Dallastown offensive line vs. the West York defense. Last week, the Bulldogs held a talented group of Central York rushing backs to only seven yards on 27 carries. Last week, Dallastown running back Kole Kraut picked up 129 yards and two touchdowns on only 14 carries behind a big and experienced offensive line. Kraut has great field vision and a line in front of him that has size and savvy. The Bulldogs are viciously fast and merciless on defense, led by defensive end Blake Campbell. Something has got to give.

Toughest act to follow: Northeastern. It was an unbelievable varsity debut for the Bobcats last week. The feel-good movie version may be out in theaters by the summer of 2010. By the way, if any Hollywood movie executives are reading this, I could totally write that script. But this week, the Bobcats have to hit the road to play a team that finished above .500 last year. They still could beat Biglerville, which couldn't handle Class A Camp Hill last week, but I would be shocked if the win comes as easy as the east Juniata victory.

Posted in Prep sports Sean McLernon YAIAA football

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Howdy, Chris,

I don't normally write letters to the editor but I can't let this one pass by without raising a few issues.

Last week's rundown of the top athletes at South Western was the epitome of what's wrong with this series. You've got young reporters and the people being used for references are young and don't have a clue who played what sport in the years prior to the 80's and as a result, you're missing some of the toughest athletes ever from that
school. You're also missing an important aspect with football in particular.

Posted in Prep sports YAIAA basketball YAIAA football Your Take

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Largely because the YAIAA was fairly young across the board last season, there are a good number of seniors with experience leading the way for football teams across York and Adams counties this fall. Especially among the league's top teams, seniors are leading the way.

Nonetheless, among this senior-laden crowd of playmakers, a few underclassmen have emerged in the week's first season as players to keep an eye on not just this year, but for seasons beyond.

1) Soph. QB Adam Sentz, York Catholic: Varsity debuts don't get much better than this. Sentz splashed onto the scene at Pius X on Saturday, rushing for 212 yards - including the game-winning 63-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter - during York Catholic's season-opening 35-28 win over Pius X on the road. Sentz also threw for 135 yards on 12-of-21 passing in the victory. He ran the offense as York Catholic scored 28 unanswered points and came back from three touchdowns down. Not too shabby.

2) Jr. RB Bobby Bailey, Spring Grove: Moving into the starting running back role after primarily seeing action on special teams as a sophomore, Bailey (pictured above) was a dependable offensive weapon for the Rockets throughout their 26-13 win over Kennard-Dale. Bailey scored three touchdowns on the ground -- including two in the game's final minutes -- in addition to gaining 155 yards on 19 carries. He broke multiple tackles on almost all of his carries, displaying a toughness that should serve him and the Rockets well this season.

Posted in Prep sports Sean McLernon YAIAA football

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It's hard to call any win an upset in Week 1, especially in high school football, because turnover is so high and it's hard to assess what each team has. Still, looking at what Eastern York and Northeastern were able to do on Friday and how they were able to do it, those results would have been hard to predict.

Eastern scored a 32-yard touchdown with 49 seconds left to earn a win over Columbia for the first time in the 31-year history of the program. Northeastern did not just pick up a victory in its first varsity football game in school history, it put forth a dominating performance for a 36-7 triumph.

Along with Eastern and Northeastern, there are three other teams that finished below .500 in 2007 that earned big victories in the season's first week and have a good chance of staying undefeated after this week and essentially set themselves up for a run to the playoffs if they can pull it off.

Posted in Prep sports Sean McLernon YAIAA football

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Was that the sound of a crying newborn varsity football program leaving the womb on its first night on earth? No, it was the sounds of an angry three-year-old throwing a tantrum and destroying everything in its path.

The Northeastern football program made a sound decision in taking the gradual approach to football, starting with a freshman team and then a junior varsity squad before adding a team at the varsity level in the third season. Coach Brendan Brown (above) was with them the entire way through. On Friday night, the Bobcats were able to celebrate triumphantly after its first varsity game in school history for which the Northeastern players had been preparing over the last three years.

It meant an electric atmosphere in the stands and a positive enough experience to draw fans back for more.

Nobody was as big a winner as Northeastern in Week 1, but there were a few other teams that should feel encouraged by their strong performances to open the season.

Posted in Prep sports Sean McLernon YAIAA football

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Received this morning...

I've read over your criteria several times and you are correct in saying that it is not scientific but is it even intellectual? I have done my research as any seasoned educator would do and I would suspect that a seasoned reporter would do as well. You would think in your so called two years of research/interviews you would have contacted West York's athletic director and surveyed each and every one of its coaches. You did not do this. So what roundtable were you at, a local VFW over pizza and beer! You wanted to cause controversy and you have and you have disappointed and angered many parents and athletes who, after being named the best in their respective sports in the State of Pennsylvania,and going on to success at a college, "OTHER THAN PENN STATE or being named to "YOUR" All star teams for their respective sports were IGNORED by your "list". I am also a bit concerned over your sexually biased reporting. You mean to tell me in all these years of WY sports there were only 3 female "top" athletes and all those males...wow, now we have a need for concern. So to all the parents that know for a fact their sons and daughters should have been chosen, take comfort in the fact that the grossly under-researched and biased reporting of this newspaper and its reporters was done without fact and without even contacting the school district, it's present or past coaching staff and present and past athletic directors. Sincerely, Mrs. TM Laucks

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It's about 24 hours until the football season begins. Here are some quick takes to keep in mind before the first whistle is blown:

Best game: West York at Central York. These schools are two of the strongest in the area, bringing back a ton of talent from squads that made the playoffs last year. But there is more to this contest than just a couple of skilled squads battling in the season opener. These guys have built up a bit of a rivalry over the last few seasons and will almost certainly battle to the finish again this year. In 2006, West York picked up a 20-14 victory. Last year, Central battled back from a nine-point fourth-quarter deficit to win 23-19, but the Bulldogs reeled off 10 straight victories and advanced further in the Class AAA playoffs than Central did in Class AAAA. The game clearly means a lot and these two teams will certainly put on a show.

Most at stake: Dallastown. The Wildcats started 0-3 last season and still managed to make the playoffs by winning six of its last seven games, making a strong argument that early-season play doesn't necessarily make or break a team's season. The thing is, one of those five late-season wins was a 14-7 victory over York Suburban. If the Wildcats can't beat the Trojans again this year, their chances of keeping the "legacy living" with a return to the playoffs and a spot near the top of the Division I standings won't look nearly as good.

Posted in Prep sports Sean McLernon YAIAA football

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I going to try to channel Frank Caliendo/Jim Rome here and make a few predictions for the YAIAA football season. I'm sort of supposed to be an expert on this stuff, so I might as well dispense my apparent wisdom for all area high school football fans to see, right? Right?

Anyway, remember, these picks are for entertainment purposes only. Don't blame me if you end up losing a slap bet because you wagered based on my predictions.

Division I champion: William Penn. There are just too many strong weapons not to pick the Bearcats to win the division for the second consecutive year. I'm convinced they are going to finish the regular season 10-0 if they remain relatively healthy.

Division II champion: West York. This is another case of too many solid players back from last season's championship team. The Bulldogs are fast, disciplined and talented, and I can't see anyone else in Division II derailing West York's success.

Division III champion: Delone Catholic. The Squires get the nod here by process of elimination. In addition to winning the division last year and taking the District 3 crown under the guidance of first-year coach Steve Wiles, they don't have to compete with Littlestown, which moved up to Division II. Bermudian could give the Squires a run, but I like Delone to make it three repeat champs in the YAIAA this season.

Posted in Prep sports Sean McLernon YAIAA football

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Here's an intriguing quirk in the Week 1 schedule: There are four games between YAIAA Division I teams and Division II teams (West York-Central, Dallastown-Suburban, Littlestown-Dover and Spring Grove-Kennard-Dale).

What better way to determine which football division is stronger this season?

They do this sort of thing ever year in big-time college basketball. Here's a chance to do the same for area high school football. I think these matchups are particularly appropriate to settle the question of which division is better top to bottom.

Posted in Prep sports Sean McLernon YAIAA football

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Assigned to bounce around York County for four days last week in order to get a better understanding of some of this year's most intriguing high school football teams, I would like to think I learned a thing or two about while roaming the sidelines, listening to coaches, interviewing players and watching drills.

I would also like to think you might be interested to hear my observations and analysis from those four days beyond what I wrote in the print edition. Of course, even if you don't they pay me to do it anyway. So, here we go...

The clear favorite to repeat it's Division I title from last year, William Penn did things a little differently at this year's camp. As I wrote in the story, the most significant thing about the change is not that the Bearcats aren't practicing in the morning, it's that coach Matt Ortega "is confident enough in his current players' abilities and commitment to the task at hand to tailor at least a few aspects of training camp to their preferences."

It's part of the reason Ortega has had success at William Penn. He understands his players and can easily relate to them. During practice, he is more of a sympathetic teacher than a drill sergeant. He doesn't feel like he needs to bark at his players to get them going. They are already dedicated and motivated.

The Bearcats looked like a squad that had its act together. Combine that with the immense talent of players like Jordan Davis, Brandon Walker and Malik Generett and it all makes me even more convinced that William Penn will not only win Division I again, it will finish the regular season with a perfect 10-0 record.

Posted in Prep sports Sean McLernon YAIAA football

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