Domination

There's no other word to describe it. I'm assuming all of you were at Thompson Stadium tonight (the announced attendance was nearly 5,000), but for those who weren't or didn't listen to it on the radio, let me be the first to tell you – the Elizabethtown Bears completely destroyed the Manheim Central Barons in every single aspect of a varsity football game. That sentence hasn't been written in 2 decades, maybe more.

Just going off the top of my head (I'll have the official numbers tomorrow) but the Bears had more than 600 yards of offense and scored 56 points. Jordan Hallman, who somehow amazes me week in and week out, went out and ran for five touchdowns and more than 300 yards. That's three good games for most backs. Not Hallman. Also, I'm 98 percent sure that game puts him over the 1,000 yard mark, but I'll know for sure tomorrow. You just can't say enough about this kid. Yes, the offensive line (more on them in a minute) gets it started by opening holes, but he patiently waits for them around the line of scrimmage and then explodes through them. His acceleration is unmatched in the district and if he's even, he's leavin'. He's also one of the nicest, humblest kids you'd ever meet. The ultimate team player. And you can say that about everyone in the blue and white. They are all doing what they're doing for the team. They honestly don't care who scores the TDs or who makes the fumble recovery, as long as someone on their team is doing it.

Chris Burger, Alex Kircher, Sean McMullen, Evan Good and Anthony Durante played as well tonight as I've ever seen them play. Hallman, Conrad Heisey and Andrew Weller weren't getting touched until they were 5 yards downfield.

And the defense refused to let up. They hit Central in the mouth all night long. When the Bears needed it, the passing game with Preston Faith, Kyle McNeil and Nate Koach was there. The Bears really clicked on all cylinders and, when they do that, I dare to say that there is no one in District Three Class AAA that's on their level. Last week against Ephrata, they didn't play their best. Tonight, they nearly did and they beat their archrivals by 42 points.

Maybe now they'll get some love in the Patriot News rankings.

Plenty more on this game coming in Thursday's edition of the Chronicle.

Until next time, cheers.

Here we go...

Well, well, well, the time is finally here. For weeks, we've looked forward to this matchup. Elizabethtown. Manheim Central. Tonight.

There haven't been many football games in this town that have stirred up the kind of buzz this one tonight has, and I think we're all in for a heck of a show. The atmosphere at Thompson Stadium is sure to be electric. Expect a hard-hitting, in your face game with a lot of big plays offensively, defensively and on special teams. Perfect football weather out there tonight.

Enjoy the game and remember to check the Chronicle this week and the blog right here for the best in-depth coverage and analysis of the Showdown in Elizabethtown tonight.

There's nothing left but for the players to decide this one on the field.

Horning qualifies for States

E-town cross country runner Dustin Horning finished 28th overall at Sunday's District Three cross country meet, qualifying him for the PIAA State Meet.

Horning finished the course in Hershey in 18:03.

E-town College Field Hockey postponed

Saturday's Commonwealth Conference field hockey match between visiting Elizabethtown College and second-ranked Lebanon Valley College has been postponed until Sunday at 1 p.m. in Annville, due to wet field conditions created by Friday's rainfall.

BREAKING NEWS: E-TOWN FOOTBALL POSTPONED

I just heard from Elizabethtown Area High School and tonight's showdown between E-town and Manheim Central has been postponed until Monday night at 7 p.m. due to inclement weather.

With the condition the field is currently in, any rain on it will make it unplayable and there is certainly plenty of rain headed our way that should hang around for the next day or so.

So we'll have to wait three more days for the big game. Should be worth the wait.

Weather alert: E-town vs. Manheim Central football game

I know you are all wondering what's going to happen with tomorrow night's big football game. I was at the field tonight and I can tell you that it's not in the greatest shape in the world. I imagine it wouldn't take much to push the game back.

As soon as I know if a decision is made, you'll know it. Right here, on From the Sidelines. So check back tomorrow, early and often and I'll get you the info as soon as I have it. Hey, it's what I do.

My opinion (not that it really matters) is that it'll be tough for them to play on a field if the rain that is supposed to be coming comes. The field is already in questionable shape, and the district has to take into consideration that they have to keep it in the best shape possible for not only the Central game, but for some possible home district playoff games. If that means moving the game to Monday, then it's for the best in the long run.

There's only one problem I foresee. The fact that, if the two teams are forced to play on Monday, it gives them both a short week to prepare for their final opponents. Not sure who Central has in week 10, but I know E-town has Cocalico, and they ain't no cupcake. How's that for good grammar?

Long story short, I'll keep you updated, you can count on it.

Until tomorrow, cheers.

Heartbreaker in E-town

I just got back from the E-town boys soccer team's District Three first round playoff game against Wilson tonight at E-town's Thompson Stadium. The Bears played their second straight overtime game, falling to the Bulldogs 1-0 tonight, ending their season.

It was a good game all in all and I think the two teams were very evenly matched. E-town was a 7 seed in the tournament and Wilson was a 10 seed, and it played that way. The Bears had a few near goals late in the game – one on a beautiful side volley by Peter Davis with seconds left in the second half and another on a perfectly struck shot from about 35 yards out that hit the crossbar. Some bad luck for the Bears. I will say that E-town keeper Quinn Cozzens played outstanding tonight.

Although their season ended a little earlier than they would have liked, the Bears have absolutely no reason to hang their heads. With all of the injuries and adversity they faced, they still were able to grad a share of the Section Two crown, and to make it to the league semifinals (where it took Manheim Township, one of the best AAA teams in the state, extra time to beat them), and played a good Wilson team tough.

Great season by E-town. But a tough one to swallow tonight.

Football Power Rankings – after week 8

For your enjoyment, here are the latest District Three and Six football power rankings. As you may or may not have noticed in this week's issue of the Chronicle, I wrote that the Bears were tied with Red Land at the top of the District. Well, they're not. My apologies, as the Bears are still at the top of the heap – all by themselves. Donegal has made an appearance in the top 20, coming in 20th.

1. Elizabethtown, 8-0 overall, 138 power points.
2. Red Land, 8-0, 135.
3. Northern, 8-0, 123.
4. Hershey, 7-1, 120.
5. West York, 7-1, 116.
6. Greencastle-Antrim, 7-1, 107.
7. Gettysburg, 7-1, 106.
8. Daniel Boone, 6-2, 101.
9. Conrad Weiser, 6-2, 98.
10. Lampeter-Strasburg, 6-2, 96.
11. Solanco, 5-3, 86.
12. Manheim Central, 5-3, 83.
13. Northern Lebanon, 6-2, 78.
14. Shippensburg, 6-2, 77.
15. Cocalico, 5-3, 76.
16. Spring Grove, 4-4, 71.
16. Susquehannock, 5-3, 71.
18. Hamburg, 5-3, 65.
18. New Oxford, 4-4, 65.
20. Donegal, 5-3, 61.

Also, the Patriot-News released its updated state rankings too. It still amazes me that the Bears aren't getting any love from Harrisburg.
Class AAA
1. Thomas Jefferson (District 7), 8-0.
2. Berwick (2), 7-1.
3. Red Land (3), 8-0.
4. West Scranton (2), 7-1.
5. Montour (7), 8-0.
6. Titusville (10), 7-0.
7. Unionville (1), 8-0.
8. Chartiers Valley (7), 6-2.
9. Pine-Richland (7), 7-1.
10. Gettysburg (3), 7-1.

E-town did get honorable mention, but how in the world can TWO district three teams be ranked ahead of them in the state rankings? Makes no sense to me. Something tells me that if Central were 8-0, they'd be ranked in the top 3. Maybe if the Bears beat Central tomorrow night and go to 9-0 they might get some love.

Bears win ... in a downpour

Well, it wasn't exactly ideal conditions tonight, but the Bears pulled out a 20-19 win over Ephrata tonight.

I'll have plenty more on this game tomorrow, but that's pretty much it for tonight. If you were there and you survived the 30 min lightning delay and the rain, you already know what went down at Thompson Stadium tonight. If you didn't go, or left early, I'll have the scoop for you manana.

Until then, stay classy Elizabethtown.

Streaks squeak by Bears

Last night in Hempfield, E-town lost to Manheim Township in double overtime, 2-1, in the semifinals of the Lancaster-Lebanon League playoffs.

The Bears' L-L playoff run was nothing short of awesome (sorry to go skater-guy on you there). The Bears came out of nowhere to share the section title and then nearly beat arguably the best team in the league to make it to the league finals. Loved James Sostack's strategy of stacking the defense against the potent Streaks and, for the first half and half of the second half, it was paying off. Peter Davis played a beautful through ball to Josh Reem to put E-town up 1-0 and then the Bears just focused on defense the rest of the way.

Quinn Cozzens was OUTSTANDING in goal for E-town. What a game this kid had. He made several very athletic saves and really is coming into his own.

The Bears now turn their sights to Districts, which is really the more important of the two tournaments. It's looking like they will be a 7 seed and will host 10th seeded Wilson on Thursday (I'll post it when I know for sure). Sostack didn't seem thrilled by this draw for his team, so it certainly won't come easy for the Bears against Wilson. But they've got to be a confident bunch right now.

Kudos on a great run in leagues.

Okay, that's all for now. I'm going to try and give you live updates from Thompson Field tonight if I can get a wireless signal in the press box. So if it's raining and you don't want to give up, never fear, I'm here for you tonight. Hey, it's what I do.

Cheers.

Preview: E-town vs. Ephrata

Hello out there in cyberspace. Since we didn't have space for our normal football preview in the Chronicle this week, I'm bringing it to you online. Here goes:

Game Details:
Ephrata Mounts (1-6 overall, 1-3 section) at Elizabethtown Bears (7-0 overall, 4-0 section), 7 p.m. tonight, Elizabethtown Area High School.

Seasons at a glance:
Ephrata: It's been a tough go so far for the Mounts, as they are off to a 1-6 start. But their record is a little bit misleading. Ephrata is a solid football team and has been on the short end of some very, very tough losses this year. Don't let that 1-6 mark fool you.

E-town: By now, you all know about the Bears. 7-0 overall. 4-0 section. Top-ranked team in District Three. Yeah, they're pretty good. Here's something I noticed the other day that I thought was odd. Red Land is ranked No. 2 in the District 3 and 6 Rankings (behind the Bears), but are the No. 3 team in the PIAA Class AAA state rankings, while E-town isn't even in the top 10. How does that make sense? The Bears have more power points and have beaten some darn good teams (Township, Solanco, LD, etc). Just seems to me that the Bears should be up there if Red Land is the number 3 team in the state. Some fun numbers on the Bears: They've scored 252 points in 7 games (36 ppg avg.) and have allowed just 60 (8.5 ppg). They're scoring differential is a ridiculous +192. Wow.

E-town on offense:
Ephrata likes to stack the line on defense and take away the running game. Well, best of luck, because few teams run the ball as efficiently as the Bears. Look at their top three backs' yards per carry average: Jordan Hallman – 8.9, Andrew Weller – 8.4, Conrad Heisey – 6.9. Those are extremely efficient numbers that prove just how potent the Bears' backfield is. It's going to take a heck of an effort from Ephrata to keep the E-town offense from holding onto the ball for long drives and moving the chains. They're tough to tackle as well. Meanwhile, the Bears really couldn't get any better play from the quarterback position. Starter Preston Faith has yet to throw an interception this year (61 attempts), and junior Kyle McNeil is getting better every single week. Both have QB ratings well over 100.
PLAYERS TO WATCH: The three headed monster of Hallman, Heisey, and Weller. The more yards they can pick up on the ground, the more the Bears can chew up the clock on offense. And the longer E-town can keep Ephrata's potent offense on the sideline the better.

E-town on defense:
The Mounts are the second-best offense in the section (behind guess who) and quarterback Blake Crowther is one of the most dynamic, exciting players in the league. He is third in the section in rushing (777 yards) and has also thrown for more than 600 yards. He's accounted for 12 touchdowns and has kicked six PATs, so he pretty much does it all for the Mounts. Against a team that has a running quarterback, it's important for the opposing linebackers to be able to cover sideline-to-sideling quickly to limit running room (at least that's how I do it when I'm playing Madden against the Tennessee Titans). So Sean McMullen, Shane Rosenberry, Andrew Weller and Oliver Thayer will need to be on Crowther like C.C. Sabathia on a tub of butter pecan ice cream. There's your difference to the game, boys and girls, contain Crowther and beat Ephrata. Sounds easy enough from behind a keyboard.
PLAYERS TO WATCH: The linebackers, or as I have dubbed them, The Hit Squad.

E-town on special teams:
Looks like it's going to be wet out there tonight, so E-town will need Peter Davis to do his best to get kickoffs deep despite what might be slippery footing. There could be some shanked punts and kickoffs tonight with the weather. We'll see how which team makes a big mistake and if the other will be able to capitalize on it.
PLAYERS TO WATCH: E-town's kick coverage unit. They must keep the Ephrata offense pinned back in their own zone as far as possible.

Prediction:
C'mon, you guys know me by now. I picked these Bears to beat Manheim Township, do you really think I'm going to pick them to lose to a 1-6 team, at home, on Homecoming? Nah. E-town will win. I don't know much, but I do know this – Ephrata is much better than their record. They're not 1-6 bad. No way.

Crowther is a heck of a player, but he can't do it all himself and I think E-town has too much talent and too good of a scheme defensively and will limit him. I just don't see how Ephrata can beat E-town unless the Bears beat themselves. If they completely self destruct and everything goes wrong for them, the Mounts have a chance.

With the wet weather, it's all about running the football and, while Ephrata's Crowther, Woody Miller and Joel Yoder can certainly run it, I'm taking Weller, Heisey, Hallman and Rosenberry.

E-town 35 - Solanco 14

Preview: L-L Semis, E-town vs. Manheim Township

Tonight the E-town boys soccer team, the Colorado Rockies of the L-L League, take on might Manheim Township in the Lancaster-Lebanon League semifinals at 7:30 p.m. at Hempfield High School. Here's my take on the game, for what it's worth.

Well, the Bears have their hands full tonight with an athletic, talented Manheim Township team. Granted, this Township team isn't as good perhaps as last season's juggernaut, but the Streaks are still pretty darn good. E-town and Township matched up once this season, about three weeks ago. Township rolled past the Bears 5-0, handing E-town its most lopsided defeat of the season. E-town was red hot coming into that game, having won six in a row before that. But I think Township brought them back to Earth a bit. The Bears are 5-2 since that game.

E-town has to feel as if it is playing with house money right now, and that makes them the most dangerous team in the league playoffs. I mean a week and a half ago, they were left for dead in the Section Two race by nearly everyone. But they rallied, and the teams they needed to lose lost, and they kept winning, and suddenly ... BAM .... Section Two co-champs. And then, in the blink of an eye, they get two early goals in their first playoff game and ... BAM ... they are in the league semis against Township. (I feel a bit like Emerill right now.

Township, meawhile, did not play their best soccer in the first round, and if they aren't on top of their game they will find themselves at home on Saturday instead of playing for the league title. They won't beat E-town 5-0 again. That game was the perfect storm – everything was going right for Township, nothing for E-town. It'll be different this time around, but the mighty Streaks had better be on, or else they'll be gone.

If you were going to twist my arm and make me pick a winner, I'd probably go with Township in a 4-3 game. With that said, though, don't for a second think E-town can't win this one, because they can. The Bears have a ton of very talented kids and when they play the way they are capable of, they can roll with anyone.

Ok, ok, enough talk, let's just see what happens tonight in Hempfield.

Sidenote: I can't seem to get any photos to upload right now. It might be my computer, or it's probably the fact that I'm an idiot. I'll go with the latter.

Football Power Rankings – Week Seven

Here are the latest Class AAA District 3 and 6 power rankings after seven weeks. Remember the top 16 teams make the district playoffs.

The Bears continue to enjoy the view from the top.

1. Elizabethtown, 7-0 record, 138 power points.
2. Red Land, 7-0, 132.
3. Northern York, 7-0, 127.
4. Hershey, 6-1, 115.
5. West York, 6-1, 110.
6. Gettysburg, 6-1, 102.
7. Greencastle-Antrim, 6-1, 91.
8. Daniel Boone, 5-2, 91.
9. Northern Lebanon, 6-1, 88.
10. Conrad Weiser, 5-2, 87.
11. Lampeter-Strasburg, 5-2, 85.
12. Shippensburg, 6-1, 84.
13. Manheim Central, 4-3, 77.
13. Solanco, 4-3, 77.
13. Sprint Grove, 4-3, 77.
16. Cocalico, 4-3, 67.
17. Susquehannock, 4-3, 64.
18. Hamburg, 4-3, 61.
19. Donegal, 4-3, 54.
19. New Oxford, 3-4, 54.

If the season ended today, which it obviously does not, the Bears would play Cocalico. Just something to keep in mind: the Bears also play Cocalico in the last game of the regular season. Could be interesting.

Check back tomorrow for a preview of the E-town-Ephrata homecoming game.

Bears Share Section Crown

Well, well, well, looks like E-town will be in the league playoffs after all. After the dust settled from a wild weekend in boy's soccer, the Bears found themselves tied atop Section Two with Ephrata. The Bears actually had one more win than the Mounts, but Ephrata had a bunch of ties four ties, which added up to the same amount of points (31) as E-town finished with.

Going into Saturday, all Conestoga Valley had to do was beat Garden Spot and it had a playoff spot sewn up, but the Spartans pulled off the upset, and the Bears cemented their postseason berth with a 3-0 win over Solanco Saturday night.

They'll take on Section Four champion Lancaster Mennonite at 5:30 p.m. at Hemfield on Tuesday night.

If the Bears win, they'll advance to play on Thursday night at Hempfield, with the finals set for Saturday at Manheim Central.

Great job by the Bears.

Bears pull away, move to 7-0

Well, it wasn't easy in the first half, but the E-town football team showed resiliency tonight and pulled away from Garden Spot in the fourth quarter. The Bears scored five touchdowns in the fourth and dispensed of the Spartans 42-14 to move to 7-0 overall and 4-0 in the section.

I'm no expert when it comes to clinching district playoff spots, but I believe the Bears have officially locked up a berth with tonight's win.

The first half was very weird. Garden Spot got every break and it looked like the game had all the makings of an upset. The Bears were going in for a touchdown, fumbled at the goal line and it was recovered by GS. Garden Spot took the lead on a pass that was broken up well by Nate Koach, but fell right into the hands of Spartan receiver Sean Beahan. Every break went Garden Spot's way in the first half, and the Bears found themselves, gasp, trailing 7-6 for the first time since the Manheim Township game. But Kyle McNeil came in late in the second quarter and orchestrated a nice drive, hooking up with Koach for a TD with seconds remaining. Koach made a great play to come down with the ball and get into the end zone on the throw, and the Bears took the lead for good.

E-town's defense was dominant again, scoring on a long fumble return (I believe it was 41 yards off the top of my head) by Shane Rosenberry. Shaun Buller also had a fumble recovery on a kickoff that set up a Conrad Heisey 1-yard TD plunge.

I think E-town having to scratch and claw their way back in it after a less than impressive first half was just what this Bears team needed. Call it a little bit of a wake up call if you want, but E-town definitely responded impressively in the fourth quarter. That's what good teams do. They win the fourth quarter. The Bears consider themselves a second-half team, and that is what championship-caliber teams are.

This one got ugly in a hurry, which proves how capable the Bears are of pulling away from inferior teams playing above their heads quickly. E-town might play a sloppy half or a sloppy quarter, but this team will not play poorly for four quarters, you can guarantee that. And that's why they'll beat a lot of teams. They don't give up, and they don't stop coming at you.

Their 35-point fourth quarter will give the team tons of confidence heading into next week's homecoming game against Blake Crowther and Ephrata.

I also think Columbia knocked off Northern Lebanon tonight, which would make E-town the only undefeated team in the Lancaster-Lebanon League.

Football Friday is about to start, so I'll know for sure then.

Cheers.

Feelin' Blue

E-town's homecoming is next Friday, Oct. 19 against Ephrata. Homecoming's always a big game, but it will be even bigger if the Bears get by Garden Spot tomorrow and get to 7-0.

In an effort to bring out some team spirit, the district is asking all fans attending to wear blue for a Blue Out that night. I think it's a great idea. I always like seeing Penn State's white outs, and hope everyone participates. Heck, I might even wear blue. It brings out my eyes.

So get your E-town gear out for next Friday. Most of you wear it anyway, but this time make sure it's something blue. Don't worry about something new, something old or something borrowed. Well, borrow a blue shirt if you don't have one.

That's all for today everyone, I hope you're all up to speed after this marathon blogging day.

Until next time, stay classy Elizabethtown.

Baker headed to Old Dominon

E-town senior pitcher Erick Baker has accepted a full scholarship to play baseball at Old Dominion University next season. Baker is a 6-4 pitcher who is rumored to be throwing in the low 90s after coming back from some injuries.

I don't know much more about this right now, but I'm working on getting a feature story on Erick for the Chronicle. If that happens, I'll post it here as well.

Congrats to Erick.

Running well

Special congrats go out to the E-town boys and girls cross country teams for qualifying for the District Three meet on Saturday, Oct. 27 in Hershey.

The girls (pictured above with their 2nd place trophy from the Carlisle Cross Country Invitational on Sept. 29) finished the season at 12-9, while the boys went 11-10.

Both teams have some outstanding runners. Dustin Horning is the boys' top runner and is 13th in the L-L League scoring leaders. Shea Mascia had a great season for the girls and, along with senior Caity Fisher, give the Bears a formidable 1-2 punch.

Best of luck to the teams at Districts.

Field Hockey misses out on playoffs

Last week when I wrote about E-town, the Bears still had an excellent shot at the league playoffs. Some things needed to go right for them to make it, but it was more than a possibility. Unfortunately, E-town closed out the year by losing three straight and five of their last seven games, and finished 7-10-1 overall and 5-6-1 in the section, seven points behind Manheim Central for third place.

But by no means should this be considered a disappointing season for E-town. They did return eight starters from last year, but are still a very young team and will be an absolute force to be reckoned with next year. Two years ago, graduation crippled the Bears and coach Andy Derr and company began rebuilding last year with a talented group of underclassmen. Next year, they will be seasoned veterans and will be right up there at the top of the section come next October.

The reason for E-town's poor record down the stretch is pretty easy to find – scoring. The Bears managed only 18 goals this year – five of those coming in a 5-0 thrashing of Lebanon in mid-September. E-town's 14 goals in section play were the second fewest in the section (Lebanon had 0), but the Bears allowed just 11 section goals, better than everyone except Ephrata and Central. E-town's defense is pretty good, but the Bears need to score more goals next year to be successful.

Districts likely for soccer team

For some reason, when people mention district powerhouses in soccer, E-town's name doesn't come up very often. Sure, the Bears haven't won any district titles lately, but head coach James Sostack always has the team competitive regardless of their level of experience or injuries. The Bears are in the thick of the league and district playoff races year in and year out, and don't get near the credit they deserve most of the time, in my opinion.

Anywho, Peter Davis scored two first half goals yesterday, and the Bears beat Cocalico 2-1 to move to 8-5-1. League playoffs are a stretch for this bunch, considering their tough 1-0 loss to CV last Friday, but anything's possible. However districts, which begin Monday, Oct. 22 with play-in games, is a very real possibility for E-town.

Here's a look at the Section Two standings as of this morning:
Conestoga Valley..................9-4-1
Ephrata.................................8-2-4
E-town..................................8-5-1
Cocalico................................4-9-1
Garden Spot..........................3-10-1
Solanco.................................2-12-0

E-town has two games left, against Garden Spot (today) and Solanco (Saturday), and should finish 10-5-1 for the season.

CV and Ephrata play each other today, and then CV rounds out the season with Garden Spot on Saturday. The Mounts finish on Saturday with Cocalico. For the Bears to make leagues, they must 2-0 the rest of the way and CV must go 0-2. That seems like a tall order, but I've seen crazier things (the National League playoff teams, for example).

When I know if E-town gets into districts, I'll be sure to post it ASAP.

Updated District 3 and 6 Power Rankings

Here are the latest District 3 and 6 football power rankings, as of today.

No. 1 is a good place to be, the last time I checked:

Class AAA
1. Elizabethtown (6-0 overall) – 133 power points.
2. Hershey (5-0) – 128.
2. Red Land (6-0) – 128.
4. Northern (6-0) – 125.
5. West York (5-1) – 107.
6. Northern Lebanon (6-0) – 103.
7. Daniel Boone (5-1) – 100.
8. Gettysburg (5-1) – 98.
8. Shippensburg (5-1) – 98.
10. Greencastle Antrim (5-1) – 92.
11. Spring Grove (4-2) – 87.
12. Lampeter-Strasburg (4-2) – 82.
13. Hamburg (4-2) – 68.
13. Manheim Central (3-3) – 68.
15. Conrad Weiser (4-2) – 67.
16. Solanco (3-3) – 65.
17. Garden Spot (3-3) – 60.
17. New Oxford (3-3) – 60.
17. Susquehanna Township (3-3) – 60.
20. Cocalico (3-3) – 58.

If the season ended today, E-town, Northern Lebanon, L-S, Manheim Central and Solanco would be in the playoffs from the L-L League, with Garden Spot and Cocalico on the outside looking in.

The top-ranked Bears face No. 17 Garden Spot this Friday. More on that game tomorrow.

Quick update

Hello everyone,
My apologies for the lack of updates so far this week. I know, I know, bad blogger. But I'm making it up to those who read the blog today. I'll be giving you something on a ton of different sports (cross country, football, boys soccer, field hockey and even some baseball). So expect a number of posts from me today, and I'll try and get back to daily (or every other day) updates for you. Cross my heart.

Also, if anyone would like to leave comments on the blog, simply sign up for a user ID at www.blogger.com. All you need is an email address, and sign up is free. If you don't want to do that, but would like to weigh in on anything related to E-town sports, send me an email to sports.etown@gmail.com.

Plenty more to follow today.

Wow

Memo to the rest of the teams in the L-L League and District Three:

Look out for the Bears.

Signed,
This lowly blogger.

I tell you what folks, I just got back from Thompson Stadium (how's this for a quick E-town update?) and, I know most of you were there and saw it for yourselves, but E-town is absolutely a force to be reckoned with.

They dominated a pretty darn good Solanco football team tonight and dismantled the Mules 40-7. You want proof of dominance? How's this – in the last three games, E-town has outscored its opponents....let's see, carry the 1, add the 9.....136 to 19. Yeah, read that again.

Unbelievable. I'll have more on this game tomorrow or Monday (I don't blog on Sundays, I watch football. Sorry). But just know this, E-town is legit and if there were any questions about how good they really were before tonight, the Bears answered them. Emphatically.

Congrats to the team on a great win.

Until next time, you stay classy Elizabethtown.

Playoffs?!?!? Playoffs?!?

Of course, that title is recreation of sorts from Jim Mora's memorable press conference as the Colts head coach. Ah, I always enjoy that.

Anyway, I wanted to give you all a quick update on how the L-L League Field Hockey playoffs are shaping up. In Section Two, which E-town is in, there are three playoff berths up for grabs. Here are the standings as of today.

Ephrata...9-1-0
L-S.........6-4-0
Central...5-2-1
E-town....5-3-1

For all intents and purposes, I'm leaving out Lebanon, Garden Spot and Cocalico, since they have no shot at the postseason. So there are four teams battling for three spots. Actually, Ephrata has already clinched a playoff berth, so there are three teams battling for two spots.

Last night, Ephrata beat L-S (which helped E-town), while the Bears and the Barons battled to 0-0 tie (which didn't help E-town, but it certainly didn't hurt the Bears either). Right now, either of those three teams could still finish in second place, although E-town has played one less section game than L-S and Ephrata and Central has played two less section games.

The Bears have three games left:
Friday at L-S (huuuge game for E-town)
Monday at Cocalico
Wednesday, home against Garden Spot at 4 p.m.

Manheim Central's remaining games look like this:
Friday, vs. Cocalico
Monday, @ Lebanon
Tuesday, @ Lebanon
Wednesday, vs. L-S

L-S has this left:
Friday, vs. E-town
Monday, vs. Annville-Cleona (who is 0-10 right now)
Wednesday, vs. Manheim Central.

Cocalico and Garden Spot are defintely two teams that E-town can (and should) beat. They are 2-0 against them so far. The Bears also beat L-S 1-0 back on Sept. 19. So the Bears pretty much control their own destiny. If they win out, they should be in, because they will finish at 8-3-1.

IF they lose to L-S and finish at 7-4-1, it gets a little tricky. E-town would need to hope for Cocalico, Lebanon or Annville-Cleona to pull an upset in the final week. If the Bears can't beat L-S, than the Pioneers and the Barons would likely be in with E-town just missing out. But E-town definitely needs to finish at least 2-1 to have a shot.

The playoff picture is definitely a little murky right now, but it will get a little clearer after E-town and L-S do battle tomorrow.

A special night on tap

Tonight will be a special night for the entire Elizabethtown football program (past and present) and all of its followers (which is most of the town, judging by the sign I saw today at Hoss's).

The 1957 EHS team which, as most of you know, was the only undefeated team in program history will be having a reunion of sorts with the current Bears tonight at 7:30 in the high school cafeteria. It's nice to know that the kids playing and the current coaching staff understand the historical significance of the '57 team and that they are embracing it. The "Meet the Teams" night is open to the public, so I want to encourage everyone to come on by and check this event out. Just Tivo My Name is Earl and The Office, which is what I'll be doing.

I had the pleasure of sitting down with some of the 1957 players for a story I wrote in the Chronicle two weeks ago and, let me tell you, they are an enjoyable, entertaining bunch. I'm a sucker for sports history, which may explain why I watch ESPN Classic constantly (which also explains why there are two TVs in my house...). And I can't get enough of these guys. I could sit and listen to them recount stories of that magical season all night long. It's amazing that they can remember specific plays of specific games that happened 50 years ago, and I can't even remember what I had for dinner last night.

They are truly a remarkable group of men, as is the current EAHS team. They will also be honored at tomorrow night's football game as inductees into the EASD Athletic Wall of Honor, but come out tonight and you'll have a chance to talk to some of them in a more intimate setting.

Field Hockey update

The E-town girls field hockey team beat Lebanon 2-0 yesterday. Meanwhile, Manheim Central handed Ephrata its first loss of the season in overtime, making the Section Two race just a little tighter. Here are the standings as of today:

Section Two
Ephrata.............................8-1-0 (24 points)
Lampeter-Strasburg..........6-3-0 (18)
Manheim Central...............5-2-1 (16)
Elizabethtown................... 5-3-0 (15)
Garden Spot......................3-6-0 (9)
Cocalico............................2-5-1 (7)
Lebanon............................0-9-0 (0)

We could be for an interesting two weeks or so to close out the regular season. Stay tuned.

Football Power Rankings

Power rankings for Distict Three and Six as of today.

Look who's No. 1.

Class AAA
1. Elizabethtown (5-0) – 130.
2. Hershey (5-0) – 126.
3. Northern (5-0) – 122.
3. Red Land (5-0) – 122.
5. Northern Lebanon (5-0) – 100.
5. West York (4-1) – 100.
7. Gettysburg (4-1) – 92.
7. Greencastle-Antrim (4-1) – 92.
9. Shippensburg (5-0) – 90.
10. Daniel Boone (4-1) – 88.
11. Conrad Weiser (4-1) – 76.
11. Solanco (3-2) – 76.
13. Spring Grove (3-2) – 72.
14. Cocalico (3-2) – 68.
14. Lampeter-Strasburg (3-2) – 68.
16. New Oxford (3-2) – 68.
17. Hamburg (3-2) – 62.
18. Dover (3-2) – 58.
19. Manheim Central (2-3) – 54.
20. Donegal (3-2) – 52.

The weekend that was...

On Mondays, I'll take a quick look back at weekend EAHS action, and update you on how the Bears fared in different sports. Here's the first edition of "The weekend that was":

Another week, another win for the Bears football team. This one was ugly by halftime. E-town's defense looked great against the Buckskins, who were without their best running back – Kevin Kelley, suspended for disciplinary actions by the CV coach. But the Bears knocked CV's starting quarterback out early in the first quarter, and the Bucks' offense had no chance against Sean McMullen and that ferocious E-town defense. CV turned the ball over a lot and made a ton of mistakes, setting up the E-town offense in good field position all night long. Credit to the Bears too, they capitalized on good field position every single time. Kyle McNeil looked very good at quarterback in limited action. Starter Preston Faith continued his strong play too, and still has yet to throw an interception this season.

Down in Quarryville, Solanco handed Manheim its first section loss of the season, setting up a big battle this Friday night when the Mules come to E-town with both teams 2-0 in the section. Before Friday, the talk around town was that the Central game on Oct. 26 was the game of the year for the Bears, but I'd argue that this Friday's game is more important for E-town. Not that they have anything to prove, but a win over the Mules will go a long way in keeping the Bears as the team to beat in the Section, and do a lot for their District Three power ranking.

In field hockey, E-town lost a close game to undefeated Ephrata, 1-0 on Friday. You have to give credit to E-town for keeping the section's best offense to just one goal and to goalie Becca Bigler, who made 13 saves against the Mounts. A win against Ephrata would have pulled the Bears into third place in front of Manheim Central, but instead E-town is sitting at 4-3, 1 point behind the Barons for third and three behind L-S for second. I don't see anyone catching Ephrata in the section, but E-town could still make some waves. They play Central at home on Wednesday, and then go to L-S on Friday. Two wins there, and the Bears could find themselves in the league playoffs and in second place in Section Two. They've got to find a way to score more goals though.

In soccer, the E-town boys were pretty much handled by Manheim Township on Thursday, but are still tied for second place with CV at 6-3-1. Ephrata leads the section at 6-1-3, but can still be caught by the Bears or the Buckskins. CV should get a win tonight against Cedar Crest, while E-town has a much more difficult task ahead of them – the 7-1-2 Black Knights of Hempfield. This is a big week for E-town and will pretty much make or break them. After Hempfield tonight, they play at Ephrata on Wednesday (a game they can certainly win), and will host CV on Friday at 4. A 2-1 week puts the Bears in good playoff position, if they go 1-2, they'll need a strong finish and some help to have a hope at the section crown. Peter Davis and this offense can score with anyone, though, so the Bears are never out of a game.

Also, congratulations to the E-town Girls Cross Country team, who finished fifth overall and second out of AAA teams at this weekend's Carlisle Invitational. The turnaround of the girls team has been amazing. Just a couple of years ago, they didn't even have enough runners to compete as a team. Now, they are looking for a winning season. Great job by coach John Spittal and the seniors on the team making the Bears resectable again.