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West York's Brandon Real &#40;3&#41; returns a punt for a touchdown during the second quarter of last week's District 3 Class AAA opener against Hershey. Last week's 38-0 thumping of the Trojans gave the Bulldogs some added confidence heading into tonight's quarterfinal matchup with Conrad Weiser. <br> <a href='http://ydr.mycapture.com/mycapture/category.asp'><center><img src='http://extras.mnginteractive.com/live/media/site515/2008/0624/20080624_031520_reprint.gif' border='0'></center></a>

It was more than just a win. According to West York football coach Ron Miller, it was a springboard.

Shutting out No. 14 Hershey last week and scoring 38 points allowed the third-seeded Bulldogs (10-1) to roll with ease into tonight's District 3 Class AAA quarterfinal game at home against No. 6 Conrad Weiser (9-2).

For a West York squad that was wondering just how good it actually was after plowing through its second half schedule, the victory provided some answers.

"The intensity level was much higher because it was the district playoffs, but I think we were all kind of a little uneasy and didn't know what to expect and how we were going to perform," Miller said. "It gives us confidence moving forward, and I don't want to say an arrogance, but I just think we understand we can amp up our level a little bit, play a little harder, do things a little more crisp, and we did."

This week the Bulldogs host a Weiser team that Miller said has the most speed of a West York opponent since Central York. Returning 15 starters but losing most of their offensive line from last season, the Scouts completely changed their offense from a power I-Pro to a spread to utilize its speed.

The swap helped the Scouts win the first district playoff game in school history last week with a 28-18 defeat of Northern Lebanon.

"We've put together a whole new offense, and it's been a different year for us," Weiser coach Al Moyer said. "It's been quite an adventure and

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new ground for us. We really spread things out this year."

Moyer said his biggest concern going up against West York was "the same thing that concerns everybody," running back Brandon Real.

The senior has rushed for 1,927 yards and 33 touchdowns on 196 attempts, good for an average of 9.83 yards per carry.

Most of Weiser's offensive production has been on the ground as well, with an ensemble group -- led by Codie Butler (984 yards) and D.J. Robinson (660 yards) -- combining for 2,243 yards on 372 carries.

The Bulldogs reached the quarterfinals last year before blowing a nine-point lead in the fourth-quarter and losing to Gettysburg. Miller said this year's team is at a "much higher level" at this point than last year's group.

"There's so many veterans, and we're not in awe by districts," Miller said. "Finishing things is still the mantra, and we're still beating that drum a little bit."
smclernon@ydr.com; 771-2045

WATCH BISHOP McDEVITT VS. WILLIAM PENN LIVE

Go to GameTimePA.com tonight and look for the link to the Maaco Game of the Week to watch a live-streaming video of the entire game between the Crusaders and the Bearcats.

Afterward, the game will be available to view in GameTimePA's archive.

Live scoreboard

Visit GameTimePA.com tonight for scoring updates from all the area football games.

Listen in

Catch audio updates from the district playoffs and find out what fellow fans have to say.

Participate

If you have a cell phone and you're at ball game, send score updates comments and photos to cotto@ydr.com. We'll share your news and thoughts with our online readers.