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Myers, Wildcats prepare for showdown


Dallastown's football team opened a lot of eyes last week with a 42-7 bashing of a touted York Suburban team. Everything clicked for the Wildcats -- a rejuvenated program coming off a pair of solid seasons.

Friday, Kevin Myers' team will face another stiff test in defending District 3 Class AAA champion West York. These teams produced a thriller in Week 2 last season, when the Wildcats outlasted the Bulldogs for 48-47 overtime win.

On Wednesday, I spoke with Myers to get his thoughts ahead of Friday's contest. Here's some of what he had to say.

What do you remember about last year's matchup with West York?

"I wish I remembered more. It happened so fast. From both teams, just the will to win. It seemed like one team got up, and the other just wasn't going to let it happen. It was one of those games where you're saying 'Why does one of these teams have to lose?' "

Was there any one thing during last week's win that you were particularly impressed or surprised by?

"I was just impressed by our team's performance. Going in, everybody knew we were going to replace a lot of kids, a lot of quality kids. We as a coaching staff weren't sure what we were going to get. And going against a York Suburban team that was bringing a lot of quality back.

"Just how well our kids were composed. They never got too excited. They stayed focused."

I know offensive line was a concern going into the year. How did they look?

"They really stepped up. They played an excellent game. We had a lot of drives. They're a tight knight group. That says it for the team as well. We've had great team chemistry in the past, but nothing quite like this team."

Your quarterback, Josh Luckenbaugh, was impressive against Suburban. What did you see from him?

"He's been hitting his stride since our team camp up at (Lebanon Valley College). Whatever it was, everything has clicked since then. And from that time, he's been really playing well. He's stayed within himself. He knows he's not the guy that has to make big plays. He distributes the ball and gets it into other guys hands.

"He's also shown at the same time that, if needed, he can get three or four yards for us. And that's all he needs to do."

What stands out about your opponents, West York?

"Speed. They are fast. They're a good team. Well-coached. They play as a team. But they are just so fast and that's the thing we're worried about. We've done a couple different things. For a lot of these kids, it's their second varsity start, so we'll see.

"The other thing is the crowd. They're pre-selling tickets for the game.They're anticipating a big crowd. Those kids are used to it. Some of them played in those big games last year. We'll see how our kids respond.

"We'll see. We still have a lot of questions to answer, but I have a lot of confidence that the answers we get will be good ones."