YAIAA football power rankings, 10/12
Because of a Saturday trip to Happy Valley and a busy past few days, I'm once again a little late in getting our YAIAA football power rankings posted. My apologies. Then again, there wasn't much suspense about who the top four teams would be. Each of our first four notched impressive wins over the weekend. Behind them? Well, that's where some of the shuffling took place. 1. Littlestown (1) -- Ho-hum, a 62-point win for the Thunderbolts. This is the soft spot of Littlestown's schedule, with games against York County Tech and York Suburban up next. The perfect time to start fine-tuning and getting ready for the playoffs. In the meantime, the Bolts (6-0) are starting to get a bit of state recognition. 2. Dallstown (2) -- The Wildcats (6-0) started their Division I schedule strong with a 21-7 homecoming win over South Western. Dallastown didn't complete a pass in the victory, but that says something about this team. The Wildcats don't usually win pretty, they just get the job done. 3. Red Lion (3) -- The Lions (5-1) showed a different side of their game against William Penn, leaning on their ground attack to hold off the Bearcats. Week after week, Red Lion is proving itself to be right at the top of Division I's contenders. This team simply is not going away. 4. West York (4) -- The Bulldogs (4-2) were able to get their regulars some much-needed rest in the second half of their shutout of Susquehannock Friday. Barring a slip-up, it's hard to see West York losing any of its remaining games, including this Friday's rivalry matchup with Dover. T-5. Central York (8) -- Of the Panthers' last four wins, none were as impressive as Friday's thumping of Spring Grove. The Rockets had been thought of as a potential party-crasher atop the Division I standings, a role Central (4-2) now assumes heading into Friday's home game with South Western. T-5. Delone Catholic (5) -- Really impressive win for the Squires (5-1) last week against Bermudian Springs. Since that ugly loss to Littlestown, Delone has now scored at least 40 points in each of its last three games. 7. South Western (7) -- The Mustangs head into Friday's visit to Central having lost two in a row. To be fair, South Western may have outplayed Dallastown in the first half, and was a few offensive plays away from a possible victory last Friday. 8. Spring Grove (6) -- A surprisingly lopsided loss to Central should make these Rockets (3-3) a desperate bunch heading into Friday's visit to Red Lion. It's almost a must-win if Spring Grove wants to remain contenders in the division. 9. York Catholic (9) -- Gary Laucks made a surprise return for the Irish (4-2) in a blowout win against Biglerville Friday. That's nothing short of huge for York Catholic, which relies heavily on Laucks both at receiver and in the defensive secondary. A gigantic matchup with Delone Catholic looms this Friday. 10. Bermudian Springs (10) -- Last week's loss to Delone hurt, but but the Eagles (4-2) are still well-positioned to earn a district playoff berth. Bermudian needs to play better against quality opposition, and has one more chance to when it visits Littlestown in Week 9.