YAIAA football power rankings, Week 3
We're back with Week 2 of the YAIAA football power rankings. You can find last week's rankings here.
A reminder of the process behind the rankings: Don’t think of these as a straight-on measure of which team is better in a head-to-head sense -- obviously, if that were the case, the top five would be loaded with Class AAA and AAAA teams most of the time. Instead, think of them as a gauge primarily of which team is playing the best, with record, quality of opponent(s), classification, etc., also factored in.
Now, on to this week's Top 10...
1. West York (1) -- The Bulldogs had to pull a bit of an escape act on Friday. But the result counts all the same, especially when it comes against a very formidable Dallastown team. West York is now 2-0 against two of Division I's top contenders, with games against Spring Grove, Red Lion and William Penn coming up. The Bulldogs need more consistency from their offense, but their defense looks rock solid so far.
2. Bermudian Springs (3) -- Liked what I saw from this group Friday, during a 14-7 win over York Catholic. The running back trio of Tristan Sponseller, Zach Stroup and Ryan Markle should give the Eagles' (2-0) traditionally strong running game plenty of oomph going forward. But the most impressive part of this team is its defense: Seven total points allowed in two games, one of which came against a high-powered, Fighting Irish attack. Not too shabby.
3. Northeastern (4) -- So much for a return to reality after last year's program-best campaign. After a close win over a good York Catholic team, the Bobcats' defense looked nearly impenetrable during a 33-0 victory against Columbia this week. If Northeastern (2-0) can continue to pair that defense with a productive running game -- senior Daniel Adams has 328 yards and three rushing touchdowns so far -- then the 'Cats are going to be tough to beat.
4. Dover (5) -- In two games, the Eagles (2-0) have outscored their opponents a combined 104-14. Yes, both Hanover and Solanco are young teams who probably won't set the world on fire this year. And yes, we'll probably get a better read on Dover after it hosts a pretty good Red Land team this Friday. But one thing seems certain -- this team looks better than a lot of people thought.
5. Biglerville (8) -- See Dover's post above. Still questions about the competition, but Biglerville has posted a league-best 106 points through two games. And with a matchup with Hanover coming up, those offensive numbers could continue to sparkle. Perhaps the most impressive part of this run has been the fact that Biglerville's offense has been fairly balanced. The Canners had three players with more than 90 rushing yards last Friday.
6. South Western (2) -- The Mustangs came crashing back down to earth on Thursday, allowing 35-first quarter points and losing to Cedar Cliff, 69-21. This one week after South Western crushed Gettysburg by five touchdowns. Which is the real South Western? We'll get a better sense in the coming weeks.
7. Littlestown (6) -- So much for that high-powered passing attack. For the second straight week, the Thunderbolts' running game stole the show in an easy win over Hanover. That's a good sign for Mike Lippy's offense, which will need balance as Littlestown heads deeper into divisional play.
8. Dallastown (10) -- Yes, the Wildcats are still without a win. But they had West York on the ropes last Friday and gave defending state champs Lancaster Catholic a game the week before that. You won't find a much more impressive 0-2 team in the district.
9. Delone Catholic (9) -- The Squires stay were they were last week, after a relatively breezy win over York County Tech. We'll know more after this week's showdown with the Thunderbolts.
10. York Suburban (7) -- The Trojans have yet to hit their stride in narrow wins over Susquehannock and Eastern York. All the weapons are there, but Suburban needs to show more cohesion and play a complete four quarters.
In the mix: Central York (0-2), York Catholic (0-2), New Oxford (1-1)
Agree with the rankings? Disagree? Sound off in the comments section.