H.S. FOOTBALL: Area previews
Non league
Game Data: Shippensburg (2-2) travels to Mechanicsburg (0-4) Friday at 7, looking to bounce back from an ugly defeat at the hands of East Pennsboro last week.
In a 50-7 loss to the Panthers last week, the Greyhounds struggled in all phases. They managed just 171 yards of total offense while allowing 524 yards to East Penn. Quarterback Tyler Gustafson finished 9 of 22 for 135 yards and one touchdown. Wide receiver Cody Gustafson was a bright spot for the offense, finishing with six catches for 110 yards.
Mechanicsburg is coming off a 47-7 loss to Bishop McDevitt last week. Elijah Strawbridge leads the team with 325 yards, while Dylan Smith is the team's leading passer with 280 yards.
Mid Penn Colonial Division
Game Data: James Buchanan (0-4, 0-1 MPC) will be looking to improve when it hosts Big Spring (2-2, 0-1 MPC) on Friday at 7.
The Rockets haven't had many positives in the early part of the season, and it got no better last week in a 51-0 loss to Northern. JB managed just 12 yards of total offense, including 20 carries for negative six yards. Caden Ficks had 10.5 tackles for the James Buchanan defense.
The Bulldogs battled with Greencastle last week but ultimately lost 29-23. Starting quarterback Jaret Petty did not play last week, and it's not known if he return this week. In his absence, Big Spring relied on the ground game, and Triston Cooper led the way with eight carries for 61 yards.
Media: Follow @NoahShatzer on Twitter for updates.
Mid Penn Colonial Division
Game Data: Waynesboro (3-1) will host Northern York (3-1, 1-0 MPC) looking to build off a 55-32 defeat to Cedar Cliff last week.
Despite losing by over 20 points, the Indians showed flashes against a tough team. Brady Beckner ran 13 times for 94 yards, and Waynesboro trailed by just seven points at halftime. Waynesboro will have to pick it up the most in the passing game, where it threw four interceptions and completed just 7 of 17 passes. The Indians did give up 312 yards on the ground last week but have been strong defensively against the run most of the season.
Northern is coming off a dominating performance against James Buchanan last week. It needed only 297 yards of offense to pull away for a 51-0 win. For the Polar Bears Michael Kearney led the way with 64 yards on eight carries, and Bobby Shelly added 52 yards on five rushes. Quarterback Curtis Robison was 6-for-10 with 129 yards and two touchdowns.
Media: Follow @ShawnCMichael on Twitter for updates.