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York-Adams Week 3 football preview: Hanover, Eastern York in surprise clash of unbeatens


Who saw this coming?

The only Week 3 game in York or Adams county featuring two undefeated teams will take place in Hanover, where the Nighthawks will host Eastern York.

Hanover has already matched its win total from last season by starting the year with a 33-0 blasting of James Buchanan, followed by a 41-14 thumping of Kennard-Dale. The Golden Knights are off to a similar start, shutting out Columbia, 24-0, in Week 1 and beating York County Tech, 19-12, last week.

Eastern York dominated last year's meeting, winning 58-0, to start 3-0 and eventually earn a playoff berth.

This year, Nighthawks quarterback Kyle Krout is off to perhaps the best start of any signal-caller in the league. He's thrown for 383 yards in two games and has yet to throw an interception.

The running game has been the strength of the Golden Knights' offense, as a committee of backs have totalled 373 yards in the team's first two games.

Friday's games

Dallastown (2-0) at Penn Manor (0-2)

Kickoff: 7 p.m.

Last year: Penn Manor, 35-3

The skinny: Wildcats look for season sweep vs. nonleague opponents.

Wildcats must: Avoid the trap game. This is a matchup sandwiched between a big win over a rival and the start of divisional play. That could be a dangerous mix if Dallastown is caught looking past Penn Manor.

Comets must: Score early. Penn Manor has spotted 26-0 and 20-0 leads before scoring in the first two games this season.

Dover (1-1) at Red Land (1-1)

Kickoff: 7 p.m.

Last year: Dover, 27-7

The skinny: Two teams coming off tough losses look to bounce back.

Eagles must: Improve in the secondary. Dover has given up a league-worst 430 passing yards through two games.

Patriots must: Regain their confidence. Red Land was torched for 699 yards last week after holding York Suburban to seven points in Week 1.

Harrisburg (2-0) at William Penn (0-2)

Kickoff: 7 p.m.

Last year: Harrisburg, 34-12

The skinny: Hoping to avoid a second straight 0-3 start, the Bearcats host Harrisburg.

Cougars must: Finish. Harrisburg nearly blew a 14-point lead to Reading last week when they gave up 18 unanswered points before scoring a late touchdown to retake the lead.

Bearcats must: Limit turnovers. William Penn already has turned the ball over 11 times (eight interceptions) in two games.

Gridiron Challenge: Predict Week 3 winners, check your rank on the leaderboard

Hempfield (1-1) at Central York (1-1)

Kickoff: 7 p.m.

Last year: Hempfield, 22-7

The skinny: Hempfield aims for a third straight win in its series vs. Central York.

Black Knights must: Run the ball. Central has been among the worst teams in the league against the run. Attack their weakness.

Panthers must: Put last week behind them. The 48-6 drubbing at the hands of Cumberland Valley was embarrassing from the start. Learn from it and move on.

Mechanicsburg (0-2) at Northern York (1-1)

Kickoff: 7 p.m.

Last year: Mechanicsburg, 35-0

The skinny: The Wildcats are 0-2 but have dominated Northern York in recent years.

Wildcats must: Solidify the quarterback position. The Wildcats have used two quarterbacks — Dylan Smith and Brendan Wewer — in both games this season. Both struggled against Spring Grove.

Polar Bears must: Start fast. After scoring 24 first-half points in Week 1, Northern was held scoreless until the third quarter against Middletown.

Red Lion (1-1) at West York (0-2)

Kickoff: 7 p.m.

Last year: West York, 44-27

The skinny: West York wraps up its gauntlet of non-divisional opponents by hosting Red Lion.

Lions must: Improve their red zone offense. In the red zone against Manheim Township, Red Lion missed a field goal, threw an interception, ran out of time before the half, and settled for a field goal after picking up a first-and-goal.

Bulldogs must: Contain Kendrick Boyd-Gillespie. The senior wideout tormented West York's secondary last season, racking up four touchdowns on 92 receiving yards.

Spring Grove (1-1) at York Suburban (0-2)

Kickoff: 7 p.m.

Last year: Spring Grove, 56-20

The skinny: Thomas Merkle and the Trojans hope to avenge last season's blowout loss to Spring Grove.

Rockets must: Be ready for Merkle and Collin Mailman. Spring Grove boasts the league's fifth-best pass defense, but it'll be tested against the league's top quarterback.

Trojans must: Find balance. York Suburban has the most passing yards in the league and the least rushing yards.

Susquehannock (1-1) at Northeastern (2-0)

Kickoff: 7 p.m.

Last year: Northeastern, 31-10

The skinny: Can the Warriors eclipse last year's win total by Week 3?

Warriors must: Build momentum. In 2014, it took the Warriors until Week 9 to win a game. Now that they already have one, can they gain steam?

Bobcats must: Go for the sweep. Wins in divisional play are going to be hard to come by, so three wins against non-divisional foes would be huge.