York-Adams Week 6 football preview: Dallastown, Northeastern clash in matchup of unbeaten powers
All eyes will be on Dallastown Friday night as the undefeated Wildcats (5-0, 2-0 YAIAA Division I) host undefeated Northeastern (5-0, 2-0) during their homecoming festivities.
One team will be dealt their first loss and one team will move one step closer to a potential division title.
Neither team has given any ground in the division race so far. Dallastown has cruised by Spring Grove and William Penn, while allowing a league-best 6.2 points per game this season.
Northeastern coaches continue to talk about getting "program wins" to prove the Bobcats are a legitimate contender in a top-heavy division. The Bobcats are riding high after crushing rival Central York, then squeaking by Red Lion, 14-13, last week.
Both teams boast top-10 offenses and top-six defenses in the YAIAA.
Can Northeastern spoil the defending champ's homecoming and prove they're for real?
Friday's games
Delone Catholic (2-3, 1-1 YAIAA Division III) at Biglerville (3-2, 2-0)
Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Last year: Delone Catholic, 18-6
The skinny: The Canners look to avenge a controversial loss in McSherrystown last season.
Squires must: Establish the running game. The Squires played their best game of the year last week against Littlestown, and a lot of that had to do with them averaging more than 6 yards per run.
Canners must: Win the first half. The Canners are 3-0 when leading at halftime and 0-2 when trailing. The Squires have started slow in several games, so the first half creates a big opportunity for Biglerville.
Fairfield (1-4, 0-2 YAIAA Division III) at Hanover (5-0, 2-0)
Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Last year: Fairfield, 18-14
The skinny: The Nighthawks look to keep their surprising undefeated season going.
Knights must: Move the chains. The Knights picked up just eight first downs last week, and will need to pick up more this week against an offense that takes its time and wears out defenses.
Nighthawks must: Play better in the second half. The Nighthawks have taken double-digit leads into halftime the past two weeks, only to find their defense clinging to a one-score lead in the closing minutes.
York Catholic (1-4, 1-1 YAIAA Division III) at Littlestown (1-4, 1-1)
Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Last year: York Catholic, 56-18
The skinny: Both teams need a victory to stay in the hunt for a division title.
Fighting Irish must: Create running lanes for Jakkar Kinard. The Fighting Irish offense looked completely different two weeks ago when Kinard reeled off 154 yards, as opposed to just 54 last week.
Thunderbolts must: Limit the big plays. Delone Catholic running back Tavian Dorsey burned the Bolts' offense with long runs multiple times last week.
York County Tech (1-4, 0-2 YAIAA Division III) at Bermudian Springs (1-4, 1-1)
Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Last year: Bermudian Springs, 46-0
The skinny: After three close losses in the first four weeks, the Eagles finally picked up their first win last week.
Spartans must: Finish drives with scores. The Spartans scored just six points last week but actually outgained Biglerville by more than 100 yards, but those efforts were negated by two interceptions.
Eagles must: Get Ashton West going. West ran for 255 yards last week as he and his teammates earned their first win of the year in a big way.
New Oxford (1-4, 0-2) at Central York (1-4, 0-2 YAIAA Division I
Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Last year: Central York, 41-22
The skinny: Both teams are looking to get out of the Division I cellar.
Panthers must: Finish drives. The Panthers sustained several drives in Monday's game at South Western, but only finished two with touchdowns.
Colonials must: Hold onto the ball. The Colonials put the ball on the ground 10 times last week, the most of all the teams who struggled with fumbles in the rain.
William Penn (0-5, 0-2 YAIAA Division I) at Spring Grove (2-3, 1-1)
Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Last year: William Penn, 21-17
The skinny: The Rockets have the opportunity to get back to .500 and stay in contention for the Division I crown.
Bearcats must: Slow the rushing game. Spring Grove relies on the run, and the Bearcats struggled to slow Dallastown last week.
Rockets must: Get multiple running backs involved. The Rockets found success running the ball in last week's win by mixing it up. Four players received between six and 10 carries as Spring Grove accumulated nearly 200 yards on the ground.
Dover (3-2, 2-0 YAIAA Division II) at Kennard-Dale (1-4, 0-2)
Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Last year: Dover, 34-14
The skinny: Dover gets a chance to take sole possession of first place in Division II when they travel to Fawn Grove.
Eagles must: Force turnovers. The Eagles are tied for the league lead with 12 forced turnovers. The takeaways have proven crucial in three wins.
Rams must: Get Nick Workinger the ball. Workinger is averaging 12.5 yards per carry (31 carries, 388 yards).
Gettysburg (1-4, 0-2 YAIAA Division II) at Eastern York (2-3, 0-2)
Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Last year: Gettysburg, 24-7
The skinny: Two teams looking for their first division win square off.
Warriors must: Make a statement. If the Warriors want to keep any hope at returning to the postseason alive, they must avoid a fourth straight loss.
Golden Knights must: Smother the Warriors' offense. Eastern boasts the second-best defense in the league. Can they feast on a struggling Warriors' offense?
Lower Dauphin (4-1, 1-1 Mid-Penn Keystone) at Red Land (2-3, 0-2)
Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Last year: Lower Dauphin, 23-14
The skinny: A suddenly slumping Red Land team aims to get back on track.
Falcons must: Force Red Land into mistakes. The Patriots have turned the ball over nine times in the last two games.
Patriots must: Get off to a better start. The Patriots have spotted their opponents double-digit leads in each of the last two games before scoring.
South Western (4-1, 2-0 YAIAA Division I) at Red Lion (3-2, 1-1)
Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Last year: South Western, 20-0
The skinny: South Western travels to Red Lion on short rest for a divisional showdown.
Mustangs must: Get some rest. Thanks to a weather postponement, the Mustangs will be playing their second game in five days.
Lions must: Put last week's loss behind them. The Lions, who have the top-ranked offense and defense in the league, outplayed Northeastern but let a win slip away.
Northern York (4-1, 2-0 Mid-Penn Colonial) at Big Spring (3-2, 1-1)
Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Last year: Northern York, 28-7
The skinny: The Polar Bears go for their fourth-straight win.
Polar Bears must: Build momentum. Greg Bowman's squad is on a roll and sit in first place after pulling off an impressive win at Waynesboro last week.
Bulldogs must: Reverse the trend. Big Spring is 3-0 on the road, but 0-2 at home.
Susquehannock (2-3, 1-0 YAIAA Division II) at York Suburban (3-2, 1-0)
Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Last year: York Suburban, 37-7
The skinny: Having already eclipsed last season's win total, the Warriors look to get back to .500.
Warriors must: Prepare the secondary. The Trojans love to air it out and have two of the league's best receivers in Collin Mailman and Brad Smith.
Trojans must: Win on Merkle's big night. Senior quarterback Thomas Merkle will almost certainly break the school's all-time passing record Friday night. Will York Suburban have two reasons to celebrate?
Saturday's game
West York (2-3, 2-0 YAIAA Division II) at Delaware Valley Charter (2-3, 2-0 Philadelphia Public AA)
Kickoff: 2 p.m.
Last year: Didn't play.
The skinny: West York makes a 102-mile trip to Philadelphia to take on the Warriors, who are also on a two-game win streak.
Bulldogs must: Score early. A long road trip against an unfamiliar opponent who doesn't give up many points can be a recipe for disaster.
Warriors must: Keep the momentum. In the last two games, the Warriors have outscored their opponents, 116-0.
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