Week 10 football preview: Dallastown-Red Lion matchup revs up rivalry week
It seems like yesterday that fans were counting down the days until football season started. Now we're just days away from the regular season finales and it's officially Rivalry Week. Five of the league's most-heated rivalry matchups kick off Friday night, headlined by Red Lion at Dallastown. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Earlier in the season, it looked as if this Week 10 showdown could determine whether the Lions or Wildcats walked away with a division title. And while that is no longer the case, Red Lion can still play the spoiler role, and nothing would make the Lions happier this week than preventing their backyard rival from winning a division title outright.
What's at stake is simple: A Dallastown win means the Wildcats (9-0, 6-0) clinch their second-straight division title outright. A Red Lion (6-3, 4-2) win means Dallastown will have to share the title with South Western, unless the Mustangs slip up in their own backyard rivalry game against Spring Grove.
Dallastown has won five of the last six games in this series, but four of those have been decided by seven points or less. That includes last season's dramatic finish in which the Wildcats intercepted Dalton Grove inside their own 5-yard-line to clinch a 20-15 win and division title.
Can the Lions exact a little revenge?
With that, these other rivalry games will round out the 2015 regular season Friday:
Biglerville (6-3, 5-1 YAIAA Division III) at Bermudian Springs (5-4, 5-1)
KICKOFF >> 7 p.m.
LAST YEAR >> Bermudian Springs, 42-7
THE SKINNY >> The winner clinches at least a share of the Division III title, and would clinch the full share if Hanover loses to Delone Catholic.
CANNERS MUST >> Get Colton Sentz going. Sentz set the tone in the Canners' big win against then-undefeated Hanover last week, consistently picking up several yards on first-down runs to put his team in positive situations.
EAGLES MUST >> Force turnovers. The Eagles took advantage of two interceptions in last week's shutout of Littlestown, and more plays like that will swing the momentum against a talented Canner offense.
Delone Catholic (4-5, 3-3 YAIAA Division III) at Hanover (8-1, 5-1)
KICKOFF >> 7 p.m.
LAST YEAR >> Delone Catholic, 42-18
THE SKINNY >> Hanover looks to bounce back from its first loss of the season and secure a share of the Division III title.
SQUIRES MUST >> Hold onto the ball. The Squires fumbled three times in last week's win, and likely won't get away with that against a very opportunistic Nighthawks defense.
NIGHTHAWKS MUST >> Slow the running game. Tavian Dorsey ran for 238 yards last week for the Squres, while the Nighthawks struggled to contain Biglerville rushers.
South Western (7-2, 5-1 YAIAA Division I) at Spring Grove (4-5, 3-3)
KICKOFF >> 7 p.m.
LAST YEAR >> South Western, 28-10
THE SKINNY >> The Mustangs are still in contention for a share of the Division I title.
MUSTANGS MUST >> Avoid turnovers. The Mustangs played arguably their best game of the season last week in a win against Northeastern, and the fact they didn't turn the ball over was a big reason why.
ROCKETS MUST >> Move the chains. The Rockets have just 13 first downs in the last two weeks, and need to improve that number to keep the Mustangs' high-powered offense off the field.
Central York (2-7, 1-5 YAIAA Division I) at William Penn (0-9, 0-6)
KICKOFF >> 7 p.m.
LAST YEAR >> Central York, 42-21
THE SKINNY >> Can the Bearcats avoid a winless season by beating rival Central York?
PANTHERS MUST >> Take advantage of turnovers. The Bearcats sport a league-worst minus-22 turnover ratio. Turn that into points, especially early in the game.
BEARCATS MUST >> Play like there's nothing to lose, because there isn't. There's no postseason, so Saturday will mark the start of the offseason regardless of Friday's outcome. Finish on a high note.
Littlestown (1-8, 1-5 YAIAA Division III) at Fairfield (1-8, 0-6)
KICKOFF >> 7 p.m.
LAST YEAR >> Littlestown, 25-20
THE SKINNY >> Two teams that struggled all season look to finish their seasons with victories.
THUNDERBOLTS MUST >> Get the defense off the field. The Thunderbolts defense has struggled to end opponent's drives on third and fourth downs all season.
KNIGHTS MUST >> Establish a running game. The Knights ran for just 29 yards on 25 carries last week and will need to improve that average to open things up for the passing game.
Dover (4-5, 3-2 YAIAA Division II) at Susquehannock (4-5, 3-2)
KICKOFF >> 7 p.m.
LAST YEAR >> Dover, 45-16
THE SKINNY >> An undermanned Dover squad attempts to avoid ending the season on a four-game skid.
EAGLES MUST >> Stop turning the ball over. Eleven turnovers in the last two games have crippled Dover's chances of staying in games.
WARRIORS MUST >> Do what works. Susquehannock's running game didn't show up against Kennard-Dale (84 yards). But it didn't hurt because Josh Stoneberg threw for 244 yards and five touchdowns. Air it out.
East Pennsboro (7-2, 5-0 Mid-Penn Colonial) at Northern York (7-2, 5-0)
KICKOFF >> 7 p.m.
LAST YEAR >> East Pennsboro, 50-22
THE SKINNY >> The division title comes down to who wins Friday night at Northern.
PANTHERS MUST >> Weather the storm. Northern York is bound to be fired up early on, so keep the game close in the first quarter and prevent the Polar Bears from gaining momentum.
POLAR BEARS MUST >> Bounce back. Last week's loss hurt emotionally, but it doesn't keep Northern from achieving their goals of a division title and district playoffs.
Eastern York (4-5, 1-4 YAIAA Division II) at York Suburban (7-2, 5-0)
KICKOFF >> 7 p.m.
LAST YEAR >> Eastern York, 42-7
THE SKINNY >> A York Suburban win means the Trojans clinch an outright title for the first time in 26 years.
GOLDEN KNIGHTS MUST >> Put pressure on Thomas Merkle. Don't let the league's leading passer get comfortable in the pocket or he can torch a secondary.
TROJANS MUST >> Stack the box. Eastern has the league's worst passing attack, and third-best running attack. Stuff the run and dare the Knights to throw the ball.
Gettysburg (1-8, 0-5 YAIAA Division II) at West York (4-5, 4-1)
KICKOFF >> 7 p.m.
LAST YEAR >> West York, 49-26
THE SKINNY >> West York still has a chance to share the division title with a win and a York Suburban loss.
WARRIORS MUST >> Score. Gettysburg has scored more than 14 points in a game just once this season and it came in a 21-14, Week 2 win over New Oxford.
BULLDOGS MUST >> Run the young guys. Senior Ryan Narber has been banged up, but freshman Ay-Jaun Marshall and sophomore Anthony Kahley combined for 225 yards last week.
Kennard-Dale (3-6, 2-4 YAIAA Division II) at Millersburg (5-4, 5-3 Tri-Valley)
KICKOFF >> 7 p.m.
LAST YEAR >> Millersburg, 49-18
THE SKINNY >> The Rams make an 82-mile trip to Millersburg in hopes of winning their third road game of the season.
RAMS MUST >> Hold onto the ball. No team in the league has turned the ball over this season more than the Rams (31).
INDIANS MUST >> Win to get in. Millersburg is clinging to the final spot in the District 3 Class A playoffs.
New Oxford (2-7, 1-5 YAIAA Division I) at Northeastern (7-2, 4-2)
KICKOFF >> 7 p.m.
LAST YEAR >> Northeastern, 28-13
THE SKINNY >> The Colonials look to win back-to-back games for the first time since October, 2013.
COLONIALS MUST >> Get the ball to Ferrious Ashford. The junior has been a revelation lately, rushing for 252 yards and three scores in the last two games.
BOBCATS MUST >> Get the offense going. While the defense has led the league in most categories, the offense has regressed in the second half of the season.
Red Land (3-6, 1-4 Mid-Penn Keystone) at Cedar Cliff (7-2, 3-2)
KICKOFF >> 7 p.m.
LAST YEAR >> Cedar Cliff, 42-13
THE SKINNY >> Red Land hopes to avoid going winless on the road this season when the Patriots travel to Cedar Cliff.
PATRIOTS MUST >> Get off to a better start. In their last three road games, the Patriots have given up 112 points with most of those coming in the first half.
COLTS MUST >> Spread it out. Quarterback Grant Breneman completed passes to nine different Colts in a 42-0 win over Hershey last week.
Saturday's games
York Catholic (4-5, 4-2 YAIAA Division III) at York County Tech (2-7 ,1-5)
KICKOFF >> 7 p.m.
LAST YEAR >> York Catholic, 26-0
THE SKINNY >> Can the Irish hold onto their district playoff spot and beat the Spartans?
IRISH MUST >> Keep the momentum. Other than a slip-up against Bermudian Springs, the Irish have gained steam as they prepare to enter the postseason.
SPARTANS MUST >> Slow down Jakkar Kinard. The junior tailback ran for 273 yards and five touchdowns last week.