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Week 2 preview: Suburban looks to get on track vs. Northeastern


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Both Northeastern and York Suburban ended last season on similar notes, going 8-2 in the regular season and accomplishing a goal that hadn't been accomplished in decades, if ever.

But they started this season going in different directions.

Northeastern, which won a playoff game for the first time in program history last year, started the year with a 60-6 win. York Suburban, which won a division title for the first time since 1989, lost a hard-fought game by a 20-14 score to start the year.

Now, the two teams converge on Friday at Suburban and we'll see whether or not they'll continue to move in opposite directions.

Programming note: You can watch Northeastern at York Suburban live at GameTimePA.com

The Bobcats (1-0) will be confident after scoring eight touchdowns, including two on defense. The Trojans will look to regain their confidence after going scoreless against the Fighting Irish in the second half.

York Suburban (0-1) started 0-2 last season before winning eight straight. Will the Trojans dig themselves that same hole this year?

Friday's games

Big Spring at Biglerville

Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Last year: Did not play
The skinny: Both teams enter Week 2 looking to get their defenses on track. Biglerville lost a wild opener to Annville-Cleona, 35-32, while Big Spring lost to East Pennsboro, 49-21. 
Bulldogs (0-1) must: Shore up their run defense. Big Spring was gashed by East Pennsboro running back Onasis Neely last week and now has to deal with a strong Biglerville rushing attack. 
Canners (0-1) must: Start and finish stronger. After trailing 21-6 at halftime last week, Biglerville made an impressive comeback before losing on a 35-yard touchdown pass in the last minute. If the Canners play the way they did for most of the second half this week, they'll be in good shape.


Boiling Springs at Bermudian Springs

Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Last year: Boiling Springs, 21-0
The skinny: The two teams appear to be in much different places than they were a year ago. Bermudian is coming off a big win over New Oxford while Boiling Springs was shut out by Littlestown last week. 
Bubblers (0-1) must: Get something going on offense. The Bubblers gained just 96 yards on offense last week against the Bolts. 
Eagles (1-0) must: Be sharper out of the gate. Bermudian overcame three lost fumbles and an early 14-6 deficit against the Colonials last week.

Carlisle at Red Land

Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Last year: Carlisle, 54-49
The skinny: The Patriots are off to the fastest start of any team in the county, having beaten Bishop McDevitt and Cocalico in consecutive weeks. They look to keep it going against a team they lost to in a shootout last year.
Thundering Herd (1-0) must: Stop Justin Johnson. The Red Land running back has looked like the best player in the county so far this season, rushing for more than 100 yards twice and taking a kickoff 98 yards to the end zone last week.
Patriots (2-0) must: Step up on defense. They gave up 54 points in this game last season, negating the fact that they scored seven touchdowns.

Columbia at Delone Catholic

Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Last year: Delone Catholic, 39-16
The skinny: The Squires are feeling good after a hard-fought win against Trinity in Week 1. They'll look to stay undefeated against a team they've beaten the past two seasons. 
Crimson Tide (0-1) must: Stop the run. Delone Catholic likes to pound the ball and has a number of quality backs. The Squires got strong games on the ground from Ryan Hart (nine carries for 101 yards) and Logan Panzer (10 carries for 60 yards) last week. 
Squires (1-0) must: Be more disciplined. The Squires managed to beat Trinity despite committing 12 penalties that cost them 95 yards. They won't be able to get away with that every week. 
Programming note: Watch this game live at GameTimePA.com

Cumberland Valley at Central York

Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Last year: Cumberland Valley, 48-6
The skinny: The Panthers picked up a big win in Josh Oswalt's first game last year, but now face a huge test against one of the premier programs in District 3.
Eagles (1-0) must: Get Charlie Katshir going. The junior, who is receiving plenty of attention from college coaches, caught 25 passes for 371 yards and six scores last season. He's become an even more focal point of the offense this year.
Panthers (1-0) must: Give Cade Pribula time to throw. The sophomore quarterback picked apart the West York defense last week, completing 8-of-14 passes with a touchdown and no interceptions. He'll face a much bigger and faster pass rush this week.

Dallastown at West York

Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Last year: Dallastown, 10-0
The skinny: The Wildcats look to build off a season-opening win against Hempfield, while the Bulldogs look to bounce back from a deflating loss at Central York.
Wildcats (1-0) must: Avoid turnovers. Sometimes effective offense can be the best defense. The Wildcats won the field position battle against Hempfield by never turning the ball over.
Bulldogs (0-1) must: Keep moving the chains. The Bulldogs strung together several good plays on multiple occasions last week, but they saw drives stall when they couldn't keep picking up first downs.

Dover at Steelton-Highspire

Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Last year: Did not play
The skinny: The Eagles are looking for a bounce back week on the road after being blown out at Shippensburg last week.
Eagles (0-1) must: Get more receivers involved. Of the five passes the Eagles completed last week, four went to Andrew Hoffman. Getting more receivers involved could ultimately open Hoffman up for a big play.
Rollers (0-1) must: Find the end zone. A good defensive showing last week against North Schuylkill ended up not counting for much when the Rollers were shut out.

Fairfield at James Buchanan

Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Last year: Fairfield, 34-6
The skinny: The Green Knights are in good position to surpass last year’s win total two weeks into this season. 
Knights (1-0) must: Stop Cormac Houpt. The running back is clearly James Buchanan’s most dangerous player, running for 192 yards and two touchdowns on 10 carries last week. 
Rockets (0-1) must: Limit the big plays. While their offense seems to have taken a step forward from last season, the Rockets gave up 55 points to Hanover last week and allowed three passing touchdowns of 40 or more yards.

Hamburg at Littlestown

Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Last year: Did not play
The skinny: The Bolts made a statement in last week’s 28-0 win over Boiling Springs. A 2-0 start would boost the confidence of a team looking for a bounce-back season. 
Hawks (2-0) must: Stop the run. The Bolts ran for 280 yards last week while first-time starting quarterback Tanner Noble threw for 92. Limiting running backs Wes Storey and Drew Matthews might be the key for Hamburg. 
Thunderbolts (1-0) must: Stay focused. Littlestown has every reason to be proud of last week’s win but can’t get overconfident. Veteran coach Mike Lippy should have the team in the right mindset.

Hanover at Kennard-Dale

Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Last year: Hanover, 41-14
The skinny: The Nighthawks look to start 2-0 for the second year in a row, while the Rams look for their first win of the season.
Nighthawks (1-0) must: Keep Hunter Martz involved. Martz made his presence known with six catches last week, helping to take defensive attention off Resean Williams, who went for two big touchdowns.
Rams (0-1) must: Get the passing game going. The Rams completed only four passes last week and threw two interceptions. They'll need to do more to keep up with Hanover's high-flying offense.

J.P. McCaskey at William Penn

Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Last year: J.P. McCaskey, 31-12
The skinny: The Bearcats play their first home game of the year. It will be interesting to see how the community turns out to support the team after it played close with Reading last week.
Red Tornado (0-1) must: Get the running game going. The Red Tornado amassed only 23 yards on 22 carries last week in a loss to State College.
Bearcats (0-1) must: Keep Dayjure Stewart hot. He scored four touchdowns and ran for 105 yards, helping the Bearcats score more points in their season opener than they did in any game last season.

New Oxford at Gettysburg

Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Last year: Gettysburg, 21-14
The skinny: Both Adams County teams are trying to right the ship after struggling in Week 1 losses. 
Colonials (0-1) must: Stay tough mentally. The Colonials led Bermudian Springs after the first quarter last week but lost, 42-26. They’ll need to keep their composure in tight games. 
Warriors (0-1) must: Get their offense going. Gettysburg struggled to finish drives and threw for just 55 yards against South Western last week.

Northern York at Middletown

Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Last year: Middletown, 19-16
The skinny: The Polar Bears eked out a season-opening win and now look for revenge against a team they came up just short to last year.
Polar Bears (1-0) must: Protect the ball. The Polar Bears' defense bailed out the offense last week after two interceptions and a lost fumble. Those errors could be costly in a close game.
Blue Raiders (1-0) must: Capitalize on big plays. Blue Raiders quarterback Chase Snavely completed only four passes last week, but he put up 131 yards on those four completions. Those are the types of plays that can swing a game.

Red Lion at Daniel Boone

Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Last year: Did not play
The skinny: The Lions look to stay hot after a strong opening week.
Lions (1-0) must: Let Sam Emig use his feet to make plays. The Lions quarterback threw for a couple touchdowns but made the biggest impact on the ground with 146 yards on 13 carries.
Blazers (0-1) must: Make better decisions with the ball. The Blazers gave away some points last week against Northeastern, as Coby Motley took two interceptions back for touchdowns.

South Western at Manheim Township

Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Last year: Did not play
The skinny: The Mustangs are trying to build off the momentum of last week’s blowout of Gettysburg while the Blue Streaks are looking for their first win. 
Mustangs (1-0) must: Hold onto the ball. The Mustangs won big last week despite fumbling three times and losing all three. They’ll have to work on their fundamentals moving forward. 
Blue Streaks (0-1) must: Get some push on the offensive line. Quarterback Luke Emge threw for 257 yards last week but the Streaks ran for just 45 yards on 21 carries as a team. Manheim Township’s young offensive line will be challenged by South Western’s large and experienced front four.

Spring Grove at Mechanicsburg

Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Last year: Spring Grove, 17-14
The skinny: Spring Grove is in a good position to improve to 2-0 against a team that hasn’t won a game since 2014. 
Rockets (1-0) must: Keep the passing game going. Senior Jake Messersmith will likely make his first start of the season and missing last week with an injury. Sophomore Nick Shaqfeh threw for 166 yards and three touchdowns in his absence last week against Hersey. 
Wildcats (0-1) must: Prevent the long touchdowns. Mechanicsburg allowed five touchdowns of 20 yards or more against Carlisle last week, including a 76-yard kick return score.

York Catholic at Susquehannock

Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Last year: Susquehannock, 24-14
The skinny: Both teams played close games last week, with the Fighting Irish ending up on the winning side and the Warriors ending up on the losing side.
Fighting Irish (1-0) must: Establish the running game. The team's two best offensive playmakers, Jakkar Kinard and Dan Yokemick, combined for 221 yards last week.
Warriors (0-1) must: Move the chains. The Warriors picked up only seven first downs last week in a two-touchdown effort.

Saturday's game

Eastern York at York County Tech

Kickoff: 1 p.m. 
Last year: Eastern York, 19-12
The skinny: Both teams are looking to bounce back after being overmatched last week.
Golden Knights (0-1) must: Put together a more balanced attack. The Golden Knights outgained Lampeter-Strasburg on the ground last week with 215 yards, but they managed just 73 yards in the air, where they were outgained by 179 yards.
Spartans (0-1) must: Protect against turnovers and big plays. The Spartans gave up 36 points despite only giving up 10 first downs. That happens when opponents start with short field position and can pick up big chunks of yards at once.