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York Catholic moves into Division III driver's seat


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From 2011 to 2014, Bermudian Springs won three Division III titles by dominating opponents in the trenches on both sides of the ball.

On Friday night, York Catholic moved into sole possession of first place in the division by pushing the Eagles around the way the Eagles pushed so many teams around the last five years. The Fighting Irish won 35-7, beating Bermudian Springs for the first time since 2010. The win puts York Catholic in prime position to win its first division title since 1992.

“I haven’t beaten this team since seventh grade," York Catholic running back Jakkar Kinard said after the game. "Coach (Eric) Depew has never beaten this team. To beat this team, it’s one of our biggest accomplishments yet this season.”

Helped by a huge push by the offensive line, Kinard rushed for 281 and four touchdowns in the blowout victory. Quaterback Dan Yokemick added 89 rushing yards, and he threw a touchdown pass to Riley Brennan after recovering a snap that went over his head.

“(Our offensive line is) always physical," Depew said. "That’s what we told them all week, we had to come out physical and play assignment football. I think we did that. It set up right on the first kickoff when (Brenden) Kennedy came down and wrapped up (Devon Hodgen). That set the tone. I didn’t think we’d be denied tonight.”

Both teams entered the game with 6-1 overall records and 4-0 records in divisional play. The game started out close with York Catholic leading 13-7 at halftime, then the Fighting Irish pulled away by shutting the Eagles out in the second half.

“Football is real simple. If you get dominated at the line of scrimmage, it’s tough to win," Bermudian Springs coach Jon DeFoe said. "When it happens on both sides of the ball, it’s really tough. On the line of scrimmage, we got dominated, period.”

The Eagles now turn around to face Littlestown, which is 7-1 after beating Biglerville, next week.

York Catholic, meanwhile, faces Fairfield next week and York County Tech in Week 10. Wins in both of those games will seal a division crown.

“We’ve got two more games left. We feel like we’ve got it sealed down, but we’ve got to keep going to practice and practicing hard," Kinard said. "We can’t take Fairfield lightly and we can’t take Tech lightly.”

Bermudian Springs_0_7_0_0_—_7    
York Catholic_7_6_8_14_—_35

First Quarter 
YC -- Jakkar Kinard 1 run (Nick Basile kick), 2:04.
Second Quarter
YC -- Kinard 1 run (kick blocked), 4:46.   
BS -- Devon Hodgen 19 from Chase Dull (Noah Aeppli kick), 1:32.   
Third Quarter
YC -- Riley Brennan 15 pass from Dan Yokemick (Brenden Kennedy pass from Yokemick), 5:02.
YC -- Kinard 39 run (kick missed), 4:46.   
Fourth Quarter
YC -- Kinard 71 run (Yokemick run), 1:32. 
Team Statistics
 _._BS_ YC
First downs_10_19
Rushes-Yards_31-132_45-382  
Passing_4-13-1_5-8-0  
Passing Yards_73_71
Total Yards_205_453 
Fumbles-Lost_1-1_2-1 
Penalties-Yards_9-90_2-25 
Individual Statistics
Rushing — BS, Ashton West 12-35, Devon Hodgen 4-2, Addison Wheeler 4-9, Chase Dull 2-8, Brenton Krebs 9-78. YC, Jakkar Kinard 30-281, Dan Yokemick 14-89, Jordan Williams 1-12.
Passing — BS, Dull 4-12-73-1, Hodgen 0-1-0-0. YC, Yokemick 5-8-71-0.
Receiving — BS, Hodgen 2-24, West 1-12, Trevor Kasulen 1-37. YC, Carter Sinclair 1-(-2), Riley Brennan 1-15, Brendan Kennedy 3-47, Ryan Sewell 1-11.