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Related: York Daily Record staff's gridiron predictions
Say this much about South Western football coach Damian Poalucci: He's not afraid of a challenge.
"I told them from Day 1, I'm going to schedule the toughest teams I can find," the Mustangs first-year coach said this week.
And it doesn't get much tougher than the Mustangs latest opponent, Central Dauphin, which visits The Corral at 7 tonight in a nonleague contest. The Rams, of course, are the defending PIAA Class AAAA champions.
Tonight's game comes on the heels of South Western's calamitous, 69-21 loss to Cedar Cliff, which saw the Mustangs (1-1) bludgeoned for 35 first-quarter points and seven passing touchdowns.
Certainly, one could conceive of better timing for a game against the reigning state champs. But Poalucci has been encouraged by the response he's seen from his team this week. The coach called Tuesday's practice one of his group's best all season.
"The biggest thing is mental toughness," Poalucci said. "That's what we're stressing to the kids this week. ... The mental side, facing adversity and bouncing back."
The Rams (1-1) themselves are coming off a loss - in their case, a 24-7 defeat to Bishop McDevitt. Playing without suspended running back Zayd Issah (who is expected to return this week), Central Dauphin managed just 51 rushing yards. It also allowed
Still, victory could be a tall order for the Mustangs, despite sporting a go-to running back in junior Dillon Thomas (226 rushing yards, four touchdowns) and a passing game that has been fairly efficient so far.
"It's a great opportunity. That's what I told the kids," Poalucci said. "We have to play physical. That's the biggest thing."
Then again, South Western is hardly the lone YAIAA Division I team to endure a brutal schedule so far. Central York and Dallastown,
Through two weeks, South Western and Spring Grove (1-1) are the only Division I teams with wins.
Still, Poalucci sees benefits of such a scheduling strategy.
"It may not make you better in short term," Poalucci said. "But in the long-term, it's going to pay off."
Friday's games
Eastern York (0-2, 0-1 Div. III)
at Bermudian Springs (2-0, 1-0 Div. III)
Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Last year: Bermudian Springs 37, Eastern York 6
The skinny: The Eagles go for their 12th straight Division III victory, while the Golden Knights search for their first win of the season.
Golden Knights must: Finish stronger. Eastern York has had fourth-quarter leads in both its losses to Columbia and York Suburban. But more than half the points the Knights have allowed this season have come in the final quarter (45-of-80).
Eagles must: Continue the stifling defense that has allowed just seven total points through their first two games. Alex Cooley, the league's leading rusher, is going to get his yards for Eastern York. The key for Bermudian is to keep him from breaking the big one.
Biglerville (2-0, 1-0 Div. III)
at Hanover (0-2, 0-1 Div. III)
Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Last year: Biglerville 28, Hanover 12
The skinny: Teams with opposite records square off in this Division III battle.
Canners must: Not change a thing. Biglerville has scored 50 or more points in each of its first two games, and it boasts a point differential of 67. Canners QB Tanner Cool might not throw much, but he is 8-of-10 for 268 yards and four touchdowns so far.
Nighthawks must: Keep making positive strides. After amassing only 94 total yards in Week 1, the Hawks managed 177 against a good Littlestown squad last week. While more might be needed to win, that is a step in the right direction.
Central York (0-2)
at Hempfield (2-0)
Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Last year: Central York 35, Hempfield 12
The skinny: Unbeaten Hempfield will try to provide a tough trip across the Susquehanna for the Panthers.
Panthers must: Develop a ground game. Central has run for only 55 yards in two games, while averaging a mere 1.28 yards per carry. It's hard to keep good offenses off the field without being able to run the ball.
Black Knights must: Keep things going. The Knights are coming off a huge win over perennial power Manheim Central last week and before that took down Lampeter-Strasburg.
Penn Manor (2-0)
at Dallastown (0-2)
Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Last year: Penn Manor 23, Dallastown 0
The skinny: The Lancaster-Lebanon League Comets present a third straight difficult opponent for Dallastown.
Comets must: Avoid overconfidence. True, talented Penn Manor is 2-0, while the Wildcats are 0-2. And the Comets won last year's game. But Dallastown might be the best winless squad around after losing to two very good teams.
Wildcats must: Get the Andrew Henry-to-Malik Lewis combo going early. The quarterback-receiver duo has completed eight passes for 140 yards and two scores this season. Doing more can open up the running game.
Littlestown (2-0, 1-0 Div. III)
at Delone Catholic (1-1, 1-0 Div. III)
Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Last year: Delone Catholic 40, Littlestown 21
The skinny: These two rivals meet again in a early season clash with huge divisional implications.
Thunderbolts must: Establish the run, just as they have in each of their first two outings (538 total rushing yards). We know Littlestown, led by senior QB Dustin Crouse, can throw the ball. But the addition of that running game can make this a complete offense.
Squires must: Find a go-to option on offense. With a new group of skill players surrounding QB Brett Smith, Delone has gotten several players the ball the past two weeks. But who steps up and makes a big play when the game is on the line?
York Catholic (0-2, 0-1 Div. III)
at Fairfield (0-2, 0-1 Div. III)
Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Last year: York Catholic 61, Fairfield 0
The skinny: Both of these YAIAA Division III teams are looking for their first wins of the season.
Irish must: Forget the 0-2 start against a pair of tough opponents. With an offense that has racked up 722 total yards in two contests, York Catholic is a solid football team with a chance to win a lot of games this season.
Green Knights must: Run the ball. Behind Tommy Bollinger's 197 yards and 7.88 rushing average, Fairfield has had some success on the ground. The Knights will need that effort tonight to keep the Irish offense off the field.
Chambersburg (2-0)
at Gettysburg (0-2)
Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Last year: Chambersburg 34, Gettysburg 13
The skinny: The Trojans have dominated through two weeks, while Gettysburg is still try to find its footing.
Trojans must: Continue the torrid start that has seen Chambersburg outscore its opponents a combined 96-7. The Trojans utilize two quarterbacks -- J.T. Hopple and Ryan Martin -- in an explosive offense that already has scored six TDs of 45 yards or more.
Warriors must: Get something -- anything -- going on offense. Gettysburg has scored 21 total points in two games, but even more disturbing is the fact that the Warriors have only managed 129 combined yards of offense.
Red Land (2-0)
at Dover (2-0)
Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Last year: Dover 26, Red Land 14
The skinny: Both teams look to extend their perfect starts to the season in this nonleague matchup.
Patriots must: Force Dover to throw the football. The Eagles have posted a combined 104 points so far -- second most in the YAIAA -- but almost all of those have come via the ground. Dover has averaged 390.5 rushing yards through its first two games.
Eagles must: Key in on Red Land running back John Ford. It's no mystery who the Patriots offense runs through -- in two games, Ford has posted 214 and 137 rushing yards, respectively.
New Oxford (1-1)
at Waynesboro (0-2)
Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Last year: Waynesboro 14, New Oxford 7
The skinny: The Colonials will try to equal their win total from last season when they travel to Waynesboro.
Colonials must: Recapture the offensive spark they showed last week during a 56-19 win against James Buchanan. The Ox produced 378 yards and had more points at halftime (35) than it had scored in any full game during the previous two seasons.
Indians must: Tighten up on defense. Waynesboro has allowed 82 points in its two losses, although both came against good offensive squads in East Pennsboro and Chambersburg.
Northeastern (2-0)
at Shippensburg (2-0)
Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Last year: Shippensburg 14, Northeastern 12
The skinny: This is an intriguing YAIAA vs. Mid-Penn match-up, pitting two unbeaten squads.
Bobcats must: Continue riding workhorse running back Daniel Adams, who after two games is averaging 164 yards per contest, 6.31 per carry and has scored three touchdowns. Because this likely will be a grind-it-out type game, Adams is key.
Greyhounds must: Take advantage of opportunities against a stingy Bobcats defense. While it might be a bit much to expect a 41-point first half like Shippensburg posted last week against Camp Hill, getting on the board early at home would put the pressure on Northeastern.
Northern York (2-0)
at Mechanicsburg (2-0)
Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Last year: Mechanicsburg 13, Northern York 0
The skinny: One of these teams will suffer its first loss of the season in this Mid-Penn crossover clash.
Polar Bears must: Get Elijah Locke the ball. And if they have trouble with that, get it to Trey Vajdic. The two running backs combined for 193 total yards and three touchdowns in last Friday's one-sided win over Middletown.
Wildcats must: Find a guy named Brown -- either one. Running back Shyheim Brown had 113 yards and three touchdowns against Gettysburg last week, while receiver Swahneek Brown notched a 36-yard touchdown catch.
Red Lion (0-2)
at Lampeter-Strasburg (0-2)
Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Last year: Did not play
The skinny: The Lions hope to get in the win column against last year's District 3 Class AAA runner-up.
Lions must: Pick up the defense. Despite only scoring two touchdowns, the Lions have moved the ball on offense. The defense, however, has allowed 86 points and 801 yards in two games, albeit against two Class AAAA powers.
Pioneers must: Be wary of Red Lion's balance. Despite the lack of scoring, the Lions can move the chains, running or throwing the ball, and one of these games the points will come. L-S wants to make sure it's not tonight.
Spring Grove (1-1)
at West York (2-0)
Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Last year: West York 49, Spring Grove 24
The skinny: Both teams enter this YAIAA crossover contest coming off late-game victories last week.
Rockets must: Bottle up the second-half energy that helped them come back from a halftime deficit against Susquehannock. In that game, Spring Grove racked up 376 yards of offense (116 from running back Jeff Delaughter) and punted only once.
Bulldogs must: Not rely on another miracle like Brock Snellbaker's interception and Chris Markel's field goal in the last minute of a 17-15 win over Dallastown last Friday. West York will look to control the game from the start.
York County Tech (0-2. 0-1 Div. III)
at York Suburban (2-0, 1-0 Div. III)
Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Last year: York Suburban 27, York Tech 6
The skinny: The Trojans try for their third straight win, while the Spartans try to bounce back from a pair of sloppy outings.
Spartans must: Not let Suburban speedster Jaime Nixon-Alark break out on offense. The senior has just 98 total yards of offense so far, but he still scored two touchdowns last week on a punt return and an interception run back.
Trojans must: Continue to be opportunistic. No, York Suburban hasn't hit on all cylinders on offense this season. But the Trojans scored a touchdown each on special teams and defense last week, and Tech has turned it over 14 times already.
Saturday's games
William Penn (0-2)
at Harrisburg (1-1)
Kickoff: 1 p.m.
Last year: Harrisburg 39, William Penn 0
The skinny: Another challenge awaits the Bearcats, who have found little luck against the Cougars in recent years.
Bearcats must: Continue the defensive improvement they showed against J.P. McCaskey last week. A week after letting up 41 in a loss to Coatesville, William Penn's defense gave up just two touchdowns in an 18-15 loss last week.
Cougars must: Start quicker on offense. Harrisburg took home a pivotal, 21-13 victory last week against Wilson, but it had to endure some early struggles first. The Cougars didn't manage a first down until the third quarter.
East Pennsboro (1-1)
at Kennard-Dale (0-2)
Kickoff: 1 p.m.
Last year: Did not play
The skinny: For the second straight week, the Rams will try to get their first win at the expense of a Mid-Penn foe.
Panthers must: Bounce back, especially on defense, from last week's 31-26 loss to West Perry. The good news for East Pennsboro: Kennard-Dale has struggled to create offense this season, having managed 14 combined points in its first two games.
Rams must: Pressure East Pennsboro quarterback Austin Wilson. The Syracuse University commit can shred opposing defenses, and he already has 484 passing yards and six TDs this season.
Susquehannock (0-2) at
Milton Hershey (1-1)
Kickoff: 1:30 p.m.
Last year: Did not play
The skinny: The Warriors are hoping to get in that long-awaited win column with a Saturday trip to Chocolate Town.
Warriors must: Forget the two late-game, seven-point disappointing losses that opened the season. Despite being 0-2, Susquehannock has shown improvement from a season ago, as shown by its plus-7 turnover ratio.
Spartans must: Keep the solid defense going. A week ago, the Spartans allowed Kennard-Dale only 93 yards of offense, and that performance followed a season-opener in which they allowed only 14 points to rival Hershey.
