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Week 1 preview: Central York, West York renew rivalry


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This year's rivalry showdown between Central York and West York will look and feel a little different this year.

For years, this Week 1 game seemed to always feature at least one team — if not both — coming off a division title and playoff appearance, looking to carry that momentum into the next season.

This year, though, the game pits two teams coming off disappointing seasons that are looking to take a step toward new days of glory.

The Panthers have a new coach in Josh Oswalt, replacing 34-year mainstay Brad Livingston on the sidelines after last year's 3-7 campaign. The Bulldogs come off a 5-5 campaign in coach Jeremy Jones' first season, which included four losses by 10 points or fewer.

This year's matchup takes place at Central York. The road team has won the last six meetings.

Which team will start 2016 on the right foot?

Click here to watch West York at Central York football LIVE on Friday night

Click here to see the GameTimePA staff predictions.

Here's a look at the games featuring York-Adams teams looking to get their seasons started on the right foot in Week 1:

Biglerville at Annville-Cleona

Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Last year: Annville-Cleona, 39-36 (2OT)
The skinny:The Canners have a number of new skill position players making their varsity debuts against an Annville-Cleona squad that lost, 55-27, to Trinity last week.  
Canners must: Stop the run. While the Little Dutchmen struggled to pass last week, they did run for 291 yards on 34 attempts as a team. With an experienced defensive line led by Dalton Cox and Brent Hayes, the Canners should be prepared. 
Little Dutchmen must: Avoid the turnovers. The Dutchmen had plenty of problems last week, but coughing the ball up was one of the biggest. They gave up two fumbles and three interceptions against Trinity.

Boiling Springs at Littlestown

Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Last year: Boiling Springs, 35-0
The skinny: After starting last season 0-3, the Thunderbolts are determined to open this year strong. They face a tough challenge out of the gate against a team that shut them out a year ago. 
Bubblers must: Limit Littlestown running back Wes Storey. The senior finished his junior campaign on a tear and ran for 980 yards. He's the key to the Bolts offense. 
Thunderbolts must: Get their defense on track. Littlestown gave up more than 30 points seven times last season and has seven new starters on that side of the ball.

Daniel Boone at Northeastern

Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Last year: Did not play
The skinny:The Bobcats enter this season with high expectations and will not want to let their home fans down.
Blazers must: Grow up quickly. The Blazers have a small senior class and little depth, so younger players will need to be ready to play right away. Many underclassmen saw playing time last year.
Bobcats must: Avoid turnovers. The Bobcats ranked third in the YAIAA last season by only turning the ball over three times. They showed some sloppiness with the ball in last week's scrimmage and will need to clean that up.

Delone Catholic at Trinity

Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Last year: Trinity, 42-28
The skinny:The Squires have high expectations and a senior-heavy roster. They're determined to beat the Shamrocks after losing the matchup the past two seasons. 
Squires must: Keep Andrew Boguski in check. The Trinity quarterback threw for 208 yards, five touchdowns and ran for a score last week against Annville-Cleona. 
Shamrocks must: Get penetration from their defensive line. The Squires like to run the ball and have a big and experienced offensive line led by Bryce Perkins and Wade Neiderer.

Dover at Shippensburg

Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Last year: Dover, 42-17
The skinny:The Eagles got off to a fast start last year, but they faded when they ended the year with four straight losses. They'll try to establish some positive momentum right off the bat this season.
Eagles must: Establish the running game. This was a strength last season, as Durran Ledbetter rushed for more than 6 yards per carry. Now the Eagles turn to two sophomore to fill his shoes.
Greyhounds must: Establish the passing game. New quarterback Carter Van Scyoc will get to play with many of the same offensive weapons that Tyler Gustofson had last season when he threw for more than 1,800 yards and 17 touchdowns.

Eastern York at Lampeter-Strasburg

Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Last year: Did not play
The skinny:New coach Jeff Mesich hopes to bring some consistency to the Golden Knights after they went 2-6 in the final two months of last season.
Golden Knights must: Create a pass rush. Wyatt Smith sacked the quarterback five times last season, and he now anchors an experienced defensive line that will be facing an inexperienced quarterback.
Pioneers must: Get Shane Lawler in space. With dynamic speed, he rushed for 726 yards and 10 touchdowns and also racked up 28 receptions for 384 yards last season.

Fairfield at St. Joseph's Catholic Academy

Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Last year: Did not play
The skinny:The Green Knights won just a single game last season but have high hopes thanks to some young, talented pieces. 
Knights must: Get Charlie Burnett involved. The sophomore running back started last season strong but sustained a head injury that cut his campaign short. A big game in the opener will give him confidence and take pressure off quarterback Darian Mort. 
Wolves must: Get something going on offense. The Wolves gained just 24 total yards in last week's 54-0 loss to Bald Eagle Area.

Gettysburg at South Western

Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Last year: South Western, 38-13
The skinny:The Warriors want to get the bad taste from last season's 1-9 record out of their mouths while the Mustangs feel confident they can match last year's success.
Warriors must: Stay strong mentally. Head coach Matt Heiser spent the offseason instilling a winning attitude in his players, which will be put to the test against a talented South Western squad. 
Mustangs must: Get Drew Hartlaub going. The star running back will be back on the field for the first time since tearing his ACL last year against the Warriors. Getting him his confidence back will be key for the Mustangs.

Hempfield at Dallastown

Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Last year: Did not play
The skinny: This will be a big game between two teams that combined to win 16 regular season games and two playoff games last fall.
Black Knights must: Avoid mistakes on defense. The Black Knights will be up against an inexperienced offense, so their seasoned core of linebackers needs to lead the defense to make the most of its experience.
Wildcats must: Win the special teams battle. Kicker Drake Pew is back, along with a pair of speedy kick and punt returners in Edgar Centeno and Elijah Lloyd. In a close game, those players could make all the difference.

Hershey at Spring Grove

Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Last year: Did not play
The skinny: There's optimism in Spring Grove after last season's District 3 playoff appearance, but the Rockets need players to emerge at multiple spots. 
Trojans must: Get their defense off to a good start. Hershey gave up more than 40 points six times last season. 
Rockets must: Get the passing game going. Quarterback Jake Messersmith threw 1,230 yards and 14 touchdowns last season and his rapport with receivers Connor Reed, Brady Stein and Anthony Beddia will be key to this year's success.

James Buchanan at Hanover

Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Last year: Hanover, 33-0
The skinny:The Nighthawks are determined to prove that last season's 9-2 record wasn't a fluke. Playing a team that went 0-10 last season could help some new players adjust to the varsity level. 
Rockets must: Not fall behind early. The Rockets were accustomed to blowouts last season, and hanging around with the Nighthawks could give their young players some much-needed confidence. 
Nighthawks must: Establish an identity on offense. The Nighthawks threw the ball a lot last season but might turn to a ground attack now. Junior Cam Mumma is a first-year starter at quarterback and Logan Brown and Justin Barnes form a solid duo at running back.

New Oxford at Bermudian Springs

Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Last year: New Oxford, 24-21
The skinny:The Colonials are trying to establish a new identity under first-year coach Greg Bowman after going 2-8 last season while the Eagles want to ride the momentum of a 5-1 stretch to end 2015
Colonials must: Control the line of scrimmage. Bermudian Springs likes to run the ball but is inexperienced on the offensive line, and the Colonials have talented players on their front four in Derrick Rudisill, Terry Sager and Cody Smith. 
Eagles must: Prove they can still run the ball. Coach Jon DeFoe is famous for utilizing the run out of the wing-T offense, and he has a strong back at his disposal in Ashton West. The play of the offensive line will be key.

Pequea Valley at Kennard-Dale

Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Last year: Did not play
The skinny:The Braves bring in the momentum of the first winning season in school history, while the Rams have a total of five wins in the last four years.
Braves must: Give Jordan Lapp time to throw. The junior quarterback threw for more than 1,600 yards last season. He's also a threat to run, having amassed 300 rushing yards last year.
Rams must: Establish the passing game. The Rams scored a lot of points last season thanks to a strong passing game. They won't have leading receiver Kyle Wooldridge back this year, so they need to find new receivers to step up and keep that attack strong.

Red Land at Cocalico

Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Last year: Did not play
The skinny: The Patriots look to keep the momentum going after shocking the entire state by beating Bishop McDevitt last week.
Patriots must: Keep the chains moving. Sometimes a team's offense can be it's best defense. The Patriots amassed 17 first downs last week, helping keep McDevitt off the field in a 17-6 upset win.
Eagles must: Finish out games. The Eagles went 5-5 last year, losing three games by seven points or less.

Susquehannock at Northern York

Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Last year: Northern York, 38-14
The skinny: Both teams exceeded expectations last year, as Northern York went 7-3 and Susquehannock went 5-5.
Warriors must: Win the battle in the trenches. The defensive line will be one of the Warriors' most-experienced units with Alex Weincek and Jack Allred back. A strong push up front would be a good start in neutralizing the Polar Bears' attack. 
Polar Bears must: Establish the Robison to Razzanno connection. The quarterback-receiver duo combined for several big plays last year and look to make that work again.

Waynesboro at Red Lion

Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Last year: Did not play
The skinny:The Lions ended last regular season on a four-game winning streak and look to keep that positive energy going in 2016.
Indians must: Get Cameron Keck going. The wide receiver averaged more than 15 yards per reception last season and goes up against a Lions secondary that doesn't return any starters.
Lions must: Score often. The Lions scored at least 26 points in every win last year, including scoring more than 40 three times. No matter how inexperienced the back end of that defense is, scoring that many points will provide a comfortable cushion.

William Penn at Reading

Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Last year: Reading, 36-0
The skinny:After an 0-10 season, the Bearcats want to show signs of progress.
Bearcats must: Find the end zone. The Bearcats were shut out four times last year. Scoring some touchdowns will give this offense confidence going forward.
Red Knights must: Grow up quickly. The Red Knights only return one starter on offense after losing several players to graduation and star Jason Crawford to a season-ending knee injury.

York Catholic at York Suburban

Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Last year: Did not play
The skinny: Both teams enter the season looking to follow up seasons that saw them earn playoff berths.
Fighting Irish must: Get Jakkar Kinard going. Despite missing time early in the year, Kinard rushed for 1,319 yards and 15 touchdowns to lead the YAIAA last year.
Trojans must: Get the running backs involved. A high-flying passing attack worked well for the Trojans last year, but the running backs are now the team's more-experienced offensive group.

York County Tech at Harford Tech (Md.)

Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Last year: Did not play
The skinny: The Spartans face this out-of-state foe after struggling to a 2-8 record last year.
Spartans must: Keep the Cobras out of the end zone. The Spartans have some talented players on defense who will need to step up to keep this game close while the new-look offense finds a rhythm.
Cobras must: Not melt down after mistakes. The Cobras played well in close games last year, going 3-0 in games decided by ten points or less. All five losses came by 12 points or more.