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YAIAA football Week 8: Red Lion facing big road test


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There's no doubt Red Lion has been the YAIAA's most dominant team this season.

The Lions are the only one of the league's 23 teams to win their first seven games, and they've done so by beating teams by an average of more than 31 points.

But if the Lions want to finish the year 10-0 with their first division title since 2003, they'll have to get through their toughest remaining road game this Friday at Central York.

The Panthers are off to a 3-1 start in YAIAA Division I play, tied with Dallastown for second place in the division. Central York pulled off an unexpected upset of Northeastern earlier this season, and it now looks to revive that magic for another big upset win.

Cade Pribula has emerged as the league's top thrower, amassing 1,252 yards and 10 touchdowns through seven games. The Panthers rely on the passing game more than most teams, so Red Lion's defense, ranked third in the league, will want to shut that down.

Friday's games

Bermudian Springs at York Catholic

Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Last year: Bermudian Springs, 20-17.
The skinny: The winner will move into sole possession of first place in YAIAA Division III.
Eagles (6-1, 4-0) must: Keep Devon Hodgen hot. Despite missing time early in the year, Hodgen has rushed for 572 yards this season and scored three touchdowns. 
Fighting Irish (6-1, 4-0) must: Get Jakkar Kinard going again. Kinard, one of the league leaders in rushing, ran for just 12 yards on five carries against Biglerville last week.

Biglerville at Littlestown

Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Last year: Biglerville, 41-20.
The skinny: The Bolts remain a game back in Division III, but they can keep themselves in the thick of the District 3 playoff hunt by beating the winless Canners. 
Canners (0-7, 0-4) must: Shape up its pass defense. Biglerville couldn't stop York Catholic quarterback Dan Yokemick last week, allowing him to pass for 275 yards and three touchdowns. Littlestown has had success running and throwing this season, and if quarterback Tanner Noble heats up the Bolts will be difficult to stop. 
Thunderbolts (6-1, 3-1) must: Keep playing tough on defense. Littlestown held Hanover to 47 yards on 30 carries last week and now faces the league's leading rusher in Reggie Adams.

Cedar Cliff at Red Land

Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Last year: Cedar Cliff, 56-34.
The skinny: This year's version of the West Shore School District rivalry has major Mid Penn Keystone Division implications.
Colts (6-1, 2-1) must: Create turnovers. The Colts forced three turnovers last week against Chambersburg. Doing that again will help against a Red Land team that has shown the ability to run time off the clock.
Patriots (4-2, 3-0) must: Slow down Grant Breneman. The Colgate University commit threw for 248 yards and two touchdowns last week. He also ran for another.

Dallastown at New Oxford

Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Last year: Dallastown, 43-13.
The skinny: With huge games against Central York and Red Lion coming up, the Wildcats will look to keep pace in the Division I title race against winless New Oxford. 
Wildcats (6-1, 3-1) must: Keep running the ball. Dallastown racked up 313 rushing yards against South Western last week and now faces a team that has struggled to defend the run all year. 
Colonials (0-7, 0-4) must: Avoid giving up points on special teams and offense. While the Colonials were overmatched by Red Lion last week, they didn't help matters by giving up touchdowns on a punt return and an interception. Those plays are killers against strong teams.

Daniel Boone at Gettysburg

Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Last year: Did not play.
The skinny: While this game won't change Gettysburg's position in the Division II race, the Warriors can stay above .500 with a win. 
Blazers (3-4) must: Keep Gettysburg's kick returners in check. Wesley Gayle and Ammon Robinson have both taken kicks back for touchdowns in recent weeks. Those special teams plays continue to make Gettysburg dangerous.  
Warriors (4-3) must: Continue having success on the ground. The Warriors rarely ever throw the ball and lean on running backs Edny Celius, Ferrious Ashford and Gayle to carry the offense. That will likely remain the plan against the Blazers.

Fairfield at Delone Catholic

Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Last year: Delone Catholic, 51-28.
The skinny: Both teams are trying to get back on track after starting 1-3 in Division III play. 
Knights (4-3, 1-3) must: Get the running game back on track. Sophomore back Charlie Burnett was held to 18 yards by York County Tech last week as the Knights finished the game with -13 yards rushing. They’ve got a couple injuries on the offensive line, but they will need to find a solution to the running game issues. 
Squires (4-3, 1-3) must: Prevent the big plays. Delone likes to play conservative on offense, but that’s hard to do when its defense gives up three long touchdowns like it did last week against Bermudian Springs.

Kennard-Dale at Eastern York

Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Last year: Kennard-Dale, 18-14.
The skinny: The Golden Knights look to bounce back from a six-point loss at Susquehannock last week.
Rams (0-7, 0-4) must: Create some offense. The Rams are the only team in the YAIAA that hasn't eclipsed 1,000 total yards this season.
Golden Knights (3-4, 3-1) must: Stop the run. Susquehannock's Jack Allred gashed the Golden Knights' run defense for 215 yards and three touchdowns last week.

Shippensburg at Northern York

Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Last year: Northern, 24-19.
The skinny: Northern York looks to knock off the undefeated Greyhounds.
Greyhounds (7-0, 4-0) must: Keep Adam Houser going. The Greyhounds running back rushed for 190 yards and a touchdown last week, adding a new dimension to the team's offense
Polar Bears (4-3, 2-2) must: Keep moving the chains. The Polar Bears picked up 17 first downs last week in their best performance of the year — a shutout victory against Mifflin County.

Spring Grove at Northeastern

Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Last year: Northeastern, 30-0.
The skinny: The Rockets look to bounce back from a disappointing loss to Central York, while the Bobcats try to get a winning streak going.
Rockets (4-3, 2-2) must: Move the ball through the air. Northeastern leads the league in pass defense, and the Rockets were held to 87 passing yards last week
Bobcats (5-2, 2-2) must: Get Anu Johnson going. Johnson has been a catalyst in Northeastern victories, but he missed the better part of two games with an injury and missed last week's game because of a suspension.

Susquehannock at West York

Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Last year: West York, 34-31.
The skinny: The Warriors look to get hot after a big win against Eastern York last week on homecoming.
Warriors (2-5, 1-2) must: Hold onto the ball. The Warriors lost three fumbles in last week's game, and they only stayed in it because they were able to force Eastern York into three turnovers.
Bulldogs (1-5, 1-2) must: Be smart with the ball. The Bulldogs threw four interceptions last week, giving up valuable field position in a loss to York Suburban.

William Penn at South Western

Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Last year: South Western, 46-0.
The skinny: After getting blown out by Red Lion and Dallastown in back-to-back weeks, South Western will try to regroup against a pesky William Penn team looking for its first win. 
Bearcats (0-7, 0-4) must: Find consistency on offense. The Bearcats have done a decent job moving ball the past few weeks, but they scored just 13 combined points in losses to Spring Grove and Northeastern. 
Mustangs (3-4, 2-2) must: Keep Delunche Shaw involved. The junior running back has been one of South Western's brightest spots the last two weeks, scoring long touchdowns against Red Lion and Dallastown. The Mustangs like to spread the ball around, but they need to keep putting it in Shaw's hands.

York Suburban at Dover

Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Last year: York Suburban, 55-27.
The skinny: The Trojans look to stay undefeated in YAIAA Division II play.
Trojans (5-2, 3-0) must: Keep Teague Hoffman involved. The dynamic running back has rushed for 10 touchdowns this year and caught another one.
Eagles (2-5, 1-2) must: Play disciplined. The Eagles gave up 73 yards on eight penalties last week in a 35-20 loss at Conrad Weiser. They can't afford to give up that kind of field position up against the Trojan's high-powered offense.

Saturday's game

Hanover at York County Tech

Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Last year: Hanover, 53-16.
The skinny: The Spartans look for another win to continue the program's best season since 2009.
Nighthawks (3-4, 1-3) must: Establish the running game. The Nighthawks have gotten big performances from Justin Barnes and Resean Williams at times, but the team ran for just 47 yards last week.
Spartans (4-3, 2-2) must: Avoid turnovers. The Spartans beat Fairfield last week despite four turnovers. They're typically better in that department. They've forced six more turnovers than they've committed this year.