LANCASTER - Another week, another stab at L-L League football rankings.
Not much of a shakeup based on the Week 8 finals.
Bit of a facelift, with the weekly disclaimer: I do this for fun ...
1. PENN MANOR COMETS (5-0, 8-0)
LAST WEEK: Walloped Warwick 40-6.
THIS WEEK: Friday vs. Wilson, 7 p.m.
LIVE CHAT: PennLive.com at 6:30 p.m.
NUGGETS: Slipped to No. 3 in the District 3 AAAA rankings behind Wilson and Central Dauphin, setting up a mega 1 vs. 3 showdown on Friday when the Bulldogs pile in the bus and head to Millersville. ... Comets lead the league with 189 first downs and a plus-249 scoring margin; 61 points allowed are second-least in the league behind - ta-da - Wilson. ... PM is the last remaining undefeated District 3 AAAA team heading into Week 9. ... Plus-14 turnover ratio is tops in Section 1 and third-best in the league.
2. GARDEN SPOT SPARTANS (4-0, 8-0)
LAST WEEK: Whitewashed Northern Lebanon 30-0.
THIS WEEK: Friday @ Columbia. 7 p.m.
NUGGETS: Opportunistic Spartans have a league-best 28 takeaways and are a league-best plus-17 in turnover ratio. Short fields are a good thing. ... One of three undefeated District 3 AAA teams, along with Bishop McDevitt and West York; Garden Spot is fifth in the latest district rankings, and is gunning for a top-4 seed and multiple home games in the early rounds. ... 78 points against are third-least in the league. ... DT Khalil Fox: 46 tackles, 6 1/2 sacks.
3. WILSON BULLDOGS (5-0, 7-1)
LAST WEEK: Blanked Manheim Township 21-0.
THIS WEEK: Friday @ Penn Manor, 7 p.m.
LIVE CHAT: PennLive.com at 6:30 p.m.
NUGGETS: Top-ranked defense in the L-L League has yielded a league-low 58 points. ... Win over Manheim Township vaulted the Bulldogs to the top the District 3 AAAA rankings. ... Penalties are still a bugaboo; Bulldogs have been flagged 69 times - most in the league. ... Riding a 34-game Section 1 winning streak dating back to Week 9 in 2007. ... LB Dominic Moyer: Team-best 49 solo tackles and 4 sacks to lead punishing D unit. ... 22 takeaways are most in Section 1.
4. COCALICO (5-0, 7-1)
LAST WEEK: Topped Lampeter-Strasburg 34-18.
THIS WEEK: Friday vs. Elizabethtown, 7 p.m.
NUGGETS: Sitting pretty alone atop the Section 2 heap coming off wins over Manheim Central and Lampeter-Strasburg in two of the last three weeks. Happy days in Denver. ... Plus-7 turnover ratio is tops in Section 2, and 122 first downs are fourth-most in the league. ... RB Spencer Moser (864 yards, 11 TD) and FB Nick Reitenbach (746 yards, 11 TD) looking for 1,000 yards each. ... LB Dalton Kern: Team-best 90 tackles, 2 sacks, a fumble recovery and four forced fumbles - plus a blocked punt last week vs. L-S. ... And this juicy nugget: Former Cocalico standout Kyle Felpel, who is competing in track and field on a scholarship at Alabama, might - repeat: might - get a shot at punting for the Crimson Tide's football team. Still up the in air, but he might - repeat: might - get a look as a walk-on in the near future. Stay tuned.
5. DONEGAL INDIANS (3-1, 7-1)
LAST WEEK: Held off Schuylkill Valley 27-21.
THIS WEEK: Friday @ Northern Lebanon, 7 p.m.
NUGGETS: Figured the Indians would get a good road test at Schuylkill Valley, and Donegal did. It took two days (rain forced the game to be resumed on Saturday), but the Indians forced five turnovers - four picks and a fumble recovery - and withstood the Panthers' second-half comeback. ... 341 points scored are tops in the league. ... 24 takeaways and plus-16 turnover ratio are both second-best in the league. ... No. 10 in District 3 AAA rankings; Indians are angling for a top-8 spot and a first-round home game.
6. MANHEIM CENTRAL BARONS (4-1, 6-2)
LAST WEEK: Drilled Ephrata 56-0.
THIS WEEK: Friday @ Conestoga Valley, 7 p.m.
NUGGETS: Safe to say the loss to Cocalico is in the Barons' rearview mirror; Central snapped back with impressive back-to-back wins: 28-7 over L-S and then a 56-0 demolition of Ephrata. ... Sitting at No. 15 in District 3 AAA rankings; an odd spot for a 6-2 record, but six of the Barons' opponents have losing records, so Central is having a problem piling up the power points. ... 154 first downs are second-most in the league. ... Barons are one of four league teams with 300-plus points scored (326 - second-most in the league). ... QB Colin Fry continues to be a dual-threat: 1,539 passing yards, 16 TD; 335 rushing yards, 9 TD. ... DT Nate Henry: 27 solo stops, 5 1/2 sacks.
7. LANCASTER CATHOLIC CRUSADERS (3-2, 5-3)
LAST WEEK: Topped Hempfield 28-14.
THIS WEEK: Friday vs. Cedar Crest, 7 p.m.
NUGGETS: Shook off the loss to Wilson with a two-TD win over Hempfield, surving three turnovers and having a couple of touchdowns called back along the way. Crusaders had 11 penalties for 125 yards against the Black Knights. ... 62 penalties against are tied for second-most in the league, and 498 yards in penalty march-offs are most in the league. ... Still, Crusaders are No. 7 in the District 3 AAA rankings, and are in line for a Round 1 home game. ... RB Roman Clay: 177 carries for 1,456 yards, 8.2 per tote, 18 TD. ... WR Sean Titus: 41 catches for 722 yards, 17.6 per grab, 7 TD receptions.
8. McCASKEY RED TORNADO (3-2, 4-4)
LAST WEEK: Outlasted Cedar Crest 42-41 in OT.
THIS WEEK: Friday @ Manheim Township, 7 p.m.
NUGGETS: Tornado has found its groove, with back-to-back, high-flying, point-producing victories: 42-7 over Warwick and a thrill-a-minute 42-41 OT win at Cedar Crest. ... Right in the mix in the District 3 AAAA hunt, sitting at No. 9 and thinking two wins for a home game. But a tricky slate awaits: A trip to Neffsville for a date with Township, followed up with a Week 10 home tester against neighbor Lancaster Catholic. ... Only L-L League team with at least a .500 record that has a negative scoring marging (minus-38). ... 62 penalties against are second-most in the league. ... Random Aaron Swinton stats: 657 rushing yards, 5 TD ... 28 catches for 511 yards, 8 TD ... 44 tackles ... 3 INT ... 6 passes defended ... 21 yards per kick return, 1 TD ... 19.6 yards per punt return. He's been a multi-purpose threat personified.
9. MANHEIM TOWNSHIP BLUE STREAKS (2-3, 4-4)
LAST WEEK: Blanked by Wilson 21-0.
THIS WEEK: Friday vs. McCaskey, 7 p.m.
NUGGETS: Looking to snap an otherwise forgettable two-game losing skid, with setbacks to Section 1 front-runners Penn Manor (30-6) and Wilson (21-zip). That's 6 points in the last two weeks for the Streaks' usually potent O; Township scored 41 and 47 points, respectively, in the previous two weeks - both victories. ... Sitting on the 11 line in District 3 AAAA rankings. Two wins down the stretch might put the Streaks in line for a home game in first round. ... QB Brennan Scott: 110-of-203 for 1,627 yards, 13 TD. ... WR Tyler Karpinski: 52 catches for 882 yards, 17 yards per grab, 6 TD. ... S Ryan Morgan: Team-best 3 picks.
10. ELCO RAIDERS (3-2, 5-3)
LAST WEEK: Cruised past Columbia 35-14.
THIS WEEK: Friday @ Annville-Cleona, 7 p.m.
NUGGETS: Raiders vs. Little Dutchmen on Friday; scoreboard operator should be busy - that's almost always a score-fest. ... Dreaded bubble team for a spot in the District 3 AAA bracket; Raiders are No. 19, so they need two wins and some help to make the field. ... Huge game by Adam Shoemaker in win vs. Tide on Saturday: 51-yard TD run, 97-yard TD catch, a 1-yard TD run and a 69-yard INT pick-6, respectively. ... Anyone else have Elco at 5-3 at this point with a new regime (first-year coach Bob Miller) and a freshman QB (Jeff Martin)? One of the best pleasant-surprise stories this season.
JEFF REINHART: jreinhart@pnco.com
ON TWITTER: @JeffReinhartPN