CD EAST AT CUMBERLAND VALLEY
7 p.m. FRIDAY, HARRY CHAPMAN FIELD
RECORDS: CD East 2-1, 0-0 Commonwealth; Cumberland Valley 2-1, 0-0.
THE PANTHERS: Will certainly entertain a much different rushing attack than the one Daquan Worley and fourth-ranked Coatesville presented last week. Worley did shake loose for 220 stripes on 38 carries, but more valuable to us was that final score, 27-14. The Panthers clawed to the very end with one of the state's best Class AAAA units. Plus, not many programs have the defensive awareness to keep the Red Raiders under 30. It will interesting to see which number, Brandon Ross or Justis Jacobs, fires the most pills this week.
THE EAGLES: More than held their own against a pretty stingy Bishop McDevitt defense last week, calling upon RB Tyler Updegraff and FB Tyler Heisey a combined 33 times. Thanks to a better-than-advertised offensive line, that shifty Wing-T had the Crusaders on their heels for a while. And while it didn't last, skipper Mike Whitehead got the kind of effort he was hoping for. If CV's defense can limit the Panthers to a few big plays, the Eagles can move the needle to three wins. We know the Eagles are physical enough to get there.
THE CRUX: It's rare when we talk about overall conditioning, but it's been a tough three weeks for both sides. Cumberland Valley might be tender after South Western and McD on consecutive weeks. The Panthers have played Shippensburg, Susquehanna Twp. and Coatesville so far.
EPLER SAYS: Because both sides have performed better than anticipated through three regular-season weeks, this one is tough to handicap. We do know the Panthers (-3) last tasted victory in this series in 2007.
Epler on Twitter: @threejacker
High School Football Essentials:
Sign up for our High School Football Insider newsletter
Get your scores with the iPhone or Android app
Don't miss all five parts of The Program: Susquehanna Township football