LANCASTER – Taking a look at the District 3 football power rankings and how the L-L League teams fit in the puzzle through Week 9 …
AAAA
1. Central Dauphin (8-1)
2. Wilson (8-1)
3. Harrisburg (7-2)
4. Penn Manor (8-1)
10. Manheim Township (5-4)
13. McCaskey (4-5)
18. Hempfield (3-6)
19. Warwick (3-6)
* For the third week in a row, the AAAA power rankings got a facelift. Penn Manor sat atop the heap for a good chunk of the season, yet slipped to No. 3 last week, even after a win over AAAA Warwick in Week 8. Wilson bumped up to No. 1 after Week 8, and even after beating Penn Manor 14-7 on Friday, the Bulldogs slipped to No. 2 and were leapfrogged by reigning state champ Central Dauphin heading into Week 10. I never even pretended to understand how the power rankings work. Just seems odd that the rankings would change that much. Oh well. … Central Dauphin finishes up at home vs. CD East (2-7); Wilson is at Warwick (3-6); Harrisburg is at Carlisle (0-9); and Penn Manor hosts Cedar Crest (2-7). … Crazier things have happened, but sniffing four wins there. Whether that means 1-2-3-4 will remain the same with four wins is up in the air. Keep your calculators handy. And use pencil, not ink. … Manheim Township looks safe – even at 5-5 – but a win over Hempfield and a 6-4 finish puts the Streaks in quite comfortably. A win and help could – could – get Township a home game. … Keep an eye on McCaskey, which is sitting on the 13 line. Tornado hosts Lancaster Catholic (6-3) so will only get AAA points. A win and McCaskey should be safe at 5-5; a loss and the Tornado would be hovering around the bubble. … Speaking of bubble: Hempfield and Warwick are on the outside looking in, and both have tricky Week 10 tests: Hempfield is at Township and Warwick gets Wilson, which will be looking for its 36th Section 1 win in a row and its fifth undefeated run through the section in a row – and maybe, depending how things shake down, the No. 1 seed.
AAA
1. Bishop McDevitt (9-0)
2. West York (9-0)
3. Susquehanna Township (7-2)
4. Lancaster Catholic (6-3)
5. Garden Spot (9-0)
6. Cocalico (8-1)
10. Donegal (8-1)
13. Manheim Central (7-2)
17. Lampeter-Strasburg (5-4)
18, Elco (6-3)
* If the season ended today, Manheim Central would visit – ta-da – Lancaster Catholic for a first-round game. Odds are that will change, but wouldn't that be mighty interesting. … McDevitt closes with Palmyra (0-9) at home; West York hosts New Oxford (4-5); Susquehanna Township is at Red Land (6-3); and Lancaster Catholic is across the street at McCaskey (4-5). So the Crusaders-Tornado backyard scrap will have plenty of district seeding ramifications surrounding it. … If anyone in the top four slips up, Garden Spot – which will go for a 10-0 campaign at Pequea Valley (3-6) – and Cocalico, which is at Ephrata (2-7), are poised to jump up. … Donegal toasted Northern Lebanon 54-6 last Friday yet remained in the 10 slot. Indians finish up at home vs. Annville-Cleona (3-6), and need a win and likely help to jump to 8 and get a first-round home date. … Manheim Central, which blew out old rival Conestoga Valley 49-7, moved up from 15 to 13. Barons close is out vs. Solanco (1-8). … Lampeter-Strasburg, which is at CV (3-6) for the East/West Lampeter-Strasburg Bowl on Friday, is on the other side of the bubble at 17, and needs a win and help to get in; Pioneers are the reigning district runners-up. ... Elco, which finishes up with a non-leaguer at North Schuylkill (5-3), is also on the other side of the bubble. Terrific bounce-back season for the Raiders, but they'll need a win and help to get a Week 11.
AA
1. Wyomissing (9-0)
2. Bermudian Springs (9-0)
3. Berks Catholic (9-0)
4. Trinity (8-1)
10. Annville-Cleona (3-6)
11. Pequea Valley (3-6)
* Top four should get a bit of a facelift in Week 10 when No. 3 Berks Catholic visits No. 1 Wyomissing for the Berks Football League Section 2 championship. … Wyo survived Schuylkill Valley in Week 9, 37-33. … Tough Week 10 test also for Bermudian Springs, which hosts 8-1 Biglerville, which is No. 5 in AA. … Trinity is at Middletown (1-8). … True tests for bubble teams Annville-Cleona and Pequea Valley in Week 10: Dutchmen are at Donegal and Braves host Garden Spot. … After Lancaster Catholic dominated here the last several years, looks like an L-L League-less AA bracket this fall.
A
1. Delone Catholic (6-3)
2. Steel-High (6-3)
3. Millersburg (6-3)
4. Columbia (3-6)
* Crowded top three, with L-L League entrant – and reigning champ – Columbia clinging to the fourth and final spot. … Tide leads last year's runner-up, Camp Hill (4-5), by percentage points. Columbia could use a Week 10 win at Northern Lebanon (2-7) to lock up a spot. A loss and things could get tricky. … Delone Catholic hosts Hanover (0-9); Steel-High is at Camp Hill, so the Rollers could actually help Columbia with a win there; and Millersburg hosts Upper Dauphin (3-6) in its finale.
JEFF REINHART: jreinhart@pnco.com
ON TWITTER: @JeffReinhartPN