DISTRICT 3-AAA SEMIFINAL
CONRAD WEISER AT BISHOP McDEVITT
7 p.m. FRIDAY, ROCCO ORTENZIO STADIUM
RECORDS: No. 4 Conrad Weiser 9-3; No. 1 Bishop McDevitt 11-1.
WHY THE SCOUTS WILL WIN: Maybe 13-seed Spring Grove and fifth-seeded Dover, Conrad Weiser's first two postseason opponents, were simply outclassed but neither one managed a single point against the Berks County 4-seed. That's right, top stoppers Malik Shivers, LB Crew Shover and the Scouts are coming off consecutive shutout wins. Plus, Al Moyer's offense pieced together another sound and balanced push against Dover on Friday, with RB Dexter Jordan, QB Aidan Brosious and versatile RB Alex Guilbe leading the attack. That's quite a turnover from dropping back-to-back games to Reading and Governor Mifflin to close the regular season.
WHY THE CRUSADERS WILL WIN: If the first 12 weeks of the season have proved anything it's that nothing less than a Herculean effort is needed to take down the three-time defending D3-AAA champs. While Cedar Cliff did manage to outgun
McD, there's not too many southpaws named Andrew Ford steering PIAA programs these days. And not many programs offer a 1-2 punch like Andre Robinson and Rashad Lawson, a backfield tandem that has combined for more than 2,600 rushing yards and 39 TDs. But the octane level doesn't stop there. QB Nick Marsilio is coming off a 9-for-9, three-touchdown performance against Muhlenberg. All three TD tosses went to flashy Kobay White, who now has 14 score on the season. It's a group averaging 430 yards and 43 points per game.
POSTSEASON SNAPSHOT: The Scouts are regular customers in these playoffs and bumped their overall mark to 10-10 with last week's victory. A victory here would earn Conrad Weiser its second championship appearance, the first coming in 1996 when Bishop McDevitt won 53-34 in the D3-AA title game. … One of the most successful D3 programs, the Crusaders are looking for victory No. 40 in 46 games. McD is one of three district programs to win at least 10 titles, joining Manheim Central (16) and Cumberland Valley (12) with last year's three-peat. The Crusaders also have bypassed the Scouts in quarterfinals each of the last seasons, winning 49-21 in 2012 and 70-21 in 2011.
EPLER SAYS: The Scouts have enjoyed a nice run but the hard facts suggest that run will end Friday in the Harrisburg suburbs. Bishop McDevitt (-19) presents major match ups problems with all those offensive weapons. And that's not even counting the pressure applied by McD's defense. While DE Steve Marrazzo (concussion) and DL Myles Turner (ankle) might not be available, McD has plenty left in the stable to turn back the Scouts.
Epler on Twitter: @threejacker
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