Week 8 football preview: Annville-Cleona, ELCO have crucial games as playoffs loom

There's just a few weeks left between now and District 3 playoff football, and so the stakes continue to pile up. To add to it, only one team from the area is coming off of a win so there's extra importance to this week.

As the season gets into Week 8, here's a look at the upcoming games around Lebanon County.

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Thursday's action

Annville-Cleona (3-4) vs. Pequea Valley (4-3)

Last week saw the Dutchmen lose to Lancaster Catholic in a week where their line wasn’t in usual shape. This week presents another crucial challenge for Annville-Cleona, as the Braves are coming off of consecutive wins versus Columbia and Hamburg.

The latest game wasn’t close until the end, as Pequea Valley junior rusher Drew Tibbins led the group with 69 yards and two scores in a 24-17 win over Hamburg. The action saw the Braves grab a 14-0 lead within nine minutes of play, before taking a 24-0 lead on a 5-yard touchdown pass by junior Anthony Stoltzfus before halftime.

The Dutchmen can get a big bonus this week if more members of their O-line are able to play, but the squad has seen an uptick in offensive playmaking through recent weeks. Junior Jonathan Moran and sophomore Devon Englehart have stepped up when given touches, and add valuable versatility around the team. If coach Matt Gingrich’s team is going to bounce back this week, the defense will need to force pressure often and give the offense opportunities at controlling the game flow.

Friday's action

Cedar Crest (4-3) at J.P. McCaskey (2-5)

The Falcons made it competitive for a bit versus Manheim Township, but fell out of reach after momentum took its toll in the third quarter. This week Cedar Crest will need to travel elsewhere, but can hope to start a win streak before an upcoming Week 9 game versus Hempfield with playoff seeding at stake.

J.P. McCaskey enters the matchup with a winless record in its conference and currently rides a four-game losing streak. The Red Tornadoes have been outscored 158 to 42 over that stretch and are in desperate need of a recovery game. Their offense has mostly stuck to rushing the ball, and the defense is led by junior linebacker Johnzell Trowery — who has earned eight tackles for loss and one sack while leading the team in tackles.

Cedar Crest has been a well-rounded team this year and showed that once again last week despite the loss. The keys to success will include forcing turnovers against the Red Tornadoes, while the Falcons’ backfield continues rolling as they’ve been.

ELCO (3-4) vs. Lampeter-Strasburg (7-0)

The Raiders have been in crucial territory after holding a 1-4 record through five weeks, but they’ve held up since then to bounce back in playoff discussions. After taking a 19-14 win versus Donegal, ELCO saw another gritty game in Week 7 to earn another victory. Now, the upcoming matchup has its squad set to host an undefeated team — and so the Raiders need to keep it rolling.

Lampeter-Strasburg is coming off of a 56-3 win versus Northern Lebanon, and it was another showing of domination on both sides of the ball. After scoring four times in Week 7, Pioneers’ senior quarterback Caileb Howse continues to lead the offense — he’s combined for over 1,500 yards and 20 touchdowns through seven games.

The rest of the group’s production mostly comes from senior runner Dominic Brown, who grabbed a pick six against the Vikings. Brown has combined for 728 yards and 15 touchdowns on offense while adding 34 tackles, two sacks and two interceptions on defense.

A win in Week 8 would be a massive upset for the Raiders, but the focus should be allowing senior quarterback Steven Rosado to utilize his dual-threat ability versus the Pioneers. Lampeter-Strasburg’s D-line let up the most plays to the Vikings last week, and so ELCO’s backfield could be the group to watch in Week 8.

Lebanon (0-7) at Governor Mifflin (3-4)

As the Cedars head into Week 8, there are plenty of positives for the team. The defense has shown promise with a few key players, and the offense showed big-play ability once again despite a loss last week. Lebanon looks to its next game on the road versus the Mustangs, and it will be another difficult matchup.

Governor Mifflin has lost three of their last four games, with the only win coming in a 41-6 domination of Muhlenberg. The Mustangs have shown talent on both sides of the ball thus far and are coming off of a seven-point loss so they’ll be looking to bounce back.

Week 7 saw the Cedars almost complete a fourth-quarter comeback, and so the next few weeks could show a hungry team. For Lebanon, the keys to success include swarming the line of scrimmage again this week while making sure to get the ball to junior Malachi Briddell on offense.

Northern Lebanon (2-5) at Octorara (3-4)

After consecutive blowout losses, the Vikings have a chance to get back in the win column and keep their postseason chances alive. On the other end, the Braves hold a three-game losing streak following their 24-14 loss to ELCO last week.

Octorara’s offense is led by a well-rounded rushing group, along with sophomore quarterback Collin Wood. The ground attack has produced 941 yards and 10 touchdowns, and Wood has thrown for 670 yards while carrying a 5-5 touchdown-interception ratio. The Vikings’ defense has been very solid, as the group has totaled 15 turnovers against opposing offenses. If Northern Lebanon can figure out a way to keep the ball moving and get a few scores, the Vikings could pull out another close contest.

Palmyra (1-6) at Gettysburg (2-5)

The Cougars have yet to win since Week 1 and are coming into Week 8 after a 44-0 shutout on the road. Their group will be traveling once again, and it’ll be over an hour-long ride to the Warriors home stadium.

Gettysburg comes into the action following three straight losses, including two at home. Although the losing streak doesn’t look good, the Warriors have put up plenty of offense through the season so far — with over 25 points per game through seven matchups.

The key to Palmyra has been constant, but the offense has changed around in recent weeks to give specific roles to each playmaker. This weekend will mark sophomore Roman Russek’s third start under center, and that could bode well for the Cougars’ offense Friday night.

This article originally appeared on Lebanon Daily News: Week 8 football preview: Annville-Cleona, ELCO have crucial games as playoffs loom