Week 6 preview: Undefeated Eastern York and West York prepare for Div. II headliner bout

Eastern York and West York are at the same time so similar yet so different.

Both are 5-0 and are part of a three-way tie for first place in Division II. Either offense can air it out with their quarterback or let the rushing attack take over. And now, the two teams are on a collision course ending in their faceoff in Wrightsville on Friday night.

"It should be a good game," Eastern York coach Bud Kyle said after last week's win against Solanco. "I don’t look to any opponent, whoever we are going against that week, that’s who we play. In the end we are teaching high school kids and things happen, grades happen, injuries. We’re 5-0, hopefully they come in 5-0, and we put on a good show. "

Fairfield forfeiting season: YAIAA football team forfeits remainder of 2024 varsity season, cites safety concerns

York High Coaching Hire: Former Columbia head coach Kerry Glover approved as York High's new boys basketball coach

And yet the road both teams took to this point couldn't be more dissimilar. The Golden Knights are collecting compounding interest on their 7-4 record last year and reaping the benefits of roster that is not only older, but emboldened by that earlier success.

Quinn Bramble's junior campaign under center has thrived behind a dominant receiving corps, while Nuh'si Valenti accounts for 382 of the Golden Knights' 829 total rushing yards. Four of Eastern York's receivers have at least 150 receiving yards and 10 catches through five games.

"They do a great job," West York coach Ron Miller said. "They have skills all over the place. And, you know, last year they put it on us heavily. It was as embarrassed as I was as a coach."

Enter the Bulldogs who came into 2024 on an 11-game losing streak only to throw expectations out the window. They're currently on their longest win streak since a five-win streak back in 2018. Not even the 2014 Bulldogs squad, which went 10-2, started out 5-0.

Issac Roberts, like Bramble, has taken the season into his own hands. He's totaled 530 passing yards, 442 rushing yards and 14 total touchdowns. Jensen Ferber has surpassed 300 passing yards on his 22 completions. That's not to mention Julius Madden, Conrad Beatty and Janziel Torres averaging 16 yards per reception or more.

The success is new to the players. West York amassed five combined wins from 2019-2023. But Miller and his staff are prepared to keep the wins rolling by any means necessary.

"Everything is new for us right now," Miller said. "It’s fun. We’ll dial it in, just try to win each day and see how it plays next Friday. I’m fortunate because I have players or coaches that have played in big games like this. The coaches, we’ve coached in a lot of them. So, we just have to keep our kids tempered and stay focused on what we need to stay focused on."

Central York at Dallastown

An unstoppable force meets an immovable object. A Dallastown offense that's averaged 38 points per game meets a Central York defense responsible for three shutouts on the year. The stakes? An open road to a Division I title.

Dallastown has been near unstoppable this season. Its closest game came in a 30-21 win over South Western in which both teams scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter. But it followed that game up with a 69-16 win over Northeastern. Michael Scott has been a major factor for the Wildcats over the past two games, even among a standout offense.

Central York, however, might be the team to slow that offense down. There's good reason the Panthers are division champs five years running: lockdown defense. No better evidence is their Week 4 bout with Spring Grove in which they scored on three turnovers and shut the Rockets down 40-0.

The Panthers have history behind them − they've won the title each of the past five years and haven't lost to a Division I opponent since 2018. Dallastown, on the other hand, is swinging hard for a knockout.

Biglerville at Bermudian Springs

The Canners got an extra week to recoup following their loss to Delone Catholic, and now stand a chance to play spoiler for the Eagles. That loss doesn't diminish the Canners as a threat, though. Bo Forney passed for almost 300 yards in Week 4 and showed off his rushing abilities when he scrambled for a short touchdown run against the Squires.

The Eagles, though, are a tough nut to crack. No opponent has scored more than 14 points against them since they started their four-game win streak. They even gave New Oxford a tough fight in their season opener.

If Biglerville wins, then the Division III race is still anyone's for the taking. If Bermudian Springs wins, then it has a 3-0 record with some of its toughest divisional opponents out of the way. Needless to say, the stakes are raised this week.

Friday's Week 6 games (all 7 p.m. starts)

• Dover at York Suburban
• Littlestown at Hanover
• New Oxford at Susquehannock
• South Western at Red Lion
• Spring Grove at Northeastern

*York High's scheduled game vs. Bishop McNamara was canceled.

Saturday's Week 6 games

• York Catholic at York County Tech, 10 a.m.
• Kennard-Dale at Fleetwood, 7 p.m.

This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: Week 6 preview: Undefeated Eastern York and West York prepare for Div. II headliner bout