Football Game Preview: Annville-Cleona Dutchmen vs. Lancaster Catholic Crusaders

Annville-Cleona hasn't had much luck against Lancaster Catholic recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Dutchmen will challenge the Crusaders at 7:00 p.m. Annville-Cleona has been dominant on offense recently, having racked up an incredible 119 points over their last three contests.

On Friday, it was close, but Annville-Cleona sidestepped Kutztown for a 42-39 win. The Dutchmen haven't had any issues with the Cougars recently, as the game was their fifth consecutive victory against them.

This one was won in the trenches and the lion's share of the credit has to go to Devon Englehart and Yamaliel Navarro. Englehart rushed for 150 yards and two scores on only 15 carries while Navarro rushed for 124 yards and one touchdown on only 11 carries. Englehart also put in work on the defensive side of the ball, forcing one fumble and making 13 total tackles.

Annville-Cleona was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 351 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 232 rushing yards in four consecutive matchups.

Meanwhile, after only six points in their last game, Lancaster Catholic made sure to put some points up on the board against Hamburg on Friday. The Crusaders were the clear victors by a 35-10 margin over the Hawks. Considering the Crusaders' offense had been struggling lately, the high-scoring outing was a much-needed turnaround.

Annville-Cleona's win bumped their record up to 5-1. As for Lancaster Catholic, the victory got them back to even at 3-3.

Annville-Cleona suffered a grim 49-27 defeat to Lancaster Catholic when the teams last played back in October of 2024. That contest was all but decided by halftime, at which point the Dutchmen were down 28-7.