Cedar Cliff is on a three-game streak of home wins, while Cocalico is on a four-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. The Cedar Cliff Colts will take on the Cocalico Eagles at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
It can be hard to translate regular season success to the playoffs, but Cedar Cliff had no problem doing just that on Friday. They were the clear victor by a 31-7 margin over South Western. The match was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 21-0.
Cedar Cliff got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Bennett Secrest out in front who threw for 189 yards and two touchdowns. Erik Schriver was another key contributor, rushing for 107 yards and a touchdown.
Meanwhile, Cocalico was fully in charge on Friday, breezing past Conestoga Valley 42-10 at home. Given Cocalico's advantage in MaxPreps' Pennsylvania football rankings (they are ranked 23rd, while Conestoga Valley is ranked 113th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Cocalico had a senior duo take command as Sam Steffey rushed for 80 yards and three touchdowns and Aaryn Longenecker rushed for 101 yards and a touchdown on only 11 carries. Longenecker was no stranger to the big play, taking off on a dash that went for 54 yards.
Their wins lifted both teams to an identical 10-1.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Friday's contest: Cedar Cliff has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 219.5 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Cocalico struggles in that department as they've been even better at 322.5 per game. It's looking like Friday's match might have some serious battles in the trenches. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
Cedar Cliff didn't have too much breathing room in their match against Cocalico in their previous meeting back in September of 2021, but they still walked away with a 33-27 victory. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Cocalico's Anthony Bourassa, who rushed for 183 yards and two touchdowns while picking up 7.0 yards per carry. Now that he won't be playing on Friday, will it be that much easier for Cedar Cliff to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.
