The Manheim Central Barons will head out to square off against the Garden Spot Spartans at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.
Manheim Central barely beat Fleetwood the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Barons blew past the Tigers, posting a 42-3 victory. Given the Barons' advantage in MaxPreps' Pennsylvania football rankings (they are ranked 164th, while the Tigers are ranked 379th) , the win on Friday wasn't entirely unexpected.
Manheim Central got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Cody Hess out in front who rushed for 50 yards and one score, and also picked up 50 receiving yards. Dylan Henninger did his part to keep the secondary busy, picking up 104 receiving yards.
Manheim Central didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. Hess picked up that interception and then proceeded to rub salt in the wound by taking it back the other way for a touchdown. He got in on the action too, converting a pick into a touchdown.
Meanwhile, Garden Spot didn't have too much trouble with Bristol on Friday as they won 34-20. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Spartans.
Manheim Central better keep an eye on Gabe Martin. He was instrumental in Garden Spot's win, rushing for 130 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 8.1 yards per carry, and also throwing for 134 yards and one TD. They are undefeated when Martin posts 80 or more rushing yards, but 1-4 otherwise. Another back making a difference was Cord? Douglas, who rushed for 56 yards and one score on only seven carries.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: Garden Spot was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 258 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've posted since back in August of 2024.
The victory got Garden Spot back to even at 4-4. As for Manheim Central, their record is now 5-3.
Manheim Central ended up a good deal behind Garden Spot in their previous meeting back in October of 2024, losing 28-9. Can the Barons avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
