Youth Football Weekly Round-Up: October 24, 2024

This feature recaps last weekend’s action from the youth football organizations that chose to partner with LebCoSports.com.  Much of the reporting below is written by the dedicated volunteers within these organizations.  

If you like this type of coverage, please let us know by Following us on social media:

Twitter/X – @lebcosports1 and Facebook.

For any questions, comments, or discrepancies, please reach out to dan@lebcosports.com.

     Falcon Youth Football

Red Rose Midget Football League Age group information 

v Manheim Central

B (3-3)    Central defeated Cedar Crest

C (3-3)     Cedar Crest defeated Central

D (2-4)     Central defeated Cedar Crest

The Falcon “B” Team engaged in a tough defense battle, with the first score coming from Central in the 3rd quarter. They added another touchdown at the beginning of the 4th quarter. The Falcons responded late in the 4th with Tate Speraw scrambling and finding Torrence Hubbard in the back of the end zone. Unfortunately, it was not enough as the Barons outlasted the Falcons to take the victory.

The Falcon “C” Team needed a victory to remain in the playoff hunt. They came out energized and took their first drive down to the 1-yard line before they were stopped by a hungry Manheim Central defense. This remained a theme, with both teams refusing to let the other score. The scoreboard read 0-0 at the half. Boston Speece provided tough running, and Cameron Wamsher finished off a 2nd half-drive with a 3-yard touchdown run. The defense, led by Chase Reesman with some big tackles for loss and Mason Kleinfelter with an interception, held Central in check the rest of the game as the Falcons earned the win.

The Falcon “D” Team had a rough go of it on Sunday. They came into the game after a hard-fought 6-6 tie the week before against Hempfield. This week’s matchup was against a very good Manheim Central team that jumped out to a 29-0 halftime lead. The Falcons team, with the never-quit attitude, played much better in the second half to keep Manheim off the scoreboard but had a hard time finishing off a few scoring drives as the score ended the same as the halftime score.

Up Next: The Falcons will wrap up the regular season with a road trip to play Lancaster Rec.

The Lebanon Cedars “B” Team put together a strong performance, defeating Octorara 14-6 this past weekend. The defense was imposing, with Joseph Salguero-Rivera anchoring the defensive line, Kayleigh Heagy leading at linebacker, and Yohan Guzman making two crucial interceptions. Their efforts held Octarora to just one touchdown.

On the offensive side, Jullian Rodriguez Rivera made a significant impact with a kick return for a touchdown and an extra point. At the same time, Magic Mercado added another touchdown with a solid run. The Cedars’ balanced attack and strong defense allowed them to secure the victory, pulling away for the win. They look forward to building on this success in their upcoming games!

The Lebanon Cedars “C” Team faced a tough defeat against Octarora. Despite a solid defensive effort that limited Octarora’s scoring opportunities, broken plays became the downfall for the Cedars, allowing both of Octarora’s touchdowns to slip through. On the defensive side, Angel, Angelo, and Ethaniel led the way, putting up a strong performance.

Offensively, Ethaniel Hernandez and Grayson Painter were the standout players, with Painter delivering the only touchdown for the Cedars on a 30-yard run. However, self-inflicted penalties were significant, with several long touchdowns being called back. With improvements on the horizon, they hope to bounce back strong in their next game.

Up Next: The Cedars will take on Manheim Township this upcoming Sunday.

@ Northern Lebanon Vikings

Midgets (0-7)    Vikings 1, Raiders 0 (Forfeit)

Ponies (0-7)       Vikings 30, Raiders 0

Peewees (0-7)    Vikings 27, Raiders 0

Youth Football Weekly Round-Up: October 17, 2024

      Myerstown Panthers

Berks Area Youth Football League Age group information 

@ Conrad Weiser

Midget (5-2)     Myerstown 35, Conrad Weiser 26

Mites (7-0)        Myerstown 34, Conrad Weiser 0

Mighty Mites (1-6-1)   Conrad Weiser 14. Myerstown 0

Midget Division

The Myerstown Panthers beat the Conrad Weiser Scouts 35-26, in an offensive shootout. Matthew White and Bentley Landis each scored 2 touchdowns for the Panthers, those two running backs caused a lot of trouble for Weiser throughout the contest. QB Braiden Harris also added a TD run. Harris had two extra-point runs and completed a successful XP pass to Wyatt Ness. Landis and Hunter Lebo also added to the scoreboard with successful 1-point XPs.

Myerstown completed the regular season with a 5-2 record, earning the #4 seed heading into the playoff semi-finals, where they will face the 6-1 Oley Lynx.

Mite Division

The Myerstown Panthers Mites finished their regular season undefeated with a dominant 34-0 win over the Conrad Weiser Scouts. The defense set the tone early, earning a turnover on downs on the Scouts’ first drive. The offense then marched down the field, capped by a 10-yard touchdown run by Tucker Robert, giving the Panthers a 7-0 lead.

The defense continued to hold strong, with standout play from Paxton Shepler, giving the ball back to the offense. On the next play, Corbin Showalter broke free for a big run that set up an Owen Hall touchdown, extending the lead to 14-0. Defensive efforts from Easton Shaffer, Declan Hibshman, and Micah Stoltzfus got the ball back again for the offense, and Robert added another touchdown, followed by Hall’s extra point conversion, making it 21-0 at halftime.

Despite penalties on their opening drive of the second half, the Panthers bounced back with a sweeping run where Hall delivered key blocks, clearing the way for Robert’s third touchdown of the game. The defense kept the pressure on, with Oliver Moore wreaking havoc in the backfield and Michael Hames making a crucial tackle. Kaiden Vincent sealed the victory with a 23-yard touchdown run, bringing the score to 34-0.

The defense was relentless, with defensive ends Carson Varner and Chase Clubb constantly pressuring the Scouts’ quarterback. Defensive backs Showalter, Hall, Vincent, and Larry Moulton effectively shut down the passing game.

With this win, the Panthers capped off a perfect 7-0 regular season and secured the #1 seed heading into the playoff semi-finals, where they will face the 4-2-1 Hamburg Hawks.

Mighty Mite Division 

In their final regular season game, the Myerstown Panthers Mighty Mites faced a tough Conrad Weiser Scouts team, falling 14-0. The young Panthers’ offense moved the ball effectively in the first half but couldn’t find the end zone. On the defensive side, standout performances by Patrick Lehman, Lucas Witmer, Logan Witmer, Leeland Butcher, Chase Noecker, and Gabe Vincent kept the Scouts scoreless, resulting in a 0-0 tie at halftime.

The second half saw the Scouts breakthrough with a 90-yard touchdown run and a successful extra point conversion, taking a 7-0 lead. They added another touchdown on their next drive, extending the lead to 14-0. After that, the Panthers’ defense tightened up, with key contributions from Joseph Noll, Maverick Ebling, Cade Brown, and Leland Zellers.

Despite moving the ball well throughout the game, Myerstown was plagued by penalties and turnovers, preventing them from scoring. The Panthers finish the regular season 1-6-1 and will face Conrad Weiser again next week in a consolation game.

Up Next: The Midget and Mite squads will both compete in the Berks Area Youth Football League (BAYFL) semi-finals next Sunday at Schuylkill Valley High School.

  Northern Lebanon Vikings

CFA – Federal Conference Age group information 

v Steelton L’il Rollers

Midgets (8-0)    Vikings 1, Raiders 0 (Forfeit)

Ponies (4-4)       Vikings 30, Raiders 0

Peewees (3-5)    Vikings 27, Raiders 0

Smurfs               Exhibition/Skill Development

The past weekend, the NLMFA Viking Youth football teams completed their regular season games. The Smurfs battled fearlessly against the Lebanon Raiders in their developmental game and are looking ahead to the annual Smurf Bowl on Saturday, October 26

Meanwhile, the Viking Peewee and Viking Pony teams both brought home wins against the Raiders.

This week, the Viking Midget teams enjoyed a well-deserved break. I’d like to take a moment to honor the dedicated men who volunteer their time to coach the NL midget football team and all the other coaches within the NLMFA. From Tuesday to Thursday practices to Friday night’s presence at our High School varsity game, these coaches are deeply committed. Some even volunteer their time to assist the High School team, while others watch and encourage school spirit. On Saturdays and Sundays, they coach JV and varsity games, often squeezing in extra practices or gatherings to brainstorm ways to help these kids improve.

Though coaches, in general, face criticism at times, their primary focus remains on providing a positive and enriching experience for the team. The lessons learned on the field extend beyond youth athletics as we strive to develop fundamental skills and foster a competitive spirit. The relationships we build as coaches and with the kids create a lasting bond that will provide these young people with memories and connections that will endure for a lifetime.

As Theodore Roosevelt famously said, ‘It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes up short again and again because there is no effort without error; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions; and spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.'”

Special thanks to the dedicated coaches of Northern Lebanon’s young athletes: Coach Simpson, Coach Kramer, Coach Miller, Coach Boltz, and Coach Kawski.

Up Next: The Viking Midget Team is headed to the playoffs. They will have their next game on Sunday, November 3.

Photos by Susan Dengler

 Palmyra Cougars

      CFA – Federal Conference    Age group information 

@ Hershey Trojans

Midgets (4-3)    No Report

Ponies  (6-1)      No Report

Peewees (4-3)   No Report

Smurfs               Exhibition/Skill Development

At the time of publication, we had not received scores from the games against Hershey.

Up Next: