Annville-Cleona and Elco set to renew rivalry in Section 4 opener

Well, we survived Week 1 of the high school football season unscathed by any COVID-19 complications in Lebanon County, which, let's face it, is a lot better than some expected. So with that in mind, let's forge ahead and take a look week at what's on tap for Week 2.

The highlight of the matchups is an always interesting clash between county rivals Annville-Cleona and Elco in Myerstown. Also this week, Lebanon hosts Lampeter-Strasburg in a key early Section 3 matchup, Cedar Crest travels to McCaskey to open Section 1 play, Northern Lebanon makes a lengthy trip to Octorara for a Section 4 clash and Palmyra opens its season by hosting Hollidaysburg in a non-league opener at Buck Swank Stadium.

MORE: Palmyra set to move to Keystone Division

But before we look ahead, let's take a glance in the rear view mirror at some of last week's top individual performers: 

Isaiah Rodriguez, Lebanon

The Cedars' senior quarterback got his team off to a flying start by rushing for three touchdowns and throwing for two more in a 39-7 rout of Northern Lebanon.

Rodriguez actually accounted for Lebanon's first three TDs on the ground, scoring on runs of 1,4 and 23 yards, then later hooked up with Rufe for touchdown passes of 33 and 51 yards. In all, Rodriguez hit on 14 of 25 passes for 200 yards and two TDs to Rufe.

For his efforts, Rodriguez was named Section 3 Back of the Week by the Lancaster-Lebanon Quarterback Club. 

Alex Rufe, Lebanon

Speaking of Rufe, he showed again why he is Rodriguez's favorite target and the county's most dangerous receiver, finishing with 6 catches for 176 yards and the two scores.

Jake Williams, Elco

The freshman running back turned in quite the debut, scoring the go-ahead TD on a 71-yard run midway through the fourth quarter, and also hitting paydirt with a 49-yard TD scamper in the first quarter of Elco's tense 28-27 win at Ephrata.

Williams finished with 10 carries for 135 yards and served early notice that opponents will have to worry about more than stopping senior quarterback Braden Bohanon when facing Elco.

Aadyn Richards, Cedar Crest running back

The Falcons had a rough night in a 41-6 loss to Manheim Central, but Richards, taking over for the graduated Tyler Cruz, proved the feature back role is in good hands, rushing for 141 yards on 17 carries, an average of over 8 yards per carry.

Rogan Harter, Annville-Cleona

A-C had a rough start, absorbing a 42-14 beating from Donegal, but Harter was a definite bright spot for the Dutchmen in an otherwise gloomy evening, scoring on an 85-yard kickoff return and a 93-yard run from scrimmage.

Harter, also a track kid, obviously has some wheels and put them to good use with those two dynamic runs last week.

Conor Leonard, Northern Lebanon

The Vikings had a rough time of it against Lebanon but Leonard gave them something to smile about late in the fourth, breaking loose for a 60-yard run that set up Northern Lebanon's only score, a one-yard TD run by Grady Stichler.

Now, onto Week 2...

Annville-Cleona at Elco, 7 p.m.

A-C and the Raiders renew acquaintances in this Section 4 opener in Myerstown and come in with vastly different outlooks after last week's performances.

It's hard to see any team challenging Elco for the section title, but if A-C can find a little rivalry game magic it could upset the apple cart a bit.

But the Dutchmen will have to find a way to control Bohannon, who romped for 213 yards and two TDs in Elco's 35-17 win a season ago.

Lampeter-Strasburg at Lebanon, 7 p.m.

The Cedars believe, not without cause, that they can compete for the Section 3 championship. They'll soon find out if that's true when they host the perennial power Pioneers at Alumni Stadium Friday night.

L-S was L-S last week, bludgeoning Solanco 47-15 to open its 2020 campaign, so Lebanon can't just show up and expect to win - it will take some inspired, almost mistake-free football for the Cedars to emerge victorious.

Cedar Crest at McCaskey, 7 p.m.

The schedule doesn't do any favors for the Falcons, who'll face Manheim Township, Hempfield and Wilson all in a row following Friday night's visit with the Red Tornado.

McCaskey didn't exactly start off on the right foot last week, either, falling to Elizabethtown, so this is a very winnable game for the Falcons, who also got a Nate Brightbill TD catch and a Brayden Koehler interception in last week's loss to Manheim Central.

Northern Lebanon at Octorara, 7 p.m.

The Vikings hop on a bus for a trek near the Maryland border to face Octorara in a Section 4 opener.

The Braves hammered Schuylkill Valley 40-10 last week behind two touchdown runs form Mike Trainor and two TD catches from Caleb Rising, so it could end up being even a longer ride back to Fredericksburg if Octorara turns in a similar performance this week.

Hollidaysburg at Palmyra, 7 p.m.

Another long trip for the visiting team here as Hollidaysburg, 6-4 a season ago, heads to Buck Swank Stadium for Palmyra's season opener.

Hard to tell what to expect in this one. The Cougars have a lot of new faces in the lineup and will rely heavily on quarterback Seth Robertson and running back Nick Wallaesa to get them going in the right direction before next week's Mid-Penn Keystone opener at Red Land.