Twin Valley unable to slow Manheim Central in District 3 Class 4A football semifinal loss

Nov. 18—Twin Valley had no answer for Manheim Central running back Brycen Armold on Friday night.

The senior, back after missing the previous three games due to injury, ran for 361 yards and six touchdowns on 24 carries to lead the third-seeded Barons to a 65-28 win over the second-seeded Raiders in a District 3 Class 4A semifinal at Twin Valley.

"He's obviously got a little bit of extra speed," Raiders coach Brett Myers said about Armold. "He's good."

The Twin Valley defense was unable to contain Manheim Central, which scored nine touchdowns on 11 possessions. The Barons did not punt, did not turn the ball over and failed to score only twice — as time expired at the end of each half.

The 65 points are the most the Raiders have allowed in game in program history, eclipsing the mark of 62 they allowed to Daniel Boone in 1998. They entered Friday having allowed only seven points each in their last three games.

"They played a good game and they got some special players," Myers said about Manheim Central. "Tonight, they got us."

Despite the final score, the Raiders and Barons played a tightly contested first half that featured lots of offense.

The Barons (11-1) opened the scoring early in the first quarter with a 39-yard pass from quarterback Zac Hahn to wide receiver Aaron Enterline. A senior, Enterline had three catches for 49 yards and the score and four carries for 57 yards.

The Raiders (10-2) fired right back with a 1-yard touchdown run from fullback Ean Winchester. Manheim Central responded with a 3-yard touchdown from Armold to retake the lead.

With the Raiders down 14-7 after one quarter, Twin Valley quarterback Evan Myers found running back Drew Engle for a 31-yard touchdown pass on fourth down to tie it after Sam Frey's extra point. Engle, a sophomore, had 139 yards rushing on 16 carries and five catches for 113 yards and the score.

"He's probably the best player on the field," Myers said about Engle. "That's it."

The Barons jumped back in front just over four minutes later on a 1-yard touchdown run from Hahn, which made it 21-14 after the extra point from Drew Greiner. While Hahn did not have a big night on the ground aside, he finished 8-of-13 passing for 138 yards and two touchdowns.

The Raiders came storming back late in the second quarter with a 10-yard touchdown run from Evan Myers. The junior finished with 131 yards and the score on 24 rushing attempts and was 11-of-19 passing for 181 yards and a touchdown with one interception.

Manheim Central went back ahead 30 seconds later on a 40-yard touchdown run from Armold. He had 181 yards on 12 carries in the first half.

The Barons extended their lead to 35-21 early in the third quarter when Hahn found wide receiver Bode Sipel for a 27-yard touchdown. Sipel finished with three receptions for 57 yards and the score.

"They got a couple receivers that are special," Myers said. "They got a good passing attack."

Twin Valley did not go away quietly, however, as Engle scored on a 2-yard run midway through the third quarter to make it 35-28. That is all the closer the Raiders would get.

Armold took over the remainder of the game, scoring touchdowns on runs of 80, 1, 1 and 8 yards.

After Twin Valley was called for a personal foul penalty for tackling the holder on one of the Barons' extra point attempts, Manheim Central attempted and converted two-point conversions following its final two touchdowns.

The Barons finished with 30 unanswered points, 442 yard rushing and 580 yards of total offense. The Raiders committed numerous personal foul penalties in the second half, and finished with 10 total penalties for a season-high 145 yards.

"Our kids played really, really hard," Myers said. "Somewhere in the third quarter it got away from us."

Manheim Central will play at top-seeded and two-time defending champ Bishop McDevitt, a 43-7 winner over fifth-seeded Lampeter-Strasburg Friday in the other semifinal, next Friday at 7 p.m. in the final. The Barons will be making their 24th appearance in the the final and going for their record-extending 19th title.

For the Raiders, who were making their third straight appearance in the District 3 playoffs and third overall, the loss marked the end of high school football for their 18 seniors. They helped Twin Valley set a single-season record for wins this season and with a 26-15 record over four years leave as the winningest class in program history.

"These guys are a special group and they did special things," Myers said. "They're just a hard-working group that'll do anything you ask. Super coachable, super reliable."