Dave Hahn-Manheim Central

Manheim Central came into the District 3-4A semifinals averaging 44 points. Twin Valley wasn’t far behind at 41 ppg. There were plenty of offensive fireworks in Elverson on Friday night. The third-seeded Barons (589) and second-seeded Raiders (449) combined for 1,038 yards! Manheim Central pulled away in the second half for a 65-28 victory. The first seven possessions of the game ended with touchdowns. Zac Hahn hit Aaron Enterline for a 39-yard score just over two minutes into the contest. Sophomore Drew Engle responded by taking a screen pass 47 yards on Twin Valley’s opening drive. Ean Winchester, a 260-pound George Mason wrestling commit, polished off the 80-yard march with a 1-yard run. Brycen Armold broke free for a 68-yard sprint down the left sideline. The All-State running back scored from three yards out for a 14-7 advantage. The 5’6, 175-pound senior was just getting started after missing the previous three games. “It gave us an added dimension. Brycen looked like he was refreshed. He’s healthy and it showed,” said head coach Dave Hahn. Armold finished with a school record 366 yards and 6 TD on 24 carries. He had 339 yards last year against York Suburban. On fourth-and-six, Evan Myers lofted a 31-yard touchdown pass to Engle who made a terrific diving grab. The score was 14-14 seven seconds into the second quarter. Hahn ended an 80-yard drive with a quarterback sneak to put the (11-1) Barons up 21-14. Myers answered with an 11-yard TD run to even things up with 3:50 remaining in the first half. Just thirty seconds later, Armold took an inside handoff and bounced it outside for a 40-yard score. Enterline came up big on defense with an interception at the goal line with 27 seconds to go before halftime. The 6’3 senior added three receptions for 54 yards. He has 25 TD catches and 1,469 yards this season. Enterline established a new school record for career receiving yards. The (10-2) Raiders went three-and-out to begin the second half. Enterline took a punt 41 yards to set up the offense. Hahn rolled to his left and found a wide open Bode Sipel for a 27-yard touchdown. Winchester came right back with a 2-yard rumble into the end zone to get Twin Valley within 35-28. Fourteen seconds later, however, Armold raced 80 yards down the left sideline for another touchdown. Manheim Central was in front 42-28 with 6:40 left in the third quarter. Armold would tack on a pair of 1-yard TD runs for a 57-28 lead. The Barons went 74 yards for their final score. The drive ended with a 9-yard run by Armold with 6:20 remaining. Twin Valley was limited to seven points in the second half. “Coach [Jared] Shearer made a couple adjustments, got us right. Most of it was just playing with intensity, playing with that determination, that effort, that attitude that we need,” explained Hahn. The Raiders committed eleven penalties for 102 yards in their second straight trip to the semifinals. Myers piled up 157 yards through the air and 133 more on 21 carries. Engle provided 163 rushing yards and four receptions for 93 yards. Hahn went 9-of-13 for 152 yards and 2 TD. He ran for a score, and now holds the single-season school record with 2,816 passing yards. The 6’, 190-pound senior is over 5,000 yards for his career. Hahn has 39 TD tosses and 3 INT this year. Manheim Central will meet top-seeded Bishop McDevitt for the District 3-4A championship. “Let’s face it, it’s gonna be a hell of a team that we’re playing…It’s gonna take a great effort, but I think we’re up for the challenge,” replied Hahn. The Crusaders defeated the Barons 40-0 in last year’s final. “We’re not happy to be there. We want to win,” said Hahn.