ELCO AT HAMBURG, FRIDAY, 7 P.M.
THE RAIDERS: Picked Elco down a smidge in the Section 3 race, and I’m already starting to regret it. The O and D lines were paper-thin when camp opened, with just C-DT Steven Rhoades back in the mix. But those units have had a couple of weeks to get to know one another, and now a third week strictly prepping for Hamburg. Here’s the real reason I think the Raiders might do some major damage in the coming months: Soph QB Jeff Martin has a year under his belt and he’ll be better — even while the line is gelling. And senior RB Cameron Strause is a major weapon who should pile up a ton of yards. Even with a revamped line, Strause should challenge for L-L League rushing champ honors. A win here would really jump-start this group, especially the line kids, who have been looking to make positives since Day 1.
ELCO COUNTDOWN TO KICKOFF PREVIEW
THE HAWKS: Hamburg went 4-7 overall and 2-4 in Berks 2 last season, and then got some bad news: RB Montay Berger, who rushed for a program-record 1,156 yards last fall, moved out of the district. But some good news for the Hawks — A second 1,000-yard rusher, Joey Raffensperger, is one of 15 total starters coming back this season for coach Joe Sinkovich. And one more piece of good news for Hamburg: QB Joey Cominsky, who missed the 2012 season with a knee injury, is back and healthy. Hamburg was 12th-best in total offense (274.3 yards per game) and 14th-best in total defense (346.5 yards per game) in Berks last season. The Hawks turned the ball over 20 times and they were a minus-7 in turnover ratio, fourth from last in Berks. Hamburg had a topsy-turvy season, losing its first two games — including a 44-6 setback at Elco, which leads the all-time series 4-2 — before winning three in a row. Then came a three-game losing skid and a 1-2 mark down the stretch.
THE CRUX: Keep an eye on Hamburg’s D in this one. The Hawks gave up a lot of yards last season, and in Martin and Strause, Elco has a couple of playmakers who can pick a defense apart.
REINHART SAYS: Sensing another fast start for Elco (-20); dang it, why’d I pick these guy so low? Have a feeling that’s going to come back and bite me.