It will be a season of change in L-L League Section 3 this fall.
* Garden Spot, which went 10-2 the last two years, including a championship season in 2012, hit the bricks for Section 2.
* Ephrata, struggling in the win-loss column, with 11 setbacks in a row and coming off a 0-10 campaign, was supposed to be in Section 2, with Cocalico going down to Section 3.
But the Mountaineers volunteered via the Hornberger Rule to swap places with the Eagles, so Ephrata will be in Section 3 the next two years.
* Donegal, the reigning champ, lost some key pieces from last year’s team.
* And there’s a new coach on board: Mike Choi is now calling the shots at Pequea Valley.
How do you think Section 3 will shake down this season?
Make sure you cast your vote, and feel free to comment below.
Here’s a quick refresher course about how the Section 3 race finished up in 2013:
Donegal (5-1, 6-4) — Good news: Indians won the Section 3 championship, their first since 1999. Bad news: Despite a 6-4 mark, and the league hardware, Donegal didn’t get a postseason bid. Will that serve as motivation?
Elco (4-2, 4-6) — Raiders went 3-1 down the stretch but, for the second year in a row, just missed out on a postseason bid. Gunslinger junior QB Jeff Martin is back for his third season under center.
Annville-Cleona (4-2, 4-7) — With so much attention on the helmet-swinging incident, it was easy to forget that the Little Dutchmen went 4-1 down the stretch and went to the District 3-AA playoffs, falling to Littlestown. A-C would love a different kind of attention this time around.
Northern Lebanon (3-3, 3-7) — Vikings snapped an 11-game losing skid, but three losses down the stretch cost them a shot at the section title. QB Isaac Ray returns. NL can’t afford another 0-3 start this time.
Columbia (1-5, 3-7) — Tide had high hopes after 2-0 getaway, but went 1-7 after that. Columbia lost some trench thumpers. Be patient.
Pequea Valley (0-6, 3-7) — Braves shot out of the gates 3-0, then dropped seven in a row. Ugh. Now Choi takes the reins.
Ephrata (0-7 Section 2, 0-10) — Not a fun season for the Mounts, who averaged 10 points a game and didn’t dent the W column. We’ll see if a new schedule and some new playmates will get Ephrata headed in a new direction.