MANDATA - When Williams Valley scored a 14-12 victory over Tri-Valley last week, it made Line Mountain's chances for a Tri-Valley League championship this season virtually disappear.
Mathematically, the Eagles remain alive.
They would need to win out with league games remaining against Pine Grove, Upper Dauphin and once-beaten Tri-Valley. That completed, they would need Williams Valley to drop two of its remaning three league games with Juniata, Newport and East Juniata.
That's not very likely.
Juniata is the best of the trio, but the Indians could be without standout runner Neil Bodley - injured last week against Millersburg - the rest of the way. For either of the other two to beat the Vikings, it would be an upset of monumental proportionis.
The Eagles, however, aren't lacking for incentive over the final three contests despite their league predicament.
On the line is the District 4 Class A playoff seedings and, more importantly, the opportunity to open those playoffs on their home field.
Win out, and almost certainly they find themselves at home for a D-4 semifinal. Win two of three, it becomes dicey. Win less than that and the home game, or even the playoffs, could go out the window.
So it would pay the Eagles not to take an opponent the rest of the way, starting with Pine Grove this week, lightly.
The Cardinals enter the week a struggling team at 1-6, the lone victory in Week 3, 31-0 over East Juniata.
They've been shut out twice, 41-0 by Upper Dauphin and 43-0 by Williams Valley, but in their last outing gave a decent Halifax team all it could handle before falling 43-37.
With a roster that includes only five seniors, but 17 juniors and 17 sophomores,, Pine Grove has the kind of team looking to build for the future and able to possibly scare teams in the present.
They have good size on the offensive and defensive fronts, where Collins Kirelawich, a 6-foot, 3-inch, 305-pound senior is the anchor.
Their best offensive weap-
on is junior running back Ryan Heim.
Heim, a 5-9, 150-pounder, averages 121 yards per game, rushing 182 times for 846 yards and nine touchdowns through seven games.
After him, though, no other rusher has 100 yards on the season.
On top of that, success has been slim when the Cards have gone to the air.
Senior Mason Lyons (6-1, 170), is the quarterback, but he's completed only 26 of 69 passes for 269 yards and one touchdown on the season. He's been intercepted six times.
Lyons' favorite target is junior wide receiver Jared McCabe (5-10, 150), who has caught 15 passes for 177 yards.
Line Mountain will counter with a stingy defense that's allowed only 16 points per game, and an offense that has been putting up 42 per contest.
Codi Morris, has been outstanding filling in at quarterback for the injured Cole Rickert. So far, he's passed for 433 yards and six touchdowns, while rushing for 183 and five scores.