Cocalico All-State RB Sam Steffey

After winning its fourth District 3 championship in 2022, Cocalico opened this season with a 17-14 loss at Warwick.  All-State running back Sam Steffey called it the worst game that he's ever played in.  "That was the best thing that could've happened for us because it really put you in a reality check. We have to step it up now. We have so much more to prove," he told SV Sports' Paul Roberts.  The Eagles are back on course with three straight victories by a total of 90 points.  They ran over state-ranked Manheim Central 48-28 in Week 3.  "Obviously, a lot of us aren't huge fans of Central. It felt really good to take it to them, be the more physical team," replied Steffey.  The 5'10, 190-pound fullback rumbled for 191 yards and three touchdowns against the Barons.  He finished with 123 yards and two scores on just 13 carries last week against Octorara.  Cocalico ran the ball 38 times while attempting just two passes in that 49-14 rout.  Steffey is a big fan of the Eagles' flexbone offense.  He piled up 1,829 yards and 23 TD a season ago.  Cocalico went (10-5) and reached the state semifinals before falling to Pine-Richland.  There are 21 seniors on this year's roster.  That experience will come in handy as the Eagles try to navigate a rugged Section 4 slate in the Lancaster-Lebanon League.  Wyomissing, ELCO, and Lampeter-Strasburg are all (4-0).  Cocalico hosts L-S this Friday.  "We're really looking forward to that game. They beat us last year and nobody forgot about that. Everyone is really fired up right now," emphasized Steffey.  He's averaging 7.8 yards per carry this season with 470 rushing yards and 7 TD.  Steffey, who can bench press 300 pounds, is getting a lot of Division II interest.  The Eagles are grinding out 319 yards per night on the ground.  They're trying to make the loss to Warwick a distant memory.