Tucker Eiker (photo courtesy Pictures Plus)

One thing should be apparent when looking at the Harrisburg vs. Chambersburg football matchup this week: It’s not going to end with a score like last year’s game. And we’re not even going to mention that score (although it was a 79-point differential).

Yes, the Cougars will come into Trojan Stadium on Friday night with another fine record (6-1, 4-0 Mid Penn Commonwealth), a sparkling No. 6 ranking for all classes in the state by MaxPreps, a No. 1 District 3 power ranking in Class 6A and plenty of swagger.

But instead of facing a winless Chambersburg team that was playing out the string, Harrisburg will meet another 6-1 team (3-1 MPC) that’s No. 4 in the District 3 rankings.

The Cougars are still heavily favored, but there is a real chance this could be a competitive game.

Trojan coach Mark Luther said, “I just want to see how we stand against this team. I hope our kids aren’t tentative. We need to play as fast as we can and be physical right away, and then I think we can compete. We have a totally different mentality than last year.”

Harrisburg’s player to watch is quarterback Kane Everson, who was CD East’s player to watch last year when he single-handedly lifted his team to a second-half comeback win over the Trojans. He was an offseason transfer that filled the Cougars’ need at QB.

And how he has filled it.

Everson has completed 72 of 111 passes (66%) for 1,357 yards and 18 touchdowns. As if that’s not enough, he’s also run for 736 yards on 84 carries and scored seven times.

Luther said, “When we played East last year, we couldn’t tackle him. If we can’t contain him and let him make big plays, we’ll be in trouble. But he’s a double-edge sword, because he can really hurt you running or passing.”

Everson is elusive enough as a runner that teams have to flock to him when he takes off. But he’s more than capable of pulling up and hitting a receiver over the defense’s head, which has resulted in a bunch of long completions.

“He’s a rare combination of being such a great runner, and being very accurate with his throws,” Luther said.

The top recipients of those throws are Jahmir Plant (20 catches, 216 yards), Donte Kent (14-378, 7 TDs), Rynell Gantt (15-316, 3) and Trevon Carey (11-203, 4). Plant has also rushed for 335 yards.

The Harrisburg defense does not have a mega star like Micah Parsons last year, but middle linebacker Andre White (49 tackles, 8 for loss) has committed to Texas A&M, so he’s pretty good. Outside LB Jai Burnley (50 tackles, 8 for loss) and end Dionte Nichols (9 sacks) are also playing well.

The Cougars have 15 interceptions and 20 sacks.

Luther said, “They’re probably as good as last year’s defense. They are very balanced across all 11 positions. They don’t do anything complicated — they just let their athletes play.

“And they are very opportunistic. They do a great job of taking advantage of an opponent’s mistakes; rarely do they not convert those into points.”

Roman Hostetter (photo courtesy Pictures Plus)

In last week’s win over CD East, Luther pointed out the fine play of Tucker Eiker, Tyeshawn Worrell, Levi Mixell and Roman Hostetter.

“Eiker did a nice job (as a lineman) on both sides of the ball, Worrell made some tackles at free safety that kept East from having some big plays, and Mixell and Hostetter showed a lot of effort in making tackles for the kicking teams.”

As Chambersburg pushes toward a spot in the Class 6A playoffs, the next two weeks (Central Dauphin at home next week) will be vital, as Luther says, for learning.

“These next two will be playoff-caliber games, and I want to see how we respond,” he said.

CONFESSION: This humble reporter screwed up big time last week. I had Keyshawn Jones with 299 yards as the game vs. CD East ended, but when I looked at the stats again later that night, I came up with 311. Another check had it 311 again, so I went with it. But — as they say — after even further review, a 12-yard run by Brady Stumbaugh got added to Jones’ total by mistake. So I apologize, but the 299 was still a pretty amazing feat.

NOTES: Harrisburg’s loss came in the season opener, 37-6 to Coatesville (7-0, and No. 2 in the state) … Last week, the Cougars defeated previously unbeaten State College, 32-17 … Last year, Everson ran for 154 yards in the second half vs. the Trojans.

TROJAN LEADERS: Rushing — Keyshawn Jones 137-1,273 (9.3 avg.), 12 TDs; Brady Stumbaugh 80-299, 7 TDs … Passing — Stumbaugh 47-of-99 (47%), 782 yards, 10 TDs, 7 int. … Receiving — Jones 11-134, 1 TD; Kevin Lee 6-222, 2 TDs; Garner Funk 6-71, 2 TDs.