Keyshawn Jones (photo courtesy Pictures Plus)

Chambersburg football coach Mark Luther had just finished checking the weather report for Friday evening.

“They’re talking about heavy rain around 7 o’clock in Lancaster,” he said. “That might not be a bad thing for us.”

The Trojans have made a remarkable turnaround — a year ago they were putting away the pads after suffering an 0-10 season, and this year they posted a fine 7-3 record and are competing on the road in the District 3 Class 6A playoffs as the No. 7 seed.

But, that quarterfinal playoff Friday pairs them against No. 2 Manheim Township, and the 9-1 Blue Streaks will be a tough out for sure.

“They are a solid football team across the board,” Luther said. “You can see (from film) why they are 9-1.”

The Blue Streaks’ offense averages 31 points per game and is skewed more toward passing — 209 yards through the air to 136 on the ground — which could be affected by heavy rain.

The leader is 6-foot-1, 200-pound junior quarterback Harrison Kirk. He has attempted 241 passes and connected on 142 of them, or 59%. He’s gained 2,054 yards, thrown for 19 touchdowns and has been intercepted only four times.

Luther said of Kirk, “He likes to sit in the pocket to throw, and he’s got a very good sense of throwing lanes and windows. He shows a lot of poise.”

And he spreads the ball around — six players have caught more than 10 passes, led by Hilton Ridley (31-482, 2 TDs), Brett Benjamin (28-478, 4 TDs) and Mickey Stokes (18-270, 5 TDs).

The top rushers are Jaden Floyd, who has 109 carries for 579 yards and 3 scores, and Cameron Horst, with 66 carries for 277 yards and 3 TDs.

“They have good athletes and they spread the ball around,” Luther said. “This is one of the most multiple offenses we’ve seen; they do a lot of things and that makes it hard to prepare. We’ve seen empty backfields, I formation — which almost nobody uses — two tight ends, three wideouts, you name it.”

That’s one reason why Luther wouldn’t mind seeing the rain — it might help slow down Manheim Twp.’s prolific offense.

Chambersburg, on the other hand, would like to get back to having a more productive offense. The Trojans are averaging 30 points per game, but in the last three games the offense has scored only five touchdowns.

Luther said, “You can have a great athlete like Keyshawn (Jones) at running back, but you still need the blocking up front. I’ve always said the most important guys are the big guys up front, and we have to be good there this week.”

Jones has run for 1,412 yards this season, but only 139 in the last three games.

The Blue Streaks’ leading tacklers are linebackers Sam Emge (81 tackles) and Josh Emge (67) and defensive back Jonathan Engel (64). Sam Emge and Ben Mann each have five sacks, while Matt Mikulka has made seven picks.

Garner Funk (photo courtesy Pictures Plus)

“They’re not really a big team, but they’re very aggressive and quick,” Luther said. “They do a lot of different things on defense to put pressure on you.

“It will be a challenge. You just have to trust your schemes and your kids and then it comes down to execution.”

Last week against Carlisle, Chambersburg moved the ball consistently, especially in the first half, but couldn’t score.

Luther said, “We had too many negative plays, especially on first down, plus some penalties and some dropped passes. Hopefully, the way that game ended (on Brady Hughes’ interception return as the clock ran out) will cause something to click, because we absolutely have to pick up our play this week to stay in this game.”

LAST WEEK: In addition to Hughes’ spectacular play, Tanner Hunt also returned an interception for a touchdown … Garner Funk caught 4 passes for 62 yards, and Kevin Lee snared 3 for 67 — all in the Trojans’ clutch scoring drive to tie the game … Luther said, “Lee had been fairly quiet the last few weeks, but he made some big catches. And we needed to get the tight ends back in the passing game, so it was good to see Funk get some balls.”

NOTES: Manheim Twp. is the defending District 3 6A champion … The Blue Streaks have an impressive turnover ratio of plus-14, while the Trojans’ is plus-7 … Wilson handed Manheim Twp. its only loss, 16-14 … In comparative scores, Chambersburg beat CD East 26-20; MT beat East 17-10; the Trojans fell 35-14 to Central Dauphin; MT beat the Rams 22-12 … The Streaks’ kicker, Jack Rodenberger, has 17 touchbacks, is 36-for-37 on extra points and is 9-for-13 on field goals, with the longest 38 yards.

TROJAN LEADERS: Passing — Brady Stumbaugh 88-for-179 (49%), 1,345 yards, 11 TDs, 11 int. … Rushing — Keyshawn Jones 175-1,412 (8 yards per carry), 12 TDs; Stumbaugh 111-299, 9 TDs … Receiving — Garner Funk 14-211, 2 TDs; Jones 12-153, 1 TD; Kevin Lee 11-319, 2 TDs; Brady Hughes 11-178, 1 TD; Andrew Shetter 9-105, 1 TD … Kicking — Tyler Luther 28-for-33 extra points.