There was some hype heading into the showdown between the Parkland and Central Catholic football teams last weekend. Both teams were coming off convincing wins in week one of the regular season, and both featured strong running games.

The two teams have not faced one another the last two years because the Vikings were in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference North Division before returning to the South Division in 2018.

The Trojans gave Central a rude welcome in the division, posting their second straight shutout by blanking the Vikings 52-0 last Saturday night at J. Birney Crum Stadium.

The Trojans have outscored opponents 93-0 over the season’s first two weeks.

Parkland (2-0 overall, 1-0 EPC South) has always had a stout defense, but it might not have been expected to pitch two consecutive shutouts, especially the one against Central (1-1, 0-1). The Vikings feature a star tailback in 6-foot-2, 220-pound senior Logan Bachman, who rushed for 223 yards and three touchdowns against their week one opponent Stroudsburg.

But the Trojans held Bachman and the Central rushing attack in check all night, limiting them to just 30 yards on the ground and 102 total offensive yards.

“Our defense is amazing and our defensive line got a lot of pressure on their quarterback,” said senior running back Joey Guida. “We have a secondary like no other. The heart and soul of our defense is the linebackers, guys like Christian Suriel and Angel Ramos. Those guys are amazing.”

Parkland, meanwhile, totaled 379 of its 482 total yards in the rushing category. Guida was once again the lead back, rushing seven times for 162 yards (over 23 yards per carry). He also scored twice, once on the ground and another through the air. He had an 86-yard touchdown run down that staked the Trojans to a 17-0 advantage early in the second quarter.

“We have a great offensive line that can open up holes,” Guida said. “I absolutely love them. They make my job a lot easier.”

Running backs Dominic Nelson, Colten Peischl and Isiah Rico all found the end zone on the ground as well.

Against the Kids on opening weekend, Parkland’s brand new starting quarterback combo of Tanner Lewis and Andrew Lee split time and managed their first starts effectively. Neither had a touchdown, but last Saturday night, both did.

Lewis threw a pair of touchdown passes, one to Guida and one to Christian Hudson. Lee ran for a score.

Devin Bartholomew connected on all seven of his extra points and added a field goal.

Parkland will travel to Bethlehem Area School District Stadium Friday night to take on unbeaten Freedom (2-0) in a rematch of last season’s District 11 6A championship game.

The Parkland defense will be focused on stopping the run. The Patriots feature a tailback in Jalen Stewart, who has rushed for four touchdowns already this season, including three last week in a rivalry win over Bethlehem Catholic.

But the Trojans defense will also have to be weary of the dual-threat quarterback Jared Jenkins. The returning starter has thrown for 377 yards and seven touchdowns, while rushing 15 times last weekend for 40 yards. His favorite target is Rontay Dunbar, who has eight catches for 163 yards and a score.