Lewisburg takes OT Opener

SHAMOKIN – Lewisburg kicked off the season on the right foot Friday night in Shamokin (pun intended) as the Green Dragons used strong special teams play to earn a 16-13 overtime victory on the road.

Lewisburg kicker Cohen Hoover booted field goals from 39, 29, and 19 yards and also found the endzone on a fake punt attempt to account for all 16 of Lewisburg’s points in the contest.

“The past couple years we’ve played some pretty tight games (against Shamokin)” said Hoover. “It’s come down to a field goal being the difference between winning and losing.”

“Defense is huge,” he added of his team’s strong defensive performance. “We have a really strong defense with really strong backups that can fill in when needed.”

Early on it was evident that defense would be key in the season-opening contest, and Shamokin was the team flexing its muscles in the opening quarter. After holding the Lewisburg offense to consecutive three-and-outs to start the game, junior cornerback Rylan Price picked off a shovel pass on the second play of Lewisburg’s third drive of the game.

The interception put the Indians in a great field position to potentially score the first points of the game, but the Green Dragon defense stood strong, forcing a turnover on downs after four plays.

On the ensuing possession, Lewisburg was able to light up the scoreboard first when the team drove the field on seven plays, sparked by a 49-yard run by junior running back Jeremiah Davis. The run set up the Green Dragons in field goal position when Hoover knocked in his 39-yard attempt for a 3-0 lead.

In the second quarter, the Green Dragons used great field position to score again. Lewisburg’s Ryan Opperman ripped off a 24-yard run and a fake punt on 4^th-and-9 resulted in a 29-yard gain to get the Green Dragons in field goal range again. With the Shamokin defense standing strong yet again, the Green Dragons had to settle for another field goal and a 6-0 lead.

Shamokin had the last laugh in the first half when a shanked punt set the Indians up to start a drive in Lewisburg territory with 2:25 left on the clock in the half. A few quick strikes from Shamokin QB Brad Latsha to wide receiver Ben Delbaugh set up the Indians with a 1^st-and-10 from the Lewisburg 16-yard line. Latsha dropped back and floated a pass to Price in the endzone where he came down with the score with 25 seconds remaining in the half to give the Indians a 7-6 lead at the break.

Following a turnover-on-downs in the third quarter, Lewisburg looked to regain the lead by stringing together some nice running plays. Davis and Sean Field combined to tote the ball six times for 28 yards on the drive, but Lewisburg was forced to punt. Hoover hung a punt high and deep into Shamokin territory, but a muff on the fair catch resulted in the Green Dragons taking over in scoring position.

The Shamokin defense held serve yet again, led by a sack on 1^st-and-20 by Liam Montgomery to force the Green Dragons into a 2^nd-and-26.

Shamokin extended its lead in the third quarter, scoring as time expired on a 75-yard touchdown scamper by Chase Pensyl. A high snap on the extra point kept Lewisburg’s hopes alive, as the failed conversion kept it a 7-point game at 13-6.

On Lewisburg’s ensuing drive the offense struggled to find momentum yet again, as a snap over the quarterback’s head forced the Green Dragons into a 4^th-and-10. Hoover took the snap in punt formation, but another fake punt attempt earned Lewisburg a first down and more. Hoover tiptoed down the far sideline before cutting back into the middle of the field for a 73-yard touchdown run on the play.

“To be honest we kind of know special teams has to step up for us.” said Wicks. “The way our offense operates and how we move the ball slow and methodically. We practice special teams sometimes more than offense or defense.”

That score tied the game and eventually sent it to overtime, where strong defense continued to prevail.

Shamokin opened with the ball, and after failing to find the endzone, lined up for a go-ahead field goal. The Lewisburg special teams unit was able to get enough pressure to block the kick and set up the visiting team with possession with a chance to win the game. After a series of QB-sneaks by Lewisburg quarterback Chase Wenrich, it was Hoover again lining up for a field goal.

The junior kicker knocked it through from 19 yards away to give Lewisburg the season-opening win.

Both Hoover and Wicks believe the emotional win can help the Green Dragons get this season off to a positive start and give the team some momentum moving forward.

“Losing the way we did last year (to Shamokin) really deterred us from the beginning,” said Hoover. “Getting a win tonight gets us really excited to see what we have for the rest of the season.”

“It feels great for those guys to compete and just fight the whole way through,” added Wicks. “This team is tough. They came out and gave us every punch. We did a good job holding up the best we could and finishing the game.”

Lewisburg starts the season 1-0 and will be back on the road at Jersey Shore next week.

The Indians drop to 0-1 and will have to try to rebound next week on the road at District 4 powerhouse Southern Columbia.