For any performer, being called upon for an encore is something that everyone strives for no matter what the profession. After completing the original set in such a dramatic fashion that leaves the fans in attendance begging for more, it’s understandable why so many equate it to the highest levels of an adrenaline rush. A true “natural high” if you will. In high school football, it really is no different. Take the Warwick Warriors for example.
Without the shadow of a doubt, this was a season that Lancaster-Lebanon League football fans — Warwick fans in particular — were eagerly awaiting for with great promise and the upmost levels of anticipation. And why not? Coming off an emotionally-charged roller coaster season both on and off the field, the Warriors achieved a first in school history in 2018 by laying claim to the school’s first postseason victory in a through and complete 64-0 drubbing of Palmyra on a quagmire-like Grosh Field on a rain-soaked night in the opening round of the District 3-5A playoffs. Yet even though the Warriors’ memorable ride would eventually come to an untimely end the very next week on the road at Cedar Cliff, the Warriors were slated to return arguably the most talented roster in school history headlined by a record-setting quarterback with an unbelievably high ceiling, an all-state wide receiver with the speed that rivals that of Secretariat, and a five-star offensive lineman who will have to tip his letter carrier handsomely at Christmas given the tons of high-profile recruiting letters he appears to be receiving on a daily basis. But even with Joey McCracken, Trey Glass and Nolan Rucci all reentering the fold respectively this season, the Warriors have proven that they are far from a three-trick pony throughout the first part of the regular season. Even still, it’s a feat that unfortunately does not come without its pain given the season-ending ACL injury suffered by Glass in the opening game of the season against Ephrata. And after two impressive showings out of the chute against Ephrata and Garden Spot respectively in the form of cumulative final scores tallying 117-13, the “big one” still loomed on the calendar the very next week.
Whichever GPS you fancy, the distance between Lititz and Manheim, Pennsylvania is roughly five miles as the crow flies. Sure, that may sound like a relatively short distance, but the distance between the Barons and Warriors on the football field has been anything but. Although the series took a bit of a hiatus for a small handful of years, there simply was no escaping the fact that Manheim Central, a smaller school mind you, had not lost to Warwick since 1983.
That was of course until last week.
Behind a stifling defense and an absolutely magnificent performance authored by the Warriors’ offense last week, Warwick was finally able to break their Manheim Central hex at long last with an unforgettable 37-7 domination of Manheim Central for arguably the biggest win in school history. But even for all the good vibes and storming of the field aside, the challenges of a high school football schedule breaks for no one. And with that, the Warriors still had not yet started on their next objective, claiming the L-L Section 1 championship this season. In that regard, their first assignment brought them to Landisville on Friday night to tangle with Hempfield.
Speaking of encores, last week was one that the homestanding Black Knights would rather soon forget. After another back and forth battle with Central York — the second waged between the two programs in as many years — Hempfield unfortunately found themselves coming just within a whisker of tripping up the Panthers yet again this season in a 30-28 setback suffered on the road. Regardless, one need only ask someone with experience competing in the Lancaster-Lebanon League as to just how potent and the dangerous the Black Knights are on an annual basis, something perhaps best exhibited by their resounding 26-3 triumph over Dallastown in Week 1. So, needless to say, Hempfield was looking to replicate some of that very same magic experienced in their first game back at the friendly confines of Georgelis Law Firm Stadium since that opening night victory over the Wildcats after coming up empty-handed on the road at Manheim Central and in the aforementioned contest against Central York.
However, it quickly became apparent that this too would be a night that would belong to the Warriors once again.
But it certainly did not start out that way mind you.
After Warwick won the opening coin flip and decided to defer, the Black Knights opened up shop at their own 25-yard line. Following the opening kickoff return, the Black Knights needed to travel only seven yards before junior running back Tanner Hess took off around the right side of the line and motored his all the way down along the Hempfield sideline and into the endzone as Hess’ 68-yard lightning bolt of a touchdown run created an audible hush over the Warwick crowd as their hosts had just jumped out to the early 7-0 lead just 1:29 into the contest.
No matter.
When working with a smorgasbord of talent similar to the kind that the Warwick offense is able to boast, having the ability to score within the blink of an eye is never really out of the realm of possibility. Sure enough, that is precisely what happened on the Warriors’ opening series.
After a 52-yard toss by way of the fake bubble and subsequent go route from junior quarterback to Joey McCracken to senior wideout Conor Adams, the white-clad Warriors suddenly found themselves knocking on the door at the Hempfield 22-yard line following the first of many lethal hookups from McCracken to Adams on the evening. More from those two later assuredly. Yet even though they were able to make a dramatic splash on their initial offensive play, Warwick’s opening drive of the ballgame was not without its difficulties as well. Case in point, a fourth & four which the Warriors faced later in the series from the Hempfield 16-yard line. Remember that McCracken to Adams duo? If you were a part of the Warwick offensive brain-trust on Friday night you most certainly did. And seemingly right on cue, McCracken was able to locate and hit Adams out in the flat for the 10-yard strike to move the sticks and usher Warwick down to the Black Knights’ 6-yard line which gave the visitors from Lititz a fresh set of downs. From there, the Warriors went away from the glitz and glamour of the aerial attack momentarily and opted for the black and blue method of pounding the rock between the tackles to ultimately get the job done as junior running back Colton Miller was able to do just that with a 6-yard jaunt across the chalk line to knot things back up at 7-7 following the Tanner Haines PAT with 8:17 still left to go in the opening quarter.
While both offenses took their respective turns shining in the spotlight through the early going on Friday night, it would prove to be both the Warwick and Hempfield defenses who would then take center stage over the course of the next few possessions as both the Black Knight and Warrior defensive troops authored successful stands throughout much of the remainder of the opening stanza. But just when it may have appeared that a defensive slugfest was about to take shape, the Warrior offense spearheaded by Joey McCracken and his fellow dynamic ‘mates quickly proved to those in attendance as to why they are arguably the most potent phase of football found on this side of the state.
Sure, while the bulk of Warwick’s damage is traditionally done through the skies, the Warriors’ offensive line understandably has no quarrels whatsoever about knocking their opposition backward when asked to run-block. And on the first play of the Warriors’ final drive of the first quarter, the Warwick road-graders got their wish as a bulldozing run from Colton Miller behind the stout Warwick O-line immediately got the Warriors back on the Hempfield side of the field to the 27-yard line following the powerful 33-yard exercise in physicality from the 6’2 201lb tailback. From there, Warwick went back to their familiar, cozy safety blanket of chucking the rock into the air — and being rewarded nicely for the decision — as a 23-yard touchdown strike from McCracken to Adams gave the Warriors’ their first lead of the night at 14-7 with just 50 seconds left to play in the first quarter.
From there, the Warwick offense could proceed back onto the field following yet another successful stand by way of their relentless, attacking defense after the Hempfield offense came up empty-handed. And after taking over at their own 41-yard line following the Hempfield punt, the Warwick offense began to poke and prod their way into the Black Knights’ defense with a series of incisions thrown from McCracken into the waiting hands of recipients such as junior wide receiver Kai Cipalla and fellow junior wideout Caleb Schmitz. So, with the air attack proving worth its weight in gold as it allowed the Warriors to move right down the field in dink and dunk fashion, it seemed only fitting that a receiver have the honors in terms of capping the drive off.
Once again, let us harken back to the firm of McCracken and Adams.
With their offense now clicking following back-to-back sideline routes with Schmitz being on the receiving end, McCracken then found Conor Adams for the pair’s second touchdown combination of the night, this one from 13-yards out, as the Warriors then saw their lead swell to 21-7 with 7:24 still left to go in the opening half.
7:24? That might as well be considered pocket change.
After yet another stand by way of their defensive troops, the Warwick offense then trotted back onto the field eager to inflict more damage up on the scoreboard. Turns out they wouldn’t have to travel all that far on this possession as the Warriors went back to work at the Hempfield 42-yard line following the change in possession. And after yet another long jaunt by Colton Miller which quickly had the Warriors knocking on the door of the redzone once again with the ball at the 27-yard line, Miller would be able to complete the heavy lifting the rest of the way as Miller’s 18-yard touchdown, his second of the evening, upped the Warwick advantage to 27-7 with 3:39 left in the half following the missed PAT.
Needless to say, the Warwick offense was now humming right along at peak proficiency. Equally so was that of the Warriors’ defense. The only thing was, the Warwick D didn’t really have any tangible evidence given the disparity in terms of points scored when compared to their prolific offense. Well, that argument would quickly be turned upside down right then and there.
On Hempfield’s ensuing offensive possession following the second Miller TD jaunt of the night which put the Warriors up by 20, senior defensive back Justin Gerhart was able to read his keys to perfection before jumping the route and coming up the subsequent Pick 6 which propelled Warwick out to the now commanding 34-7 cushion with 3:26 left to play in the half.
Yet even though the Warriors be done in terms of adding any more neon to the scoreboard for the remainder of the opening half, there was still time for some additional highlights in the waning stages of the second quarter such as a diving interception thanks to the efforts of senior linebacker Austin Bufis successfully thwarted the final Hempfield drive of the half, a takeaway which sent the visiting Warriors into the dressing room with 34-7 lead and 34 unanswered points to their name.
Coming out of the break, the Warwick offense had first dibs with the football and wasted little to no time in picking up right where they had left off in the first half.
After a big chunk play by way of the bubble screen from McCracken to Schmitz which got the drive underway and put the Warriors back into Hempfield territory right out of the chute following the 26-yard reception, McCracken went back to his favorite target on Friday night, Conor Adams, as the two hooked up for their third touchdown pairing of the brisk, early autumn evening as the 35-yard toss from McCracken to Adams via the slant pattern put Warwick up 41-7 with 9:55 left in the third.
After holding the Hempfield offense on downs with the game now making its way into the middle of the third quarter, the Warwick starting offense was called upon to answer the dinner bell one more time before the night was through. While it may not have always been a thing of beauty from start to finish, the ensuing Warwick drive was ultimately able to get a second lease on life following both a literal and figurative basketball lob thrown from Joey McCracken to Caleb Schmitz, as the two key members from last season’s Lancaster-Lebanon League silver medalist Warwick hoops squad accounted for the 30-yard toss on third and 15 to give the Warriors a fresh set of downs just past the midfield stripe with the ball now resting at the Hempfield 44-yard line. From there, McCracken was able to find yet another reliable target in Thatcher Miller as the 6’3 202lb junior tight end hauled in a reception which sped the Warriors’ offensive charge down to the Hempfield 22-yard line as the third quarter would eventually expire.
Speaking of wasting little to no time, perhaps there was no better illustration of that very notion than with the opening play of the final period.
Finding themselves sitting on the verge of reentering the redzone with the final 12:00 set to get underway, McCracken proceeded to throw caution to the wind quite literally with an absolute picturesque, teardrop dime in the very back of the endzone to the aforementioned Schmitz, as the 22-yard touchdown toss, McCracken’s fourth of the contest, allowed Warwick to enjoy the 48-7 cushion with 11:52 still left to go.
Even with the outcome of the game undoubtedly decided up until that point, there was still more than ample time for core nucleus of the Warriors’ squad to get their rightful opportunity to shine under the Friday night lights. And shine they would.
With time running out what would soon become Warwick’s fourth consecutive victory, Christian Royer was able to provide the Warrior faithful with just a small but favorable glimpse of the future yet to take place with a resounding 53-yard touchdown scamper after wisely bouncing it outside after seeing a traffic jam in his immediate pathway, as the 5’9 170lb sophomore running back darted into the endzone for the final score of the evening, a final score which sent Warwick back home a winner by virtue of their decisive 55-7 triumph over Hempfield.
On the macro, Friday night was one met with great anticipation not just for Warwick fans, but for fans from around the area as well given the always prevalent possibility of a “mental letdown” following such a historic victory just one week before. On the micro though, Friday night ironically provided all those with remaining questions as to how it appears Warwick will end up handling success and high expectations along with the bullseye that will surely be placed upon their backs that will only grow larger and larger by the week as the season moves along.
“Very happy with the response,” veteran Warwick head coach Bob Locker said after seeing his squad spot Hempfield a 7-0 lead in the early going on Friday night. “We really didn’t flinch or anything. We just went down the field, moved the football, answered, and then the defense got their feet…I’m just glad to see the kids respond the way they did. That was good to see.”
Okay. Mental part? Check. With that already in tow, the talent visible to the naked eye alone makes Warwick a formidable force from here on out not just in L-L Section 1, but within the District 3-5A field and beyond as well.
“He’s a really good quarterback,” Locker said with a chuckle and a wry smile in a matter-of-fact way in regard to his junior signal-caller. “I don’t think a lot of people know how good he really is. We know because we see him all the time, but he dropped some dimes on people that were in-stride and were where they needed to be. He does some things really well.”
“He runs hard,” Locker added when also asked about his workhorse running back Colton Miller on Friday night. “The thing we like about him is that he’s always leaning forward. There’s never negative yardage after contact. There’s always positive yards after contact.”
But skill aside, producing fireworks on a seemingly weekly basis is not something that comes overnight. Something this year’s group of Warriors appears to have acknowledged and accepted hook, line and sinker.
“Joey (McCracken), the wideouts and the running backs, we all spend a lot of time,” said Locker of the offseason regimen to create such cohesiveness amongst the group. “We start in like December/January just doing stuff. We meet regularly. They (the players) create a body of work and get together on their own. They’re very familiar with each other. And then throw in the offensive line which I think continues to grow and get better every week.”
“So far, we find ways to score. We find ways to move the football. We share the football. A lot of people get touches. There’s a lot to be thankful for. There really is.”
“We have room to grow,” Locker went on to add lastly. “We understand that down the road there’s some games looming, but right now, the only game that matters is the next week and we’ll go from there.”
NEXT UP: Speaking of the next game, standing in line next for Warwick to try and corral is the Red Tornado of McCaskey in Lancaster city against a Tornado squad that is eagerly chomping at the bit to pick up their first win of the season following their 49-20 defeat at the hands of Cedar Crest on Friday night. Needless to say, tripping up a Warwick team that is currently ranked inside the Top 5 of some statewide publications released this past week would prove to be quite an achievement and a program-changing victory should the always-dangerous Red Tornado be primed and ready for an upset.
For Hempfield, it’s back to the drawing board in hopes of finally snapping this three-game skid which the Black Knights currently find themselves riding on. Unfortunately, the immediate road ahead does not appear to be all that more favorable as the Knights will find themselves boarding the buses and heading northward to Lebanon County as they prepare to tangle with the aforementioned Cedar Crest Falcons, a squad that is dangerously and sneakily flying under the radar while currently boasting a perfect 4-0 unblemished record to their name.
