EasternPAFootball.com

Justin Ashcraft

  • Rain, Crusaders sink the Barons

    The long awaited game was finally here on Friday night.  Manheim Central, district 3 powerhouse, played host to the Lancaster Catholic Crusaders.  Many people had been wondering why this game has not happened sooner.  The schools are only 20 minutes apart and with the storied programs that each school has, it seems like this would be a natural matchup.

    Friday morning the rain started coming down on Elden Rettew Field and it never let up.  The game started with a fine mist that picked up to a downpour in the third quarter.  The Crusaders never let up on the Barons either.

    The first quarter was quiet and ugly as both teams looked like they were attempting to get used to playing in the rain.  But as soon as the second quarter started, the Crusaders were on a mission.  Two minutes into the second quarter, QB Kyle Smith found Andrew Millay across the middle and he got loose down to the 1.  Jordan Stewart punched the ball in from there and Catholic was up on the Barons 7-0.

    Nine minutes later, the Crusaders got on the board again when Alan Berlucchi took a short pass from Smith into the end zone.  That put Catholic up 14-0 with 2:57 left in the half.  That play was again set up by a long pass from Smith to Millay to get the Crusaders inside the redzone.

    The third quarter opened up and late in the third Smith again found a receiver open.  This time it was Quinn Houser.  Houser took the ball at about the 18 and found the end zone after making three Baron defenders miss.  The score was 21-8.  The rain picked up after that and it was a fumble fest.

    Neither team could hold on to the ball and fumbles and punts were traded back and forth.  Finally with less than 2 minutes left in the fourth quarter Baron runner Dakota Royer took a hand off and got it down to the 4 yard line.  Two penalties on the Crusaders moved the ball to the 1.  Joe Gruber got it in from there and Alex Shenk added the two point conversion to make it 21-8.   But it was too little, too late for the Barons as the Crusaders ran the clock out after the score.

    The 1-2 Barons start their section play next week as the travel to Cocalico.   The 2-1 Crusaders go home and Donegal comes to town.

  • Leftenant sends the Trojans “to the left, to the left.”

    The line of Beyonce kept ringing through my head during the Mechanicsburg-Hershey game. Tarik Leftenant ran all over the Trojans on Friday night and sent the back to Hershey with a 28-14 defeat.

    The Wildcats got on the board early with a touchdown two minutes into the game. The Wildcat D picked off Junior QB Jake Campbell and ran it back inside the twenty. The Wildcat O then took over and punched the ball in from there to make it 7-0.

    The rest of the first quarter was quiet as neither team could get into the endzone. But it did not take long into the second quarter until Leftenant had two 10 yard runs and then broke one for 30 some yards down to the 8. On the next play senior QB Jake Zeigler handed it off to Leftenant and he took it in from the 8 for the score. Score 14-0 Mechanicsburg.

    After a fumble recovery at the 49 yard line, Zeigler engineered a scoring drive. Two passes took the offense down to the 22. Leftenant then broke one 11 yards to the 11. Mechanicsburg thought that they had a touchdown when Zeigler hit Matt Koveleski in the end zone. The play was called back on a holding call though. Faced with a 3rd and 24 from the 25, Zeigler found Ben Anderson along the left sideline. Anderson broke 6 tackles to score. PAT was good and the score was 21-0.

    Zeigler then found Kovelski from 4 yards out to make the score 28-0. During the fourth quarter, the Hershey D pinned the offense back deep. They punted. It was blocked and it was knocked out of the back of the end zone for a safety. Score 28-2.

    On the subsequent possession, the Hershey O finally started on the move. Campbell hit Austin Warfel in the middle of the back of the end zone for a touchdown. Then after a QB switch, with less than a minute left in the game, senior QB Dominic Cerminara hit Stenn Transeth in the end zone from 5 yards out for a touchdown. Final score, 28-14.

    Mechanicsburg plays away at Susquehanna Township next week. The Trojans are also on the road as they take on Waynesboro. Both games are Friday night games.

  • The Cougars Get Eaten, Poteat Runs All over Them

     

    HARRISGURG – The beginning of high school football season holds high expectations for any team that plays.  Most fan’s believe that their team can go deep into the playoffs.  Enter Harrisburg and Bishop McDevitt.  Two of the most talented teams in the state a year ago.  Both made runs deep into the playoffs.  Both came in ranked in the top 10 in the easternpafootball.com Top 10 big schools.  Both have high expectations this year.

     

    But this one looked like it was over almost from the beginning.  The Cougars stopped the Crusaders on their first drive.  McDevitt had all of seven yards and had to punt.  Harrisburg blocked the kick and recovered at the 18 yard line.  After a 9 yard pass from senior Anthony Holmes to Leon Bullock, the Cougars received two straight 5 yard penalties.  Then two incomplete passes forced Harrisburg to kick.  The field goal was no good.  And McDevitt came alive.

     

    McDevitt then went on to put up 42 unanswered points.  Harrisburg finally answered with 6 late in the game.  But ultimately, the Crusaders won 42-6. 

     

    The first touchdown came on a wonderful drive anchored by a 5-5 for 72 yard performance from sophomore quarterback Matt Johnson.  He hit three different receivers on the drive.  Jameal Poteat, a sophomore, who had 15 carries for 94 yards and four touchdowns stuffed the ball in from the 2.  So with 3:17 left in the first it was McDevitt 7-0.  Three minutes and 10 seconds later Poteat scored again.  On three carries for 56 yards, he punched another one in from the 1.  Score 2 seconds into the second quarter, 14-0 McDevitt. 

     

    A couple of minutes later, the sophomore running back from McDevitt took a 19 yard pass from Johnson to the house.  That was after a holding call put McDevitt in a 3rd and goal from the 19.  After a gift of a failed fake punt, the Crusaders took over late in the second on the cougar 25.  Seven plays later, Sean Barowski, a sophomore full back, punched the ball in from the 1.  And the score was 28-0 at the half. 

     

    Less then 4 minutes into the third, it was McDevitt on the board again.  This time it was senior Aaron Marks in from the 2 to push the score to 35-0.  With only a couple of seconds left in the 3rd it was Marks who finished off the scoring for McDevitt with a 31 yard TD. 

     

    The lone Harrisburg touchdown came from sophomore QB Jalen Fitzpatrick as he found Bullock streaking down the sideline for a 58-yard touchdown pass. 

     

    The Crusaders look lean and mean as they head to Cedar Cliff next week.  The boys from Harrisburg have a lot to work on as they travel to Central Dauphin next week.