Diohnny Ruiz scored on a 64-yard screen pass and runs of 58 and 14 yards in the first half as the Hamburg Hawks defeated the York Tech Spartans 47-20 Saturday afternoon in York.
Ruiz scored on the screen pass with 10:59 left in the first quarter.
“He has another gear,” Hamburg head coach Jeff Chillot said of Ruiz. “When he looks like he might be tackled, he can get out of stuff because he has really good leg strength and escapability, and he’s quick. Even if someone’s not blocking, we feel confident he can break a tackle, and then he can obviously take it to the house and make big plays out of it. He works hard, does everything you ask him to do. He’s earned what he’s done based on what he does in the offseason.”
About four minutes later, Pierce Mason took a handoff 24 yards for another touchdown to give the Hawks (1-0) a 13-0 lead.
On the next possession, the Spartans (0-1) drove 42 yards, including a fourth-down conversion, to the Hawks’ 15-yard-line, but a fumble by Ja’mar Johnson gave Hamburg the ball back at the end of the quarter. Ruiz recovered the fumble.
In the second quarter, the Hawks picked up where they left off as freshman Aiden Readinger scored on a 16-yard dash with 11:06 left to make it 19-0. Anthony Torres blocked the extra point for York Tech.
The Spartans went 3-and-out on the next possession and punted the ball through the endzone. Four straight offensive penalties on Hamburg made it 3rd-and-11 from their own 42 when Ruiz sprinted for the 58-yard touchdown run. Nicholas Hix hit the PAT and the Hawks led 26-0.
“My brother (Derek Ruiz) and wide receivers had good blocks and I just saw green,” Ruiz said. “So I just took off.”
Johnson scrambled and found Torres for a 56-yard touchdown with 3:02 left in the half to get the Spartans on the board.
Hamburg quarterback Xander Menapace took over the next drive, rushing for 15 and hitting Tristan Baer for a 17-yard gain and Kevin McFarland for 10 yards. Ruiz did the rest, taking it in from 14 yards out with 1:43 left, and the Hawks took a 33-6 lead into halftime.
The third quarter belonged to Baer, who scored on a 32-yard run with 8:21 left and a 49-yard screen pass with 5:48 left. A 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct on the Hawks following the touchdown left York Tech with great field position, and the Spartans capitalized with a drive ending in a two-yard touchdown run by Torres to make it 47-12.
Hamburg played their second string in the fourth quarter, and a botched snap gave the Spartans the ball on their own 35. Bailey Eberwein took a pitch 35 yards, and Torres converted the two-point conversion, for the final score of the game with 7:38 left.
Menapace finished 8/13 with 167 yards and two touchdowns, Ruiz had four carries for 90 yards and two touchdowns and two catches for 72 yards and a touchdown, and Baer had four carries for 67 yards and a touchdown and two catches for 66 yards and a touchdown for Hamburg.
Johnson finished 2/4 with 67 yards and a touchdown while rushing 12 times for 51 yards, Torres had seven carries for 38 yards and a touchdown and the 56-yard touchdown reception, and Eberwein had seven carries for 101 yards and a touchdown for York Tech.
Hamburg first-year head coach Jeff Chillot, who coached for 12 seasons at Schuylkill Valley, picked up his first win with his new team.
“It feels great,” Chillot said. “I feel great for the kids. They’ve had a long and hot camp, as everyone has. It’s great to just come out and play football, in a normal football sense, and get a win. There’s nothing like winning a football game. The players came ready to play.”
“It feels pretty good to have everyone back, especially fans,” Ruiz said. “We have one win under our belt. It feels pretty good. Now we are moving onto next week.”
York Tech was playing with heavy hearts as Ronald Lake, a senior captain, unexpectedly passed away in his sleep July 31. A moment of silence was held in his remembrance to begin the game. Lake made two interceptions in a 14-13 win over Hanover last season that broke the Spartans’ 35-game losing streak.
York Tech next faces Octorara this Saturday at 11 a.m. in York; Hamburg hosts Northern Lebanon Friday at 7 p.m.
Scoring Summary
Hamburg (1-0) 13 20 14 0-47
York Tech (0-1) 0 6 6 8-20
1st Quarter
HAM– Diohnny Ruiz 64 pass from Xander Menapace (Hix missed kick)
HAM-Pierce Mason 24 run (Hix kick)
2nd Quarter
HAM-Aiden Reading 16 run (Hix kick blocked)
HAM-Diohnny Ruiz 58 run (Hix kick)
YT-Anthony Torres 56 pass from Ja’mar Johnson (Two-point failed)
HAM-Diohnny Ruiz 14 run (Hix kick)
3rd Quarter
HAM-Tristan Baer 32 run (Hix kick)
HAM-Tristan Baer 49 pass from Xander Menapce (Hix kick)
YT-Anthony Torres 2 run (Two-point failed)
4th Quarter
YT-Bailey Eberwein 65 run (Two-point success)
