MILTON-Lewisburg decidedly showed it will be with tough out for any opponent moving forward in the postseason. In what turned out to be a 39-7 domination of Mount Carmel in the District 4 semifinals, the Green Dragons were in total command on both sides of the football. Senior running back Jeremiah Davis had a career night with 267 yards and five touchdowns behind a physical offensive line, as Lewisburg earned a matchup with Danville in the Class 3A championship game next week.
“Let’s just say Jeremiah Davis has been awesome all year,” Lewisburg coach Eric Wicks said. “He’s had some injuries and some tough things that happened to him in life. It’s awesome to see himself excel, and the line, and all the guys on the team protect him. It’s great, because we just have this great team environment.”
Lewisburg (10-1) started fast and really never looked back. On the second snap of the game, Davis broke loose on a 52-yard run, which was certainly a tone-setter for the Green Dragons. Three plays later, Davis would cross the goal line from three yards out to get the scoring underway. A botched shotgun snap on the next possession resulted in a Jason Klokis fumble recovery, but it only turned out to be a temporary speed bump. Mount Carmel (8-4) would give the ball right back on a fumble, and Davis would cap off a short four-play drive with a 2-yard run.
“Hats off to them, they played a really, really good game,” Mount Carmel coach John Darrah said. “I thought we had a couple chances there, but we weren’t able to capitalize. They deserved to win this game.”
As if Davis wasn’t causing enough problems for the Mount Carmel defense on the ground, the combination of Chase Weinrich and Jaylen Walker provided issues through the air. The duo connected on a slant pass that went for 35 yards, and on the very next play, Davis achieved his first-half hat trick with a 14-yard run to give the Green Dragons an 18-0 lead with 5:54 left in the second quarter. Walker caught four passes for 94 yards on the night.
A big play on special teams gave Mount Carmel a little bit of hope, as Ben Miller blocked a punt, and Matthew Balichik returned it two yards for a touchdown, closing the gap to 18-7 at halftime. Darrah decided to switch quarterbacks to start the second half, and it looked like the plan was about to pay immediate dividends. Balichik, who is more of a running threat than Gavin Marshalek, helped spark a downfield march. However, the drive was abruptly halted just one yard shy of the end zone by a fumble that proved to be the backbreaking moment for the Red Tornadoes.
“We just wanted to be able to motion a little bit and get a couple quarterback runs,” Darrah said. “Gavin is a great quarterback, but Matthew, just the idea of getting him a couple carries, so nothing other than that. I thought we moved the ball well. We drove the ball down to the 1-yard line, and that was one example of us not being able to capitalize. I think if we punch that in there, it’s going to be a different game.”
On the final play of the third quarter, the Green Dragons were able to turn the tables and make their own splash on special teams. Danon Alabakoff fell on a blocked punt in the end zone to once again make it a three-score game. Lewisburg had every bit of momentum on its side, and would put the game on ice with an emphatic finish.
“Oh yeah, Coach (Drew) Newcomb, he’s our special teams coordinator,” Wicks said. “He drew it up, and he’s like, ‘I think we got one here.’ Next thing you know, we block it, we get a touchdown. It was exciting.”
Davis would score twice in the fourth quarter. With the offensive line creating space for both Davis and Quin Michaels, it would be Davis that hit pay dirt on a 10-yard run with a little over nine minutes left. On his team’s final possession, Davis sprinted off the right side to the end zone for a 38-yard touchdown run. Lewisburg finished with 461 yards of total offense, and 351 of those yards came from the rushing attack.
“For us, that’s where we’ve been all year,” Wicks said. “Our guys up front have been dominating, and it’s funny because, we’re looking at size of guys and things like that. We’re not the biggest, but we’re going to strain, going to work hard and make sure we move people.”
In recent years, Danville has had an easy time with Lewisburg. Last season, the Ironmen won a couple of lopsided games and kept the Green Dragons out of the end zone. Given the success Lewisburg has enjoyed so far this season, there is every reason to think this meeting will be competitive.
“Tough team,” Wicks said of the Ironmen. “We’ve seen them the past few years, and we haven’t been successful, so we’re going to need a great week of practice and get ready to go.”
Mount Carmel 0 7 0 0-7
Lewisburg 6 12 7 14-39
Individual Scoring
First Quarter
L-Jeremiah Davis 10 run (kick blocked) 9:46
Second Quarter
L-Davis 2 run (run failed) 11:19
L-Davis 14 run (run failed) 5:54
M-Matthew Balichik 2 blocked punt return (Robert Schoppy kick) 3:44
Third Quarter
L-Danon Alabakoff blocked punt recovery in end zone (Cohen Hoover kick) :00
Fourth Quarter
L-Davis 10 run (Hoover kick) 9:20
L-Davis 38 run (Hoover kick) 4:51
Team Statistics
…………………………..MC……………….L
1st downs…………..13……………….22
rush-yds………..39-143……………..49-351
comp-att-int…..10-19-1…………….6-9-1
pass yds………….73……………………110
total yds…………..216………………461
fumb-lost…………5-3………………..5-3
pen-yds………….5-25………………4-40
Individual Statistics
Rushing-Mount Carmel: Luke Blessing 18-93; Al Bailey 5-31; Matthew Balichik 5-26; Cooper Karycki 2-15; Logan Shuder 2-7; Jaylen Delaney 3-4; Aidan Brokenshire 1-(-2); Gavin Marshalek 1-(-6); Team 2-(-25). Lewisburg: Jeremiah Davis 27-267, 5 TDs; Quin Michaels 12-60; Sean Field 5-17; Chase Weinrich 4-9; Team 1-(-2).
Passing-Mount Carmel: Marshalek 10-18-1, 73 yds.; Balichik 0-1-0. Lewisburg: Weinrich 6-9-1, 110 yds.
Receiving-Mount Carmel: Tait Adams 3-38; Chase Balichik 3-16; Andrew Lukoskie 2-11; Bailey 1-9; Blessing 1-(-1). Lewisburg: Jaylen Walker 4-94; Tyler Kitchens 1-11; Nick Coleman 1-7.
