HERSHEY, Pa. – In the critical moments, big-time players make big-time plays. When Lancaster Catholic needed a shot in the arm, it got what it needed from junior corner Isaiah Taltoan.
When it needed the knockout punch, senior Brandon Hollister delivered.
Hollister ran for a game-high 159 yards, 87 of which came on the final, game-clinching drive comprised entirely of runs by No. 33 as Lancaster Catholic (13-0) celebrated its sixth District 3 Class AA championship with a 21-14 victory over Berks County power Wyomissing (11-1) Friday night from a chilled Hersheypark Stadium.
“It’s absolutely mission accomplished,” Hollister said. “We were trying not to get caught looking ahead. You have no idea how much crap I’ve been getting about the loss to Wyomissing last year. That was the worst feeling.”
Pretty much the same Spartan team returned from the one that stunned Lancaster Catholic, 21-14, at Rossmere Stadium in the District 3 AA semifinals a year ago. This time around, the Crusaders were all smiles. Even head coach Bruce Harbach.
“This one’s sweet,” Harbach said. “They’re all sweet. But this one especially. I can go home to Berks County with a smile on my face.”
Two weeks ago, Harbach won his 100th career game. Now, Harbach is a four-time District 3 champion. But the outcome was very much in doubt, as Wyomissing did all it could to take the air out of the ball in the first half and force the Crusaders’ hand.
Veteran head coach Bob Wolfrum, a 220-game winner, said his team was only trying to run its offense. And run it the Spartans did…to near perfection.
The Spartans took the opening possession of the game from their 20 to LC’s 21, but turned the ball over on downs. However, the Spartans drained 5:21 of game clock, racked up four first downs and averaged 5.7 yards per carry.
“It was disappointing that we didn’t get a score off of that opening series,” Wolfrum said.
Catholic was the first to capitalize. After runs of 41 yards by Carmelo Cruz and 36 yards by Roman Clay, Clay finished the drive with a 3-yard scoring run and the Crusaders had a 7-0 lead.
Wyomissing immediately countered. Alexander Anzalone took a scissors play 25 yards to the house to bring the blue and white to within 7-6. The Spartans would gain the lead on its ensuing possession when A.J. Nally leaped over the top of the pile from a yard out on 4th-and-goal with 1:22 left in the half.
“I was very pleased with how our team played in the first half,” Wolfrum said. “But in the second half, we couldn’t make the plays and they made just enough. They’re as good as it gets.”
The Crusaders, in need of a spark, got it from Taltoan when he intercepted Grayson Helm with 8:26 left in the third quarter. Harbach called that interception the “spark” that the purple and gold needed to get going.
Three plays later, senior Anthony Dzurik hooked up with Sean Titus on a 28-yard touchdown pass, knotting the game at 14-all. That’s how it would stay until Hollister’s game-winning touchdown drive, which he capped with a 34-yard socring run.
The Crusaders did have a scare when junior back Roman Clay went down with what appeared to be an ankle injury in the second half. He returned for one last carry before leaving the game at the end of the third quarter and would not return to the field. Clay ran for 62 yards on the night.
“Roman was dinged up a bit and I told him, ‘If you’re not 100%, you’re not going to go because I’m not willing to risk your season or future,'” Harbach said. “We told Brandon he had to shoulder the load.
“The kids deserved this,” Harbach continued. “They’ve worked so hard.”
Wyomissing was paced by Anzalone’s 86 yards rushing on 14 carries while Nally added 45 yards on 13 totes. Senior field general Grayson Helm threw for 53 yards and ran for another 23 on nine carries. Helm needed 75 passing yards to reach 4,000 for his career – he finished a mere 22 yards shy of the milestone.
Dzurik threw for 105 yards and the one touchdown, but threw his first two interceptions of the season. Through 12 games, Dzurik, a Hempfield transfer, hadn’t thrown an interception.
The 21 points scored this night give Lancaster Catholic 607 points for the season. The 2011 LC team is the 37th in state history with 600 or more points scored.
