Lampeter-Strasburg off to fast start with win over Solanco
2024 Berks football coverage
presented by UECU
(This story was produced by LNP/Lancasteronline, and published in partnership with MikeDragoSports.com.)
By John Walk — LNP/Lancasteronline
Hudson Crutchfield had planned it all week.
Should the Pioneers come out victorious in its season-opener at Solanco on Friday night, the Lampeter-Strasburg senior offensive lineman wanted to make sure he got to the front of the handshake line post-game in order to be the first to lay hands on the coveted Milk Jug trophy.
“Yessir, I wanted to get that jug immediately,” Crutchfield said.
Crutchfield accomplished that mission following Lampeter-Strasburg’s dominating 35-9 non-conference football win in Quarryville. He picked up the trophy and held it high above the heads of his screaming teammates celebrating after the game concluded.
The Pioneers now own an 11-4 edge in the trophy series, with back-to-back lopsided victories.
“It means everything,” Crutchfield said. “We practice the whole year for this moment. We’ve been looking forward to this game since we were freshmen. It means everything to win this game.”
After celebrations quieted down, Crutchfield later took a knee, the trophy by his side, with his teammates to listen to their coaches.
“If you think you drank enough water, drink more,” L-S coach Victor Ridenour told his players.
Hydration, or the lack of it, may have played a factor at the start of the third quarter when L-S quarterback Caileb Howse sprinted out to his right then hit the grass without being touched, and sat out the next three plays.
“Both my calves started cramping up,” Howse said.
The drive ended in a blocked field goal. It was one of the few times the L-S offense was slowed down.
The Pioneers gathered 333 yards on the ground, powered by Howse (4-for-6 passing, 63 passing yards, 11 carries, 140 rushing yards, three total touchdowns) and running back Dominic Brown (16 carries, 165 rushing yards, two TDs).
L-S led by two touchdowns before Solanco finally found its footing with a clock-churning 15-play, 84-yard scoring drive highlighted by a 39-yard pass from Austin Jarabak (4-for-11, 52 passing yards, 8 carries, 43 rushing yards) to Braighton Lenhart and capped by a 1-yard keeper from Jarabak to cut the deficit to 14-6 near the start of the second quarter.
After another L-S touchdown, Solanco cut it to 21-9 on a 38-yard field goal from Triston Brown with 1:27 left before halftime.
Ridenour said afterward he was worried the Mules would have the momentum after the field goal since Solanco would get the ball after halftime.
Howse put those worries to rest with a 32-yard scamper soon followed by a 31-yard TD pass to Preston Schonour to push the lead to 28-9 with 47 seconds left before intermission.
“If we don’t score there, then (Solanco) gets the ball coming out in the second half,” Ridenour said. “And they’re dangerous. One missed assignment and they can just go. That’s an entirely different ballgame. For us to be able to score close to the end of the first half was huge.”
It’s a good start to the season for an L-S team with a lot of new faces trying to follow last year’s nine-win campaign.
“We replaced a lot of kids,” Ridenour said. “These kids stepped up and did a good job.”
