Lampeter-Strasburg just the next ‘Super Bowl’ for unbeaten Twin Valley
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Just another Super Bowl.
That’s how Twin Valley’s Ben Grundy views Friday’s Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 4 showdown against Lampeter-Strasburg.
“It’s just another hard week for us to get through,” said the senior wide receiver and cornerback.
One week after handing state-ranked Wyomissing its first defeat the Raiders are up against it again this week against the Pioneers, who have won six straight and are ranked No. 9 in the state in Class 4A, six spots behind Twin Valley.
“This is just another Super Bowl week,” Grundy said. “We’re ready for another hard game.”
The Raiders (5-0, 8-0) and Pioneers (5-0, 7-1) are tied for first place in Section 4 with two games remaining in the regular season. The winner Friday at Twin Valley Stadium will be in position to close out the section title next week and, perhaps more importantly, get the upper hand in the district power rankings. Lampeter-Strasburg is currently No. 2, Twin Valley No. 3. That will flip should the Raiders win.
A year ago at this time the picture was slightly different when the Raiders headed to Pioneer Field. Lampeter-Strasburg was unbeaten and ranked No. 5 in the state. The Raiders were ranked No. 9 and coming off their first defeat, 34-24 to Wyomissing.
Lampeter, revving up for a run at a state title, flexed its muscles that night, rolling up 56 first-half points on the way to a 62-14 victory, easily the most lopsided during Brett Myers’ tenure as Twin Valley coach.
“(That game) let us know what we’re going against,” Grundy said. “It really set a mood.”
This is a different Twin Valley team, perhaps stronger and deeper on both lines and definitely better in the backfield, what with the return of record-setting Drew Engle and the emergence of Lucas Myers, who shares the tailback spot with Engle.
The biggest concern the Raiders had coming into the season was at quarterback, where sophomore Maverik Foster was taking over for four-year starter Evan Myers. All Foster has done is complete 72.6 percent of his passes, go eight games without throwing an interception, and lead the league in passing efficiency.
“(When we) put the ball in his hands, (we know) he’s going to distribute it well,” Brett Myers said. “Saturday (against Wyomissing) proved it. He had a couple crucial plays (and put) the ball right on the money. His talent is not just his arm, (it’s) his brain; he’s very similar to the last kid we had.”
Lampeter-Strasburg, which beat Wyomissing for the district title and advanced to the PIAA championship game in 2024, is a much different team than a year ago. It graduated 15 all-league players, including magical quarterback Caileb Howse.
The Pioneers aren’t quite as explosive as a year ago but have continued to dominate their Section 4 competition, outscoring them by 33 points per game.
Junior Asher Jones, who has taken over at quarterback, has thrown for 893 yards with just two interceptions. He’s also leading the team in rushing and has scored six TDs.
The Pioneers’ strength comes up front where all-league pick Collin Shelley and second-team all-league pick Thad Wolf, each a Division I prospect, anchor a huge offensive line that averages 276 pounds across the front – easily the largest Twin Valley has faced.
“(Their tackles) are some of the largest humans you’ll see,” Brett Myers said of the 6-4, 305-pound Shelley and the 6-5, 333-pound Wolf. “You can tell by the way their kids are built that their weight room’s important. You can tell their guys work hard. They look different.
“They’re really good. They do what they do very well. It’s a really good group. It’ll be fun to see how we stand up to it.”
Twin Valley counters with an offensive line that’s just a tad bigger from tackle-to-tackle, averaging 279 pounds. That group, led by second-team all-league guard Greyson Miller and burly center Noah DiGiacomo, was the difference in last week’s 28-6 win at Wyomissing. The Raiders controlled the ball with long drives in the second half, when they outscored the Spartans 21-0.
Lampeter-Strasburg coach Victor Ridenour is impressed.
“They probably lead the league in one-play drives, two-play drives, three-play drives,” Ridenour said of the Raiders. “They’re so explosive. We haven’t seen a team come off the ball like that since probably (our season-opener against) Solanco, in terms of how aggressive they are.
“They are just as good defensively (as they are offensively). They flow to the ball well, they tackle well. You rarely see them miss a tackle or give up explosive plays. They just don’t make many mistakes. They’re going to be in the right places, they’re going to rally to the football, they’re going to make you earn every single inch of grass that you can get. It’s just going to be a challenge for us.”
Brett Myers isn’t concerned about playing two emotional, season-shaping games in the span of seven days. He’s confident his guys will rise to the challenge.
“When you treat every game like it’s the biggest game of your life . . . (then) when you play that game, it’s pretty normal by then,” Myers said. “And that’s what this week is, a normal game. It doesn’t matter who (we play), they’re going to approach (it that) way. (Our players have) done a pretty good job of understanding that mental part of it.”
The standings, the rankings, the playoff implications suggest this is the biggest game of the season for each team.
“It sounds nice,” Raiders senior linebacker Ryan Rementer said of the important numbers surrounding this match-up, “but I just go into every game thinking I’ve gotta play my best, no matter who I’m playing. I just feel like it’s another game.”
