Blazers storm past Ephrata for third straight win
By Sean McBryan — MikeDragoSports.com correspondent
AJ Hofer agreed he’s the thunder and Thatcher “JT” Hogan is the lightning in the Daniel Boone backfield.
“We’re better at different things,” Hofer said. “I like to get more hard yards when the box is stacked or we’re close to the end zone. JT is fast as hell. If you give him a hole or any open space he’s gone.”
Hofer rushed for 217 yards and a touchdown and Hogan rushed for 79, averaging nearly 10 yards a carry, and three touchdowns as the Blazers backfield stormed for 348 yards in a 33-14 non-league victory over Ephrata Friday at War Memorial Stadium.
The win was the third straight for the Blazers (3-2).
The 6-1, 195-pound Hofer is a battering ram who will pound into the line, wear you down and then break a 20-yarder. Hogan has the agility to break a 20-yarder at any time and finish the run by putting the defender on his back.
“AJ is going to pound you up,” Daniel Boone head coach Rob Flowers said. “Hogan’s going to finesse you a little bit and then he’ll bash you.”
Hofer rushed for 47 yards on the first drive; Hogan finished it with a 1-yard touchdown run, his only carry of the first half.
Hofer had 16 carries for 127 yards in the first half and the Blazers took a 13-7 lead into the break behind 31- and 42-yard field goals from Nate Millard.
Hogan scored his second touchdown about five minutes into the second half on a 20-yard run after a 24-yard run by Hofer put them in the red zone. Hogan scored again on a 13-yard run with 5:43 left in the third quarter after Hofer went out of the game for a few plays due to an elbow injury.
“I was joking with JT, ‘You stole two of AJ’s touchdowns,’ ” Flowers said with a laugh.
Hofer was bound to find the end zone with all of the yards he was accumulating, and he finally did on the first play of the fourth quarter with an 11-yard run to make it 33-7.
“For me it’s not so much about touchdowns, it’s more about yards,” Hofer said. “I want to rush for 1,000. (JT) is really good and I trust him to score those for us.”
The Daniel Boone defense played well, too, holding Ephrata stud running back Andre Weidman to 57 yards on 17 carries and a 5-yard TD in the first quarter. The Mounts (3-2) got their second score on a 70-yard fumble return with less than three minutes remaining.
Millard played a crucial role on special teams once again for the Blazers. He had multiple touchbacks, nicely placed punts in addition to his field goals.
Millard has hit a 60-yard field goal in practice and tied the school record of 46 yards this season. He also said he has been getting college interest at all levels, including Division I. This is Millard’s first season focusing solely on football. He started kicking in second grade and said he’s been working at it ever since.
“It’s real different,” Millard said regarding kicking in football and soccer. “That’s why I didn’t play soccer this year because it was starting to mess me up. It’s the same motion but completely different form.
“But once we’re in the 35 I’m within range.”
Daniel Boone added this game after Columbia had to cancel against the Mounts due to a COVID-19 concern.
“The guys are in a good head space with their hearts and their minds,” Flowers said. “They’re really starting to trust each other and the system.
“We found something that worked for us schematically tonight and our linemen blocked it up,” Flowers said of the run game. “Our skills guys ran it very well. It was nice to see.”
The Blazers and Mounts will be division rivals next season when the Lancaster-Lebanon Leagues expands to 37 teams with the addition of 13 teams from the Berks League.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final | |
| Daniel Boone | 7 | 6 | 13 | 7 | 33 |
| Ephrata | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
Scoring summary
| Team | Player | Play | From | PAT Player | Extra Point |
| Daniel Boone | Hogan | 1 run | Millard | kick | |
| Ephrata | Weidman | 5 run | Jones | kick | |
| Daniel Boone | Millard | 31 FG | |||
| Daniel Boone | Millard | 42 FG | |||
| Daniel Boone | Hogan | 20 run | 2-point | failed | |
| Daniel Boone | Hogan | 13 run | Millard | kick | |
| Daniel Boone | Hofer | 11 run | Millard | kick | |
| Ephrata | Pfautz | 70 fumble return | Jones | kick | |
Team statistics
| Daniel Boone | Ephrata | |
| First downs | 21 | 6 |
| Rushes-yards | 44-348 | 26-83 |
| Passing yards | 44 | -22 |
| Total yards | 392 | 61 |
| Passes | 10-17-0 | 2-6-0 |
| Fumbles-lost | 3-1 | 3-1 |
| Punts-average | 2-38 | 6-39.3 |
| Penalties-yards | 8-85 | 5-55 |
Individual statistics
RUSHING
Daniel Boone: Hofer 26-217, Hogan 8-79, Coleman 5-33, Tolosky 5-19.
Ephrata: Weidman 17-57, McCracken 7-23, Litten 1-2, Stidham 1-1.
PASSING
Daniel Boone: Rotter 10-17-0–69.
Ephrata: McCracken 2-6-0–26.
RECEIVING
Daniel Boone: Vassallo 5-48, Hirshman 3-10, Klick 1-8, Brady 1-3.Ephrata: Stidham 1-15, J. Knowles 1-11.