Garden Spot runs out of time in bid to pass Twin Valley
2023 Berks football coverage presented by
Utilities Employees Credit Union
(This story was produced by LNP/Lancasteronline, and published in partnership with MikeDragoSports.com.)
By Jason Guarente — LNP/Lancasteronline
It seemed destined to come down to the end. A final pass. A final run. A final … something.
As Garden Spot marched down the field and the clock became a more perilous enemy, the Spartans realized their hopes were going to rest on a final kick. Not an easy kick. A 37-yarder with a swirling wind.
Zachary Martin’s attempt sailed wide, and Twin Valley held on to defeat Garden Spot 35-34 in a Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 3 football game Friday night.
The Raiders raced to the locker room to celebrate what coach Brett Myers called “one of the greatest wins of their lives.”
The difference, on the scoreboard, was a blocked extra point by Danny Murphy following Garden Spot’s final touchdown. In reality, the outcome was determined by a hundred little things.
Twin Valley (4-0, 7-0) took the lead on Drew Engle’s 32-yard touchdown run with 1:22 left. There was an injury delay of about 20 minutes afterward. A Garden Spot player was removed on a stretcher.
Sam Frey, who was named Homecoming King at halftime, kicked the extra point to break the 34-34 deadlock.
Garden Spot quarterback Kye Harting, who rushed for 79 yards and passed for 199 yards, guided the Spartans toward a potential winning score.
With eight seconds left and the ball on the 20, Garden Spot took one shot at the end zone before deciding on a long field goal attempt. Martin, a freshman, had the distance but it drifted to the left.
“We know he can hit from there,” Garden Spot coach Matt Zamperini said. “There’s no one more broken up than him. Thirty-seven yards is a tough field goal.”
Twin Valley’s dynamic offense struck quickly for 21 points and then was held scoreless until the fourth quarter.
Engle and Evan Johnson, the Raiders’ double threat out of the backfield, did plenty of damage. Engle rushed for 229 yards and two touchdowns. Johnson had 166 yards and three scores.
“We had a rough first quarter and we really fought back,” Garden Spot defensive back Trenton Hoober said. “We played as a team. It’s tough. You can’t come out on top every time.”
Twin Valley overcame five turnovers. The Raiders lost a fumble on a punt attempt and a punt return. They had three passes intercepted, two by Hoober and one by Cole Humphreys.
Humphreys turned an errant screen into a touchdown on the first play of the fourth quarter. That gave Garden Spot a 28-21 lead. The Spartans took the lead again when Harting hit AJ Hurst for an 18-yard TD with 5:40 left.
Each offense had an answer until one of them ran out of time.
Zamperini gave a long post-game talk to his players who knelt near midfield. He then consoled one of them as he fought back tears.
Garden Spot (3-1, 6-1) surrendered first place in the section. One of the greatest wins in Twin Valley history was a gut-wrenching defeat for the other side. That’s the only way it can feel when it comes down to the final play.
“You spend a long time grinding for these games,” Zamperini said. “It hurts when you care and you love your brothers. Our boys play for each other. Losing is hard.”
