Blaise Ernst’s last-minute TD carries Hamburg past Northern Lebanon
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 Brian Markley — LNP/Lancasteronline
Friday night’s Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 5 matchup between Hamburg and visiting Northern Lebanon was comparable to a main event boxing match that goes all 12-rounds.
The Hawks were the ones standing at the end, surviving what was the textbook definition of a shootout with a 41-34 win over the Vikings on Hawk Hill.
Both teams displayed their ability to move the ball, both through the air and on the ground, efficiently and effectively.
Both hit each other with blow after blow, score after score. When the Vikings threw a right hook, the Hawks countered with an upper cut.
Northern Lebanon (3-3, 4-5) was led by junior running back Myles Watson, who posted three first-half touchdowns and added two more in the second half. He scored every Vikings touchdown.
Luke Shaffer and Brendan Ryan made up for the absence of senior wide receiver Moises Gonzalez, who missed Friday’s slugfest with illness.
The Hawks (2-4, 5-4) used a mixture of Misael Oviedo, Blaise Ernst and Leland Moore for their ground game. All three backs showed a slightly different look, but all of them were able to cut through the Northern Lebanon defense.
All were effective, but Ernst was particularly impressive. The freshman scored two touchdowns on the ground for the Hawks, including the game-winner with 20 seconds left.
Hamburg quarterback Tyler Shuey, who struggled on the first drive of the game, settled in on what was a wet night. He finished 19-of-32 for 263 yards with one touchdown, a 35-yard heave to the end zone that was brought in by Mason Semmel as time expired in the first half.
Hamburg had 545 total yards, 282 on the ground, 263 through the air.
“(If) we can’t stop you on defense, the other side of the ball has to take over,” said Hawks coach Matt Hoffert. “Offensively, we answered every time they scored.”
Hamburg will try to carry momentum from Friday’s big win when they take a trip to Columbia, where it will meet the Crimson Tide for its final league game.
The Vikings finish against Annville-Cleona.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final | |
| Northern Lebanon | 7 | 14 | 13 | 0 | 34 |
| Hamburg | 7 | 20 | 7 | 7 | 41 |
Scoring summary
| 1 | Northern Lebanon | Watson, 5 run (Messinger kick) |
| 1 | Hamburg | Shuey, 1 run (Blatt kick) |
| 2 | Northern Lebanon | Watson, 7 run (Messinger kick) |
| 2 | Hamburg | Moore, 1 run (Blatt kick) |
| 2 | Northern Lebanon | Watson, 56 run (Messinger kick) |
| 2 | Hamburg | Ernst, 16 run (Blatt kick) |
| 2 | Hamburg | Correll, 35 pass from Shuey (kick missed) |
| 3 | Northern Lebanon | Watson, 13 run (kick blocked) |
| 3 | Hamburg | Shuey, 10 run (Blatt kick) |
| 3 | Northern Lebanon | Watson, 37 run (Messinger kick) |
| 4 | Hamburg | Ernst, 19 run (Blatt kick) |
Team statistics
| Northern Lebanon | Hamburg | |
| First downs | 22 | 28 |
| Rushes-yards | 27-248 | 51-282 |
| Passing yards | 99 | 263 |
| Total yards | 347 | 545 |
| Passes | 13-20 | 19-32-1 |
| Fumbles-lost | 2-1 | 0-0 |
| Punts-average | 3-31.7 | 1-21 |
| Penalties-yards | 10-65 | 11-105 |
Individual statistics
RUSHING
Northern Lebanon: Watson 25-244, Bra. Ryan 1-5, Erdman 1-2.
Hamburg: Ernst 19-122, Oviedo 11-73, Shuey 15-72, Moore 5-15.
PASSING
Northern Lebanon: Erdman 12-20-0–143.
Hamburg: Shuey 19-32-1—263.
RECEIVING
Northern Lebanon: Ryan 4-40, Shaffer 3-44, Feagley 2-18, Bra. Ryan 2-16, Mitzel 1-5.
Hamburg: Semmel 5-86, Bentz 4-69, Correll 4-43, Oviedo 2-28, Brady 2-25, Ernst 2-12.
