Banged-up Scouts absorb a few more lumps from Pioneers
2023 Berks football coverage presented by
Utilities Employees Credit Union
(This story will be updated later tonight with additional details and postgame reaction.)
By Sean McBryan — MikeDragoSports.com correspondent
Friday signaled a culmination of the gauntlet Conrad Weiser faces in its new reality in Section 4 of the Lancaster Lebanon League.
Starting in Week 4 the Scouts lost by a touchdown to Elco, beat Octorara, lost in the final seconds to Berks Catholic, beat Donegal, and played Wyomissing tough even if it ended as a three-score loss.
Bodies became worn, powerhouses in Lampeter-Strasburg and Cocalico remained, and Conrad Weiser had a 2-6 record to show.
“All these teams are quality football teams,” Conrad Weiser head coach Alan Moyer said after a 42-0 loss to Lampeter-Strasburg at Robesonia. “It’s like playing playoff football every weekend.
“A couple of years ago I think we were at that level (of the top teams in Section 4). We’re down right now, and everybody’s going to kick you when you’re down, but we just need to keep consistency and continue developing these kids into players.”
The Scouts (2-4, 2-7) were without arguably its top player in senior running back Sevon Parham, as well as running back Ousmane Conde.
The Pioneers dominated the line of scrimmage and stifled their offensive attack. Weiser managed only 69 rushing yards and less than 2 yards per carry.
“We are banged up from last week,” Moyer said of a 35-14 loss at Wyomissing. “It’s just an ongoing theme this year on our football team. We were down probably 11 starters tonight. It’s no excuse, we have kids coming in every day and working hard, but some kids are tough to replace, especially against a big, physical football team like Lampeter-Strasburg.”
The good news for the Scouts is that their quarterback Donovan Gingrich and top receiver Evan Rittle are juniors and will be back next season. Javien Rivera, a sophomore, got the bulk of the carries Friday, which serves as great experience to build on for next year.
“It may not show (on the scoreboard) but we’re getting better and the kids are still believing in the system and their coaches,” Moyer said. “You can’t replace game experience.
“But as I told them, like last year, I hope you have a good memory. Because in the offseason these types of games should haunt you, thinking about how you got physically beat up and beat up on the scoreboard. Putting those things away in memory should give incentive to work harder in the offseason.”
The Scouts had a productive initial drive before attempting a 35-yard field goal that was blocked by Julian Lopez.
Two plays later Dean Herr gathered a 73-yard touchdown pass from Trent Wagner.
The Pioneers (5-1, 8-1) e erupted in the second quarter. Damoj Gray caught a 19-yard touchdown on a screen pass from Wagner; Jon Mellinger darted up the gut for a 54-yard TD run; and Herr and Wagner connected for their second touchdown, this time from 38 yards.
Mellinger scored on a 52-yard run on the first play of the third quarter and Gray made a contested catch, broke a tackle, and sprinted 67 yards for the final touchdown of the game with 4:38 left in the third quarter.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final | |
| Lampeter-Strasburg | 7 | 21 | 14 | 0 | 42 |
| Conrad Weiser | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Scoring summary
| 1 | Lampeter-Strasburg | Herr, 73 pass from Wagner (Fiorelli kick) | 4:49 |
| 2 | Lampeter-Strasburg | Gray, 19 pass from Wagner (Fiorelli kick) | 9:24 |
| 2 | Lampeter-Strasburg | Mellinger, 54 run (Fiorelli kick) | 4:00 |
| 2 | Lampeter-Strasburg | Herr, 38 pass from Wagner (Fiorelli kick) | 2:18 |
| 3 | Lampeter-Strasburg | Mellinger, 52 run (Fiorelli kick) | 11:40 |
| 3 | Lampeter-Strasburg | Gray, 67 pass from Wagner (Fiorelli kick) | 4:38 |
Team statistics
| Lampeter-Strasburg | Conrad Weiser | |
| First downs | 17 | 10 |
| Rushes-yards | 24-257 | 35-69 |
| Passing yards | 218 | 73 |
| Total yards | 475 | 142 |
| Passes | 6-6-0 | 7-17-0 |
| Fumbles-lost | 1-0 | 4-0 |
| Punts-average | 1-25 | 6-32.7 |
| Penalties-yards | 6-45 | 2-10 |
Individual statistics
RUSHING
Lampeter-Strasburg: Mellinger 7-153, Brown 5-70, Malatesta 5-27, Wagner 3-19, Swarr 1-(-1), House 1-(-4), Team 2-(-7).
Conrad Weiser: Rivera 21-37, McQuillen 6-16, Gingrich 5-11, Miller 1-4, Reinard 1-1, McGarrigle 1-0.
PASSING
Lampeter-Strasburg: Wagner 6-6-0—218.
Conrad Weiser: Gingrich 7-16-0—73, Sellars 0-1-0—0.
RECEIVING
Lampeter-Strasburg: Gray 3-97, Herr 2-111, Lopez 1-10.
Conrad Weiser: Rittle 3-41, Miller 1-15, Rivera 1-9, Parr 1-4, Gechter 1-4.
MISSED FIELD GOALS
Conrad Weiser: Malone 35.
