Hempfield sends Reading High out with eighth straight loss
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 Dave Byrne — LNP/Lancasteronline
LANDISVILLE — Hempfield senior Jackson Landis for 339 yards and three touchdowns and ran for two scores as Hempfield ended its season high note, beating Reading High 46-7 Friday in a Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 1 finale.
The Red Knights (1-6, 1-9) end the season with an eight-game losing streak; their lone win came in Week 2 over Muhlenberg.
Reading’s only score came on Xavier Beatty’s 90-yard kickoff return in the second quarter. He had a 93-yard return against Muhlenberg.
Landis tossed TDs to Micah Gates — a 92-yard catch-and-run play — then 19 yards to David Ennis and 49 yards to Brayden Charles. He ran for TDs of 13 and 18 yards.
“You look at guys who have given three, four years to our program, our catalysts have always been Jackson and Micah,” Hempfield coach George Eager Jr. said. “For them to produce their last game at home, that was really special.”
Hempfield won the Section 1 title last season.
“It’s been a tough season for the whole team, but I think it shows our character as a team to be able to come together,” said Landis, who completed 10-of-12 passes.
“The coaches had a great game plan; we were able to execute it and it showed in the score at the end of the day.”
It was a great game plan once the Black Knights got on the field to execute it.
The Red Knights put the ball in play at their 42 to start the game and marched to the Black Knights’ 8 before taking a 2-yard loss on third-and-5. They lined up for a field goal, took a time out to think about it, then threw an incomplete pass into the end zone.
“That was a pivotal moment,” Eager said. “Had they scored, I think our guys might have had some self-doubt.”
The possession took 7:20 off the clock; over on the Hempfield sideline Landis was raring to go.
Landis passed 20 yards to Gates and Eli Walls ran for 45 and 14 yards before plunging in from the 1. The Black Knights stopped themselves when Phillip Krauser hauled in a 33-yard completion but fumbled at the Reading 20 on their third possession.
They got the ball right back and Landis tossed a 19-yard TD to Ennis.
Reading had good starting points. Hempfield kicked to the up man three times, giving the Red Knights great field position. Deciding to kick deep, the ball came to Beatty at the 10. He broke containment at the 20 and raced down the right sideline.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final | |
| Reading High | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Hempfield | 7 | 20 | 13 | 6 | 46 |
Scoring summary
| 1 | Hempfield | Walls, 1 run (Biscoe kick) |
| 2 | Hempfield | Ennis, 19 pass from Landis (kick failed) |
| 2 | Hempfield | Gates, 92 pass from Landis (Biscoe kick) |
| 2 | Reading High | Beatty, 90 kickoff return (Murcia kick) |
| 2 | Hempfield | Landis, 13 run (Biscoe kick) |
| 3 | Hempfield | Charles, 49 pass from Landia (kick failed) |
| 3 | Hempfield | Walls, 1 run (Biscoe kick) |
| 4 | Hempfield | Landis, 18 run (kick failed) |
Team statistics
| Reading High | Hempfield | |
| First downs | 13 | 16 |
| Rushes-yards | 38-157 | 26-139 |
| Passing yards | 50 | 315 |
| Total yards | 207 | 454 |
| Passes | 9-14 | 9-11 |
| Fumbles-lost | 0-0 | 1-1 |
| Punts-average | 3-25.0 | 2-29.5 |
| Penalties-yards | 12-93 | 8-55 |
Individual statistics
RUSHING
Reading High: Alvarado 24-96, Beatty 1-21, Fritz 7-20, Lawes 3-12, Webb 1-6, Murcia 1-3, Plyaharn 1-(-1).
Hempfield: Walls 11-78, Landis 7-49, Caldwell 1-8, Portalatin 6-2, Abrams 1-2.
PASSING
Reading High: Fritz 8-13-1–35, Plylaharn 1-1-0–15.
Hempfield: Landis 9-10-0–315, Gates 0-1-0–0.
RECEIVING
Reading High: Alvarado 3-8, Drayrton 3-3, Sheriff 2-24, Santos 1-15.
Hempfield: Gates 5-150, Ennis 2-98, Charles 1-49, Krauser 1-18.
