Cocalico stopped inches short of Class 5A championship game
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 Jeff Reinhart — LNP/Lancasteronline
ALTOONA — Cocalico got exactly what it needed. And the Eagles had four stabs at the game-winning touchdown with under a minute to play.
Alas, Cocalico was denied.
The Eagles played a spirited second half — including a stingy defensive effort — and got the ball back on a fumble recovery with 1:39 to play. They had first-and-goal at Peters Township’s 7 but the Indians stuffed all four running plays and survived 14-9 in a PIAA Class 5 semifinal Friday night at Mansion Park.
“Every time you thought we were done, we kept battling,” said Cocalico coach Bryan Strohl, wiping away some post-huddle tears. “They weren’t going to fold. That’s not the type of guys they are. It’s not the type of character they have.”
After 12 straight wins, Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 4 and District 3 championships and three postseason wins Cocalico saw its season end here for the second year in a row.
“This doesn’t get to happen for many people,” Cocalico’s Dane Bollinger said. “It’s been a great experience. It didn’t end how we liked. But we have to use this as fuel.”
Peters Township (15-0) will take on Imhotep Charter in the PIAA title game Friday. Cocalico, which ended last season in Blair County as well, fell for the second straight season in the state semifinals.
This one is going to sting, after Peters Township gift-wrapped a turnover in the waning seconds. Adam Laudenslager forced the fumble for Cocalico as the Indians were just trying to get a game-icing first down.
“I thought we were winning it right there,” Bollinger said.
Aaryn Longenecker’s run gave the Eagles first down at the 7.
The next four plays:
Quarterback Josh Myer was stopped for no gain. Dane Horning had two short runs, setting up fourth-and-goal at the 3.
“Stressful,” Strohl said.
On Cocalico’s last-gasp attempt, Myer pitched to Horning who was nearly swarmed under. He made a heads-up play, pitching the ball to Bollinger, who had an open lane to the end zone.
But Peters Township’s defense — which held Cocalico’s vaunted Veer to 96 rushing yards on 47 carries — ball-hawked Bollinger, who came up just short of the end zone. The Indians held on for dear life and took a knee on their last play to run out the clock.
They’ll play in the state finals for the first time.
“When we got it to the 3, I looked around and it was like, this is what you live for,” Bollinger said. “All we had to do was punch it in.”
Cocalico nearly pulled off a miracle play at the wire to win it.
“They blew it up, so Dane pitched it back to me,” Bollinger said. “But I couldn’t score.”
Cocalico (12-2) grabbed a 3-0 lead when Todd Becker booted a 24-yard field goal with 6:23 to go in the first half. PT quickly countered with two scores before intermission.
Nolan DiLucia fired a 24-yard TD pass to Carter Shanafelt with 3:42 to go in the first half. And the Indians struck again just before the break, when DiLucia lobbed a 14-yard TD pass to Reston Lehman in the corner of the end zone with 16 seconds left in the second quarter.
From up top, it didn’t look like the receiver got a foot down. And local television announcers said their booth replays showed no catch. That’s neither here nor there, of course. The call stood.
Cocalico’s defense tightened in the second half, keeping Peters Township’s high-powered offense relatively in check. And when Myer scrambled out of trouble and darted 25 yards for a TD with 9:47 to go in the third, the Eagles had it down to 14-9
But nobody scored the rest of the game. Although Cocalico sure looked destined to punch in the go-ahead score in the dying seconds.
“I feel terrible that we couldn’t get the win,” Strohl said. “I hate to see it end. But I’ve never been more proud of a group in my life. They wanted to play another week. They wanted to go for the state title. So close … so close.”