A.J. Hurst comes up big to lift Garden Spot over Ephrata
2024 Berks football coverage
presented by UECU
(This story was produced by LNP/Lancasteronline, and published in partnership with MikeDragoSports.com.)
By Dave Byrne — LNP/Lancasteronline
NEW HOLLAND –Looking less sharp than he did in the first half, A.J. Hurst got back on the good foot at just the right time.
With his team down by three and time running short, Hurst completed three passes and ran for a big first down as Garden Spot came from behind to defeat visiting Ephrata 21-17 in a non-league game Friday night.
Hurst engineered the Spartans’ 12-play, 60-yard drive, converting a key fourth down at the Ephrata 35 to keep the drive alive.
On third-and-6 at the Mountaineers’ 18, with 44 seconds left, Hurst swung a screen pass to Trent Hoober in the left flat and Hoober did the rest, taking the ball 18 yards to the end zone.
“That was just getting the ball in (an) athletes’ hands,” Spartans coach Matt Zamperini said of the call.
“The blocking was amazing,” said Hoober, who finished with six catches for 64 yards and two touchdowns, “that’s the only reason I got in. I saw one guy to beat; everyone (else) was taken care of.”
“It’s one of our favorite plays,” said Hurst, who finished with 12 completions in 19 attempts and an interception for 142 yards and two TDs.
He ran 12 times for 38 yards and a 1-yard “Brotherly Shove” TD sneak.
Ephrata broke the scoring ice on quarterback Caleb Grant’s 32-yard dash down the right sideline in the first quarter.
Ephrata (2-1) mounted a 15-play, 60-yard drive that burned nearly six minutes off the clock as the first quarter turned to the second but Joseph Bernek intercepted Grant at the Spartans’ 34 to blunt the drive.
Misadventures in Ephrata’s punting game led to the Spartans (2-1) taking a 14-7 lead into the locker room but the Spartans’ special teams returned the favor in the third quarter, leading to Grant’s 3-yard TD run.
The Spartans, who lost all the momentum from a 14-7 halftime lead, stood tall on defense, holding Ephrata to Evan Honberger’s 28-yard field goal after the Mounts had first-and-goal at the 9.
Hoober returned the ensuing kickoff 37 yards to the Spot 40 and Hurst went to work, picking up 15 yards and a first down on a scramble up the middle before finding Hoober on a crossing route to the Mounts’ 37. Hurst passed 13 yards to Cole Humphreys to the Ephrata 22 and two plays later Hoober was in the end zone.
Cullen Witmer’s efforts for the Spot defense cannot be overlooked. He had three tackles for losses and a key 11-yard sack of Grant on Ephrata’s last, desperation possession — a possession that ended with Hoober’s interception at the Spot 42 with six seconds left.
