Austin Jarabak returns from injury, leads Solanco past Fleetwood
2024 Berks football coverage presented by
Utilities Employees Credit Union
(This story was produced by LNP/Lancasteronline, and published in partnership with MikeDragoSports.com.)
By Justin Staggers — LNP/Lancasteronline
QUARRYVILLE — In his return to action, Solanco quarterback Austin Jarabak had a night fit for royalty — literally.
Just minutes after being nominated to Solanco’s 2024 Homecoming court, Jarabak made his much-anticipated return for the Golden Mules after being sidelined due to an injury sustained on Oct. 4 against Manheim Central.
“I got picked up and slammed on my head,” Jarabak said. “I actually blacked out for a little bit.”
That injury forced Jarabak to miss the rest of the Manheim Central game, as well as last week’s matchup against Cocalico. Friday he proved to everyone in Quarryville that he hasn’t missed a step.
Jarabak ran wild, breaking off touchdown runs of 61 and 20 yards, to lead Solanco to a 55-10 victory over visiting Fleetwood in a Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 3 game.
While Jarabak attempted only two passes he still managed to connect with wideout Eric Koch for a 41-yard touchdown in the second quarter to extend the Golden Mules’ lead.
All told, Jarabak carried the ball seven times for 140 yards and two touchdowns while completing 1-of-2 passes for 41 yards and another score—all in just 24 minutes. With a 48-10 halftime lead, Solanco (2-3, 4-5) turned the game over to sophomore quarterback Chase Sensenig to close the second half.
Landen Hare rushed for a 53-yard score and Gryffin Cappellano kicked a 40-yard field goal in the second quarter for Fleetwood (0-5, 3-6).
The Solanco offense found its rhythm early and never looked back. Johnny Garcia started the scoring with a 12-yard run, breaking several tackles. Jarabak followed with his first rushing touchdown on the next possession, faking a defender and racing 61 yards up the right sideline. By the end of the first quarter, Solanco led 21-0.
Just one regular season game remains for Solanco—a must-win contest that will determine their playoff chances. Currently sitting just outside a District 3 playoff spot in Class 5A, the Golden Mules host Garden Spot next Friday.
“Honestly, I don’t even look at the playoff standings until after Friday,” said Golden Mules head coach Tony Cox. “If it happens, it happens, but our biggest focus is getting to 5-5 after Garden Spot next week.”
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final | |
| Fleetwood | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| Solanco | 21 | 27 | 0 | 7 | 55 |
Scoring summary
| 1 | Solanco | Garcia, 12 run (Brown kick) | |
| 1 | Solanco | Jarabak, 61 run (Brown kick) | |
| 1 | Solanco | Burgos-Wise, 3 run (Brown kick) | |
| 2 | Solanco | Jarabak, 20 run (Brown kick) | |
| 2 | Fleetwood | Hare, 53 run (Cappellano kick) | |
| 2 | Solanco | Garcia, 2 run (kick missed) | |
| 2 | Solanco | Koch, 41 pass from Jarabak (Brown kick) | |
| 2 | Solanco | Burgos-Wise, 1 fumble recovery (Brown kick) | |
| 2 | Fleetwood | Cappellano, 40 FG | |
| 4 | Solanco | Garcia, 3 run (Brown kick) |
Team statistics
| Fleetwood | Solanco | |
| First downs | 11 | 20 |
| Rushes-yards | 18-90 | 40-515 |
| Passing yards | 161 | 41 |
| Total yards | 251 | 556 |
| Passes | 14-23-1 | 1-2-0 |
| Fumbles-lost | 3-2 | 4-2 |
| Punts-average | 4-37.3 | 0-0 |
| Penalties-yards | 4-20 | 3-30 |
RUSHING
Fleetwood: Hare 2-50, Kummerer 7-13, McFarland 2-10, Petition 5-9, Moore 1-3, Robledo 1-(-1), McMonagle 1-(-15).
Solanco: Jarabak 6-142, Burgos-Wise 5-136, Garcia 15-111, Koch 1-55, Sensenig 5-54, Bard 2-16, Brown 1-5, Plastino 3-5.
PASSING
Fleetwood: McMonagle 15-27-1–152.
Solanco: Jarabak 1-2-0–41.
RECEIVING
Fleetwood: McFarland 6-53, Moore 5-73, Ryan 4-26.
Solanco: Koch 1-41.
