Black Knights’ prayers answered in win over Blue Streaks

(This story was produced by LNP/Lancasteronline, and published in partnership with MikeDragoSports.com.)

By Jason Guarentes — LNP/Lancasteronline

The Hail Mary pass that landed in Gabriel Benjamin’s hands looked so easy. One could only assume that’s how the play was designed. Not exactly.

Whenever Hempfield runs that play in practice, Micah Gates is the intended target. When backup quarterback Stephen Katch dropped back and fired Friday night, Gates was the one who was supposed to catch it.

Benjamin just happened to be where the ball fell. A little luck never hurts.

“My coach told me to keep a calm head,” Benjamin said. “I see the ball thrown up, I turn and it’s going straight to me. I went up and got it. That was an amazing pass.”

Hempfield’s last-second touchdown in the first half was the catalyst for a thrilling victory over Manheim Township on Friday night. The Black Knights prevailed 17-14 in a Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 1 game at Neffsville.

Hempfield is tied with Wilson and Penn Manor, each 2-0 and atop the Section 1 standings.

Katch, a 6-foot, 190-pound senior, fills many roles. He can be a bruising running back or run direct snaps at quarterback. He’ll occasionally throw a pass and is his team’s Hail Mary specialist.

“The biggest thing I want everybody to know is he’s an outstanding teammate,” Hempfield coach George Eager said. “If I said, ‘To win this game, you’ll have to shovel dirt.’ He would do it. He’s going to be a big part of it down the stretch.”

Katch had attempted one pass prior to the bomb. It went for minus-1 yard. Without any warm up or warning, he stepped under center for a much longer attempt.

“I was fine throwing it,” Katch said. “I don’t need to get loose. I was ready to go. I guess he likes my arm strength. I was just throwing it in the middle, but it went to Gabe on the outside. It was crazy.”

The craziness was just beginning.

Grant Hoover returned the opening kickoff of the second half 93 yards for a touchdown. After neither team reached the end zone for nearly two full quarters, Hempfield had two TDs in 14 seconds. The lead was 17-0.

Township, to its credit, bounced back.

Quarterback Hayden Johnson, who completed 32-of-44 attempts for 234 yards Friday, led the Blue Steaks on two scoring drives. One was capped with Johnson’s 2-yard TD run. The other by a 9-yard connection with Landon Kennel.

Johnson brought Township from its own 2-yard line to Hempfield’s 13 in the final minute. Quin Arnold’s 30-yard field goal attempt with 33 seconds left was off the mark.

Township (0-1, 3-2) played without running back Nick Good due to injury. Two-way standout Jake Laubach was out of action in the second half.

Eager, a 2005 Township grad who’s in the school’s Hall of Fame because of his accomplishments as a wide receiver, savored his second win against his alma mater in as many years. Hempfield’s coach has some fond memories on this field.

“This is another one,” Eager said. “It goes to the top to be honest with you. Because of the way we pulled it out. We built a lead. We won ugly. It was just the belief of these seniors.”

Hempfield (2-0, 4-1) lifted the Joseph F. Kurjiaka Trophy awarded to the winner of this heated rivalry each season. On the front, from 2011-19, Hempfield’s name is engraved only once.

Times have changed.

“It’s back where it belongs,” senior Julian Morales said as he lifted the hardware with his teammates all around him.

“If you look at that trophy, it says Township a lot,” Benjamin said. “Now we got it back-to-back. So that’s amazing.”

Kind of like a Hail Mary pass that somehow finds a target.