Unbeaten Scouts shake off scoreless first half, top Garden Spot
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 Daryl Simione — LNP/Lancasteronline
NEW HOLLAND — Conrad Weiser kept its unbeaten streak intact with a 24-6 victory over Garden Spot in Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 3 play Friday night.
Senior quarterback Donovan Gingrich ran for two touchdowns and threw for another as the Scouts (4-0, 7-0) overcame a scoreless first half to hold off the short-handed Spartans (1-3, 3-4).
Weiser is off to its first 7-0 start since 2011 and just its second in the last quarter-century. The Scouts were 6-0 in the Covid-shortened 2020 regular season before losing their playoff opener.
Despite playing without injured quarterback A.J. Hurst, Garden Spot took a 6-0 lead midway through the third quarter on Seth Musselman’s 9-yard touchdown run.
The Scouts answered on Gingrich’s 15-yard scamper around the left side and Weiser proceeded to score 24 unanswered points to win going away.
| Section 3 | ||
| Conrad Weiser | 4-0 | 7-0 |
| Cocalico | 3-0 | 5-2 |
| Warwick | 3-1 | 4-3 |
| Garden Spot | 1-3 | 3-4 |
| Solanco | 1-2 | 3-4 |
| Manheim | 0-3 | 2-5 |
| Fleetwood | 0-3 | 3-4 |
“They have a bunch of superstar defensive players,” Gingrich said. “First half, we were a little iffy on offense. We went back in the locker room and we dug down, we talked, and came out fired up.”
Leading 7-6 late in the third quarter, Gingrich capped a four-play, 41-yard drive with a 25-yard touchdown pass to leading receiver Evan Rittle (eight catches, 65 yards).
On the drive, Javien Rivera had a 20-yard run to get the Scouts in scoring position, and Gingrich overcame a 9-yard sack by delivering a perfect strike to Rittle over the middle.
Following a Garden Spot fumble, Alex Malone booted a 24-yard field goal for a 17-6 advantage.
Spartans quarterback Gabe Martin (86 yards passing, 34 yards rushing) was dropped for a big loss on the ensuing drive, and the Scouts took advantage of another short field.
Gingrich (15-for-21, 152 yards) capped the scoring with a 27-yard scramble up the middle.
“They were bringing it,” Gingrich said of Garden Spot’s defensive line. “I know I’m going to take a hit, so being able to just step up and believe in my receivers and my linemen gives me a lot of confidence.”
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final | |
| Conrad Weiser | 0 | 0 | 7 | 17 | 24 |
| Garden Spot | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
Scoring summary
| 3 | Garden Spot | Musselman, 9 run (run failed) | |
| 3 | Conrad Weiser | Gingrich, 15 run (Malone kick) | |
| 4 | Conrad Weiser | Rittle, 25 pass from Gingrich (Malone kick) | |
| 4 | Conrad Weiser | Malone, 24 FG | |
| 4 | Conrad Weiser | Gingrich, 27 run (Malone kick) |
Team statistics
| Conrad Weiser | Garden Spot | |
| First downs | 16 | 8 |
| Rushes-yards | 33-117 | 30-65 |
| Passing yards | 152 | 86 |
| Total yards | 269 | 151 |
| Passes | 15-21-0 | 8-11-0 |
| Fumbles-lost | 1-0 | 1-1 |
| Punts-average | 3-48.3 | 7-33.7 |
| Penalties-yards | 5-40 | 6-45 |
Individual statistics
RUSHING
Conrad Weiser: Gingrich 13-50, Rivera 14-45, Miller 3-12, McQuillen 2-6, Rittle 1-4.
Garden Spot: Martin 18-34, Pemberton 9-15, Hoober 1-22, Musselman 1-9.
PASSING
Conrad Weiser: Gingrich 15-21-0–152.
Garden Spot: Martin 8-11-0–86.
RECEIVING
Conrad Weiser: Rittle 8-65, Parr 4-31, Rivera 1-39, Keppley 1-9, Gechter 1-8.
Garden Spot: Hoober 4-55, Denlinger 1-18, Conrad 1-7, Pemberton 1-4, Bernek 1-2.
