Early blitz by Cocalico finishes off Conrad Weiser
(This story was produced by LNP/Lancasteronline, and published in partnership with MikeDragoSports.com.)
By Matt Pawlikowski — LNP/Lancasteronline
DENVER — Cocalico scored 28 first-quarter points en route to a 49-0 Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 4 win over Conrad Weiser Friday night.
The Scouts (2-5, 3-7) closed out the regular season with five straight losses.
It was Senior Night at Eagle Stadium and from the get-go the Eagles wanted those 13 seniors who stood on the field before the game to go out as winners — especially after the way they played the first quarter.
Aaryn Longenecker (five rushes, 82 yards) put the Eagles on the board first with a 13-yard score. Just minutes later Sam Steffey’s run from 8 yards out made it 14-0.
The Eagles upped the ante after a great special teams play by Steffey (six rushes, 94 yards) gave them the ball at the 37-yard line. Senior Mason Moore scored on a 1-yard plunge.
Cocalico’s final score of the quarter came on a run by Longenecker from 23 yards out to make it 28-0.
“I feel like we are peaking right now and would love to keep this going,” coach Bryan Strohl said of the Eagles (5-2, 6-4), who are bidding to squeeze into the 12-team District 3 Class 5A field. “Tonight, I was really pleased with how the kids performed across the board. If it leads us into the playoffs, then hopefully, we keep it rolling from here.”
The Eagles kept it rolling in the rest of Friday’s game.
After being pinned at the 1-yard line following a 62-yard Weiser punt with 6:45 left until halftime, the Eagles used some big efforts to drive 99 yards in just seven plays for a score. This time it was a senior lineman, Chucky Drain, with a plunge from 2 yards out to make it 42-0 Eagles.
“That is a feeling I will never get back and tell my kids I scored a touchdown when I’m older,” Drain said. “That was awesome.”
The play that followed Drain’s score was equally impressive. Moore stepped in front of a Donovan Gingrich pass that again gave the Eagles good field position.
On the next play, Steffey ran it in from 38 yards, but a flag negated the score. Two plays later, Tyler Angstadt made sure it stuck. From 41 yards out, he rambled in for the score, making it 49-0 with just over a minute left until the half.
On the night, Cocalico racked up 393 yards while holding the Scouts to just 123.
More impressive was the fact that the defense did not allow Weiser to cross midfield until a 41-yard pass from Gingrich to Trey Dianna late in the third quarter. Onm a third-and-goal the Scouts fumbled out of the end zone, giving the ball back to Cocalico.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final | |
| Conrad Weiser | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cocalico | 28 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 49 |
Scoring summary
| 1 | Cocalico | Longenecker, 13 run (Roos kick) | 7:44 |
| 1 | Cocalico | Steffey, 7 run (Popolis kick) | 6:05 |
| 1 | Cocalico | Moore, 1 run (Roos kick) | 4:47 |
| 1 | Cocalico | Longenecker, 23 run(Popolis kick) | 2:12 |
| 2 | Cocalico | Steffey, 23 run (Roos kick) | 9:12 |
| 2 | Cocalico | Drain, 2 run(Popolis kick) | 3:36 |
| 2 | Cocalico | Angstadt, 42 run (Roos kick) | 1:27 |
Team statistics
| Conrad Weiser | Cocalico | |
| First downs | 7 | 22 |
| Rushes-yards | 23-40 | 41-371 |
| Passing yards | 83 | 22 |
| Total yards | 123 | 393 |
| Passes | 9-13 | 1-3 |
| Fumbles-lost | 4-3 | 0-0 |
| Punts-average | 4-34.7 | 2-40.0 |
| Penalties-yards | 1-5 | 5-35 |
Individual statistics
RUSHING
Conrad Weiser: Conde 15-45, Britting 3-11, Dianna 1-(-4), Rittle 1-(-5), Gingrich 3-(-7).
Cocalico: Steffey 6-94, Longenecker 5-82, Angstadt 3-51, Kohl 3-50, Horning 8-41, Myer 5-28, Weaver 4-19, Porter 3-2, Moore 2-2, Drain 1-2, Jenkins 1-0.
PASSING
Conrad Weiser: Gingrich 9-13-1–83.
Cocalico: Myer 1-3-0–22.
RECEIVING
Conrad Weiser: Rittle 3-22, E. Miller 2-6, J. Miller 2-1, Dianna 1-41, Conde 1-13.
Cocalico: Longenecker 1-22.