Ephrata holds off big Mifflin comeback bid
2025 Berks football coverage presented by
Utilities Employees Credit Union
By Clay Oberholtzer — MikeDragoSports.com correspondent
Gov. Mifflin had a glimmer of hope for the district playoffs entering Friday’s Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 2 finale against Ephrata. It needed to win and get a handful of help from other teams to clinch a spot.
| Final | |
| Ephrata | 28 |
| Mifflin | 20 |
The Mountaineers held on for a 28-20 win, fending off a late comeback effort by the Mustangs.
While eliminated from district play, Mifflin still is in the running for an Eastern Conference berth; qualifiers will be announced Sunday.
Ephrata (3-3, 6-4) started out strong after it forced Mifflin (1-6, 3-7) to turn the ball over on downs at midfield.
The Mountaineers then went up 7-0 with Chase Prange’s 4-yard touchdown run as they moved the ball effortlessly down the field.
Mifflin quarterback Lebron Leaf was inactive so the Mustangs turned to freshmen quarterback Jack Miller.
Mifflin answered with a 13-play touchdown drive. On fourth down, placekicker Lance Koenig found receiver Joe Murray for a touchdown on a fake field goal to tie the game at 7-7.
“(Assistant) Coach (Doc) Vecchio is awesome,” Mustangs head coach Nick Morrissey said. “He’s been drawing up new special teams plays all year that have kept us in games. The kids absolutely love him.”
Koenig was not done as he would recover his own onside kick.
On the ensuing possession, Koenig made a 30-yard field goal to give Mifflin a 10-7 lead.
Ephrata answered as Malachi Knowles scored touchdowns on back-to-back drives, giving the Mounts a 21-10 lead at halftime.
“I thought this was one of his better games he’s played all year, running and throwing and getting some guys involved,” Ephrata coach Kris Miller said of Knowles. “That was awesome.”
In between the two drives, Ephrata recovered a pooch kick, matching the strategy of the Mustangs.
Mifflin tried to convert another onside kick to open the second half but failed.
The Mounts did not take their foot off the gas as they drove the ball 52 yards for a touchdown. Knowles found tight end Elijah Frain 32 yards wide open down a seam to go up 28-10.
Mifflin came away with a critical stop at its 1-yard line to start the fourth quarter.
To cap off a 17-play, 99-yard drive, Miller found tight end Derek Dinatale on an 18-yard touchdown pass that cut the deficit to 11.
The Mustangs recovered a second onside kick but they came up empty and turned the ball over on downs.
After a Prange fumble, Mifflin drove the ball into the red zone, but it was held to another Koenig field goal, making it 28-20.
The Mustangs attempted their fourth onside kick attempt but failed to recover. The Mounts then ran out the last minute of the game.
Miller, in his first start, threw the ball 28 times. He completed 15 and tossed a pair of 18-yard touchdowns.
Key play
Ephrata recovered a pooch kick with just over three minutes left in the first half that allowed it to go up by two scores.
Star of the game
Ephrata’s Malachi Knowles combined for 245 yards, ran for two scores, threw a touchdown, and completed 10-of-11 passes.
Quotable
“Jack (Miller) is going to be a really special football player for us. He’s bright, he understands the game . . . he’s unselfish and he’s going to be a really, really special kid for us.” — Governor Mifflin coach Nick Morrissey
Quotable
“I’d say (this game) was gritty. Their kicker did a fantastic job. We rebounded, went down and got a score. We practiced (the pooch kick) all week because we saw it on film . . . special teams wins games.” — Ephrata coach Kris Miller
Quotable
“They’re big, strong, and physical up front. Any team that can hold Exeter to 24 points is going to have some horses up front. We knew it was going to be a battle in the trenches and were going to have to play our best game to (be in the game) in the end.” – Governor Mifflin coach Nick Morrissey
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final | |
| Ephrata | 7 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 28 |
| Governor Mifflin | 0 | 10 | 0 | 10 | 20 |
Scoring summary
| 1 | Ephrata | Prange, 4 run (Honberger kick) | 5:05 |
| 2 | Governor Mifflin | Murray, 18 pass from Koenig (Koenig kick) | 11:10 |
| 2 | Governor Mifin | Koenig, 30 FG | 7:04 |
| 2 | Ephrata | Knowles, 9 run (Honberger kick) | 3:15 |
| 2 | Ephrata | Knowles, 1 run (Honberger kick) | 1:00 |
| 3 | Ephrata | Frain, 32 pass from Knowles (Honberger kick) | 9:21 |
| 4 | Governor Mifflin | Dinatale, 18 pass from Miller (Koenig kick) | 4:13 |
| 4 | Governor Mifflin | Koenig, 32 FG | 1:05 |
Team statistics
| EPHRATA | MIFFLIN | |
| First downs | 13 | 14 |
| Rushes-yards | 34-143 | 34-88 |
| Passing yards | 194 | 172 |
| Total yards | 337 | 260 |
| Passes | 10-11-0 | 16-29-0 |
| Fumbles-lost | 1-1 | 3-1 |
| Punts-average | 0-0 | 0-0 |
| Penalties-yards | 8-90 | 5-55 |
Individual statistics
RUSHING
Ephrata: Prange 14-60, Knowles 16-51, Bryant 2-34, Grant 1-(-1), Santos 1-(-1).
Governor Mifflin: Steuer 21-63, Overley 8-36, Miller 5-(-11).
PASSING
Ephrata: Knowles 10-11-0–194.
Governor Mifflin: Miller 15-28-0–154, Koenig 1-1-0–18.
RECEIVING
Ephrata: Frain 4-89, Spring 3-92, Grant 3-13.Governor Mifflin: Campitelli 6-42, Murray 5-87, Dinatale 2-25, Overley 2-12, Steuer 1-6.
