Lancaster Catholic opens with uncharacteristic rout of Camp Hill
2025 Berks football coverage presented by
Utilities Employees Credit Union
(This story was produced by LNP/Lancasteronline, and published in partnership with MikeDragoSports.com.)
By Christian Erby — LNP/Lancasteronline
| Final | |
| Lancaster Catholic | 43 |
| Camp Hill | 7 |
CAMP HILL — There’s typically pushback. A late surge. A back and forth that flirts with the boundaries of insanity.
Perhaps the Lancaster Catholic football team has turned a new leaf in its rivalry with Camp Hill.
After eking out one-point and seven-point victories against the Lions last season — the former in double overtime and the latter in the District 3 Class 2A semifinals — the Crusaders rocketed to a convincing 43-7 season-opening triumph on Friday evening at Seibert Park.
Senior running back and Villanova commit Brandon Way churned out 169 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 32 carries. Senior quarterback JJ Boas, under center for the first time in three years, tossed three scores and collected 136 yards across eight completions.
“I think it was great to show how many weapons we have,” Way said.
“I don’t like getting all the credit, because we have a great team this year. It was great to see them get some love and score touchdowns.”
While Way undersold his performance, Catholic, collectively, spread the wealth in its 2025 opening statement. Senior Colton Hegener and junior Chris Baumler also contributed, adding two touchdowns apiece.
The matchup mirrored last year’s bloodbaths — the Crusaders won those 43-42 and 27-20 — through the first quarter. Camp Hill answered an early Lancaster Catholic punch — a 38-yard Way sideline scamper — with an AJ Serdar 1-yard touchdown dive.
The 7-6 lead was the last of the Lions’ roar. Catholic spun off 37 unanswered points and induced a running clock with 11 minutes left. Two squib kicks — acting like onsides — bounced the visitors’ direction.
“Our mentality with our guys all season is there’s going to be times where things don’t go as planned,” Catholic coach Chris Maiorino said. “We just got to play the next play. Take a deep breath, relax and just stick to the game plan. … And that’s what our guys did after the initial (Camp Hill) score.”
Way tacked on a 16-yard TD blast to sharpen a 23-7 halftime advantage. And while the Crusaders gobbled up 240 total yards on the ground, it was Boas commanding the offensive troops.
Catholic planned for a dual-threat quarterback rotation with Hegener. But Boas certainly rested his case.
His TD strikes to Hegener covered 28 and 21 yards. He dumped a 10-yard screen to Baumler, who capped the Crusaders’ frenzy with a 38-yard rush.
“It’s been like three years,” Boas said of his signal-caller duties. “Just to be out there on the field, be with these guys who brought me in, it’s really like a family over here. I’m having a great time.”
The Lancaster Catholic defense, too, had a “great time.” The Lions were held to 49 yards from scrimmage, and the Crusaders pried an interception and a fumble. Roman Clemson’s piracy of Camp Hill’s Colby Luther with 8:30 remaining placed the nail in the coffin.
“It wasn’t easy,” Maiorino said. “We were fortunate to pop some plays early, and they came out and had a really good adjustment to our offense in the second half. We were able to get some things going, but I’m proud of our guys.”
The Crusaders started and closed 2024 with pushback. They traversed late surges. Weathered the back-and-forth storms.
On Friday, there was no turbulence. No choppy waters. Just smooth sailing.
“It feels great,” Way said, “but it’s just one game at a time.”