Garden Spot holds off Fleetwood upset bid
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 — AJ Hurst led Garden Spot to a 31-23 victory over visiting Fleetwood Friday in a Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 3 game at New Holland.
Hurst threw for 214 yards and a pair of second-half touchdowns to senior wideout Jace Conrad, the league’s top receiver. The Spartans quarterback added 60 yards rushing and another score to pace a balanced offense.
Garden Spot (1-1, 3-2) got a 32-yard field goal from Zachary Martin and benefited from an electric kickoff return touchdown by Andrew Pemberton just before the half.
Fleetwood got a strong performance from first-time starter Chase McMonagle, who threw for 211 yards, including a 36-yard touchdown to Chase Domenech with three minutes left.
The Spartans ran down the clock from there, leaving Fleetwood (0-2, 2-3) with one final play. Hurst intercepted McMonagle’s desperation pass to seal the win.
Leading 24-17 early in the fourth quarter, Hurst capped a six-play, 76-yard drive with a 19-yard touchdown pass to Conrad, who made a nifty one-handed grab despite interference by the defender.
Conrad finished with 10 catches for 118 yards, adding a 16-yard touchdown in the third quarter.
Fleetwood took advantage of a botched punt to score its first touchdown. Starting at the Spartans’ 12-yard line, the Tigers ran three straight plays, including a 4-yard touchdown scamper from Landon Hare to even the score at 7-7.
A 21-yard field goal by Fleetwood’s Gryffin Cappellano knotted the game at 10-10 with 32 seconds left in the first half.
Pemberton returned the ensuing kickoff 86 yards for a 17-10 Spartans’ lead at the break.
Garden Spot overcame 11 penalties thanks to several big plays on offense, and the Spartans’ defense held Fleetwood to just 51 yards rushing.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final | |
| Fleetwood | 7 | 3 | 0 | 13 | 23 |
| Garden Spot | 7 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 31 |
Scoring summary
| 1 | Garden Spot | Hurst, 7 run (Martin kick) |
| 1 | Fleetwood | Hare, 4 run (Cappellano kick) |
| 2 | Garden Spot | Martin, 32 FG |
| 2 | Fleetwood | Cappellano, 21 FG |
| 2 | Garden Spot | Pemberton, 86 kickoff return (Martin kick) |
| 3 | Garden Spot | Conrad, 16 pass from Hurst (Martin kick) |
| 4 | Fleetwood | McFarland, 1 run (Cappellano kick) |
| 4 | Garden Spot | Conrad, 19 pass from Hurst (Martin kick) |
| 4 | Fleetwood | Domenech, 36 pass from McMonagle (kick blocked) |
Team statistics
| Fleetwood | Garden Spot | |
| First downs | 12 | 18 |
| Rushes-yards | 17-52 | 36-108 |
| Passing yards | 211 | 214 |
| Total yards | 263 | 322 |
| Passes | 15-30 | 19-22 |
| Fumbles-lost | 0-0 | 0-0 |
| Punts-average | 3-36.7 | 3-30.7 |
| Penalties-yards | 4-20 | 11-85 |
Individual statistics
RUSHING
Fleetwood: Petition 5-38, Killian 3-11, Hare 5-10, McFarland 2-1, Moore 2-(-8).
Garden Spot: Hurst 20-60, Martin 7-25, Pemberton 7-17, Bernek 1-8, Humphreys 1-2.
PASSING
Fleetwood: McMonagle 15-30-1–211.
Garden Spot: Hurst 15-30-0–214.
RECEIVING
Fleetwood: McFarland 6-72, Domenech 3-57, Hare 3-38, Ryan 2-43, Moore 1-1.
Garden Spot: Conrad 10-118, Bernek 4-66, Harting 2-18, Martin 1-7, Harrell 1-5, Pemberton 1-0.
