Lampeter-Strasburg defense shuts out Warwick
2024 Berks football coverage
presented by UECU
(This story was produced by LNP/Lancasteronline, and published in partnership with MikeDragoSports.com.)
By Jason Guarente — LNP/Lancasteronline
STRASBURG — They all gave the same answer. It wasn’t scripted or choreographed. It was true.
What’s the best part of Lampeter-Strasburg’s defense? Everyone.
“We play as a unit,” nose guard Collin Shelley said. “Together, we’re one. That’s how we win games.”
The scoreboard behind Shelley was filled with zeroes. Three to show how much time was left on the clock. One to show how many points the home team allowed.
L-S stymied Warwick around every turn and posted a 21-0 non-league football win at Lampeter Friday night.
It’s no secret that defense is the calling card for the Pioneers. First downs against them are a moral victory. Touchdowns are an anomaly.
The 3-4 scheme is anchored by Shelley in the middle of the line. The 6-foot-4, 290-pound junior is a mountain of a man who’s difficult to move.
Shelley is flanked by Dominick Dixon on the left and Jai Steberger on the right. That group occupies blockers, fills holes and allows the next layer to swarm.
The four linebackers all wear single digits. That wasn’t planned. It just worked out that way. Danny Weichler, Preston Schonour, Emory Fluhr and Dominic Brown. No. 5, No. 9, No. 8 and No. 7.
“Everyone wants to get to the ball,” Fluhr said. “You saw the hard hits. Everyone wants to punish them.”
There were some notable single-digit numbers produced by L-S that weren’t on the players’ backs. Six first downs surrendered. Eight punts forced. Six drives that went three-and-out.
Warwick, which fell to 0-2, finished with 18 yards rushing. More than half of quarterback Thomas Myers’ passes fell incomplete. The closest the Warriors got to the end zone was L-S’s 39-yard line.
“You could tell their effort was fading by the end of the game,” Shelley said. “We were just giving it our all on every play.”
Quarterback Caileb Howse is the centerpiece of L-S’s offense. He fits the rest of the Pioneers’ toughness persona. A 6-foot, 200-pound senior who runs like a fullback.
Howse opened the scoring with a 36-yard TD run in the second quarter and padded the lead with a 1-yard plunge in the third quarter. He finished with 130 yards rushing on 18 bruising carries.
A 7-point lead looked comfortable for the Pioneers. A 14-point lead looked insurmountable. After all, how was Warwick going to get 14 points?
Brown sealed it for L-S with a 14-yard touchdown run shortly before the third period ended. The senior had 82 yards rushing.
L-S didn’t produce many flashy plays. There were no turnovers. Two sacks, by Brown and Steberger, were the eye-opening moments. Most of the performance was a stubborn refusal to give up anything easy.
“We all come together to stop other teams,” said Dixon, playing with his right hand wrapped in a bandage from a Week 1 injury. “We just like it. We like tackling and hitting people.”
L-S is 2-0 and has surrendered nine points. Solanco was able to break through for a touchdown and a field goal in the Milk Jug game last week.
As far as the Pioneers are concerned, nine points are nine too many. The goal is the same every week.
“It’s always zero,” Fluhr said. “That’s the standard.”
Another single-digit number. For a defense, it’s the greatest number of all.
