Lampeter-Strasburg pours it on in 52-6 win

(This story was produced by LNP/Lancasteronline, and published in partnership with MikeDragoSports.com.)

By Daryl Simione — LNP/Lancasteronline

The heavy rains never came but Lampeter-Strasburg still managed to pour it on.

Carson Coleman ran for three touchdowns and Hunter Hildenbrand caught a pair of touchdown receptions as the Pioneers routed visiting Susquehanna Township 52-6 in a District 3 Class 4A quarterfinal Friday.

The win advances No. 3 Lampeter-Strasburg (9-2) into next week’s semifinal at No. 2 Manheim Central (10-1).

The Pioneers’ offensive line opened gaping holes against sixth-seededSusquehanna Township, with both Coleman and fellow back Jonathan Mellinger running with power and conviction after contact.

“When we practice, we run zone, so there’s always cuts, there’s always open spaces,” Coleman said. “In games, it’s so fast you just gotta go. You gotta adapt to that speed.”

A pair of botched punts by Susquehanna Township (6-5) gave L-S great field position in the first quarter. Coleman capitalized each time, scoring from 8 yards out on the Pioneers’ opening drive and then from 6 yards out as L-S opened up a 15-0 lead after one quarter.

The successful running game allowed the Pioneers to open up the playbook as the game progressed.

“We have a slew of running backs,” Coleman said. “(Defenses) key on that back the entire game, and once you fake it or do play action, that leaves the receivers open.”

Case in point: L-S quarterback Trent Wagner opened the second quarter with a beautiful 29-yard touchdown strike to Hildenbrand, who, despite great coverage, hauled in the pass.

“By this time we have great chemistry,” Hildenbrand said of he and Wagner. “We had wind tonight, so he adapted well with throwing the ball and understanding where he had to get it. The guy was up on me in press coverage, so right away, I just knew I had it deep.”

L-S got a 44-yard field goal from Peter Fiorello to expand the lead to 25-0, but Susquehanna Township answered with an 80-yard touchdown run from Dorian Smith on a well-executed draw play.

The Pioneers capped the quarter with another touchdown grab by Hildenbrand, this time taking a quick screen from Wagner (10-for-16, 160 yards) to the house for a 32-6 halftime lead.

“It was an all-around great effort by the team tonight,” Hildenbrand said. “That can’t happen without the run game. When you are successful running like that, and they come up like that on the run, then that’s when you throw the deep ball and you hit it. That’s when the big plays come out.”

Coleman carried the load after halftime, running four straight times for 46 yards and setting up Wagner’s 32-yard option keeper for another score.

Coleman added a 2-yard touchdown on the Pioneers’ next drive, ending his night with 118 yards on 21 carries. The total put him over 1,000 yards for the season.

Louie Malatesta ran seven times for 40 yards on the Pioneers’ final scoring drive, with Dominic Brown scoring from 4 yards out to ice the victory.