Lampeter-Strasburg needs 2 OTs to advance
2023 Berks football coverage presented by
Utilities Employees Credit Union
(This story was produced by LNP/Lancasteronline, and published in partnership with MikeDragoSports.com.)
By John Walk — LNP/Lancasteronline
ENOLA — Lampeter-Strasburg kicker Peter Fiorello had to clear his mind quickly. He had just missed what would have been the game-winning extra-point try in the first overtime of a District 3 Class 4A football quarterfinal at East Pennsboro.
Now he was being called upon to boot a 22-yard field goal in the second OT. This time he didn’t miss.
“Walking back (after the missed extra-point try) East Pennsboro players said some things to me,” Fiorello said. “I just couldn’t take that. Coming up for the next kick I had to show them what I’m about.”
Fiorello’s field goal proved to be the game-winner shortly thereafter when an East Pennsboro pass was tipped and landed in the hands of defender Emory Fluhr. The fifth-seeded Pioneers escaped with a 23-20 victory.
“I’m learning to enjoy wins a bit more,” Lampeter coach Victor Ridenour said. “I’m really proud of the kids in how they didn’t quit.”
Ridenour was perhaps fighting back frustration after Lampeter took a 14-0 lead into halftime but didn’t score again until overtime.
The visiting Pioneers (9-2) got it done on the ground again, gathering 236 rushing yards as a team, with workhorse Jon Mellinger (31 carries, 133 yards, 1 touchdown) leading the charge.
The Panthers (9-2) got nearly all of their yards through the air, with quarterback Keith Oates completing 20-of-44 attempts for 243 yards and two TDs; he was intercepted three times.
An East Pennsboro 16-yard field goal cut the deficit to 14-3 in the third quarter. An Oates 18-yard TD pass to Trey Good (10 receptions, 120 yards, 2 TDs) was followed by a successful hook-and-ladder two-point conversion to pull the fourth-seeded Panthers to within 14-11 with 9:56 remaining.
The Pioneers gave the ball away on their next two possessions, resulting in Ridenour replacing starting quarterback Trent Wagner (8-for-14, 81 yards) with backup Caileb Howse, who stayed in the rest of the way.
“Trent is the ultimate competitor,” Ridenour said. “He understands it. . . Caileb is an explosive runner. They (East Pennsboro defense) are keying on Jon (Mellinger) getting the ball. So it helps if you have somebody else to take that load off of him. Howse resets the field a bit. I kept Caileb in through overtime because he gave us a little better option to run the ball.”
Ridenour said Wagner will be the Pioneers’ quarterback Friday when Lampeter travels to top-seeded Bishop McDevitt for a semifinal showdown. The Crusaders topped eighth-seeded Hershey 54-14.
East Pennsboro tied it on a 26-yard field goal with 26 seconds left in regulation.
Both teams scored a touchdown in the first overtime; East Pennsboro’s extra point kick was blocked and Fiorello missed his.
“It’s probably one of the biggest kicks I’ve ever had,” he said. “I don’t think there’s anything to compare to it.”
