Lancaster Catholic holds off Hamburg in Section 5 battle of unbeatens
(This story will be updated later tonight with additional details and postgame reaction.)
LANCASTER — RJ Gonzalez’s kickoff return for a touchdown to open the second half and Jaevon Parker scored on a fumble return shortly after propelled Lancaster Catholic to a pulsating 38-35 win over Hamburg in a Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 5 battle of unbeatens Friday night at Crusaders Stadium.
The Crusaders (3-0, 6-0), ranked No. 8 in the state in Class 3A, took the lead for good with 1:16 remaining on Gavin Tregea’s 23-yard field goal.
The teams were tied 14-14 at the half.
The Hawks (2-1, 5-1), ranked No. 10 in the state in Class 3A, tied it 35-35 on Derek Ruiz’s 7-yard run with 4:43 left.
They were moving into position to take the lead, Ruiz taking a swing pass 26 yards to the Catholic 30 before fumbling it away. It was Hamburg’s third turnover of the game.
Hamburg quarterback Xander Menapace rushed for 164 yards and three touchdowns. Ruiz carried 21 times for 149 yards and two TDs.
Parker had seven receptions for 140 yards and a TD and intercepted a pass.
The Hawks played without senior running back Pierce Mason, the league’s scoring leader with 18 touchdown. Mason suffered a foot injury last week against Kutztown. He was wearing a boot on his right leg during the game.
The Crusaders went up 21-14 on the opening play of the second half when Gonzalez took a kickoff back 85 yards.
Parker gave them a 28-14 lead when he return an interception 45 yards for a score.
The Hawks turned the ball over on their first possession of the game, then surrendered a touchdown in the opening minutes but came right back to take the lead.
Ruiz, filling in for Mason, raced 33 yards around left end for a touchdow and Eli Blatt’s PAT gave Hamburg a 7-6 lead midway through the first quarter.
After Ruiz intercepted a pass, the Hawks went back to work and reached the end zone in five plays. Xander Menapace capped the drive with a 4-yard run.
Lancaster Catholic tied it 14-14 early in the second quarter, getting a touchdown catch and run from Parker and a two-point conversion catch from Eddie Dresch.
The Hawks won their first five games for just the second time in the program’s 54-year history. They won their first six games in 2006, when they finished the regular season 8-2.
In 1985, when they set the program record with 10 victories and won their only Inter-County League championship, they opened 4-0 before losing to Daniel Boone in Week 5.
Lancaster Catholic is coming off a 4-7 season. Head coach Chris Maiorino never envisioned being part of a midseason battle of state-ranked unbeatens.
“Being undefeated is something you don’t think about (before the season),” said the Crusaders’ third-year coach. “Our guys have done a great job of making some sacrifices, playing different positions, taking on different roles. That helps the team. When kids take that team-first mentality it’s good to see you have some success.”
Maiorino is just as impressed with the Hawks as Hoffert is with the Crusaders.
“They’re as good as advertised (coming into the season),” he said earlier in the week. “They run the ball extremely well; they’ve got a tough runner (in Pierce Mason). Xander is athletic back there, has a nice arm and he does a nice job getting the ball to their receivers.
“They’re rolling, and Xander’s certainly a big part of that, along with (Mason).”
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final | |
| Hamburg | 14 | 0 | 14 | 7 | 35 |
| Lancaster Catholic | 6 | 8 | 21 | 3 | 38 |
Scoring summary
| 1 | Lancaster Catholic | Parker, 15 pass from Cranford (kick failed) | 8:15 |
| 1 | Hamburg | Ruiz, 33 run (Blatt kick) | 6:37 |
| 1 | Hamburg | Menapace, 4 run (Blatt kick) | 3:18 |
| 2 | Lancaster Catholic | Cunningham, 8 run (Dresch, pass from Cranford) | 9:17 |
| 3 | Lancaster Catholic | Gonzalez, 85 kickoff return (Tregea kick) | 11:44 |
| 3 | Lancaster Catholic | Parker, 45 fumble return (Tregea kick) | 9:36 |
| 3 | Hamburg | Menapace, 14 run (Blatt kick) | 8:54 |
| 3 | Lancaster Catholic | Cunningham, 6 run (Tregea kick) | 5:25 |
| 3 | Hamburg | Menapace, 2 run (Blatt kick) | 3:18 |
| 4 | Hamburg | Ruiz, 7 run (Blatt kick) | 4:43 |
| 4 | Lancaster Catholic | Tregea, 23 FG | 1:16 |
Team statistics
| Hamburg | Lancaster Catholic | |
| First downs | 22 | 12 |
| Rushes-yards | 41-320 | 33-133 |
| Passing yards | 128 | 195 |
| Total yards | 448 | 318 |
| Passes | 11-21-1 | 12-19-2 |
| Fumbles-lost | 4-2 | 2-0 |
| Punts-average | 2-26.5 | 3-18.0 |
| Penalties-yards | 5-68 | 5-40 |
Individual statistics
RUSHING
Hamburg: Menapace 17-164, Ruiz 21-149, Moore 2-10, Shuey 1-(-3).
Lancaster Catholic: Cunningham 18-91, Cranford 3-23, Fields 7-23, Crawley 4-5.
PASSING
Hamburg: Menapace 11-21-1–128.
Lancaster Catholic: Cranford 12-19-2–195.
RECEIVING
Hamburg: Werley 4-65, Ruiz 4-40, Semmel 1-10, Brady 1-7, Bentz 1-6.
Lancaster Catholic: Parker 7-140, Acker 2-8. Gonzalez 1-26, Sullivan 1-15, Dresch 1-6.
INTERCEPTIONS
Hamburg: Ruiz, Cohen.
Lancaster Catholic: Parker.
MISSED FIELD GOALS
Hamburg: Clark 33.
