Turnovers the difference in Manheim Township loss to Central York
2025 Berks football coverage presented by
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(This story was produced by LNP/Lancasteronline, and published in partnership with MikeDragoSports.com.)
By Christian Eby — LNP/Lancasteronline
EMIGSVILLE — As members of the Manheim Township football team sauntered back toward the locker room on Friday night, and Mark Evans prepared to field questions from the media, the coach’s booming voice echoed across the Central York High School turf.
| Final | |
| Central York | 36 |
| Manheim Twp. | 28 |
“Keep your heads high,” he bellowed. “The season’s not over. We win together. We lose together.”
The final horn sounded on a 36-28 Blue Streaks setback five minutes earlier. Township, otherwise performing efficiently on offense, was hampered by three turnovers.
The Panthers (2-0), ranked eighth in the state in Class 6A, feasted on each Blue Streaks misfortune. The last was a 90-yard interception return for a touchdown by Dwayne Morgan with 11 minutes left in regulation. The momentum-shifting play gave Central enough juice for a final dagger, a 30-yard go-ahead link between Brooklyn Nace and Demarcus Murray, that sunk Township’s ship for good.
“I think we made too many mistakes against a good football team, and you can’t do that,” Evans said. “I’m not asking them to play perfect, but it just seemed like a series of unfortunate events that, again, you can’t have. A mistake doesn’t define you. A failure doesn’t define you. It’s what we do next that’s going to define us. And I truly, genuinely believe in my heart that we (will learn from this).”
For a squad typically in the hunt for playoff hardware, the Blue Streaks (1-1) have many young players in key spots. Despite Friday’s three mishaps, Evans saw his inexperienced group come of age.
Senior running back Marcos Fernandez, who missed the season opener with an undisclosed injury, was the epitome of Evans’ assessment. Fernandez fumbled on Township’s second drive, which led to an eventual 1-yard plunge from Central’s Legend Johnson for a 14-7 lead late in the first quarter.
But fast-forward to intermission, and Fernandez had his two touchdowns on the board. He bounced to a 5-yard score in the game’s opening proceedings. He took a delayed handoff, tiptoed down the sideline and lunged across the pylon on a 25-yard bolt for his second trip.
“He ran tough,” Evans said. “The fumble, I think he came right back, and he jumped right back in it. (Quarterback Jack Kenneff), on the pick-six, came right back on the next play and threw a nice speed out. So the guys are resilient, and I genuinely believe this team is unbreakable. We might have stumbled tonight, but it doesn’t break our spirit or our will.”
Kenneff might’ve bent, but he never snapped. He surrendered his first interception in the waning seconds of the first quarter, and too, answered the adversity.
Township’s signal-caller countered with a 45-yard TD seam to Simon Dumser for a 21-14 halftime advantage. After Morgan’s house call early in the fourth, he marshaled the Blue Streaks down the field on the ensuing possession and bulldozed in for a 1-yard keeper.
“It was two heavyweight programs, exchanging heavyweight blows and haymakers,” Evans said. “But the big plays certainly hurt us.”
Three of the Panthers’ five scores were 30 yards or more. Nace and Brendyn Smith cemented the launching pad for the offensive fireworks, dialing up a 65-yard TD heave with 4:53 left in the first quarter.
The Blue Streaks defense had its moments. Amid a Central march, the visitors pounced on a Johnson fumble at midfield. With the chance to tie the game at halftime, Township built a fortress in the red zone, thwarting three Panther attempts from the 3-yard line.
Fernandez was the Blue Streaks’ all-around pulse, engineering 175 rushing yards on 29 carries.
“The only way you get that experience and grow is you got to get in the fire,” Evans said. “And these guys will. These guys will be OK. I firmly believe that. I genuinely believe they have what it takes.”
Township showed snippets of having what it took. A couple touch-ups and a few reconfigurings, and the Blue Streaks will be watching the opposition saunter back to the locker room.
