Schuylkill Valley turned back by Lancaster Catholic, 17-16
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(This story was produced by LNP/Lancasteronline, and published in partnership with MikeDragoSports.com.)
By Christian Eby — LNP/Lancasteronline
LANCASTER — Before Lancaster Catholic’s Koby Myers could go celebrate, he took a moment of thought. He blocked out his surroundings and recalled a game-altering play best friend, Drew Schwanke, made in the Crusaders’ run to last year’s District 3 Class 2A championship game.
| Final | |
| Lanc. Catholic | 17 |
| Sch. Valley | 16 |
Myers made a play of the same magnitude Friday night against Schuylkill Valley.
“(Schuylkill Valley) kept doing the fake option,” Myers said. “And I’d say (quarterback Alex Aletras) is probably their best player. He was a hard runner. He hit me a couple times, pretty good. I didn’t get him down early, but I’d say I got him down pretty good on the last play to save the game.”
The Panthers were a two-point conversion away from potentially ending the Crusaders’ season. Aletras took the signature run to the right and was met by a wall of defenders. Myers was the first to break through the protection and suckered Aletras backward, with his knee touching the turf.
Officials let Aletras bounce back up and scamper into the end zone. It was when the line official signaled down by contact that Myers let the emotions flow and the festivities ensued on an eventual 17-16 Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 5 win at Maley Field.
Catholic (4-3, 6-4) was in a four-team race for a District 3 playoff bid. Friday’s victory solidifies its spot and keeps the Crusaders in the chase for the coveted gold trophy.
The Panthers (4-3, 5-5) are expected to qualify in 3A, as well, despite ending the season with two straight losses.
Official brackets will be released Sunday.
“I told these guys the last four weeks, ‘We’ve had awesome practices every single day,’ ” Catholic coach Chris Maiorino said. “They’ve been focused. They’ve been dialed in. It’s good to see when that happens. It’s good to see the results on the field.
“I’m excited these guys get to play another week. I’m excited I get to coach another week.”
Catholic was ravaged by injuries at the midpoint of the season. It’s when the program went into its self-acclaimed “dark place” and lost three straight games.
The Crusaders have some of the then-injured players back in the fold. Some replacements remain and have matured in the trial-by-fire approach.
Freshman quarterback Rowan DeMarco fits the latter category.
“It’s been all about confidence,” DeMarco said. “All the faith my teammates and my coaches have in me, it just helps me so much with everything I do. It just all leads from them.”
DeMarco placed the Crusaders in the driver’s seat on Friday with 4:57 remaining. Maiorino and his staff called a long-developing pass that would require DeMarco to buy some time in the pocket. The decision resulted in DeMarco flooding out to his right, with three defenders bearing down.
DeMarco didn’t mind. He shrugged off each attempted tackler and manufactured a 24-yard TD flair to Brandon Way in the corner of the end zone.
“That’s probably not a play he makes a couple weeks ago,” Maiorino said. “But just the reps and him trusting in himself and the team giving him some confidence, he just kept playing. And Brandon got open.”
| SECTION 5 | League | Overall |
| Berks Cath. | 7-0 | 8-2 |
| Ann.-Cleona | 6-1 | 8-2 |
| Lanc. Cath. | 4-3 | 6-4 |
| Sch. Valley | 4-3 | 5-5 |
| Columbia | 4-3 | 5-5 |
| Pequea Valley | 1-6 | 3-7 |
| Hamburg | 1-6 | 2-8 |
| Kutztown | 1-6 | 1-9 |
Maiorino’s defense held the same standard despite attrition in the first half. Catholic fumbled on its first two possessions and the Panthers capitalized with an opening-drive, 15-yard TD link between Aletras and Ervin Ortiz.
But the Crusaders buttoned up in the long haul. The hosts forced three second-half punts and punched out an Aletras first-quarter fumble.
Way swerved to a 28-yard TD run with 37 seconds left in the first quarter following the Panthers’ mishandle. Simon Wickenheiser matched a 29-yard field goal for a 10-all halftime result.
“It’s been kind of our rallying cry all year about persevering and playing with courage,” Maiorino said. “And our guys bought into it. Our guys have been persevering all year. We just keep going, going, going.”
Myers’ goal-line stand and DeMarco’s scramble drill were reflections of the mantra. In the heat of the moment, they might not have taken a step back, but they certainly digested their accomplishments once the celebration ensued.
For their best friends, past players and current teammates, the Crusaders are playing another week.
“We’ve been through some ups and downs, but right now, we’re on the up,” Myers said. “And we’re gonna keep going up.”
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final | |
| Schuylkill Valley | 7 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 16 |
| Lancaster Catholic | 7 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 17 |
Scoring summary
| 1 | Schuylkill Valley | Oritz, 15 pass from Aletras (Wamsher kick) | |
| 1 | Lancaster Catholic | Way, 28 run (Wickenheiser kick) | |
| 2 | Schuylkill Valley | Wamsher, 29 field goal | |
| 2 | Lancaster Catholic | Wickenheiser, 29 field goal | |
| 4 | Lancaster Catholic | Way, 24 pass from DeMarco (Wickenheiser kick) | |
| 4 | Schuylkill Valley | Aletras, 7 run (run failed) |
Team statistics
| SCH. VALLEY | LANCASTER CATH. | |
| First downs | 15 | 13 |
| Rushes-yards | 26-79 | 35-145 |
| Passing yards | 175 | 159 |
| Total yards | 254 | 304 |
| Passes | 19-27 | 9-13 |
| Fumbles-lost | 1-1 | 2-2 |
| Punts-average | 3-35 | 0-0 |
| Penalties-yards | 3-20 | 0-0 |
Individual statistics
RUSHING
Schuylkill Valley: Pyle 7-50, Aletras 16-21, Cammauf 3-8.
Lancaster Catholic: Way 22-99, Baumler 3-23, DeMarco 8-12, Hegener 2-11/
PASSING
Schuylkill Valley: Aletras 19-27-0–175.
Lancaster Catholic: DeMarco 9-13-0–161, Way 0-1-0–0, Hegener 1-1-0-11.
RECEIVING
Schuylkill Valley: Pyle 9-66, Ortiz 3-40, Cammauf 1-26, Urbaez 2-15, Batista 1-12, Klinikowski 1-6, Johns 1-5, Durland 1-5.
Lancaster Catholic: Shank 3-48, Way 2-40, Hegener 2-27, Baumler 1-40, Torres 1-11, Wolpert 1-16.
