Three defensive scores lift Solanco over Section 3 rival Warwick
2025 Berks football coverage presented by
Utilities Employees Credit Union
(This story was produced by LNP/Lancasteronline, and published in partnership with MikeDragoSports.com.)
By Brian Markley — LNP/Lancasteronline
QUARRYVILLE — Isaiah Wright led the Solanco football team out of the inflatable Golden Mule on Friday night. The flagbearer for the Mules, Wright charged onto the field with the Solanco standard rippling in the wind.
It was only fitting that the senior was also the one to close out the postgame huddle.
| Final | |
| Solanco | 56 |
| Warwick | 24 |
“Don’t grin until you win,” Wright said. “Just keep your foot on the pedal.”
The Golden Mules were full of smiles after they cruised to a 56-24 victory over Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 3 rival Warwick in a District 3 Class 5A quarterfinal game in Quarryville.
Solanco’s offense has gotten a lot of flowers this season, and they were great once again Friday. But it was the defense that stole the show for the fourth-seeded Golden Mules (10-1).
“Our defense was electric,” Solanco quarterback Chase Sensenig said. “They were flying around, making plays, doing their thing. It’s nothing less than what we expect of them.”
Solanco’s defense didn’t just contain a dynamic Warwick offense, but it contributed to the scoreboard, as well.
Wright sparked the multiple defensive scores when he picked off a pass from the Warriors’ Colin McGaw, returning it for a 27-yard Pick-6.
On the very next drive by fifth-seeded Warwick (9-2), McGaw’s pass found the hands of Andersen Miller, who, not to be outdone by his teammate, returned it for a 58-yard interception return.
“Man, it’s awesome seeing them make all the plays that they are and just putting points on the board,” Sensenig said.
And the Mules’ D wasn’t done yet.
Wesley Bard jarred the ball loose from Warriors running back Heath Schnipke. Kali Hines was well in the radius, scooping the ball up and taking it 37 yards for the score.
In all, Solanco’s defense contributed 21 of its 56 points.
“One thing we emphasized in the locker room was to stay gritty and stay hungry,” Wright said.
More to their credit, the Mules were coming off a dreaded bye week.
“I don’t like the bye week, I’ll be honest with you,” Solanco coach Tony Cox said. “We did our best for the week. We had some cornhole, some volleyball, some spikeball. We just wanted to keep them competitive.”
Offensively on Friday, Sensenig scored twice on the ground and connected with Eric Koch through the air for a 37-yard touchdown pass. Sensenig, who knows the science behind the read option well, ran it effectively, with both Bard and Kris Burgos-Wise having big plays off of it.
For its part, Warwick had a season unlike any other. Circumstances dictated the Warriors had to rotate through four different quarterbacks this season, with McGaw re-taking the helm once again on Friday night. No easy task.
“This was such a great group of guys,” McGaw said. “I built a lot of relationships with them and they helped me a lot. I’m glad this experience happened. They believed in me. They made high school football what it’s supposed to be. It’s a really special group.”
The Warriors trailed only 7-3 after the first quarter. But the two pick-sixes flipped Friday night’s game on its head.
With the victory, Solanco will make the trek to take on top-seeded New Oxford (11-0) in the semifinals next week.
