Solanco tops Fleetwood, clinches share of Section 3 title
(This story was produced by LNP/Lancasteronline, and published in partnership with MikeDragoSports.com.)
By Daryl Simione — LNP/Lancasteronline
QUARRYVILLE — Elijah Cunningham and Josiah Forren starred on offense and special teams, quarterback Brody Mellinger accounted for four scores and Solanco romped over visiting Fleetwood 56-12 Friday in a Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 3 game.
The win keeps the Golden Mules’ unbeaten record intact and clinches at least a share of the Section 3 title, their first since earning a share of the Section 2 crown in 2015.
“To be honest, we’re not really happy about that,” Cunningham said. “I don’t know if you know, but our school, we’ve never won a section by ourselves and we’ve never been 10-0, so next week, huge game for us, we’re really focused on that game.”
Solanco (5-0, 9-0 overall) can claim the outright section title next week at home versus Garden Spot (4-1, 7-2), a blowout winner over Elizabethtown on Friday.
The Golden Mules took less than a minute to score on four of their seven first-half touchdown drives, beginning with Cunningham’s 54-yard scoot around the left side on Solanco’s second play from scrimmage.
“We got a lot of moving pieces, a lot of athletic guys on our offensive line that can pull,” Cunningham said. “(They) watch a lot of film, understand where the defense is going to be to get into position to block them.”
Tigers quarterback Jack Riffle capped a 10-play, 80-yard drive in the second quarter with an 8-yard touchdown pass to Mason Musitano.
But Forren blocked the Tigers’ extra-point try, and Cunningham returned the ensuing kickoff untouched up the middle for a back-breaking score.
Cunningham (three carries, 114 yards) caught a 52-yard touchdown from Mellinger to open the second half. Cole Harris had 12 carries for 85 yards, and Forren had six carries for 94 yards including touchdown runs of 16 and 21 yards.
For Fleetwood (0-5, 2-7), Jack Riffle went 16-for-35 through the air, adding an 11-yard touchdown to Landon Tomes in the fourth quarter.
Solanco rushed 24 times for 298 yards by halftime, compared to just 12 carries for 10 yards by the Tigers.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final | |
| Fleetwood | 0 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 12 |
| Solanco | 21 | 28 | 7 | 0 | 56 |
Scoring summary
| 1 | Solanco | Cunningham, 54 run (Baber kick) |
| 1 | Solanco | Mellinger, 1 run (kick failed) |
| 1 | Solanco | Mellinger, 1 run (Forren, run) |
| 2 | Solanco | Forren, 16 run (Baber kick) |
| 2 | Fleetwood | Musitano, 8 pass from Riffle (kick failed) |
| 2 | Solanco | Cunningham, 80 kickoff return (Baber kick) |
| 2 | Solanco | Forren, 21 run (Baber kick) |
| 2 | Solanco | Mellinger, 3 run (Baber kick) |
| 3 | Solanco | Cunningham, 52 pass from (Keys kick) |
| 4 | Fleetwood | Tomes, 11 pass from Riffle (kick failed) |
Team statistics
| Fleetwood | Solanco | |
| First downs | 13 | 15 |
| Rushes-yards | 24-57 | 34-332 |
| Passing yards | 149 | 57 |
| Total yards | 206 | 389 |
| Passes | 16-35 | 2-2 |
| Fumbles-lost | 0-0 | 0-0 |
| Punts-average | 3-10.7 | 0-0 |
| Penalties-yards | 6-40 | 4-50 |
Individual statistics
RUSHING
Fleetwood: Killian 10-26, Riffle 6-21, Ramsey 7-13, Tomes 1-(-3).
Solanco: Cunningham 3-115, Forren 5-112, Harris 12-84, Burgos 1-16, Mellinger 4-14, Garcia 3-13, Bangura 1-3, Lenhart 1-0, Weder 1-(-2).
PASSING
Fleetwood: Riffle 16-35-1–149.
Solanco: Mellinger 2-2-0–57.
RECEIVING
Fleetwood: Tomes 7-57, Musitano 3-50, Killian 2-15, Petition 2-8, Kotsch 1-14, Deoliveira 1-5.
Solanco: Cunningham 2-57.
