Soph Leland Moore, offensive lineman, carry Hawks over Vikings
(This story was produced by LNP/Lancasteronline, and published in partnership with MikeDragoSports.com.)
By David Bohr — LNP/Lancasteronline
FREDERICKSBURG — With lead running backs Pierce Mason and Derek Ruiz unable to go, Hamburg turned to sophomore Leland Moore — and a 286-pound tackle.
Moore, the sophomore, more than carried the load, rushing 37 times for 232 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Hawks to a 48-27 victory in a Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 5 contest at Northern Lebanon Friday night.
And the tackle? That would be Charles Sheppard, who, with his team’s running back roster thinned by injuries, lined up in the backfield and ran for a pair of TDs.
Moore’s huge game was part of 531-yard night for the Hawks, who saw quarterback Xander Menapace complete 16-of-24 passes for 211 yards. Menapace also ran for a score.
The Hawks (4-2, 7-2) took the opening kickoff to midfield and four plays later hit the end zone in just 41 seconds on a 20-yard touchdown run by Moore for a 7-0 lead.
With 5:14 to go in the first quarter, quarterback Xander Menapace added a 2-yard touchdown run for a 14-0 advantage.
Though the Vikings (1-5, 2-7) did turn the game into an offensive showcase with six plays of 20-plus yards of their own, Hamburg never surrendered the lead.
With Hamburg leading 21-7 late in the second, it faced a fourth-and-1 at the Vikings’ 6-yard line. The Hawks were already 1-for-2 on fourth-down attempts but this time they brought Sheppard into the backfield for the touchdown run. After that, Northern Lebanon never was within one possession.
Moore had a 10-yard score in the second quarter to go along with the opening touchdown.
Defensively, Tyler Shuey recovered two fumbles in the first quarter to keep Northern Lebanon off the board early.
James Voight had a giant game for the Vikings. He caught 14 passes for 273 yards and three touchdowns. The scoring passes were of 13, 29 and 53 yards from quarterback Kael Erdman.
Though offensive numbers stood out, Hamburg’s defense held Northern Lebanon to just eight yards rushing on 19 attempts. A couple sacks, like a 12-yard loss by Bradley Zettlemoyer, contributed to that stat.
Mason and Ruiz are both injured but could return next week. Ruiz also missed last week’s loss against Schuylkill Valley.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final | |
| Hamburg | 14 | 14 | 13 | 7 | 48 |
| Northern Lebanon | 7 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 27 |
Scoring summary
| 1 | Hamburg | Moore, 20 run (Blatt kick) |
| 1 | Hamburg | Menapace, 27 run (Blatt kick) |
| 1 | Northern Lebanon | Voight, 13 pass from Erdman (Bohn kick) |
| 2 | Hamburg | Moore, 10 run (Blatt kick) |
| 2 | Hamburg | Sheppard, 6 run (Blatt kick) |
| 2 | Northern Lebanon | Voight, 39 pass from Erdman (kick failed) |
| 3 | Northern Lebanon | Erdman, 5 run (pass failed) |
| 3 | Hamburg | Sheppard, 3 run (kick failed) |
| 3 | Hamburg | Correll, 6 pass from Menapace (Blatt kick) |
| 4 | Northern Lebanon | Voight, 53 pass from Erdman (Erdman run) |
| 4 | Hamburg | Parra, 6 run (Blatt kick) |
Team statistics
| Hamburg | Northern Lebanon | |
| First downs | 29 | 12 |
| Rushes-yards | 48-313 | 19-40 |
| Passing yards | 216 | 344 |
| Total yards | 529 | 384 |
| Passes | 16-24 | 21-31 |
| Fumbles-lost | 1-0 | 3-2 |
| Punts-average | 2-25.0 | 4-28.5 |
| Penalties-yards | 9-90 | 8-70 |
Individual statistics
RUSHING
Hamburg: Moore 37-232, Menapace 5-49, Parra 4-20, Sheppard 2-12.
Northern Lebanon: Watson 4-11, Ostermayer 1-8, Konefal 5-(-3), Erdman 6-(-5), Voight 3(-5).
PASSING
Hamburg: Menapace 16-24-0-216.
Northern Lebanon: Erdman 21-31-0–344.
RECEIVING
Hamburg: Correll 5-97, Werley 4-67, McFarland 4-24, Semmel 2-22, Moore 1-6.
Northern Lebanon: Voight 14-273, Shaffer 4-40, Mitzel 2-23, Watson 1-8.
