Statement win for Cocalico over Manheim Central
2023 Berks football coverage presented by
Utilities Employees Credit Union
(This story was produced by LNP/Lancasteronline, and published in partnership with MikeDragoSports.com.)
By Jason Guarente — LNP/Lancasteronline
If Sam Steffey and Logan Brubaker were standing next to each other, it’d be impossible to tell which one was a lineman. Both are built like running backs.
That was Brubaker’s position once upon a time. A switch to tight end happened two years ago. Another switch came before Cocalico faced rival Manheim Central this weekend.
Brubaker swapped his No. 42 jersey for No. 59. The 5-foot-10, 195-pound senior became a tackle.
“The coaches wanted me there,” he said. “So I went there and tried my best.”
Cocalico’s win over Central will reverberate through Lancaster-Lebanon League football for a bit. There was the score, a 48-28 blowout in Denver Saturday, and there was the way the score was achieved.
The Eagles ran the ball at will. The Barons couldn’t run at all. The battle up front was really no contest.
“After the first play or two, I could tell we were winning this game,” Brubaker said. “We wanted it a lot more. We were way more physical. They had no answers.”
Brubaker played virtually every snap. He was the defensive end who stuffed Brycen Armold on an important fourth-and-1 play in the first quarter. He opened holes for Cocalico’s 479 rushing yards and seven touchdowns.
There’s some magic at Cocalico, where players always seem bigger than their size. Brubaker wasn’t as fast or elusive as Steffey, so the coaches made a position change when Brubaker was a sophomore.
There was no pushback. No debate. Brubaker said yes. Even more importantly, he embraced his new role.
“He’s our guy,” Steffey said. “When we need something done, we go to Logan. He’s just a smart kid and he knows how to play football.”
Cocalico was ahead 28-14 when the game was suspended Friday night because of lightning. It looked like a break for Central, which was struggling to slow down the Eagles’ veer attack.
Fourteen hours of rest didn’t change anything. Cocalico kept on running.
Steffey, a 5-10, 190-pound senior, finished with 199 yards and three touchdowns. Quarterback Josh Myer kept it for 119 yards and two scores. Aaryn Longecker turned his four attempts into 91 yards and two more trips to the end zone.
“A lot of our guys didn’t even sleep last night,” Steffey said. “I didn’t sleep. I got up at 5 and was already shaking getting ready for the game. When you get that taste of blood, you’ve got to keep going at it.”
Cocalico held Armold, a 2,000-yard rusher last season, to 59 yards on 18 carries. About half of that came on an inconsequential final drive.
Thomas Dattoli and Cole Hooper dominated at defensive tackle. Brubaker and Owen Weaver controlled the ends. Linebackers Dane Horning, Dane Bollinger and Jerry McArdle cleaned up what was left.
Two linemen played the majority of snaps both ways: Adam Laudenslager and Brubaker, who was moved to tackle for this particular matchup. Cocalico was looking to gain more push.
“I know that he’s got a motor that doesn’t stop,” head coach Bryan Strohl said. “When you get out here in this heat, that’s not easy to do.”
One week after a down-to-the-wire victory against defending state champ Smyrna of Delaware, Manheim Central (2-1) couldn’t find its edge. The Barons played without head coach Dave Hahn, who was not on the sideline for undisclosed reasons.
Central quarterback Zac Hahn was 20-for-29 for 306 yards. Aaron Enterline caught 6 passes for 127 yards and Bode Sipel had 7 receptions for 112.
For Cocalico, it was a night and following morning to savor. A win over the Barons isn’t just another win.
“I have never beaten Manheim Central,” Steffey said. “We just caught them off guard this time. They came out a little flat. When you don’t have an answer, it’s hard to stop that type of momentum.”
Brubaker joked he’d average five fewer yards per carry if he still played running back instead of Steffey.
Cocalico’s top rusher disagreed.
“I don’t think he would,” Steffey said. “He’s not as fast as me but he’s a strong kid.”
Each player has found his niche. They’re the same size. They’re just not the same guy.
Cocalico wouldn’t be the same without both of them
