Thunderbolts strike early, zap Dutchmen
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 Jeff Reinhart — LNP/Lancasteronline
LITTLESTOWN — Things did not start or end the way Annville-Cleona’s football team was hoping Thursday night.
The Dutchmen had no control over the start. After a lengthy bus ride to Adams County, A-C was wrapping up its warmups on the field when lightning struck all around Littlestown’s stadium; the teams were sent to their locker rooms and the game started more than an hour late.
The ending?
Despite a spirited second half, the Dutchmen dug themselves too big of a hole to get out of it and the host Thunderbolts — fitting, on a night full of lightning strikes — picked off A-C 33-21 in a non-league game.
The game was shifted to Thursday because of a lack of officials in the York/Adams League.
For the second straight week, Annville-Cleona (1-2) struggled in the run-stuffing department. In Week 2 against Elco, Raiders’ all-star RB Jake Williams darted for a program-record 320 yards with five TD runs.
Thursday Littlestown (2-1) piled up 247 rushing yards and scored four unanswered first-half touchdowns after A-C knotted it 7-7 in the first quarter.
Turnovers also stung the Dutchmen; Littlestown cashed in off a blocked punt and off a fumble recovery, taking a cozy 33-7 lead at the half.
After Littlestown running back Colby Hahn and Annville-Cleona quarterback Cameron Connelly exchanged TD runs for a 7-7 game with 3:33 to go in the first quarter the Thunderbolts seized control.
Hahn, who rushed for 134 yards on 16 carries, gave Littlestown the lead for good, 14-7, with a 5-yard scamper, and Dylan Herr’s 1-yard plunge gave the Thunderbolts a 20-6 edge.
Then the floodgates really opened.
Following a blocked punt, Logan Conaway scooted 19 yards for a 26-7 edge. And after A-C lost a fumble on the first play of its ensuing drive, Littlestown’s Alex Popoff zipped a 25-yard, back-shoulder TD pass to Kaleb Smith, and it was 33-7.
A-C played a much better second half. Darrian Holloway picked off a pass and the Dutchmen scored a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns to make the Thunderbolts sweat a little bit.
Bryce Keller, who rushed for 208 yards in a Week 1 win over Hanover, had a 14-yard TD run to make it 33-14. Later, Cael Harter found daylight and sprinted 79 yards for a TD with 2:32 to play.
“That was the silver lining, yes,” Dutchmen coach Matt Gingrich said of the comeback bid. “If we can use that next week against Hamburg, then it’s good. If not, then it was just a great half. For now, we have a lot of soul-searching to do.”
Harter rushed for 106 yards and Keller 69 yards on the ground for the Dutchmen, who had 216 rushing yards in all. Littlestown out-gained A-C 325-258, feasted on the short-field turnovers, and registered four sacks.