LebCo High School Football: Week 1 Results

This post will serve as a rolling update of Week 1 Football action from around LebCo. With all six teams in action this weekend, we are working to compile some of the best information about the games as we can. Keep checking back regularly for new information about your favorite teams.

The Northern Lebanon/Pine Grove recap was written by Gavin Sweeney, a local high school student and aspiring sports journalist.

If you like this type of coverage, please let us know by Following us on social media: Twitter/X – @lebcosports1 and Facebook.

For any questions, comments, or discrepancies, please reach out to dan@lebcosports.com.

Saturday

West York 33, ELCO 6

On Saturday, ELCO was the last of the LebCo teams to play their first game of the season when they were tasked with traveling to take on West York. Despite going winless last season, the Bulldogs were ready to defend their home field in the hot sun.

From the jump, West York limited ELCO’s offense. They then had a passing touchdown before blocking a punt to set up for another score to race out to a 15-0 lead by the end of the 1st quarter. Right before halftime, the West York quarterback broke a 79-yard run to give his team a 21-0 lead.

The ELCO defense settled down in the 3rd quarter and held West York off the board until the beginning of the 4th, when the score moved to 27-0. An interception return for a touchdown made it 33-0.

Despite the dire situation, the Raiders continued to battle, and with just over eight minutes remaining in the game, Steven Rosado found fellow senior Landon Leonard for a 5-yard touchdown reception. This made the score 33-6, where it would stay the rest of the way.

ELCO will look to learn from this game and pivot to their next opponent, Conrad Weiser, whom they will host on a short week this Thursday evening.

ELCO Stats

Pending

Coach Miller’s Thoughts

Following the game, we spoke to Coach Bob Miller about his Raiders. He credited his team’s effort and said:

“The kids were relentless and continued to battle through every setback. That is the sign of a winning group; time will show it.”

Friday

Northern Lebanon 10, Pine Grove 0

After losing in overtime to Pine Grove to start last season, the Vikings were seeking a better start to their 2024 campaign by exacting some level of revenge on the Cardinals.

Early on in this one, Coach Rice turned to his running game, with Myles Watson from the running back position and Kael Erdman using his legs from the quarterback position. When Erdman chose to throw, Northern Lebanon opted for screens to Watson and Brendan Ryan, which did not result in many yards.

The theme of “not many yards” persisted throughout the evening, with both teams failing to convert on much-needed first downs before having to punt. Pine Grove struggled to solve Northern Lebanon’s 4-3 defense throughout the game. This resulted in a 0-0 score all the way until the two teams began the 4th quarter.

Fortunately, just 16 into the final quarter, Riley Messinger sent a 38-yard field goal through the uprights to give the Vikings a 3-0 lead. Later in the quarter, Northern Lebanon had another chance for a field goal, but a bad snap prevented Messinger from being able to extend their lead with just over two minutes left to play.

The Cardinals got the ball back and were hopeful that they could drive the field to at least tie the game. Brendan Ryan had other ideas, picking off a pass on the next play. Moments later, Watson got the carry and took off for a 38-yard touchdown run. A Garrett Bohn PAT gave the Vikings the 10-0 lead. Ryan iced the game when he registered his second interception with just under a minute left in the game.

Northern Lebanon will now get back to work in preparation for a road game against Oxford next Friday night.

Coach Rice’s Thoughts

We caught up with Coach Rice after the game who gave us his thoughts on his team’s performance in Week 1.

About the matchup with Pine Grove, Rice said: “We have very similar-minded teams that want to go out and play physical football, so it really makes for entertainment for a crowd, but a little bit stressful for the coaches.”

About the defensive effort, Rice said: “We came out strong defensively from the get-go and didn’t let up. We played downhill physical football and hit hard. That’s one thing I love about the identity of this year’s team. They play just flat-out physical football. This opened up Brendan Ryan to create two big turnovers down the stretch.”

To Pine Grove’s credit, Rice said that their defense limited his team’s ability to use their slot receivers in an effective manner.

On the offense, Rice credited his senior running back for a great game: “In the 2nd half, things began clicking. We started using the tackles more to get Myles (Watson) going. I mean, we moved the ball, with him always making the first man miss, which is one of the things we try to teach our ball carriers. He ended up breaking some big runs and ultimately scored that last touchdown to seal the deal for us in the 4th quarter. I’m super proud of the young guy, 27 carries, 200 yards and a touchdown.”

Rice went on to give credit to his line: “Though, you can’t give him credit without giving the big boys up front some credit, too. I mean, they grind it for all four quarters on both sides of the ball. I’m unbelievably proud of them.”

About next week, Rice said: “We have Oxford next week, an opponent that we haven’t seen before. I’m really looking forward to lining up against someone new. We just have another week here ahead of us that we’re going to prepare and get after, but it really is exciting to start the season 1-0.”

Northern Lebanon Stats

Passing: Kael Erdman – 3/10, 68 yds, INT

Rushing: Myles Watson – 27 carries, 200 yards,TD

Receiving: Brendan Ryan – 3 receptions, 68 yds

Blocking: Hayden Adams – 5 pancakes; Eli Thompson – 3 pancakes; Russell Beers – 3 pancakes 

Defensive Leaders: Hayden Adams – 6 tackles; Eli Thompson – 1 sack; Brendan Ryan – 2 interceptions, 2 tackles; Kaden Beamesderfer – 4 tackles, 1 sack

Kicking: Riley Messinger – 36 yd FG; Garrett Bohn – 1/1 PAT

Cedar Crest 45, Lower Dauphin 16

At Earl Boltz Stadium on Friday evening, Coach Nicholas Lambros found himself coaching his first game as the head coach of his alma mater, complete with the pressure of following up last year’s eight-win season. Like Cedar Crest, the visiting Lower Dauphin Falcons enjoyed a tremendous year in 2023, going 6-4 in the regular season before losing a close 14-13 battle to Ephrata in the District 3 Playoffs.

With both teams having something to prove, Lower Dauphin would draw first blood with a field goal halfway through the 1st quarter. However, Cedar Crest quickly responded when Jackson Custer led them down the field in a three-play, 80-yard drive that was capped off with a 30-yard strike to Cam Tirado. Before the quarter ended, Cedar Crest would rack up points when Isaiah Zimmerman carried the ball into the end zone from 15 yards out, followed by Logan Oriel’s interception return, which went 45 yards to paydirt.

With the score 21-3 in favor of the home team, Lower Dauphin would finally respond late in the 2nd quarter with a passing touchdown. Again, Crest quickly responded, this time less than twenty seconds later, when Custer found senior wide receiver Jack Waranavage for a 50-yard touchdown reception to make the score 28-10 with just over two minutes remaining in the 1st half. Ethan Bowman then added a 39-yard field goal in the final seconds of the half to send the two teams to the locker room with Cedar Crest leading 31-10.
The Falcons were not done yet, quickly marching down the field for a 78-yard drive that lasted just 1:20 when Zimmerman broke a 60-yard run to the end zone. A successful PAT made the score 38-10.

At the end of the 3rd quarter, Lower Dauphin scored to make it 38-16 entering the 4th. Again, with just over two minutes remaining, Josh Tricoche punched the ball in for a 1-yard score to make the game 45-16.

Zimmerman finished the game with 217 yards on the ground, which he converted into two touchdowns. Custer was 6-9 for 129 yards with 2 TDs and 1 INT.

Cedar Crest, now 1-0, will host Spring Grove next Friday.

Cedar Crest Stats

Passing: Jackson Custer – 6/9, 2 TD, INT

Rushing: Isaiah Zimmerman – 14 carries, 217 yards, 2 TD; Jackson Custer – 11 carries, 32 yards; Josh Tricoche – 9 carries, 65 yards, TD; Cam Tirado – 4 carries, 26 yards; Eli Beard – 3 carries, 2 yards

Receiving: Jack Waranavage – 4 receptions, 86 yards; Cam Tirado – 2 receptions, 43 yards

Kicking: Ethan Bowman – 39-yard FG, 5/5 PAT

Palmyra Cougars 40, Lebanon Cedars 8

Palmyra had not won a home game in nine tries, with their last victory at Buck Swank coming in 2022 when they defeated the Lebanon Cedars to begin the season. The Cedars entered Friday night in the midst of a thirty-two-game losing streak, but none of that mattered to first-year head coach Tyler Pritchett, who is more focused on building a long-lasting forward-thinking culture that is not hung up on the failures of the past.

Once the two teams got onto the field, Palmyra quickly got on the board courtesy of a 10-yard touchdown run by Braxtin Risser. A short time later, quarterback Ryan Kowalski found Justin Kaplan for an 8-yard touchdown to make the score 13-0.
Early in the 2nd quarter, Kaplan returned a Lebanon punt for a 42-yard touchdown. Kowalski would then score on a 15-yard keeper before Kaplan would again return a punt for a touchdown, this time going 75 yards. At halftime, the Cougars held a commanding 33-0 lead.

After the two teams emerged from the locker rooms, things slowed down considerably as the Cedars seemed to regain their bearings and held Palmyra scoreless throughout the 3rd quarter.

In the 4th, Risser would score on a 1-yard run to make the score 40-0. Refusing to quit, Lebanon got on the board late in the game when Brandyn Castro found wide receiver Sebastian Cruz on a 19-yard strike. Castro then ran in the two-point conversion.

Palmyra will face Mechanicsburg in Week 2 as they begin their nine-game Keystone schedule. Lebanon will prepare for a road game at Garden Spot.

Palmyra Stats

Passing: Ryan Kowalski – 5/7, 30 yards, TD; Roman Russek – 1/2, 31 yards

Rushing: Braxtin Risser – 12 carries, 117 yards, 2 TD; Ryan Kowalski – 6 carries, 20 yards, TD; Cadin Smith – 2 carries, 36 yards; Travis McDannell – 4 carries, 19 yards; Liam Setcavage – 1 carry, 7 yards; Roman Russek – 2 carries, 6 yards; Xavier Smith – 1 carry, 4 yards

Receiving: Justin Kaplan – 1 reception, 8 yards, TD; Talon Speck – 1 reception, 31 yards; Liam Setcavage – 2 receptions, 14 yards; Xavier Smith – 1 reception, 3 yards; Braxtin Risser – 1 reception, 2 yards

Defensive Leaders: J. Altebrando – 3 tackles, 3 assists, 1 sack; B. Toler – 2 tackles, 3 assists, 1 sack; H. LeVan – 1 tackle, INT; A. Pinko – 1 tackle, INT; L. Vanetta – Fumle Recovery; T. Speck – 4 tackles; T. McDannell – 3 tackles, 2 tackles for loss; X. Smith – 3 tackles, 3 assists, 1 sack

Lebanon Stats

Awaiting receipt

Coach Pavone’s Thoughts

Following the victory over Lebanon, we spoke with Coach Chris Pavone about what the win meant for his team ahead of opening their Keystone Division schedule next week.

Pavone said: “As a team, we are feeling pretty good! It’s always nice to get the season started with what I’d like to call a team win across all three phases. It will help build confidence and momentum going into conference play. The amount of time, work, and preparation that goes into winning football games is a lot, so when we can get one, it’s a great feeling.”

Biglerville 39, Annville-Cleona 36

In a back-and-forth shootout, Annville fell behind 33-28 with 6:50 left in the game. With 1:42 remaining, the Dutchmen responded by taking a 36-33 lead. With the clock reading :31, Biglerville unfortunately scored again to spoil Annville’s hopes of a victory.

For the Dutchmen, Jonathon Shay led the way on both sides of the ball. Out of the backfield, he carried the ball 22 times for 224 yards and found the end zone one time. From his defensive end position, Shay registered 10 tackles (5 solo) and also blocked a field goal.

Quarterback Bryce Keller rushed for 3 touchdowns and also a 2-point conversion. Devon Englehart rushed for another Annville touchdown, part of his 73 yard performance on 13 carries.

Overall, Annville rushed for 345 yards behind a stellar performance by the offensive line.

While the game ended in heartbreak, if history proves correct, Coach Matt Gingrich’s teams have used these losses as learning experiences that make them stronger later in the season.

Next up, a Thursday night home game against Hanover.

Annville-Cleona Stats

Passing: Lane Peters – 1/1, 37 yards; Bryce Keller – 0/1

Rushing: Bryce Keller – 20 carries, 44 yards, 3 TD, 2 pt converstion; Jonathon Shay – 22 carries, 224 yards, TD; Devon Englehart – 13 carries, 73 yards, TD; Yamaliel Navarro – 1 carry, 4 yards

Receiving: Max Ortwein – 1 reception, 37 yards

Defensive Leaders: Jonathon Shay – 10 tackles, 5 solo, 2 TFLs, 1 blocked FG; Dominic Casciotti – 8 tackles, 4 solo; Jaxon Speece – 8 tackles, 6 solo, 1 TFL; Hudson Sellers – 7 tackles, 4 solo

Kicking: Cian Soliday – 4/4 PAT

Coach Gingrich’s Thoughts

After the game, we caught up with Coach Matt Gingrich for his thoughts about the game.

He said: “The kids learned a lot tonight, and hopefully we apply that moving forward so we can get the results we want.”

Gingrich then went on to give credit to Biglerville, especially as they continued to fight following Annville’s late score: “Biglerville did a great job as coaches and players. They should be commended for that.”

2024 LebCo Football Team-by-Team Season Outlooks