LebCo High School Football: Week 5 Results

This post will serve as a rolling update of Week 4 Football action from around LebCo. With all six teams in action on Friday night, we will work to compile the best information as we can in a timely fashion. This includes talking to many of the coaches and including post-game summaries. Keep checking back regularly for new information about your favorite teams.

The Northern Lebanon/Donegal recap was written primarily 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.

Friday

Northern Lebanon 14, Donegal 12

After a tough loss to Wyomissing in Week 4, the Vikings were back at home hosting the Donegal Indians. The challenging part for Northern Lebanon would be the adjustment in their offense without running back Myles Watson following the broken arm that he sustained on the first offensive play last week. This meant that other players would need to step up if they were going to win their Homecoming game. However, Northern Lebanon’s defense has been very strong throughout the season and would be the foundation of any game plan this week.

The Vikings did not waste any time getting on the board, as Brady Ryan was the first player to step up when he took the opening kickoff 85 yards to the house. Following a Riley Messinger PAT, the Vikings were out in front 7-0 just seconds into the game. The game then turned into a back-and-forth, with both defenses showing that this game was going to be one of those games where every yard is earned. Brendan Ryan recovered a fumble to slow Donegal’s offense, while Bryce Yocum and Bryan Mitzel made several tackles. Linebacker Karter Adams turned many heads when he recorded two sacks in the 1st quarter. However, it was defensive play by Donegal’s Angel Mendez that turned the tide when he returned a pick-six to make the score 7-6. A failed two-point conversion kept Northern Lebanon in front.

In the 2nd quarter, Kael Erdman returned to his role as the Viking quarterback. This immediately translated into a change of pace, as Erdman used his legs for some big pick-ups. However, it was a Brendan Ryan punt return that he took 75 yards to the house, joining his brother with an exciting play on special teams. Following the extra point, the Vikings led 14-6. The Viking D continued to look solid as they slowed Donegal’s offensive efforts. A fumble recovery by Adams again played in favor of Northern Lebanon. However, a fumble led to a Mendez touchdown reception late in the 2nd quarter. Erdman intercepted the attempt at a two-point conversion to keep the score 14-12.

In addition to the interception, another major development occurred when Mendez was called for unsportsmanlike conduct on the scoring play and the ensuing two-point conversion. This led to him being disqualified, leaving Donegal without their most productive playmaker.

In the 3rd quarter, Erdman continued to use his legs to move the ball and open up the field. This led to him having the ability to find Brady Ryan through the air. Jack Kleisath and Jake Emborsky showed little fear filling in for the injured Watson, with both showing their ability to pick up yards by running the ball and catching passes from Erdman. Yet again, an untimely fumble from the Vikings ended their scoring threat in the quarter. Likewise, Adams had a major tackle for a loss that slammed the door on Donegal’s offense.

Adams continued his tirade into the 4th quarter as he recorded another sack. When Donegal was faced with 4th down, they went to their bag of tricks and successfully ran a fake punt. On the next 4th down, the Vikings stopped them.

Following a Northern Lebanon punt, the Indians had one more chance to spoil the party in Fredericksburg. As they approached the red zone, Kleisath intercepted the Donegal pass to give the ball back to Northern Lebanon. From there, all they had to do was run the clock. It is fitting that the defensive battle ended with a major defensive play.

The Vikings overcame five turnovers in the victory.

One item worth noting is that the Donegal defense is directed by former Lebanon head coach Frank Isenberg, who was recently promoted to the team’s defensive coordinator.

Northern Lebanon (2-3) will now begin prepping for a tough match-up next Friday night against Twin Valley.

Northern Lebanon Stats

Defensive Leaders: Karter Adams – 8 tackles, 2 sacks, fumble recovery; Jack Kleisath – 6 tackles, 1 sack, INT; Jake Emborsky – 9 tackles;  Brendan Ryan – 7 tackles; Brady Ryan – 6 tackles; Hayden Adams – 4 tackles, 2 forced fumbles; Bryce Yocum – 5 tackles

Special Teams: Brady Ryan – Kickoff Return TD (85 yards); Brendan Ryan – Punt Return TD (75 yards)

Coach Rice’s Post-Game Thoughts

On Saturday, we caught up with Coach Jason Rice to talk about his team’s performance on Friday night.

Rice led off by saying: “I just want to start off first; I’m very proud of my guys for their efforts last night. It’s always good to come out with the win, no matter how it’s earned, and they did earn that one last night.”

He talked about how his team has found themselves in close battles in most of their games this season: “It was another game, four full quarters, and four of our five games here in the first half of the season have come down to a possession or less. So, you know we’re in games. That’s what we talk about with the guys all the time, being a position to compete to win in the fourth quarter we’re doing that now. We are seeing the progress and then you know going in the right direction as a unit.”

About the offense and their struggles, Rice was blunt: “Offense, nonexistent. On that side of the ball, we need to figure things out. After last week’s game, I said that the first we need to do is to take care of the football. Unfortunately, we were again very loose with the ball. With first downs, we’re making good plays, but then we shoot ourselves in the foot.”

Speaking of the defensive effort that won them the game: “Defensively, you know we are still relying on them. They just need to buckle down. There are times we’re missing tackles because we’re a little too aggressive. During gut check time, the guys dug their heels in the ground and made the necessary stops needed to help us win.”

On the plays made to win the game: “The Ryan brothers came up huge for us in giving us the points it took to win. Garrett (Bohn) has been automatic in kicking extra points, which ended up being the difference. Having Riley (Messinger) on kicks and punts helped us control field position.”

On the next steps as Northern Lebanon starts the second half of the season: “We need to really evaluate and see what we can do to improve our offensive performance and just continue to praise our defense for the efforts that they give as they fight during all four quarters. A couple of tough weeks are coming up here, but we’ll get ready to go and look forward to the second half of the season.”

Annville-Cleona 43, Columbia 0

Annville-Cleona entered their homecoming matchup with Columbia looking to reset after last week’s loss to Hamburg, where nothing seemed to go the way of the Dutchmen. Though the Crimson Tide entered the game with a record of 0-4, this had the potential to become a trap game for Annville, given the toughness with which Columbia typically plays.

With that in mind, Annville exorcised the demons that plagued them last week and hopped out to an early lead when Jonathon Shay capped off a successful drive with a 4-yard touchdown run just four minutes into the game. An injury to starting kicker Cian Soliday led to the decision to go for two, an attempt that failed. Two minutes later, Bryce Keller found Jonathan Moran for a 70-yard touchdown reception. Backup kicker Levi Kreider successfully booted through the PAT. The 1st quarter ended with the Dutchmen leading 13-0.

Less than four minutes into the 2nd quarter, Annville scored again, this time via a Bryce Keller 1-yard run. On Columbia’s ensuing possession, the Annville defense collapsed on the Tide and forced a safety to make the score 22-0. Less than two minutes later, Annville scored again when Devon Englehart had a 3-yard touchdown rush. Annville then tacked on another score with just under a minute remaining until halftime when Yamaliel Navarro ran it into the end zone from 6 yards out. When the teams went to their respective locker rooms, the outcome was all but determined, with the Dutchmen leading 36-0.

With the game in mercy rule territory, Annville would score only once more courtesy of Englehart’s second touchdown run on the evening. The 7-yard touchdown run came less than a minute into the 4th quarter.

The Annville defense was solid throughout the game as they limited Columbia in all phases of the game, holding them to less than 100 yards of total offense.

The Dutchmen finished the game with 309 yards rushing. Their 435 all-purpose yards as a team was truly a team effort, as not one player hit the century mark. Though, three came very close to gaining 100 yards: Moran (99), Navarro (98), & Keller (96).

Annville (2-3) will hope to keep things moving in the right direction when they travel to Kutztown next Friday night.

Annville-Cleona Stats

Passing: Bryce Keller – 4/4, 86 yards, 2 TD

Rushing: Bryce Keller – 10 carries, 81 yards, TD; Devon Englehart – 13 carries, 58 yards, 2 TD; Yamaliel Navarro – 8 carries, 73 yards, TD; Jonathon Shay – 7 carries, 61 yards; Jonathan Moran – 1 carry, 29 yards; Cory Weiss – 1 carry, 7 yards

Receiving: Jonathan Moran – 1 reception, 70 yards ; Jonathon Shay – 3 receptions, 16 yards

Defensive Leaders: Jaxon Speece – 10 tackles, 5 solo, 4 TFL, 1 sack, FF; Ivan Kreider – 10 tackles, 6 solo; Hudson Sellers – 8 tackles, 5 solo; Jonathon Shay – 6 tackles, 3 solo, 3 TFL, 1 sack; Luke Wentling – 2 solo tackles, 2 TFL

Kicking: Levi Kreider – 5/5 PAT

Coach Gingrich’s Post-Game Thoughts

We caught up with Coach Matt Gingrich following the game and he had this to say about the Homecoming victory.

He started by reflecting on past games and how those were reflected against Columbia: “We played much better tonight than the first three weeks, and we kind of built upon last week. I thought we played pretty good last week against Hamburg, but they’re a pretty good team, and hopefully, between last week and this week, we can find our mojo and keep moving forward.”

On his team’s effort on offense, defense, and special teams, he said: “It was neat to play complimentary football. Our defense held Columbia to 45 yards of offense, which is something that we typically can’t do. Our offense averaged nearly 10 yards a play and scored a pretty good amount of points. Our special teams really did well. Our kicker right now is Levi Kreider, who is our backup kicker; he has really been an asset and, as a sophomore, is really taking off.”

Gingrich praised the efforts of his offensive leaders: “We had some major performances. Jon Moran continues to exhibit big playability. Also Jon Shay really, really battled through injuries the last couple weeks and played a great game offensively and defensively. Bryce Keller got back onto what he was doing well early in the year, making quick decisions and going. He threw the ball. Well, I think he was 4-4 for 100 yards or something close to that.”

He went on to give recognition to more players that have stepped up to provide solid play: “The other neat part was Jackson Speece, who was really great offensively and defensively. He’s been one of the better linemen I’ve ever been able to coach, and he’s only a sophomore. Hudson Sellers really stepped up as a middle linebacker. We switched him and it’s paying dividends.”

On it being Homecoming, Gingrich talked about the experience, especially as it was the first Homecoming game held at the new stadium: “It was a good night, and nice to have a homecoming like that. We had a lot of people come home and got to see the stadium for the first time. I just got done giving tours. That’s pretty cool when you can have a place that you’re proud of that you can show off for future generations that they’re gonna get what they need so they can hopefully have a successful program way after I’m out of here and us coaches are long gone. It was a pretty cool night all around.”

He finished his thoughts by looking ahead: “We really messed up the first couple of weeks, and we have no margin for error. We have to get back on that horse and play a great rest of the season.”

Waynesboro 47, Palmyra 14

Palmyra’s Travis McDannell used his track speed to return a kickoff for a 92-yard touchdown to give the Cougars a 7-6 at the end of the 1st quarter. McDannell then added a 35-yard rushing touchdown in the 2nd quarter. Unfortunately, those were all the points Palmyra could find against a Waynesboro team that used a 21-point 2nd quarter to break away. Waynesboro showed why they entered the game with only one loss as they improved to 4-1.

Palmyra (1-4) will shake off the Week 5 loss and immediately turn the page to begin preparations to host Mifflin County next week.

Palmyra Stats

Passing: Ryan Kowalski 2/14, 5 yards, INT; Roman Russek – 1/5, 14 yards

Rushing: Travis McDannell – 16 carries, 91 yards, TD; Braxtin Risser – 4 carries, -10 yards; Ryan Kowalski – 6 carries, 11 yards; Roman Russek – 4 carries, 19 yards; Alex Csongradi – 2 carries, 21 yards

Receiving: Justin Kaplan – 2 receptions, 20 yards; Braxtin Risser – 1 reception, -1 yard

Defensive Leaders: J. Altebrando – 2 tackles, 3 assists; X. Smith – 1 tackles, 2 assists, TFL; B. Toler – 2 tackles, 1 sack

Special Teams: Travis McDannell – Kickoff Return TD (92 yards)

Kicking: Cy Melnyk – 2/2 PAT

Coach Pavone’s Post-Game Thoughts

We caught up with Palmyra’s head coach on Sunday to talk about Friday night’s game. Here’s what he had to say:

Pavone started by talking about the beginning of the game where the Cougars challenged a tough Waynesboro squad: “We had one of our best weeks of practice and felt really good going in. We had a good first drive negated by three straight penalties, but responded well after that to punch and counter-punch our way into two different leads.”

He talked about thow the game changed late in the 2nd quarter: “We had ourselves in a great spot close to half way through the 2nd quarter, up 14-12 with the ball, but had a number of things go wrong to get in a hole by halftime.” 

Pavone then talked about his team’s progress and what will be needed as they enter the second half of the season: “We are right there in it each game, but we have to be able to finish in all three phases. Our last four opponents are a combined 18-2 this season. To be in those games and in a position to finish, we are going to have to limit mistakes and play disciplined football, which we’ve been inconsistent with against high quality competition.”

Wilson 14, Cedar Crest 7

After last week’s major win over Penn Manor, Cedar Crest seemed to be back on track after being shocked by Warwick in Week 3. However, Week 5 would be another measuring stick for the Falcons under 1st year head coach, Nicholas Lambros, as they traveled to Wilson to take on the Bulldogs. While these two teams have had some close battles in recent years, Wilson has continued to remain a step ahead of Cedar Crest. With Wilson showing their strength in running their record to 3-1. Their victories included a 21-7 victory over Plymouth Whitemarsh, a team that Manheim Township defeated with a score in the last minute. Needless to say, a win here for Cedar Crest would be considered an upset.

The Falcon defense showed up ready to play, holding the Bulldogs scoreless in the 1st quarter. Wilson broke through in the 2nd quarter to find the end zone twice. At halftime, the scoreboard read 14-0 in favor of the home team.

In the 3rd quarter, Jackson Custer found Cameron Tirado for a 9-yard touchdown reception. Ethan Bowman was again successful in kicking the PAT to cut the Wilson lead to 14-7. This gave the Falcons renewed hope, as it became a one-score game headed into the 4th.

However, Wilson’s defense dug deep to keep Crest off the board for the remainder of the game.
Cedar Crest (3-2) will look to get back in the win column with a Week 6 home game against Reading next Friday night.

Cedar Crest Stats

Passing: Jackson Custer – 4/10, 54 yards, TD, 2 INT

Rushing: Isaiah Zimmerman – 12 carries, 72 yards; Jackson Custer – 18 carries, 69 yards; Josh Tricoche – 2 carries, 12 yards, TD

Receiving: Jack Waranavage – 2 receptions, 29 yards; RJ Young – 1 reception, 16 yards; Cam Tirado – 1 receptions, 9 yards, TD

Defensive Leaders: Garrett Starry – 15 tackles, 5 solo, TFL; Malachi Victor – 10 tackles, 3 solo, 2 TFL, 1 sack; Landyn Kline – 13 tackles, 3 solo; Kayden Tirado – 9 tackles, 2 solo; Wyatt Fox – 6 tackles, 2 TFL, 6 quarterback hits; Luke Oriel – 5 tackles, 3 solo, INT

Exeter 55, Lebanon 0

Exeter is consistently one of the best teams in Pennsylvania. On Friday night, they marched into Alumni Stadium and showed why as they built a 28-0 lead by the end of the 1st quarter. The score ballooned to 48-0 by halftime. The Cedars allowed only one touchdown in the 2nd half.
Lebanon (0-5) will continue their development as they practice ahead of their Week 6 challenge, an undefeated Conestoga Valley.

Wyomissing 49, ELCO 14

Wyomissing is a perennial powerhouse. Since 2020, they have compiled an impressive record of 48-5. On Friday night, the ELCO Raiders welcomed them to Myerstown.

ELCO put together an exciting drive to start the game, looking like they might be able to draw blood first. However, Wyomissing used a “bend but don’t break” style defense as ELCO got it down into the red zone. The visitors ended the Raiders’ drive with an interception that they subsequently returned for a touchdown.

After that turn of events, Wyomissing continued to apply pressure. ELCO continued to battle, as always, and the effort was rewarded with Mitchell Frederick breaking a 20+ yard touchdown run in the 2nd quarter. At halftime, Wyomissing led 35-7.

Despite the outcome determined by the 4th quarter, ELCO again continued to push. This resulted in quarterback Steven Rosado finding the end zone prior to the end of the game.

After playing Twin Valley & Wyomissing in back-to-back weeks, ELCO (2-4) will take those lessons learned as they look ahead to a road game at Daniel Boone next Friday.

Previous Results

Week One

Week Two

Week Three

Week Four

2024 LebCo Football Team-by-Team Season Outlooks