LebCo High School Football: Week 3 Results

This post will serve as a rolling update of Week 3 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/Delone Catholic 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

Warwick 19, Cedar Crest 3

Last season, the Warwick/Cedar Crest game was an epic battle that began on Friday night, was postponed during the first series on account of lightning, and then ended on Saturday afternoon when the Falcons won it in triple overtime, 29-23. Despite giving up 29 points, it was clear that Warwick’s strength was their defense.

On Friday night, they made their defensive prowess known once again, this time forcing Cedar Crest to make critical errors that resulted in six turnovers. After giving up an opening touchdown to the Warriors, an errant snap over quarterback Jackson Custer’s head led to a safety to make the score 9-0 early in the 1st quarter.

In the 2nd quarter, Cedar Crest found themselves to be the victims of two more bad snaps leading to turnovers, a fumble, an interception, and a blocked punt. Warwick was able to turn one of those changes of possessions into a touchdown to make the score 16-0 heading into halftime.

The 3rd quarter brought much of the same, but Cedar Crest got on the board when Ethan Bowman kicked a 36-yard field goal. Warwick would kick a field goal of their own before the end of the game, as the Falcons could not seem to get anything going on a tough night in Lititz.

Cedar Crest (2-1) will attempt to move on from this one and begin preparing for their first Section 1 game on the road against Penn Manor next Friday night.

Delone Catholic 22, Northern Lebanon 21

In the first two weeks of the 2024 season, the Northern Lebanon Vikings were seemingly stuck in neutral on the offensive end of the ball. However, they held a 1-1 record entering Week 3 following a 10-0 win over Pine Grove and then a 7-0 loss to Oxford. A major reason for these low point totals was the efforts put forth by the Viking defense. However, in order to compete in Section 4, the Vikings knew that they would need to get things clicking on offense.

In speaking with Coach Jason Rice earlier this week, he indicated that his team would be focused on simplifying the offense and just going out and playing football. Against Delone Catholic, this would be a necessity, especially considering that they were coming off of a win over Lancaster Catholic in Week 2.

This new philosophy resulted in Northern Lebanon’s earliest score of the year, with Riley Messinger kicking a 38-yard field goal in the 1st quarter to give his team the 3-0 lead.

Delone Catholic would get on the board just nine ticks into the 2nd quarter when a long touchdown run made it 7-3. After a Brendan Ryan interception on Delone’s next possession, Messinger had another opportunity for points, this time nailing a 33-yard field goal to make the score 7-6. Messinger would then hit a 35-yarder to make the score 9-6 with under a minute left in the half. When Delone fumbled on the ensuing kickoff, it was Brady Ryan who was there for the recovery. Seconds later, he hauled in a 23-yard touchdown reception from quarterback Brian Mitzel to make the score 15-7 heading into the locker room.

Back on the field after the break, Delone would tie it 15-15 halfway through the quarter. A short time later, they would again score to make it 22-15 by the end of the 3rd quarter.

Not out of it yet, the Vikings responded early in the 4th quarter when Mitzel ran it into the end zone from 12 yards out. After a missed PAT, the score was 22-21 in favor of Delone. The game would remain a nailbiter the rest of the way, with Northern Lebanon attempting to find the points necessary to regain the lead. They unfortunately ran out of time.

Though they lost, there were many positives on which they can build. The defense continued to play tough, creating three turnovers. The offense looked like it may have been closer to being back on track.

Northern Lebanon (1-2) will look for continued improvement when they open Section 4 play against powerhouse Wyomissing next Saturday afternoon.

Northern Lebanon Stats

Passing: Bryan Mitzel – 4/13, 38 yards, TD

Rushing: Myles Watson – 17 carries, 94 yards; : Bryan Mitzel – 7 carries, 37 yards, TD

Receiving: Brady Ryan – 3 receptions, 40 yards, TD

Defensive Leaders: Brendan Ryan – 5 tackles, INT; Jack Kleisath – 7 tackles; Brady Ryan – 4 tackles, 2 fumble recoveries; Jake Emborsky – 8 tackles; Bryan Mitzel – 4 tackels, 2 pass deflections; Eli Thompson – 1 tackle, fumble recovery

Kicking: Riley Messinger – 3-3 FG (37, 33, 35)

Coach Rice’s Post-Game Thoughts

Following the game, we caught up with Coach Jason Rice for his thoughts after the close loss to Delone.

Rice started with this: “It’s nice to finally be in position when in the 4th quarter we are fighting for a win. Eventually, we will get on the positive side of these outcomes. That’s the next step.” 

About his defense and the impact they had on the overall effort of the team: “Overall, our defense was very solid. Turnovers, I think we had about three or four different turnovers that they really just helped spark and give off energy to move the football.”

Rice also acknowledged the in-game change at the quarterback position: “Big shoutout to Bryan Mitzel for stepping into the quarterback position for us in the 2nd quarter. He really brought a good swagger and energy, both in pass and run games. He had a passing touchdown and rushing touchdown.”

On the improved offense: “I was really proud of our ability to move the football this week after last week’s performance. Myles had another solid game, 94 yards.”

About his kicker, Rice said: “Big shoutout to Riley Messinger. The dude is going all-out for us at the kicker position. Three-for-three on long field goals. 37, 33, and 35 yards!”

In closing, Rice said: “I’m just really proud of our boys’ ability to be competitive. We’re gonna keep working and keep improving as we move into the Section 4 schedule.”

ELCO 28, Lancaster Catholic 22

The first two weeks of the 2024 season have not gone according to plan as ELCO lost to West York and Conrad Weiser. On Friday night, the Raiders were tasked with traveling to Lancaster Catholic. That said, Coach Bob Miller has remained positive about his team’s improvements during the first two games, and if there is one thing to know about his teams, it is that players will respond when called upon.

In the 1st quarter, Catholic struck first to take a 6-0 lead. After a quick possession by ELCO, the Crusaders got the ball back and converted on a long touchdown strike to give themselves an early 14-0 lead.

0-2 and down by two touchdowns early on the road? It’s not ideal for most teams, but the ELCO Raiders are not most teams. They responded with quarterback Steven Rosado hitting Justin Smucker on a 28-yard touchdown pass to make the score 14-6. This would be the last score of the 1st half, and the teams would hit the break with Catholic still holding the lead.

After regrouping at the half, the Raiders came out in the 2nd half and quickly drove down the field with Rosado carrying the ball for 80 yards on 6 carries. He capped off the drive as he pushed the ball across the line behind ELCO’s talented offensive line. The score was now 14-12. Still in the 3rd, Rosado again scored, this time on a 21-yard run, to give ELCO the 20-14 advantage.

Just a few minutes into the 4th quarter, Rosado again broke free as he took the rock 38 yards to the house to give ELCO the 28-14 lead. Catholic would make it interesting by scoring once more but could not get any closer as the ELCO defense held them in check.

Rosado finished the game with 3 rushing touchdowns and also threw one to Smucker. The shifty quarterback ended the game with 222 yards leading ELCO to 259 yards on the ground.

With the inspiring win, ELCO (1-2) will hope to carry the momentum into next Friday’s matchup with Twin Valley in what is a rematch of last year’s District 3 Playoff game that ended ELCO’s season.

ELCO Stats

Passing: Steven Rosado – 4/8, 50 yards, TD

Rushing: Steven Rosado – 20 carries, 222 yards, 3 TD; Zane Trostle – 7 carries, 20 yards; Mitchell Frederick – 4 carries, 12 yards; Austin Yesko – 3 carries, 4 yards; Gavin Bicher – 1 carry, 1 yard

Receiving: Justin Smucker – 3 receptions, 50 yards, TD; Zane Trostle – 1 reception, 0 yards

Defensive Leaders:  Gavin Bicher – 8 tackles, 1 assist; Mitchell Frederick – 7 tackles, 4 assists; Brinley Donmoyer – 6 tackles; Zane Trostle – 4 tackles, 1 assist; Griffin Kreider – 4 tackles, 1 assist

Coach Miller’s Post-Game Thoughts

On Saturday, we asked Coach Bob Miller for his thoughts on the game. He said this:

“Im incredibly proud of the heart and resiliency of this team. Going down 14-0 again, they could have easily buckled and let the scoreboard affect them but they battled to the final whistle. It was great to see them makes some stops throughout the 2nd and 3rd quarter and to finish drives offensively. They are playing for each other.”

Conrad Weiser 41, Lebanon 0 

On Friday, Lebanon hosted its first game of the 2024 season. This followed two road losses to Palmyra and Garden Spot. Their opponent, Conrad Weiser, entered the game with a 2-0 record following victories over Abington and ELCO.

The Scouts jumped out early and built a 35-0 lead by halftime. Unfortunately, the big story was the injuries that mounted for the Cedars. Starting quarterback Bradyn Castro left the game with a lower leg injury. Quarterback Wyatt Parker then suffered an injury to his upper body that led to him being put in a sling before exiting the stadium for further treatment. Lebanon eventually had to resort to playing two more of its players at quarterback before halftime, before Castro returned right before halftime.

Conrad Weiser would tack on one more score in the 3rd quarter as the Cedars struggled with injuries, making their journey that much more difficult.

Lebanon (0-3) will look to get healthier before next week’s matchup on the road at Muhlenburg.

Hershey 34, Palmyra 13

Last season, Palmyra nearly pulled the upset of rival Hershey. The Trojans then went on to make it all the way to the District 3 AAAAA semifinals. Palmyra knew that this year, they would need everything to align in order to defeat their very attentive neighbors.

On Friday night at Buck Swank Stadium, Hershey used the run game to get on the board first. They would then do this throughout the game, chipping away yardage and finding the end zone each of the first three quarters to build a 21-0 lead.

Throughout the game, Palmyra fought hard, using aggressive play calling in an attempt to slow Hershey’s advance. Had those opportunities gone the Cougars way, this game may have been a different story. One example was at the end of the 1st quarter when Palmyra went for it on 4th down, which led to quarterback Ryan Kowalski nearly finding a receiver downfield had it not been for the strong defensive effort of the Hershey secondary.

Palmyra finally broke through in the 4th quarter when Braxtin Risser rumbled into the end zone from 27 yards out. A short time later, Hershey responded by scoring 28-7. The two teams again traded touchdowns, beginning with Kowalski finding Justin Kaplan for a 6-yard scoring strike. Hershey then tallied the final points of the game, leaving the scoreboard reading 34-13.

Palmyra (1-2) is back in action again next week on the road at Shippensburg, where they will take on the undefeated Greyhounds.

Palmyra Stats

Passing: Ryan Kowalski 10/21, 108 yards, TD; Roman Russek – 1/1, 12 yards

Rushing: Braxtin Risser – 14 carries, 55 yards, TD; Roman Russek – 2 carries, 27 yards; Travis McDannell – 2 carries, 15 yards; Ryan Kowalski – 7 carries, 13 yards; Justin Kaplan – 1 carry, 2 yards

Receiving: Justin Kaplan – 5 receptions, 40 yards, TD; Braxtin Risser – 3 receptions, 39 yards; Brayden Hoover – 1 reception, 25 yards

Defensive Leaders: : X. Smith – 3 tackles, 5 assists, 1 tackle for loss; J. Altebrando – 3 tackles, 3 assists; T. McDannell – 2 tackles, 6 assists, 1 tackle for loss; J. Schelhorn – 1 tackles, 2 assists, 1 fumble recovery

Kicking: Cy Melnyk – 1/1 PAT

Littlestown 27, Annville-Cleona 21

Annville-Cleona made the long trip to play Littlestown for a Week 3 matchup. The Dutchmen had seemingly found their offensive groove in Week 2, but there were still some areas of growth that Coach Matt Gingrich stressed ahead of this week’s game. This would be the last non-league game, making it critical to work out some of those issues before turning towards their Section 5 schedule.

When it came to the action, Littlestown took a 7-0 lead late in the 1st quarter. Annville quarterback Bryce Keller would then tie it up on a run to the end zone before Littlestown took a 14-7 lead early in the 2nd quarter.

Following another Littlestown score, Jonathan Moran caught a touchdown pass to make it 21-14 at the half.
The scoring calmed down in the 2nd half, and it wasn’t until halfway through the 4th quarter when Moran again caught a pass and broke a long run to the end zone. Moran’s second touchdown of the night tied the game at 21-21.

Unfortunately for Annville, heartbreak would be part of their Friday evening as Littlestown scored a late touchdown to take the lead for good.

Of note, Keller left the game with an injury. The Dutchmen will hope their quarterback can get back to health and back on the field to finish his senior year.

Annville-Cleona (1-2) will gear up for a Week 4 road trip to Hamburg.

Annville-Cleona Stats

Passing: Bryce Keller – 4/5, 72 yards, TD; Lane Peters – 1/2, 82 yards, TD, INT; Jonathon Shay – 1/1, 5 yards

Rushing: Bryce Keller – 4 carries, 38 yards, TD; Jonathon Shay – 10 carries, 57 yards; Devon Englehart – 6 carries, 10 yards; Yamaliel Navarro – 3 carries, 21 yards; Lane Peters – 1 carry, 0 yards; Hudson Sellers – 2 carries, 12 yards

Receiving: Jon Moran – 4 receptions, 141 yards, 2 TD; Jonathon Shay – 2 receptions, 18 yards

Defensive Leaders: Jonathon Shay – 6 tackles, 3 solo, 2 sacks; Hudson Sellers – 10 tackles, 7 solo; Lane Peters – 7 tackles, 5 solo; Kaidavin Ginting – 8 tackles, 5 solo; Luke Wentling – 6 tackles, 2 solo, 1 sack; Preston Bomgardner – 6 tackles, 4 solo, forced fumble; Jaxon Speece – 2 tackles, 1 solo, 1 sack; Dominic Casciotti – fumble recovery

Kicking: Cian Soliday – 3/3 PAT

Previous Results

Week One

Week Two

2024 LebCo Football Team-by-Team Season Outlooks