LebCo High School Football: Against Section Rivals, Cedar Crest & ELCO Fall in the 2nd Round of District 3 Playoffs

Cedar Crest & ELCO each were on the road Second Round matchups against League rivals after winning in the First Round of Districts last Friday night.

Below are quick recaps of each game. Throughout the weekend, we will work to update the coverage with stats, quotes from coaches, and other relevant information. Be sure to keep checking back.

The Cedar Crest/Wilson 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.

District 3 Playoffs – Friday, November 8th

Wilson 28, Cedar Crest 3

On Friday evening, the #7-seeded Cedar Crest Falcons took a road trip to West Lawn, where they played the #2-seeded Wilson Bulldogs in the Second Round of the District 3 Playoffs (6A). The Falcons were looking to even the score in the  Section 1 rivalry after Wilson won a hard-fought defensive battle that ended with the scoreboard reading 14-7 in favor of the Bulldogs.

In the 1st quarter, the Falcons began by trying to establish a ground game with runs by senior quarterback Jackson Custer and sophomore running back sensation Isaiah Zimmerman. Custer also found wide receiver Jack Waranavage for short yardage, but the effort did not result in any points. The Falcon defense did their best to slow Wilson, featuring tackles by Malachi Victor, Wyatt Fox, Garrett Starry, and Luke Oriel, but the Bulldogs broke through two rushing touchdowns by Correll Akings to make the score 14-0 by the end of the quarter.

In the 2nd quarter, the Falcons were looking for momentum to get back in the game as receptions were floated to wide receiver Cameron Tirado accompanied by carries from Zimmerman, resulting in a short field goal from kicker Ethan Bowman to make it 14-3. The Falcons defense looked to limit the Bulldog offense, as an interception by Starry changed possession. The Falcons continued holding Wilson in check until Akings broke loose for a 74-yard rushing touchdown to give the Bulldogs a 21-3 as the two teams headed to the half.

In the 3rd quarter, the Bulldogs capitalized upon a Cedar Crest turnover with a 44-yard rushing touchdown by quarterback Madyx Gruber to extend the Wilson lead to 28-3.

In the 4th quarter, the Bulldog defense slammed the door on Cedar Crest as they forced two fumbles. The Falcon defense didn’t give up and kept Wilson from scoring again, this time with key stops by Starry and even a sack from defensive lineman Tristan Long. The Falcons finished the game with rushing plays from Custer and Zimmerman as time ticked off the clock. The effort did not result in any more scoring, as the game ended with the scoreboard reading 28-3.

The Cedar Crest season ends with the Falcons finishing 8-4, having won their first ever home playoff game last week. The first round win over Hempfield was Cedar Crest’s first playoff win since 1997.

Lampeter-Strasburg 42, ELCO 7

ELCO traveled to play Lampeter-Strasburg in the second round of the District 3 Playoffs (4A). The #8 seeded Raiders had the challenging task of playing against the #1 seeded Pioneers, a team they lost to 52-7 in Week 8. Lampeter-Strasburg is a common playoff opponent for ELCO, as the two teams matched up against one another in 2018, 2019, and 2020. All of the games resulted in victories for Lampeter, with the most recent 2020 game deciding the 4A championship. This time around ELCO was looking to reverse the trend.

Unfortunately, Lampeter-Strasburg came out with an aggressive game plan designed to put pressure on ELCO immediately. Ninety seconds into the game, the aggressiveness resulted in Lampeter scoring on a long touchdown pass. The pressure mounted when the Pioneer defense forced a miscue by the Raiders that resulted in a fumble that was returned for a 66-yard touchdown. Towards the end of the 1st quarter, Lampeter used its ground game to find the end zone again. At the end of the first frame, the scoreboard read 21-0.

Having to move to a more aggressive offensive scheme to keep up, the Raiders attempted to air it out at the beginning of the 2nd quarter. Lampeter was up for the challenge and took an interception for a 75-yard pick-six. After the ELCO defense showed that it was formidable by stopping Lampeter, the Pioneer defense was again pressed into action. The defense again forced an ELCO interception and again took it for a pick-six. At the end of the half, Lampeter scored on a rushing touchdown to push the score to 42-0.

In the 3rd quarter, ELCO’s Mitchell Frederick scored on a 12-yard run to make the score 42-7. That would be it for the scoring, as the clock ran throughout the 2nd half.

For those keeping tabs, all three defensive touchdowns for Lampeter-Strasburg were courtesy of phenom Caileb Howse, who also threw for a touchdown.

ELCO (6-6) finishes their season after turning things around following a 1-4 start, eventually making it into the second round of Districts.

Previous Results

Week One

Week Two

Week Three

Week Four

Week Five

Week Six

Week Seven

Week Eight

Week Nine

Week Ten

Districts – Round 1

2024 LebCo Football Team-by-Team Season Outlooks