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Ephrata's Blake has what it takes

ImageSophomore QB leads Mounts to a pair of victories in his 1st 2 career starts, including last Friday's 56-28 triumph over Solanco. For his efforts, Blake has been named the New Era Player Of The Week this week.


Talk about making the best of a bad situation.

Ephrata was down in the dumps at 1-6 overall, with losses to Manheim Township (8-1), Cocalico (7-2), Manheim Central (8-1) and Elizabethtown (5-4).


Blake Crowther at the War

Ephrata QB Blake Crowther is the New Era Player of the Week.
© Andrew P. Blackburn/New Era


And to make matters worse, senior quarterback Seth Zimmerman went down with a shoulder injury — an injury that will force him to undergo arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder in the coming days.

Enter sophomore Blake Crowther.

In his first two varsity starts under center, the 5-10, 155-pounder guided the Mounts to a pair of victories, including a wild 56-28 Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 2 win over Solanco last Friday night.

Against the Golden Mules, Crowther completed 8 of 11 passes for 214 yards, and he tossed five touchdown passes.

He also ran 49 yards for a touchdown.

Three of those TD passes went to senior tight end Chris Hull, and Crowther threw one TD pass apiece to senior wideout Kyle Sensenig and to his big brother, senior running back Ryan Crowther.

For his efforts, Blake Crowther is the New Era Player of the Week.

In his first start Oct. 21 against Dallastown, Crowther passed for 94 yards and a pair of TDs — both to Sensenig — and he also rushed for 132 yards, including a 70-yard TD keeper, in Ephrata's 27-7 win.

In two games, Crowther has completed 12 of 22 passes for 308 yards and seven TDs. He's only been intercepted once, and his NCAA passing efficiency rating of 268.1 is completely off the charts.

He also has rushed for 179 yards — averaging 11.9 yards a carry — and has scored a pair of TDs.

More importantly, Ephrata has won two games in a row since its rough, injury-riddled 1-6 start.

"Blake is a student of the game," Ephrata coach Ken Grove said. "He listens intently, and he makes good decisions. He enjoys the pressure.

"And the kids have rallied around him. Here your senior quarterback goes down, and we have to put a sophomore in there. But they have really rallied around Blake, and they've really helped him out."

Crowther didn't have any help when faced with the New Era's 8 Questions.

But he held his own:

YOU AND YOUR TEAMMATES HAD A HUGE NIGHT AGAINST SOLANCO. WHAT WAS THAT LIKE?

"It was really fun," Crowther said. "Everyone played well and we executed when we had to. And the line gave me time to throw the ball.

"I would say it was probably my best game ever. And it was even better to get the win."

WERE YOU READY TO GO WHEN ZIMMERMAN GOT HURT?

"It didn't really bother me that I wasn't the starter this year, because as a sophomore, I figured I'd get my chance later on," Crowther said.

"But I knew if they needed me, I'd be ready, and I'd be calm, and I could do the job. I played some receiver this season, so I knew the routes. That helped me with the offense."

WHAT HAS BEEN THE DIFFERENCE DURING THIS TWO-GAME HOT STREAK?

"We were coming off a bad stretch, but I think everyone knew that we could still be successful and win some games," Crowther said.

"We knew we had a good team. We just started having more fun. When you can have fun, you usually play better ... you don't worry about making mistakes.

"We've just sort of gone out and played and not worried about anything."

SO WHY THE 1-6 START?

"The injuries have definitely affected us (five starters are currently out and 11 guys are hurt)," Crowther said.

"And we played some really tough teams early on ... Township, Cocalico, Central, E-town. We hung with Cocalico. But it was really frustrating. We couldn't figure out what was going on."

KYLE SENSENIG HAS 34 CATCHES FOR 562 YARDS AND 9 TDs. HOW NICE IS IT HAVING HIM AS A TARGET?

"Kyle runs his routes really hard and he's a physical receiver," Crowther said.

"And he's got good speed and really nice hands. You'll never see the guy drop a ball -- not even in practice. He makes a lot of plays for us."

WHAT IS IT LIKE HAVING YOUR OLDER BROTHER RYAN AS A TEAMMATE?

"It's not really any different," Crowther said. "We're kind of just like any other players. But it's nice knowing that if we make mistakes, we can pick each other up. It's nice having him there.

"If something bad happens to me, he's the first one there to pick me up."

IS THERE A BACKYARD RIVALRY IN THE CROWTHER HOUSEHOLD?

"We used to be pretty competitive," Crowther said. "We used to fight a lot when we were little, but we've grown out of that. We get along pretty well.

"We always used to play football out in the backyard with our dad. And we used to ride bikes together and climb trees. All of that fun stuff."

WHAT HAPPENED AFTER YOU TOSSED A TD PASS TO YOUR BROTHER AGAINST SOLANCO?

"Nothing major," Crowther said. "He slapped me on the helmet. He really didn't say anything. But that was definitely cool."

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