Friday, March 29, 2024
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Braves scalp Mounts


On the night that its school inducted the 2015 Hall of Fame class, the Pequea Valley defense posted a dominating performance in leading the Braves to a 42-14 [boxscore] victory over Ephrata.

Pequea Valley’s defense absolutely manhandled the Mountaineers at the line of scrimmage, darting into the offensive backfield on nearly every play.

Ephrata, meanwhile, couldn’t get out of its own way, turning the ball over four times and committing eight penalties, including five 15-yarders (technically six, but one was changed to 9, because of the half the distance to the endzone rule). In the end, Ephrata totaled just 110 total yards of offense while amassing 99 yards of penalties.

Pequea’s Jordan Lapp threw four touchdown passes — two to Austin Fisher and one each to Chad Mullen and Jason Stoltzfus.

Gabriel Allgyer added a 42-yard touchdown run and 41-yard interception return for a touchdown.

Charles Warden provided a bright spot for Ephrata, returning a kick 87 yards for a touchdown and adding a 29-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.

Turning point: Trailing only 7-0, Ephrata self-destructed over a four-play sequence in the second quarter. Two straight big runs by Pequea’s Stoltzfus (14 and 15 yards) were followed by personal fouls that tacked on 24 extra yards. On the next play, Lapp hit Mullen for a nine-yard touchdown, followed by yet another Ephrata personal foul on the ensuing kickoff.

Key statistic: Two. The number of first downs yielded in the first half by Pequea Valley’s defense as the Braves raced out to 35-7 lead.

Stars of the game: The Pequea Valley defensive front, let by lineman John Lindquist, controlled the line of scrimmage all game, limiting Ephrata to 110 total yards (only 27 yards through the first three quarters) while forcing three interceptions and a fumble.