Weidman Leads Mounts

Earlier in the week, when asked what he knew about Fleetwood, Ephrata coach Kris Miller had just four words to say: “We have to win.”

And Friday night at War Memorial Field, the Tigers, despite having lost their previous three, certainly made things interesting, especially in the second half. But each time Fleetwood quieted the home crowd, the Mounts had an answer, his name being Andre Weidman.

Not only did the senior and his offensive line take matters into their hands when it mattered, but his 32 rushes for 382 yards — a school record— also broke a long-standing school record for career yards held by Eric Freese, in a 48-28 Lancaster-Lebanon League Section Three win.

“All week we said we have to run the ball, and when we can run the ball our offense is nasty,” Weidman said. “This feels great; I’ve been waiting for this record, now I can just play football and have fun. I’m fully healthy and back to my normal self.”

The interesting thing is that Ephrata (2-2 L-L, 4-3 overall) took the opening kickoff 62 yards and scored when Sam McCracken found Jeremiah Knowles for a 32 yard score. After holding the Tigers on fourth down the next series, the Mounts’ second score also came on a McCracken-Knowles connection, this time from 31 yards out.

The third Ephrata score also was a pass, but it was a screen to Weidman from 27 yards out that seemed to set up the rest of his day.

Fleetwood made things interesting with the opening series of the second half, when QB Jack Riffle, under pressure, found Owen Kotsch, but the PAT was no good and the Mounts held a 21-13 advantage.

Kotsch blocked a punt with just under five minutes left in the third, leading to another Tigers score, but the Tigers again missed the PAT, and trailed 21-19. But the Mounts soon began to pull away.

Ultimately, Weidman’s score from 8 yards out with just under two minutes left in the fourth put the game to rest, and an interception by Clay Ringler on the Tigers’ final series ended any thoughts of a comeback.

Up next

The wild and wacky Section Three path doesn’t get any easier. In Week 8, Ephrata has a trip to Twin Valley, currently ranked fifth in the most recent District Three power rankings, while Fleetwood goes up against Elizabethtown.