Cocalico holds off Ephrata
- 03 October 2009
Cocalico running back Austin Hartman used his speed and agility to make up for early miscues and helped prevent the Ephrata Mounts from completing their second-half comeback in Denver Friday night.Hartman, a junior running back, rushed for 234 yards as the Eagles (1-1, 4-1) withstood an Ephrata charge, winning 28-10 [boxscore] against their cross-town rival.
He atoned for two early fumbles, including one in the first quarter of a scoreless game on the 1-yard line of Ephrata that the Mounts (0-2, 0-5) recovered in the end zone. The Mounts defense was strong early, stopping the Eagles from getting any big plays on the ground or through the air. The game was scoreless after one quarter.
"Our kids made some dumb mistakes tonight. We turned the ball over and weren't crisp. I'll take the blame for that. I did not have them prepared to play like I thought we were going to," said Eagles head coach Dave Gingrich.
In the second quarter, Cocalico quarterback Matt Carty dropped back on third and 25 and lofted a pass down the right side to Kyle Rissell, who sped past the defensive back for the score. Andrew Prevoznik made the first of four extra points on the day for the 7-0 lead.
This was one of only three completions on the day for Carty, who struggled with his accuracy against the winless Mounts.
"We saw a different defense tonight and couldn't get the protection we liked. We had guys open, but know matter how much you work at it, sometimes passing just does not work," said Gingrich.
Cocalico scored again on its next drive, getting help from Ephrata on a late hit penalty. The drive ended with a 5-yard run by Hartman, who carried the ball 27 times in the game. The defense then forced Ephrata into a three-and-out.
Cocalico started at its own 41 on the next drive. Carty threw a long pass to Kevin Antol, who was tripped up in the process of going for the catch. The pass interference call gave the Eagles a first down. On second and ten from the 35, Carty broke loose on a long run, breaking two tackles before being tackled at the 1. Hartman then ran it in on the next play for the 21-0 lead.
Ephrata got on the board right before the half without running an offensive play. The Mounts blocked the Eagles punt attempt, with Weston Rudisill returning it inside the 10. Chris Fassnacht kicked a 21-yard field goal for a 21-3 score at halftime.
Hartman fumbled on the first play of the second half, and Ephrata started its comeback behind the arm of sophomore quarterback Jeremy Franck and senior running back George Murray.
Franck completed a 17-yard pass to Zach Sandoe on fourth-and-11 from the 24. Two plays later, Murray ran in from 4 yards to cut the lead to 11, at 21-10.
"Ephrata battled us all night. They were down 21-0 and kept hitting us. They never gave up and played a whale of a game," said Gingrich.
The Mounts regained possession after a missed fourth-down conversion by Cocalico. The team drove inside the 20 on the first possession in the fourth quarter, but Fassnacht's 33-yard field goal missed just wide left.
"They played great and never quit. We were playing for respect this week. We did that and can now keep the negative vibes away about our team," said Ephrata coach Jim Vieland. "We had given up in past weeks, and did not do that today. I am proud of the guys."
Cocalico then drove 80 yards in four minutes, scoring on a 16-yard run by Hartman. The junior carried eight times on the drive.
We here at www.ephratamounts.com are proud sponsors of the Dodgeball for Diabetes tournament.