Blue Streaks outlast Ephrata

With the game on the line in the final minutes, Manheim Township coach Mike Melnyk knew he wanted the ball in the hands of senior running back Scott Sallade.

His faith was rewarded as Sallade pounded out runs of seven and eight yards for a critical first down, and followed that up with a 34-yard sprint to the end zone for the decisive score in a hard-fought 35-28 [box score] victory for Township (1-0, Section One, 3-1 overall) over Ephrata (0-1, 0-4).
 

"He's our guy in crunch time," affirmed Melnyk. "Another close victory gives us more confidence."

Sallade's score was necessary due to a gutsy comeback by Ephrata. Trailing 28-14 entering the fourth quarter, the Mounts came up with two effective scoring drives as well as some clutch defensive stops.

The comeback was launched by senior running back Alex Pstrak, who rumbled for 39 yards to give Ephrata a first and goal. On third down from the 5, quarterback Jeremy Franck hit Andrew Burkholder to cut the deficit to 28-21.

Following a big defensive stop, Ephrata began to move the ball again. And that's when things got a little crazy.

The Mounts turned the ball over on a fumble, but Township returned the favor on its first play. With new life, Franck found Tucker Keefer in the corner of the end zone for an 18-yard scoring strike that tied the score at 28-28.

"That comeback was all about heart," exclaimed Ephrata coach Jim Vieland. "Our guys never quit."

On the other hand, Melnyk didn't like that the Streaks allowed Ephrata back in the game.

"We can't let teams crawl back, but they did play their guts out,'' he said.

Township claimed a two-touchdown lead thanks to a big third quarter by Dillon O'Dell.

O'Dell took the first pitch of the second half, started left, saw a small hole in the defense and sprinted to daylight, going 64 yards to give the Blue Streaks a 21-14 lead just 17 seconds into the third quarter.

O'Dell added another 11-yard touchdown run later in the quarter to put Township on top 28-14.

Playing the first half in a heavy downpour, Ephrata's and Manheim Township's offenses both came out with one mission: run the ball.

Consider the mission accomplished, albeit in slightly different ways.

The Mounts chipped away with short gains, using the combination of Tim Murray's speed and Pstrak's power along with an occasional quarterback keeper by Franck to keep the Blue Streaks' defense off balance.

The team's first possession included 10 rushes for 60 yards as well as a timely fourth-down pass from Frank to Murray. Frank finished the six-minute drive off with a two-yard touchdown run.

Township had its own ideas about dominating on the ground, but the Streaks did it with larger chunks of yardage. The team's first four plays featured four different ball carriers and tallied 46 yards. Sallade raced off tackle from eleven yards out for the Streaks' first score.

"We couldn't stop the off tackle," lamented Vieland. "They gashed us for some big runs."

Ephrata answered immediately with another time-consuming drive that featured another heavy dose of the run. The 11-play, 57-yard drive culminated with Frank's second touchdown of the game, this time from eight yards out.

The Mounts' were helped out by converting on six of eight third downs in the first half.

Townhip responded, using O'Dell's 33-yard scamper to move deep into Ephrata territory. Matt Sallade tied the game at 14 with a one-yard touchdown run.