Short-handed Warwick handles Ephrata

Warwick has absorbed its share of punishment all season long. On Friday, the Warriors inflicted it.

The injury-plagued squad rushed 50 times for 213 yards and three scores to beat Ephrata, 30-14 [box score], at War Memorial Field and retain the George Male Trophy.
 

Senior running back Anthony Boak accounted for 121 of those yards, on 30 bruising carries, as the Warriors moved to 2-1 in Section One, 2-4 overall.

"I thought the kids did a pretty phenomenal job," coach Bob Locker said, "considering the state we're in, with the injuries."

Quarterback Tyler Farnan played for the first time since suffering a concussion in the season-opening loss to Dallastown, but Warwick was without his replacement, Zach Hurst, who was concussed last week against Manheim Township. Also missing were center Jared Good (ankle), guard A.J. Sanderson (concussion) and fullback-linebacker Nate Johnson (ankle). Two-way lineman Nick Johnson, Nate's brother, is out for the season with a knee injury.

But the Warriors trailed only briefly, at 7-3, and turned two second-half fumbles by the Mounts (0-3, 0-6) into touchdowns. Ephrata, which was minus-six in turnover ratio entering the game (as was Warwick), lost three fumbles in all.

"That's the game right there," Mounts coach Jim Vieland said. "It's a recurring theme. We gave them two short fields. Those two scores made the difference in the ballgame, and those are two drives we don't have."

With Ephrata down just 10-7, quarterback Jeremy Franck lost a fumble at the Mounts' 42 on the first play of the second half. The Warriors cashed in six plays later, when Farnan (8-for-14, 96 yards passing) hit Korey Johnson with a 34-yard touchdown throw.

The Mounts answered with an 11-play, 79-yard drive, with Tim Murray (11-82 rushing) going the final three to cut the gap to 17-14.

But on the first play after a missed field goal by the Warriors' Shawn Mearig, Franck lost the snap and Warwick's Chad Messimer recovered at the Ephrata 20. It took five plays for the visitors to score from there, on a five-yard carry by Brady Forney out of the Wildcat formation with 10:13 left in the game.

That made it 23-14, as Mearig's conversion kick sailed wide. Farnan sneaked two yards for the night's final points with 2:07 left, capping a 13-play, 52-yard drive. Boak accounted for 39 of those yards, on 11 rushes.

Mearig had connected on a 35-yard field goal to cap Warwick's first possession of the game, but the Mounts marched 81 yards in 11 plays to take their lone lead of the night. Franck, who earlier in the drive had converted a third-and-15 with a 28-yard pass to Murray, sneaked the final yard.

Forney (14-67 rushing) keyed the ensuing Warriors possession by catching two passes for 22 yards and rushing four times for 20, including the final two with 8:48 left in the first half.