Raiders top Mounts

Elco quarterback Jeffrey Martin led an aerial assault against Ephrata, leading his squad to a 55-7 victory [box score] on Friday night.

Martin hit his first four pass attempts on the Raiders’ opening drive, connecting with 6-foot-1, 220-pound tight end Dylan Stoops from 16 yards out for their first of two scoring plays.

Later in the half, Martin lofted a perfect pass to Dustin Miller for a 64-yard touchdown. Still later, Martin hit Kory Brown for 43 yards to set up Elco’s sixth touchdown.

The Elco defense also got involved in the scoring when Luis Rolon intercepted a pass and raced 38 yards for a score to put the Raiders up 28-0.

Meanwhile, Ephrata did manage some big plays. Michael Caraballo caught a 17-yard touchdown reception from Jory Hagen. Running back Zachary Lorah struck for a 28-yard run and a 42-yard reception.

Turning point: Ephrata actually had chances early in the game, but three dropped passes doomed the Mountaineers. On two different occasions, Ephrata receivers failed to hold onto passes that would have been big gains, and a third key drop came on a potential interception deep in Elco territory.

Star of the game: Martin provided efficiency and explosiveness all night for Elco. In the first half, he hit four pass plays of over 20 yards while demonstrating the ability to check down for shorter gains. He finished the first half 16-of-18 for 260 yards and three touchdowns.

Key statistic: 2. The number of incompletions that the Ephrata defense could force upon Martin in the first half. The Mounts had no answer for the electrifying passing attack of the Raiders.

Quotable: “I am proud our kids executed so well,” said Elco head coach Robert Miller. “Things are starting to come together.”

• Prev
• Next