Mounts Splinter Cedars

LEBANON — Ephrata had a lot on the line Friday night — a winning season and a morethan- theoretical shot at qualifying for the District Three playoffs.

For a half, the Mounts played like it. It was just enough.

Ephrata held off a Lebanon rally to defeat the Cedars 24-22 [boxscore] in a Lancaster- Lebanon League Section Three game at Alumni Stadium.

The Mounts were really good early. They got a steady-at-the-helm performance from quarterback Caden Keefer. They spread the ball around; seven Mounts carried the ball before halftime. They kept Lebanon’s speedy, explosive offense in front of them.

They got touchdowns on Keefer’s 5-yard pass to Kyle Raudenbush, a 1-yard Keefer run and a 21-yard Richard Greer run, all in the first quarter.

It’s not like the Mounts let their foot off the gas, either. They pulled off a fake punt in the second quarter and tried, and nearly pulled off, an onsides kick after the third TD.

They ran the twominute offense nicely (with some help from a pass interference call the Lebanon sideline hated) and got a 30-yard Kai Mast field goal just before halftime.

But Lebanon (5-2 L-L, 5-3 overall) had enough confidence in its big-play potential, and enough resolve, to keep plugging.

The Cedars got 264 passing yards from Isaiah Rodriguez, 136 of them on ten catches by superb wideout Alexander Rufe, reeled off 15 second-half first downs and kept it interesting to the end.

All this with the Mounts getting a clutch interception on their own 1-yard line from Caster Shuman on a ball that hit three players’ hands, including Rufe’s.

It seemed over then, still 24-0 in the middle of the third quarter.

But Nathaniel Portes broke the ice for Lebanon on a rumbling 13yard run with 1:14 left in the third.

Still, it seemed over again, when Rodriguez fumbled it away on a sack with seven minutes left.

Lebanon was stifling the Ephrata ground game at this point. And the Cedars next drive was eight plays, 79 yards and no mistakes. Rodriguez punched it in from 6 yards out and the Cedars hit a 2-point conversion pass to make it 24-14.

Six plays later, the Cedars blocked a punt, Julian Manzolillo grabbing it and sprinting home from 22 yards out. Again, Rodriguez rumbled in for the two-pointer.

Lebanon had momentum, a stoked homecoming crowd and … no timeouts left.

Ephrata’s Brock Boyer delivered a clutch 16-yard, chain-moving run, and the Mounts were able to end it in victory formation.

The loss is a severe hit for Lebanon’s section title hopes. The Cedars had been tied with Lancaster Catholic and Donegal at 5-1. They host Octorara next week and end the regular season at Annville-Cleona.

Ephrata is 4-3, 4-4, with winnable games remaining at home with Pequea Valley and at Octorara.

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