Male trophy stays in Lititz

The George Male Trophy is staying in Lititz.

In the annual battle for the coveted prize, Warwick capitalized on five Ephrata turnovers and knocked off its backyard rival for the 15th year in a row, winning 42-14 in a nonleague football game at Ephrata’s War Memorial Field.

Senior running back Christian Royer ran for a team-high 127 yards and three TDs, junior Colin Winters chipped in with 28 yards on the ground and a pair of touchdowns, and junior defensive back Tanner Weik returned a fumble 20 yards to account for Warwick’s scoring. “I was most pleased with the fact that we righted the ship after messing around for awhile (to open the game),” Warwick coach Bob Locker said. “It was another slow start. The thing I was most impressed with was the second half when we wore them down.”

Ephrata’s Andre Weidman was impressive in his own right, rumbling for a game-high 196 rushing yards and a TD on 21 carries. But Warwick’s defense made plays in big moments, and of course, the Mounts hurt themselves with giveaways.

Turning point

Following a sloppy start in their own right, the Warriors (2-1), who had two fumbles and a turnover on their first four possessions, turned the page in the second half. Royer ran for 89 of his yards after the break, and after Ephrata (2-1) closed to 28-15 on Weidman’s 5-yard TD run with 7:46 left in the third quarter, the Mounts crossed midfield just one more time. Warriors QB Jack Reed was 14-of-28 passing for 206 yards.

Ephrata’s first-half score came on a Hunter Mortimer to Elijah Knowles 13-yard TD pass. Mortimer finished 10-of-20 passing for 143 yards with a touchdown and an interception.

• Prev
• Next