Unbeaten Conrad Weiser earned a commanding 35-7 win over Fleetwood Friday night at Fleetwood in a Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 3 matchup.
Donovan Gingrich was 11-for-11 passing for 225 passing yards and two touchdowns, including 147 yards and two touchdowns in the first half to help establish a resounding lead for the Scouts. He also ran for a 1-yard rushing touchdown in the third quarter and had 30 rushing yards.
For Gingrich, the positive outcome was the result of redemptive motivation stemming from a 31-20 loss to the Tigers last season.
“Our keyword was revenge,” Gingrich said. “We lost last year so our whole entire motto this week was revenge. We wanted to give it um.”
In addition to avenging last year’s defeat, the win doubles Conrad Weiser’s win total from a year ago, as Gingrich and the rest of the seniors look to end their high school football careers on a high note.
“I just think it’s kind of our seniors just being together,” Gingrich said of the team’s recent success. “We have 19 seniors so we all come together and this is our last year so we’re giving everything we have on the field.”
Fellow senior Evan Rittle caught six passes for 127 receiving yards and two touchdowns, including three catches for 106 yards and two touchdowns in the first half.
Looking to have a strong start to league play after going undefeated through the first three weeks of the season, the Scouts looked formidable early and did not allow the Tigers any breathing room for a comeback.
On the opening drive, Gingrich got off on the right foot after starting at the Conrad Weiser 28. The senior starting quarterback threw a 70-yard touchdown to Rittle just a minute and a half into the game to complete a three-play, 72-yard drive.
“On and off the field we get along and we connect,” Rittle said. “It’s everything you could ask for.”
Fleetwood went three-and-out on its first possession and Scouts wasted no time in adding to their lead. On the next drive, Gingrich connected with junior Dylan Parr for a 37-yard pass that set up a 2-yard rushing touchdown by junior running back Javien Rivera.
As it did on the first drive, a sack ended the Tigers ensuing possession, forcing them to punt.
Fleetwood (2-2, 0-1) did not pick up a first down in the opening quarter. Overall, Fleetwood rushed for 64 yards on 25 attempts and recorded 82 passing yards, while the Scouts rushed for 131 yards on 30 attempts.
Conrad Weiser’s defense has allowed just 21 points through the first four games.
“Our defense is really shining,” Rittle said. “It’s putting our offense in good positions, and our offense puts our defense in good positions. So really all the way around its total balance.”
Late in the first, Gingirch and Rittle connected once more for a score. This time, Rittle caught a pass on the left sideline on third and 13 and juked multiple defenders before taking the play to the end zone for a 34-yard score with 23.6 seconds left in the first.
“We started from flag football so we’ve been playing for years and years,” Gingrich said. “We live two minutes away from each other, so we’re always at each other’s houses. We’re always hanging out outside of sports, and then, of course, in sports we just have that chemistry.”
The Tigers fumbled the ensuing kickoff before the end of the first quarter, which led to a three-play, 24-yard drive that was capped off with 15-yard rushing touchdown by Jonathan McQuillen for Conrad Weiser.
The Scouts’ defense allowed just 8 rushing yards on 16 carries in the first half as well as 52 passing yards through the first two quarters. Senior linebacker Ashton Kiebach had three sacks in the first half, with a couple coming on third down for Conrad Weiser. The Scouts had five sacks in the first half.
“He’s really coming into his own,” Conrad Weiser coach Alan Moyer said of Kiebach. “He’s using a lot of different moves and is very coachable. But we’re doing many special things on defense they’re just swarming the ball.
“(The defensive success) it’s a result of a lot of hard work. The coaches have done a great job just preparing the kids from spring on. We had this defense installed, and a lot of these kids spent time on defense last year and took their whooping. So they learned a lot, they gained a lot of experience, and they were really hungry to play this year.”
The Scouts (4-0, 1-0) rushed 15 times for 75 yards in the first half. Rivera led the Conrad Weiser rushing game with 45 rushing yards.
Fleetwood picked up a first down on the opening drive of the second half, but was forced to punt a minute into the quarter.
The Scouts then spent the next five minutes orchestrating a 10-play scoring drive that started at their own 16. Gingrich and Rittle linked up for several passes, and Gingrich had a 14-yard run that set him up for a 1-yard rushing score with 5:54 to go.
The Tigers lone score came on a 2-yard rushing touchdown by Tristan McFarland with 56.4 seconds left in the third quarter.
Starting with the ball in the fourth, Conrad Weiser took five minutes off the clock before a fumbled snap by Connor Sellars playing in at quarterback for Gingrich gave the ball back to Fleetwood at the Scouts 34.
The Tigers could not record another score in regulation.
Source: Berkshire mont
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