LANCASTER — Trying for its first outright section title in program history, Schuylkill Valley came up short on Friday night.
The Panthers struggled on offense and were unable to mount a comeback, losing to Lancaster Catholic 35-14 in a Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 5 regular season finale.
“A poor performance,” Schuylkill Valley coach Bruce Harbach said. “The kids weren’t ready to play. It’s my fault. I’ll take the blame for it.”
With the result, the Panthers (6-1, 8-2) share the title with the Crusaders (6-1, 9-1) and Annville-Cleona (6-1, 7-3). The Little Dutchmen, who Schuylkill Valley beat 14-13 last week, defeated Northern Lebanon 24-0 on Friday night.
The section title is the first in program history for Schuylkill Valley. The Panthers already tied the program record for wins in a season, matching totals of the 2003 and 2012 teams, and will have an opportunity to break the record in the upcoming District 3 Class 3A playoffs.
“Eight wins is nothing to be ashamed about,” Harbach said. “We didn’t want to share (the title), but that’s the way it worked out.”
Friday night also marked Harbach’s first game back at Lancaster Catholic, as he coached the Crusaders from 2002-17. He led Lancaster Catholic to two state titles, four District 3 titles and a 139-55 record.
While Schuylkill Valley looked to make a statement in Harbach’s return, it committed nine penalties for 86 yards and finished 0-for-3 on fourth-down conversion attempts. The Panthers were unable to find their rhythm on offense, registering 133 yards — including just 32 on the ground — and five first downs.
“We weren’t functioning tonight,” Harbach said. “We got to have a short-term memory and go back to work next week.”
Lancaster Catholic opened the scoring midway through the first quarter with a 14-yard touchdown run from running back Elijah Cunningham to go up 7-0. Cunningham, a senior, finished with 91 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries.
After the Crusaders lost a fumble at their 1-yard line, running back Dominic Giuffre powered into the end zone to put tie it at 7-7.
Lancaster Catholic broke the tie early in the second quarter on a 10-yard touchdown run from wide receiver R.J. Gonzalez. The Crusaders added to their lead with 21 seconds remaining in the half on a 4-yard rushing touchdown from Cunningham.
With the Panthers down 21-7 early in the third quarter, Schuylkill Valley defensive back Cooper Hohenadel intercepted quarterback David Stefanow and returned it 51 yards to the end zone. However, the would-be touchdown was nullified by a holding penalty during the return.
Regardless of the flag, the play shifted the momentum in Schuylkill Valley’s favor, as quarterback Logan Nawrocki found wide receiver Kowen Gerner for a 28-yard touchdown a few plays later to cut Lancaster Catholic’s lead to 21-14. Nawrocki, a junior, finished 11-of-22 passing for 101 yards and the score.
The Crusaders responded late in the third quarter with a 27-yard touchdown pass from Stefanow to Gonzalez. Stefanow, a junior, finished 9-of-14 passing for 89 yards and the touchdown with one interception.
Down 28-14, the Panthers tried to mount a comeback, moving the ball into the red zone on their next two drives. However, Schuylkill Valley was stopped on fourth-and-7 at the Lancaster Catholic 9 with less than 12 minutes to go and on fourth-and-6 at the Lancaster Catholic 8-yard line with less than 10 minutes remaining.
“We just didn’t prepare well,” Nawrocki said about the loss. “They wanted it more.”
The Crusaders sealed it with a 62-yard touchdown run from running back Brandon Way that made it 35-14 midway through the fourth quarter. Way, a sophomore, finished with 121 yards and the TD on 23 carries.
“We got some experience versus a good team,” Nawrocki said. “We’ll probably play more teams like this and hopefully we can play a better game.”
Source: Berkshire mont