The Daily Item, Sunbury, PA

Sports

November 7, 2009

Dragons roll to ninth win

TURBOTVILLE -- Lewisburg was missing its leading rusher in the regular-season finale Friday night, but it still had more than enough to top Warrior Run.

Nickolas Kifolo ran for two touchdowns and Cam Cassels threw for 108 yards and accounted for three scores as the Green Dragons romped to a 35-0 win in Heartland Athletic Conference crossover action at Defender Stadium.

With the victory, the Green Dragons (9-1) wrapped up their best regular season since a perfect 10-0 mark in 1981 and also solidified the No. 4 seed for the District 4 Class AA playoffs.

"No matter what happens in the playoffs, 9-1 is a great accomplishment," Lewisburg coach Todd Tilford said. "Coming into the season we had a lot of question marks. Things just went really well, and that's a credit to our kids."

Sophomore running back Merle Moscarello, who has 768 rushing yards for the season, was banged up, so he sat Friday night. But Tilford said he could have played if it were a playoff game.

Even without Moscarello, the Green Dragons' three-back tandem of Nate Brown, John Moscarello and Kifolo accounted for 124 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries.

But Lewisburg's passing attack was just as effective. Cassels completed seven-of-10 passes, including a 41-yard touchdown throw to Cody Raup and a 24-yard scoring toss to Robbie Gaines.

"(Cassels) has come along really nicely," Tilford said. "He threw well on the run tonight, and the last couple of games he threw well from the pocket."

Warrior Run (0-10) got another solid performance from sophomore running back Austin Oberdorf. He had 89 yards rushing and another 53 through the air, with all the receiving yards coming on the final two plays of the game.

"He's the future," Defenders coach Chris Eiswerth said. "The kids really respond to him."

Lewisburg, which took advantage of five Warrior Run turnovers on the night, went up 7-0 in the first quarter when Cassels called his own number and ran 12 yards around left end for the touchdown.

That's the way it stayed until the second quarter, when the Green Dragons exploded for three scores. Kifolo was stopped on a first-and-goal from the 10, but he then bounced it outside and scored for a 14-0 lead. Cassels found Raup behind the defense for his 41-yard TD pass and Kifolo scored from four yards out for a 28-0 halftime lead.

In the third quarter, Cassels found Gaines down the right sideline, and the 6-foot-2 junior wide out-leaped and caught it inside the goal line.

"We saw a matchup we liked there," Cassels said. "(Gaines) is a real good athlete and he can jump pretty well. If I just get the ball high to him, he can make a play -- and he did."

Text Only
Sports
  • H.S. Track & Field notebook: Better late than never

    As soon as the Class AA boys javelin throwers were finished Friday morning, Lewisburg’s Brandon Smith left his fellow competitors at the throwing area and took off for Seth Grove Stadium track, trying to hurry while negotiating the heavy foot traffic of fans, coaches and athletes.

    May 27, 2012

  • Keller runs to his first victory

    Amazing. That was the simple reply from Cody Keller after capping the long comeback from injury win his first sprint car race Saturday night at Selinsgrove Speedway.

    May 26, 2012

  • Zaktansky: Life lessons learned from an earthworm

    On my hands and knees, I slogged forward.
    The steady rain had long before soaked through my clothes and turned the ground underneath me into a slick film of runny mud. My back hurt, my fingers were caked with brown goop and my mouth was aching from holding a small flashlight as I slowly scanned the backyard.

    May 26, 2012

  • bunting.jpg Indigo buntings grace the Valley

    Summer is the best time for viewing a spectrum of colorful birds.
    Like most bird species, it is the male who exhibits bright coloration. From the orange and black patterns of the northern oriole to the scarlet tanager and yellow warbler and the rose-breasted grosbeak — all make a spectacle of themselves.

    May 26, 2012 1 Photo

  • Don Steese column: Counting the days

    Memorial Day weekend is traditionally the start of the summer vacation season. Kids are out school, the weather is beautiful and all is well with the world ... except for folks like myself, who find themselves counting the days until fall.

    May 26, 2012

  • Hartley, Billas fight off heat

    Melanie Hartley was drained, a puddle of nerves and perspiration after a brutal 400-meter dash. While the official thermometer at Shippensburg University flirted with 90 degrees on Saturday, the heavy dose of humidity had the packed house at Seth Grove Stadium sweltering.

    May 26, 2012

  • Moore bags two medals

    Matt Moore is a hard guy to please. Or at least, he finds it hard to take pleasure in his own track and field performances.

    May 26, 2012

  • Ken Maurer column: More talk about bass

    This past week I attended 2 meetings involving the PFBC.
    The first was in Harrisburg where fish commission officials explained to the state senators why they want the DEP to place the Susquehanna River on the “impaired” list. DEP has refused once, and the PFBC has reapplied.

    May 26, 2012

  • Scott Dudinskie's high school baseball column: Reich still going strong

    Bryan Reich feels it with every pitch he throws. Some would call it pain, maybe discomfort. The Milton right-hander chooses "annoyance."

    May 26, 2012

  • CSS37FB.jpg State Track & Field updates

    Get updates throughout the day on how Valley athletes are faring at the PIAA Track & Field Championships in Shippensburg.

    May 26, 2012 1 Photo

The Daily Marquee
Local Sports Video
Seasonal Content
National Sports Video
Parade
Magazine

Click HERE to read all your Parade favorites including Hollywood Wire, Celebrity interviews and photo galleries, Food recipes and cooking tips, Games and lots more.