By Harold Raker
LEWISBURG -- Both Lewisburg and Loyalsock tasted defeat at the hands of Hughesville this season. Last week, Loyalsock got its revenge with a 17-6 win over the Spartans in a District 4 Class AA semifinal, thus denying Lewisburg that same privilege.
So now the two hottest teams in the district will square off at 1 p.m. Saturday at Bucknell University's Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium in the D4 Class AA championship game. The Green Dragons (11-1), coming off a 19-14 win over top seed Towanda, are playing in their first district final. The Lancers (9-3) won the title two years ago.
Loyalsock was struggling at mid-season, losing 20-0 to Mount Carmel and having to rally for a 20-12 victory over winless Warrior Run. After knocking off Montoursville the following week, the Lancers came close to handing Towanda its first loss, before falling 24-21 in overtime.
It was in that game against the Black Knights that Loyalsock coach Alex Jackson made one of the changes which he believes helped spark the team. He moved running back Stephen Stopper, who was on his way to another 1,000-yard season, to quarterback.
The Lancers have not lost since and Stopper comes into Lewisburg with 1,285 yards rushing and 13 touchdowns, along with 710 passing yards (34-of-84) with 4 TDs and just one interception.
Of his team's turnaround, Jackson said, "First of all, we have had better weather and that always helps. But having Stephen back there and having some flexibility, and flip-flopping some linemen, gave us some more balance. Once we got a vertical passing game that teams had to worry about, it opened things up."
Meanwhile, the Green Dragons have also had a change at quarterback, with sophomore Cam Cassels replacing injured senior Jay Mathias. In five games, Cassels has thrown for 728 yards and 6 TDs.
Lewisburg coach Todd Tilford said, "As a coach, it's pleasant surprises like that you like to see. From where he was in the beginning of the year to playing in the biggest game of his career as a 10th-grader. He held his own, and that was really nice to see."
Tilford added, "Cam has been improving every week."
Last week, he hooked up with junior wide receiver Ryan Lopes on a pair of TD passes to beat Towanda.
"Cam put the ball where he had to and Ryan made great individual efforts, and broke tackles on both touchdowns he scored. Ryan keeps on getting better, too," Tilford said.
"To get to 11-1, you have to have a lot of things go right," said Tilford, noting that different players such as Cassels, have come through when needed.
Another, he said, was sophomore Mark Hall, who filled in at safety for Robbie Gaines (groin pull in Montoursville game) and, making his first start, made a great play to break up a pass at the goal line in the fourth quarter.
The Green Dragons have been solid on defense, as expected with seven returning starters this season, but have also excelled offensively, outscoring opponents 359-97.
Jackson said he is not surprised at Lewisburg's success, but then he said that, with the great athletes in the district, he is not surprised at any D4 teams.
As for the Green Dragons, Jackson said, "Lewisburg has been known not only for its football but they've had very good basketball teams, they have been very athletic in wrestling, they've got a lot of athletes down there."
Jackson believes Saturday's game will come down to matchups and turnovers.
"If they get matched up on us somehow they might have the edge and vice versa. It's going to be a chess match. Football is a fragile sport. If somebody gets up on another or one is not ready mentally, things can change in a hurry, so I'm expecting a very physical football team (in Lewisburg). They are confident in what they're doing, they're winning and we've got to try to match up with them a little bit."
Both teams are solid at linebacker. The Lancers have one of the district's best units with the Kinney brothers, sophomore Mike and senior Don, on the outside, and senior Steve Engler in the middle.
Tilford said, "For us, this will be the first time we faced the 4-3 all year and they are really solid. They have good size and quickness at linebacker. It's going to be tough. They made a lot of plays versus Hughesville last week. It will be important to get those linebackers blocked because they run to the ball very well."
And that sounds a lot like the fine Lewisburg quintet of John Moscarello, Joe Affsprung, Cody Raup, Nate Brown and Brandon Smith.
Jackson said, "When you get to the finals in our district, you are going to see some good ... not only linebackers, but good all-around defenses. (The teams) are there for a reason: they play hard-nosed defense, rally to the ball, and our kids do the same."
Jackson said he can tell watching Lewisburg that their players love playing defense and his kids are the same way.
When it comes to offense, the Lancers have relied not only on Stopper running the ball at quarterback, but Mike Kinney at fullback. Kinney has run for 731 yards and 10 TDs.
Lewisburg also relies on a sophomore fullback, as Merle Moscarello has run for 1,008 yards and 7 TDs. He is complemented well by Brown, who has 616 yards and 13 TDs.
