CATAWISSA -- Make no qualms about it, this year's Southern Columbia football team is different than in years past -- especially the teams that routinely posted mercy-rule wins on the way to capturing five consecutive Class A state titles.
Southern relies on a committee of players to get the job done now, and Friday night's Central Susquehanna Conference Division II matchup with Lewisburg was a perfect example of teamwork as a number of people had a hand in leading the team to a 42-21 victory at Tiger Stadium.
"Well, I think we played a better Lewisburg team than what we've seen in the last few years," Southern coach Jim Roth said. "They've continued to progress from last year, and we didn't expect to have a cake walk (in the game)."
Senior running back Andrew Wimble was one of the key players in the game for Southern (3-1, 1-1 CSC-II), as the bulk of his 115 rushing yards and his two touchdowns came in the second half to help the Tigers blow open a close game as Lewisburg (1-3, 0-1) trailed by only 14-7 at the break.
Colby Snyder caught an 84-yard touchdown pass from Ted Heitzman to give the Tigers a 7-0 lead late in the first quarter, but the Green Dragons answered right back to knot the score as Scott Erb caught a 22-yard touchdown pass from Devin Cassels.
The Tigers muddled through much of the remaining first half, as a pair of fumbles and numerous penalties made the going tough.
But the team would go ahead 14-7 with 1 minute, 19 seconds remaining as Snyder caught another scoring strike from Heitzman, this one going for 14 yards.
Three plays before the touchdown, Southern kept the drive going by converting on a 4th-and-12 play as Heitzman connected on a 26-yard pass to Snyder.
"They converted on that fourth down, and we were one play away from going into halftime tied at 7," Lewisburg coach Todd Tilford said.
Whether or not it was the talking-to Roth and his coaching staff gave to the team in the lockerroom during halftime or the on-field adjustments that they made, the Tigers were a much more focused team in the second half.
Southern scored twice in the first 8:30 of the third on a six-yard run by junior Sam Springer and a one-yard run by Wimble to push the lead to 28-7.
Lewisburg cut the lead to 14 on Cassels 46-yard pass to Brett Aukerman, but Wimble broke off a 52-yard run with 22 seconds left in the third to build Southern's lead back to three touchdowns.
A one-yard run by Springer late in the fourth sealed the win.
"To Southern's credit, and kind of what we were worried about, is that they came out in the second half and they just had that extra gear and just pretty much shoved it right at us," Tilford said.
Heitzman threw for 235 yards on 8-of-13 passing, while Snyder caught six passes for 189 yards. Springer added 85 yards on 11 carries for the Tigers.
"I was pleased to see the way we kind of shifted gears in the second half and just came out and put it to them," Roth said.
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