TURBOTVILLE — Even on Warrior Run’s biggest play of the night, one which gave the Defenders a chance to take the early lead against Southern Columbia, there was something wrong.
Warrior Run coach Scott Shaffer said that the Defenders were lined up in the wrong formation when quarterback Bryson Brooke hooked up with split end Jed Hertzler for a 65-yard completion.
It was that kind of night for Warrior Run, which saw Southern score 20 points in the second quarter en route to a 33-6 Central Susquehanna Conference Division II victory.
“That’s a basic play we worked on all week (to run) against Southern, and the guys weren’t thinking,” a frustrated Shaffer said afterward.
The play happened on Warrior Run’s second possession in a scoreless game, giving the Defenders (3-2 overall, 0-2 CSC-II) a first down at Southern’s 11-yard line after Tigers linebacker Sam Springer saved the TD by catching Hertzler from behind.
Tailback Quaid Richart took it to the 8 on the next play. But that’s where things went really wrong for Warrior Run. Wide receiver Steve Martin was tackled for a two-yard loss, then tackle Ken Schetroma, subbing both ways for injured two-way starter Justin Knoebel (high ankle sprain) sacked Brooke for a 15-yard loss. The drive ended when cornerback Zeke Conrad stopped Brooke for no gain.
Given new life, the Tigers (4-1, 2-1) capitalized, driving 75 yards in eight plays with quarterback Ted Heitzman scampering around the left side for a 19-yard touchdown with 11:17 to play in the second quarter. The PAT was wide. A key play on the march was a 33-yard pickup by halfback Andrew Wimble on a double reverse.
Fullback-linebacker Steve Roth (85 yards and a touchdown), said, “That was a great defensive stand. It was huge to keep the zero on the scoreboard.”
And Coach Roth, Steve’s uncle, agreed it was a momentum-changing series. “Any time you do that it’s huge. It helped give the offense a little extra momentum, if they needed it.”
Nevertheless, Shaffer said it wouldn’t have made a difference.
“It’s embarrassing. We’re making the same mistakes over and over again. We have a lack of leadership.”
The Tigers also scored on their next two possessions, first on a 63-yard run by fullback Kyle Breech and then on 3-yard TD run by Roth, set up by Austin Carpenter’s interception, for a 20-0 halftime lead.
“The line was really opening up holes and I don’t think people realized how good Warrior Run was this year, and how big of a game this was for us,” Steve Roth said.
Coach Roth, noting that Warrior Run’s defense had been tough against the run all season, said, “Without question that was the best offensive game we’ve had this year, both blocking and running. I was particularly pleased with the way our team ran tonight.”
While Southern was getting its ground game in high gear (the Tigers ran for 393 rushing yards), Warrior Run always managed to do things to stall drives. After a couple of nice runs by Richart moved the Defenders into Tigers territory, a lateral lost two yards and Brooke lost his footing and 11 yards during a brief shower that hit Defenders Stadium midway through the second quarter.
Warrior Run appeared to have picked up a first down on a third-and-one play on its first series of the second half, but the officials marked the ball two yards short. After that, Southern drove for another score, a two-yard run by Carpenter.
Reserve running back David Shoop added the final TD for the Tigers and running back Josh Smith got the Defenders on the board with a 3-yard run with 4:14 left in the game.
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