MILTON —
To survive the brutal Heartland Athletic Conference Division II schedule, the Central Columbia football team had to show plenty of resiliency.
Never was that more evident than in the win that clinched at least a tie for the HAC-II title for the Blue Jays on Friday night.
After falling behind Lewisburg for the first time in the fourth quarter, Central Columbia calmly marched down the field for the game-winning touchdown with 2:13 left. The Blue Jays downed the Green Dragons 16-15 at Blue Jay Stadium.
“Our schedule and this league is such a meat grinder,” Jason Hippenstiel said. “But when I came back three years ago these kids were sophomores. They made it their goal to win something by their senior year. We’ve accomplished the first part of our goals this season.”
The Blue Jays improved to 7-1 (3-1 HAC-II) and clinched at least a tie for the title. Loyalsock is 2-1 in the league and still has next week’s game with the Green Dragons (6-2, 2-2 HAC-II) left.
Friday certainly looked like a typical Lewisburg game this season, start slow and finish big, as the Blue Jays took a 9-0 lead and held Lewisburg to just one first down until late in the second quarter.
The Blue Jays looked to extend their lead in the second quarter, driving into Lewisburg territory once again before Andrew Nash tipped a pass that Luke Smith intercepted. Smith returned it 36 yards into Central territory.
The Green Dragons drove 47 yards in seven plays to cut the lead to 9-7 on Nick Costagliola’s 3-yard TD run with 3:10 left in the second quarter.
There was a 42-minute thunderstorm delay in the third quarter, and neither team could score until the fourth.
Andrew Nash returned a punt 50 yards to the Central 37 to set up Lewisburg’s next scoring drive. Six plays later, Joey Gardner scored from 5 yards out, and a two-point conversion pass to Brandon Batman gave Lewisburg 15-9 lead.
The teams exchanged punts before Central got the ball back with 5:06 left in the game. The Blue Jays went 66 yards in six plays, taking 2:53 off the clock. Jordan Thivierge hit Jarrod Flick with a 24-yard TD pass on third-and-5. Dylan Hine’s extra point gave the Blue Jays a 16-15 advantage.
Lewisburg got the ball back with 2:06 left in the game, but the Central defense — which held the Green Dragons to just 168 total yards — didn’t allow a first down.
Game Night Online
Central Columbia rallies past Lewisburg in HAC-II clash
- Football News Wire
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High School Football Scoreboard
PIAA Playoffs
Friday
PIAA Class AAA Quarterfinal
at Bethlehem
Allentown Central Catholic 41, Selinsgrove 13 FINALSaturday
Continued ...
PIAA Class AA Quarterfinal
at HersheyPark Stadium
Wyomissing 52, Danville 0, FINAL
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Lewisburg's Brandon Smith will walk on at Penn State as a linebacker
LEWISBURG - Some may question Lewisburg Brandon Smith's decision to walk on at Penn State despite getting two offers from Ivy League schools at both Penn and Princeton. For the Lewisburg senior though, it all came down to his faith and believing in it.
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Brandon Smith sweeps 2012 high school football honors
LEWISBURG - When he was playing football at Lewisburg High, Nathaniel Brown once joked in a film session after watching himself throw a block that if he could block for himself, he would have a lot more yards.
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Daily Item names 2012 high school football all-stars
SELINSGROVE - If the 2012 edition of The Daily Item All-Stars were not a fictional team, the quarterback would find a familiar downfield target. But Bloomsburg quarterback Ricky Klingerman, while knowing he could make big plays with teammate and cousin wide receiver John Klingerman, the Panthers’ junior first-year starter might be just as content to hand the ball off to one of his elite running backs.
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Jim Keiser and Dave Hess are 2012 Coaches of the Year
Two of the pleasant surprises among Valley football teams this season were the turnaround by Selinsgrove and the solid season by a young Danville team.
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Nine local football stars earn all-state nods
LEWISBURG - For the third consecutive season Lewisburg linebacker Brandon Smith headlines the Valley’s contingent on the Pennsylvania Sports Writers All-State Football team.
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High school football: Eagles place five on All-Star team
Following a hotly-contested 2012 season, Line Mountain placed a combined five players on the 2012 Tri-Valley League All-Star Team, as selected by the league's head coaches.
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HAC champions dominate all-star teams
In addition to claiming its first District 4 Class AA title since 1999, Danville also put the most players onto the 2012 Heartland Athletic Conference All-Star team, as selected recently by the league’s head coaches.
Continued ...
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High School Football Scoreboard
- Box Scores
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- Wyomissing 52, Danville 0
- Allentown Central Catholic 41, Selinsgrove 13
- Danville 28, Mount Carmel 21
- Dunmore 35, Southern Columbia 29
- Southern Columbia 47, South Williamsport 12
- Mount Carmel 48, Montoursville 20
- Danville 14, Athens 13
- Selinsgrove 31, Milton 0
- Montoursville 37, Lewisburg 33
- Southern Columbia 28, Line Mountain 21
