Carlisle grounds out win

By L.D. Kerstetter, October 11, 2003

Thundering Herd rushes for 319 yards in win over Wildcats.

Carlisle rushed for 319 yards spread out among six ball-carriers to grind out an 41-17 win at Mechanicsburg Friday night in a nondivisional contest. Four turnovers hurt the Wildcats' chances.

This is the game that Carlisle needed heading into next week's showdown with Mid-Penn Commonwealth Division opponent Red Land. The Wildcats took a blow to their District 3-AAA playoffs chances, and will try to put this one behind them, hosting Capital Division foe Palmyra next week for homecoming.

"We usually win when we get balanced rushing like in this game," Carlisle coach Brent Stroh said. "It was a team win."

"We had too many turnovers," Mechanicsburg coach Rich Lichtel said. "You've got to give Carlisle credit. Their record doesn't do them justice. Our team has character, but we didn't tackle well tonight. We moved the football well."

The Wildcats scored first, the big play being a Josh Koontz catch-and-run for 44 yards off a Ryan Melick pass. After two unsuccessful Wildcat runs from the 10-yard line, Melick threw a fade to the right corner to Seth Pehanich for the touchdown.

The Herd came thundering back. They used the no-huddle offense effectively on this and other drives in the game. Luke McKenzie ran for 29 yards, followed by a Clem Johnson to Richard Rayborn 8-yard comleted pass. Gary Stackfield caught three passes for 44 yards on the drive, including a 20-yard touchdown pass from Johnson when he simply used his height and jumping ability to catch the throw.

"We went into practice this week and it was stressed that the backs should keep their feet moving and we knew we needed to wrap our arms when tackling," said McKenzie, who had 77 yards rushing, two touchdowns, eight tackles and an interception.

The Herd scored again midway through the second quarter. This drive was mostly Johnson, running and passing. He used the scramble from the pocket successfully most of the night, sometimes appearing to look for the run before the pass. He zig-zagged through the Wildcat defense from 10 yards out for the Herd's second score.

The Carlisle defense played hard after some initial gains by Mechanicsburg runner Andy Crobak, who rushed for 97 total yards. The linebackers made most of the tackles, led by McKenzie and Luke Malinich with seven tackles apiece. Lesman Knight had six tackles and a fumble recovery while Chris Espenshade was hitting hard from linebacker.

Defensive backs also played a part, with Rayborn, David Dukes and Jake Wilson all in on at least five tackles. Jeremiah Negley was the strongest Herd player on the line of scrimmage.

"Early on we whiffed on a couple of plays defensively," Stroh said, "and they had a couple of runs to start the second half. But defensive coach Brad Ickus got the defense motivated, and they played hard the rest of the way. Putting pressure on Melick was a key. He's a good athlete. Most quarterbacks have a mental clock and begin to panic and run after that certain time. We took him out of that time frame."

Carlisle had a hook-and-go pass completion for 39 yards from Johnson to Stackfield, but it was negated by a holding penalty.

The Wildcats finally got something going late in the half with Melick throwing to Koontz and Darwin Williams to sustain the drive. They settled for a 37-yard field goal from Jeremy Boone to make it 13-10 Herd to end the first half.

Carlisle had the first scoring opportunity in the second half, keyed by a 15-yard run on third-and-13 and a 19-yard scramble by Herd QB Johnson. But the drive stalled and the Herd missed a 30-yard field goal.

The next possession, Carlisle took it the whole way. Cleo Williams ran hard, including a 26-yard scamper. He then scored the touchdown that put the Thundering Herd up 20-10.

Carlisle scored the first TD in the fourth quarter, too. The big play and best call by the Herd coaching staff was on a third and 1 at the Mechanicsburg 10-yard line. Johnson faked into the line and hit Eric Bowers on a short crossing route for 10 yards. McKenzie score on a short run for a commanding 27-10 lead.

The Wildcats got a glimmer of life when they engineered a drive for the next score, mostly with Melick throwing and Koontz catching. The passing combo clicked for the score from 23 yards out.

"Josh Koontz (eight receptions, 156 yards, one TD) had a great game," Lichtel said. "He is an awesome, tough runner after he's caught the ball. I'm proud of the kids. They didn't play their best game, but they fought for the win."

"They weren't doing anything out of the ordinary on defense," Koontz said of his big night. "Ryan was doing a great job getting the ball to me when I managed to get open. I know I don't have flashy moves or anything, so I try to make up fighting for extra yards (at least half of his 156 yards receiving came after the catch).

"We have to forget about this one now. We have the potential to win the rest of our games."

An onsides kick didn't work, giving Carlisle the ball back on its own 48. Knight broke arm tackles and ran through a grab on his jersey for a 52-yard run for the touchdown. That was the killer for Mechanicsburg. Tough-running McKenzie scored the last Herd touchdown from 8 yards out.

Mechanicsburg's Nate Yost, Drew Grady and Justin Eckart all shared eight tackles while Nikko Peslis had five. Tom Eisenhart led all Wildcat defenders with nine tackles. Boone had an interception.

"We understand that we have a chance to go 6-4," McKenzie said. "Every day this week we had an all-out practice.We called the line out (challenged) and coach Ickus called us (the linebackers) out. Negley and Bowers did a good job tonight. We hope the defense has turned its season around."

David McClintock had an interception for the Herd while Knight and Greg Kujawski had fumble recoveries. Freshman special teams player Damitrius Thomas helped on four tackles on kickoffs.

Mechanicsburg (5-2) hosts Palmyra next Friday while Carlisle (3-4) hosts Red Land.

LD pulls out 21-7 victory

By Jeff Pratt, September 27, 2003

All you could see down the sideline were No. 14's hands stretching up to the sky to pull the ball in.

With just over 8 minutes remaining in a 7-7 game, Mechanicsburg desperately needed a play, any play, against Lower Dauphin. After piling up 133 yards and nine first downs in the first half, the Wildcat offense went flat in the second half. Eleven plays, 12 yards, one first down up to that point.

Facing third-and-14 at his own 16-yard line, Wildcat quarterback Ryan Melick rolled to his right to buy time. With Falcon defenders closing in on him, the senior launched a high-arching pass down the right sideline. That's where No. 14, junior Jeremy Boone, positioned himself between two Lower Dauphin defenders, leapt in the air, and snared the ball with two hands while floating to the ground.

All that was left was the call, and the Mechanicsburg players and coaches on the sidelines turned for the referee's approval.

The Wildcats are still waiting.

"The catch was good. His foot was in," Mechanicsburg head coach Rich Lichtel said.

Not so, said the referees, signaling that Boone landed out of bounds.

With the big play wiped off the board, the Wildcats turned to Boone to bail them out again with a masterful punt. How else do you describe the 77-yard rocket launch he unleashed just one series earlier, moving the ball from the Mechanicsburg 18 to the Lower Dauphin 5-yard line in one whale of a kick?

Now the Wildcats needed it again. Boone lined up and booted a mere pedestrian 41-yard punt to Falcon Alex Cake at his own 43-yard line. Cake caught the ball on the right side of the field and broke to the left. And the Wildcat sideline went nuts again.

Mechanicsburg's Jeremy Boone (14) helps take down Lower Dauphin running back Mike Dell (16) Friday night. (Jason Minick/The Sentinel)

This time they waited for the referee to signal what appeared to be an illegal block in the back by a Lower Dauphin player.

They're still waiting.

Cake, well, he never looked back. The senior broke free down the right sideline and raced 48 yards to the Mechanicsburg 9-yard line. On the very next play, Falcon Mike Dell busted clean through the center of the line for a 9-yard touchdown run.

"It was a two-play swing. It was the stripes," Lichtel said. "There were at least five clips on that punt return. You know what, that sounds like a baby. Lower Dauphin has a great team. We do, too."

Friday night in the Mid-Penn Capital Division showdown, the Falcons did exactly what they did on their way to the District 3-AAA title last year -- make plays. Big plays. When they couldn't have mattered more.

The two-play swing from Boone's out-of-bounds call to Cake's punt return turned the tide, and senior QB Matt Ruffner's 47-yard zig-zagging run broke the Wildcats' spirit as Lower Dauphin pulled out a 21-7 win.

What looked like a down-to-the-wire dream matchup of two of the division's top teams swung the Falcons' way and left Mechanicsburg wanting for more.

"It was a great game," Lichtel said. "Both teams played great, and to have it come down to that ... it's frustrating. But you've got to suck it up."

The Falcons (5-0 overall, 2-0 Capital) have made that an art, building their district title season last year and riding the wave of that title into 2003. They turned the tables on Mechanicsburg (4-1 overall, 1-1 Capital) after an even first half Friday night, running for 188 yards on a team that allowed an average of 100 a game and limiting the Wildcats to minus-9 yards on nine carries.

Mechanicsburg couldn't move the ball, didn't get the calls, and Lower Dauphin made enough happen for another win.

"These kids have experienced some success and they know how to win," Falcons coach Rob Klock said. "I wish we didn't have to (rely on these big plays), but at the point we're at now, we'll take it. We have some playmakers. They make plays."

"That's Lower Dauphin's strength -- they know how to win," Lichtel said.

Mechanicsburg made the first big play of the game, with Andy Croback capping off a nine-play 52-yard drive with a 2-yard scoring run with 3:28 left in the first quarter.

Lower Dauphin answered right back, keyed by a 64-yard completion from Ruffner to Cake. Dell finished that drive with his first score, a 2-yard run for a tie game.

That's how the scoreboard stayed through the third quarter, with each team missing field goal attempts.

Then came another big play for the Wildcats. Sitting on his own 18-yard line on fourth down, Boone delivered his screaming 77-yard punt that sent the crowd into a frenzy. The ball went out low and hard, travelling 57 yards in the air and sending Cake spinning to chase after it down to his own 5-yard line.

Just like that, the field position advantage switched. The Falcons didn't seem fazed.

Facing third-and-7 at the 8, Ruffner hooked up with Eric Cain for a 22-yard gain. Using runs of 14 yards by Ruffner, 13 yards by Aren Johnson, and 20 yards by Matt Moyer, Lower Dauphin marched out of trouble. The drive ended in another missed field goal, with Bryan Davis kicking it wide from 44 yards, but the field position had switched again.

"We let them off the hook," Lichtel said. "We missed a field goal early. We drove the ball early in the first half and couldn't do anything in the second half. We got back in a hole, and we've got to work on our running game."

After Davis missed the kick, Mechanicsburg lost 4 yards on three plays, including Boone's catch ruled out of bounds.

That set off Cake's punt return, Dell's second TD and eventually Ruffner's 47-yard run to break the game open with 3:39 to play. Mechanicsburg turned to backup QB Zach Frazier for the final two series and dropped its first loss of the season.

Boone finished the game with 118 yards receiving on seven catches and averaged 43 yards on six punts. Melick completed 9-of-27 passes for 166 yards.

Mechanicsburg tops Northern 23-15

By Davin Coburn, September 13, 2003

Northern entered Friday night's Mid-Penn nondivision game against Mechanicsburg looking to ride the momentum from a defense that allowed -14 yards rushing to Central York last week, showing glimpses of last year's success.

Luckily for Mechanicsburg, the Wildcats had little intention of running the ball.

Mixing offensive sets throughout the game and often leaving the running backs on the sideline all together, Mechanicsburg threw for 171 yards and two touchdowns to beat the Polar Bears 23-15 at Memorial Field.

The win lifts the Wildcats to 3-0 overall and avenges a 7-0 loss to the Polar Bears last season.

"We knew we could throw the ball effectively," Mechanicsburg coach Rich Lichtel said. "Northern likes to blitz, so we came out with no backs and took them out of their blitzing schemes."

The Wildcats ran 10 plays from scrimmage before another Mechanicsburg player joined senior quarterback Ryan Melick in the backfield.

Melick responded by completing six of his first 10 attempts and leading the Wildcats to a tying score on their second possession. He completed 15-of-27 passes for the game.

The Wildcats did run the ball 26 times for 117 yards, but most came in the second half.

"Our kids played courageously against a nice Mechanicsburg team," Northern coach Rick Mauck said. "They have three or four bona-fide high school wideouts."

Melick found five different receivers Friday night, often picking out 6-foot-3, 210-pound tight end Josh Koontz for sizable gains. The junior caught five balls for 85 yards.

"Josh Koontz was awesome," Lichtel said. "He's our tight end, but the passes we hit were often when we had him in speed packages. He can do damage out of a double-tight set, too."

Junior Seth Pehanich had four catches for 59 yards and a second-quarter touchdown, Kevin Gorman and Darwin Williams each had a catch, and Jeremy Boone contributed three catches for 13 yards and a touchdown, a 34-yard field goal, two interceptions, a 57-yard punt and two kickoffs that knifed through the back of the end zone.

Boone has now intercepted a pass in each of Mechanicsburg's first three games, and he's caught a touchdown pass in the last two.

With Boone and Pehanich patrolling the secondary and Mechanicsburg's defensive line pounding away, Northern struggled to find a rhythm offensively.

The Polar Bears ran 32 times for 106 yards and a score, helping offset quarterback Zach Rutherford's 4-for-16 day with two interceptions. Rutherford completed two passes - one a 15-yard touchdown - in the second half.

"We're still not polished in route running," Mauck said, "and sometimes we weren't throwing the ball where it needed to be."

"Our defensive line dominated," Lichtel said. "We have a very good secondary. I thought (Rutherford) threw the ball well."

Polar Bear Ryan Shaw caught three balls for 34 yards. Drew Romagnoli caught Rutherford's touchdown strike in the fourth quarter.

Eric Davis led the way for Northern on the ground, gaining 56 yards on 13 carries. Mike Romagnoli ran for 29 yards and Drew Romagnoli ran for 19.

"We took a step forward last week," Mauck said. "We took another step forward in a lot of areas tonight. Now we need polish and the little things that make you a good football team."

Rutherford opened the scoring on Northern's first drive with a 25-yard, fourth-and-10 floater that cleared Mechanicsburg's defense and dropped into Shaw's hands in the back corner of the endzone.

The Wildcats clawed back at the start of the second quarter, as Melick scrambled out of a collapsing pocket and fired across his body to Boone, who was streaking across the center of the end zone.

Mechanicsburg scored again with just under five minutes to play in the quarter, when Melick led Pehanich down the right sideline with a 22-yard pass. The junior snared the ball, took two steps and flopped inside the pylon for the go-ahead score.

Boone turned the momentum in the third quarter.

When Mechanicsburg's opening drive stalled to start the second half, Boone unleashed a 57-yard punt that pinned Northern at its 12. Unable to move, the Polar Bears punted out to their own 41 and handed control to Mechanicsburg.

The Wildcats responded with an eight-play drive that culminated in Boone's 34-yard field goal.

The junior put the kickoff out of the end zone, and Northern offered up another three-and-out possession. Mechanicsburg began its next drive on the Polar Bear 40, and pounded its way down the field, setting up Andy Crobak's charge into the end zone from the 2-yard line.

Northern responded with a 13-play drive to open the fourth quarter. The Polar Bears went play-action from Mechanicsburg's 15-yard line, and Rutherford flung the ball over the middle to Drew Romagnoli for the score.

The Polar Bears had a chance to tie the game with a little over 2 minutes remaining, when Chris Gabrys intercepted a Melick pass at the Northern 22 yard-line.

"Melick threw two picks tonight," Lichtel said, "but those were just passes he threw late."

Rutherford completed a pass to Shaw on second down, but Boone jumped in the way of the quarterback's third-down pass for his second interception.

Mechanicsburg (3-0 overall) opens Capital Division play Friday at Gettysburg.

Northern (1-2 overall) travels to Greencastle Friday to open its Colonial Division schedule.

Wildcats get last big play

By Jeff Pratt, September 6, 2003

Mechanicsburg tight end Josh Koontz heads upfield away from Big Spring defenders for a 68-yard score with 2 minutes left in the game Friday night. (Jason Minick/The Sentinel)

Sometimes the pain comes quickly, like a swift kick to the gut, the kind of kick that knocks the wind right out of you.

Then there is the slow, dull pain, the type that builds and builds and builds ... until it gets you.

Big Spring's Bulldogs and their faithful fans had reason to be excited with 2:27 to play in their Mid-Penn nondivision matchup against Mechanicsburg Friday night. The Bulldogs were the underdogs, yet led 19-17. The band was playing, the drummers were drumming, the cheerleaders were cheering and Will-E-Bite, Big Springs' new bulldog mascot, well, he was bulldogging.

Life was good, no pains of any kind in sight as the Wildcats faced fourth-and-10 from their own 32-yard line. These were the same Wildcats, the favored Wildcats, who had just tossed three straight incomplete passes.

The deafening roar of the Bulldog fans was at a fever pitch. Mechanicsburg's fans were sitting on their hands.

"It got real quiet, real quick, didn't it," Big Spring head coach Bob Baker Jr. said.

This was going to be the slow pain. Well, the semi-slow pain. The kind that unfolds out in front of you in the form of a 10-yard curl pattern for Wildcat junior tight end Josh Koontz. Then comes the perfect strike from senior quarterback Ryan Melick. Then comes Koontz' spin for the first down, teammate Jeremy Boone's block and a trio of Big Spring defenders tumbling to the ground.

Right about then, around the 50-yard line, you knew. The pain was coming for the Bulldogs.

Koontz broke through the Big Spring defense in slow motion, using Boone's block and his own spin move to bust free for a 68-yard touchdown catch with 21:13 to play in the game. Melick's pass to Seth Pehanich for the two-point conversion made the final twist in Bulldog fans' stomachs.

Gut wrenching.

Koontz's catch and run was the biggest turning point in a game full of turning points. It wasn't the last, mind you, but it sealed a painful ending for the Bulldogs and a gleeful 25-19 win for Mechanicsburg.

Wildcat head coach Rich Lichtel's message to his team after the game was simple: "I don't care if we make mistakes, you're kids, that will happen. But you have to bounce back. This is a great win to have."

Baker was obviously more subdued.

"It hurts, but it's a good kind of hurt because we played well," he said. "We played well enough to be successful tonight."

Well enough to win, in fact, but it was a game that seemed like a tryout for ESPN's critically panned "Playmakers," because there were plays being made all over the field.

"Both sets of kids have a lot of class, character and heart," Baker said.

Where to start?

How about Mechanicsburg junior Boone, who dominated the first half with four catches for 112 yards, including a 45-yard TD catch, one 36-yard field goal and one interception. Boone, who finished the game with six catches for 133 yards, gave Mechanicsburg a 3-0 lead, then a 10-3 lead with his over-the shoulder catch.

In between those plays came one of the gutsiest scores of the game. Big Spring senior QB Jason Leonard, playing with ligament damage in his knee, scored a 3-yard TD on a naked bootleg on fourth-and-1 at the Mechanicsburg 3-yard line. Leonard, who has a little limp when he walks the sidelines, outraced Wildcat defender Andy Croback to the end zone, diving for the pylon and the score.

It didn't all happen on the offensive side of the ball.

Big Spring linebacker Ryan Hall made what seemed like the biggest play of the game with just under 7 minutes remaining in the first half. The senior came in clean on Melick, who never saw the Bulldog linebacker. As Melick set to throw, Hall unloaded for a sack that forced the ball out of Melick's hands.

That turnover came just one play after Boone had picked off Leonard and put the momentum back on Big Spring's side. Four plays later, Corey Furman bulled his way from 4 yards out to give the Bulldogs a 13-10 lead.

For Hall, it was the first of three sacks and three forced fumbles on the night. For Melick, it was only part of an up-and-down game that bordered on disastrous and spectacular at varying points.

The senior QB finished the game completing 18-of-31 passes for 304 yards and two scores. He withstood a steady Bulldog pass rush all night, either burning Big Spring for big pass plays or taking nasty hits on sacks that led to four lost fumbles for the senior.

But now we're getting ahead of ourselves, because before the last of the fumbles came another big catch. This time it was Bulldog senior Cody Stum, who hauled in Leonard's 22-yard scoring strike on fourth-and-18 with 11:14 to play in the game.

Stum, who caught eight balls for 104 yards, caught the pass right on the goal line and held on despite a big hit from Mechanicsburg's Dan Young. It was a play that answered Melick's 4-yard scoring run just 6 minutes earlier and put Big Spring back on top 19-17.

It was also the play that set the Big Spring fans up for Koontz' slow-motion dash to the end zone.

"You just have to stay focused (when a game goes back and forth like that)," Koontz said. "I was hoping that it would eventually be my turn, and I'm glad they came to me."

After Stum's scoring catch, Big Spring sandwiched a punt and missed fourth-down conversion around two Melick fumbles. The Bulldog punt pinned the Wildcats at their own 17 with 4:27 to play. After Melick scrambled for a first down to the Wildcat 32, he misfired on three straight passes to set up the fourth-and-10 play.

"We have a lot of patterns to get people open," Lichtel said. "But the effort was all (Koontz')."

"It was just a curl pattern," Koontz said. "When I caught it, I felt someone behind me fall, and I saw Boone block a guy."

Then Koontz broke free, loping to the end zone as the noise transferred itself across the stadium to the visitors' side of the field.

"It was a curl, and without seeing the film, I think we overreacted," Baker said. "But we had other shots, and we had shots down the stretch."

The game seemed like it was over at that point, but 2 minutes was way too much time in this game.

Big Spring's offense stalled on its ensuing drive, with Koontz playing hero again. The linebacker picked off Leonard's errant pass at the Big Spring 44-yard line with 1:07 to play. Game over.

No.

With the Bulldogs holding three timeouts, Mechanicsburg couldn't simply kneel on the ball. And on the third play of the series, Melick rolled out of the pocket on a keeper and lost the ball for the fourth time in the game.

"I wanted him to get out of bounds," Lichtel said. "But their kid made a good play. He knocked the ball right out of his hands."

So Big Spring set up shot on its own 37 with 48 seconds to play. After a 2-yard pass play on first down and a 5-yard penalty on the Wildcats, Leonard tossed his second interception of the night. This time it was Mechanicsburg's Tom Eisenhart with the pick.

And this time, the game was over. Melick kneeled twice and the clock ran out on a thriller.

"Their offense is good. They have a good quarterback and talented receivers," Lichtel said. "Our defense is tougher against the run, but in the second half the kids stepped up.

"I told the kids, this is a great game to win and to build on."

Big Spring racked up 197 total yards of offense and 10 first downs in the first half, but managed just 82 yards and four first downs in the second half. But the Bulldogs stayed afloat and showed they will be contenders in the Mid-Penn Colonial Division with a defense led by Hall's big sacks and Jason Kinzler's team-high nine tackles. That, and some of those nasty Wildcat turnovers.

"It's going to sting for a little bit, but when we get back on the practice field we'll start thinking about (next week's opponent) Lower Dauphin," Baker said. "You have to forget about it and move on. That's the great thing about it being the second week of the season ... we have eight more games to play.

"We know this was a tough one, but I'm proud of our kids, and hopefully we can gain some confidence from this."

Mechanicsburg

Wildcats (0-0)

at East Pennsboro

Panthers (0-0)

Friday, 7:30 p.m.

Coaches: Mechanicsburg, Rich Lichtel; East Pennsboro, Todd Stuter

Last year: Mechanicsburg went 6-4; East Pennsboro went 10-2, advancing to D3-AAA finals

Key players: Mechanicsburg -- Ryan Melick (QB/DB); Kevin Hellam (OL/DL); Adam Deluca (OL/DL)

East Pennsboro -- Jason DeLutis (QB); Jesse Kastelic (RB); Chad Smart (OL/DL)

Breakdown: Mechanicsburg had the upperhand in last year's 14-7 win, one of only two losses East Penn suffered in a highly successful season. The Wildcats will keep that upperhand thanks to a little more experience and some newfound speed. The Panthers return only six total starters, meaning QB Jason DeLutis has to find some new receiving mates. QB Ryan Melick has a couple sophomores and a pair of Harrisburg transfers to work with on his offense, and the Mechanicsburg defense could be a strong point this year.

Prediction: Mechanicsburg 24, East Pennsboro 12 ... East Penn is going to need more time to adjust than the Wildcats.

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