Former
Wildcats Boone, Frazer &
Koontz continue to shine!
Below
are some recent news articles &
events following 3 former Wildcats
still showing off their
WILDCAT PRIDE!
Boone
wins award at PSU Blue White Game
Junior
punter Jeremy Boone (Mechanicsburg)
and junior linebacker Josh Hull
(Millheim) were recognized as
co-recipients of the Frank Patrick
Total Commitment Memorial Award.
Click
Here to read more!
Presented
today for the 14th time, the Frank
Patrick Memorial "Total
Commitment" Award goes to
junior class squad members who
consistently follow through with
their responsibilities in all
facets of the football program and
do so in exemplary manner. This
includes academic pursuits,
off-season preparation, in-season
commitment, demeanor and community
service. Patrick was a member of
the Lions' coaching staff from
1949-73.
Frazer
Shines at UConn's Blue White game
EAST
HARTFORD — If college football's
spring workouts really are about
developing depth, the UConn football
team's 15 practices have been a
success. Click
here to read more!
Koontz
Named Captain At Penn
Congratulations
to rising seniors Tyson Maugle
(CB), Jay Colabella (LB), and Josh
Koontz (TE),Via votes from their
teammates, the trio will carry on
the Quakers' proud captain
tradition, which enters its 132nd
season this fall. Their names will
forever appear in a category that
features all-time Penn standouts
like John Outland, (1898), Chuck
Bednarik (1948), Reds Bagnell
(1950), and Joe Valerio (1990).
January 9,
2008
Hakel
named Head Coach
The
Mechanicsburg Area
School Board approved
longtime assistant
football coach Chris
Hakel to fill the shoes
of legendary Coach Rich
Lichtel.
More
info will be coming
soon!
November
17, 2007
Solid
performer: Walk-on punter
Boone leads PSU
By
Guy Cipriano, Centre
County Times
The
ironies of college
football are prevalent in
Penn State sophomore
Jeremy Boone’s life.
In
the football hotbed of
Guatemala City, a group of
Boone’s relatives huddle
and watch Penn State games
on a satellite dish. All
12 games are viewed,
including the ones on the
Big Ten Network, the same
channel Boone’s parents,
David and Sylvia, can’t
get in their Mechanicsburg
home.
The
MASH football and soccer
programs combined for the Wildcat's
Helping for the Holiday's Program
this year. Both
programs were able to
generate over $900.00 for
families in need. The
funds were donated to
Operation Wildcat Project
Thanksgiving and Project
Gift Box. Last
evening, 5 members of the
varsity football program
went to assist filling boxes
full of food &
certificates that will be given
to MASD families for
the upcoming Thanksgiving
holiday.
Thank
you to Trudy Kruger &
all of the fine folks at
Operation Wildcat for
allowing us to help
out!
5
Wildcats make All-
Conference
Congratulations
to the following Wildcats
for making 2nd Team
Mid-Penn All Conference ~
Keystone Division:
Defense
Sr.
Matt Morell ~ Defensive Back
Jr.
Ben Anderson ~ Linebacker
Jr.
Tyler Bullock ~ Defensive
End
Offense
Jr.
Travis Polillo ~ Offensive
Lineman
Soph.
Tarik Leftenant ~ Running
Back
Football
Banquet a great way to end
the season
Sr.
Mark Monroe wins the Rich
Lichtel Award & the
Mid-Penn Scholar Athlete for
MASH Football
On
Saturday, November 3rd the
Wildcat Football Booster
Club held the annual
football banquet. It
was a great morning to
reflect on the season, say
goodbye to the class of 2008
and to thank the many folks
who help make Mechanicsburg
Football a great experience
for all involved. The
Seniors demonstrated pride
& class with their farewell
speeches. Sr. Mark
Monroe was awarded two
special awards ~ The Rich
Lichtel Award and the
Mid-Penn Scholar Athlete
Award for Football. Congratulations
to all & a special
thanks to Mrs. Hoel &
the Booster Club for a job
well done!
In
Mechanicsburg's 28-21
win over Palmyra,
Tarik Leftenant's
89-yard kickoff return
ignited a rally from a
13-0 deficit and
sparked the Wildcats
(3-7, 1-6) past the
visiting Cougars (1-9,
0-7) in a Mid-Penn
Keystone season ender
for both teams.
Leftenant,
who carried 22 times for
189 yards, ran 11 yards
for the decisive
touchdown with 3:48 to
play to bring the
Wildcats back from a
21-14 hole.
Mike
Balshy led the Cougars,
running for one
touchdown and throwing
scoring passes to Lance
Curry and Matt Johnson.
November
2, 2007
Reading
with the Wildcats
Sr.
Corey Clark reads to the AM kindergarten Class at Broad
Street.
The
Mechanicsburg Football
program has started a
‘
Reading
with the
Wildcat’s’ program
with
Broad
Street
Elementary School
.Senior football
players, who are now
being joined by other
senior athletes,
travel to Broad Street
to read a book to the
elementary classes.
After reading to the
class, our
student-athletes talk
with the elementary
schoolers about the
importance of reading
and school. They
then answer any
questions the kids
might have for them
about the high school,
their sport, or
anything they want to
ask.
All
of the high school
readers have commented
on how nervous they
are before they read
and then on how much
fun the experience is
when they leave Broad
Street.
We would like to THANK
Mrs. Hoover, the Broad
Street Reading
teacher, & Mrs.
Archibald, the Broad
Street Principal, and
a the entire Broad
Street faculty for the
opportunity to come
read, speak &
share with the
elementary kids.
This
has been a great
experience for all!
HERSHEY
13, MECHANICSBURG 0
Hershey
slips by Wildcats
Saturday,
October 27, 2007
BY
ROXANNE B. MOSES
Of
The Patriot-News
A
splash of mud would have
been fitting for the
belly-diving Hershey Trojans
as they slid across the
field in celebration.
It
was only by the grace of the
artificial surface at
Hersheypark Stadium,
however, that Hershey had a
win to celebrate.
In
a steady rain late Friday,
the Trojans beat
Mechanicsburg 13-0 in
Mid-Penn Keystone football.
Even
on the turf, devoid of mud,
the game was slick and
sloppy with seven turnovers
and 11 punts.
With
Red Land (8-1, 5-1) looming
next week, it was still a
good win for Hershey (8-1,
5-1).
"We
did what we had to do,"
Hershey coach Bob
"Gump" May said.
"We were worried about
turning the ball over. We
don't mind if we have to
punt as long as we get good
snaps."
Mechanicsburg
(2-7, 0-6) had its
opportunities. The Wildcats
caught Hershey without
quarterback Mike Wagner,
sidelined by mononucleosis.
"That's
a tough thing when you're a
senior and you've worked as
hard as Mike Wagner has
worked," May said.
Wagner
has 1,246 passing yards and
14 touchdowns this season.
"Sometimes
life is not fair," May
said. "But in the grand
scheme of things he'll be a
better man for it."
Jake
Campbell, a sophomore who
started in his place,
completed just one 3-yard
pass for the game. Campbell
is the son of Scott
Campbell, the former
Hershey, Purdue and NFL
quarterback.
"Jake
did a good job in bad
situations," May said.
"They rallied around
Jake."
Tyler
Neal stepped up with 113
rushing yards on 20 carries
and scored Hershey's only
offensive touchdown.
Hershey
managed just one first down
for the entire second half
but gutted out some tough
plays on defense.
Three
times when the Wildcats
tried to run on
fourth-and-1, the Trojans
turned them back.
"I
think it's a completely
different game [if we
convert], but those are the
plays," Mechanicsburg
co-coach Chris Hakel.
"I
keep telling the kids week
after week, we're
close," he said.
"Those are the plays
we've got to make to get
over this hump."
On
two additional fourth-and-1
opportunities and a
fourth-and-3, the Wildcats
opted to punt.
Mechanicsburg's
last chance came when it
drove to a first-and-goal at
the 10 with 2:58 on the
clock. Hershey defenders
neutralized the threat by
dropping the Wildcats for
lost yardage on three of
four plays.
Mechanicsburg
quarterback Jake Zeigler was
7-for-12 passing for 40
yards with four
interceptions.
"Jake
had a tough time,"
Hakel said. "There were
some things we couldn't do
because of the
weather."
Hershey
had the upper hand in
turnovers, gaining four
picks against three fumbles
that slipped from Trojans
fingers. Hershey capitalized
only on the second pick.
Pat
Otey returned the
interception 35 yards for a
touchdown with 4:02 left in
the first quarter.
Late
in the second quarter,
Mechanicsburg was stopped on
its third attempt to convert
a fourth-and-1.
"Our
defense played tough,"
May said. "The guys
work hard. It was fun."
Hershey
took possession at the
Wildcats' 38, and Neal ran
three times.
Neal,
a 5-8 senior, picked up two,
then 33, then scored on a
3-yard run.
ROXANNE
B. MOSES: 255-8229 or rmoses@patriot-news.com
RED
LAND 28, MECHANICSBURG 13
Red
Land hits 8-0
QB
Hunt the trigger man of
consistent attack
Monday,
October 22, 2007
BY
ERIC F. EPLER
For
The Patriot-News
His
performance impeccable,
quarterback Skyler Hunt and his
Red Land ensemble certainly
proved a Sunday matinee could
equal the rhythm and pageantry
of those Friday-night sellouts.
Hunt
dissected host Mechanicsburg for
250 passing yards and two
touchdowns before adding a
1-yard keeper deep in the fourth
quarter that banked the
Patriots' 28-13 Mid-Penn
Keystone victory at John
Frederick Field.
Earlier,
the defiant Wildcats managed to
slice Red Land's cushion to
eight points and held possession
near midfield. Hunt, however,
guided his stellar supporting
cast 69 yards in 13 plays to
keep the Patriots unbeaten
through eight energizing weeks.
"We
watched film and saw some of the
tendencies they like to do and
just took advantage," said
Hunt, who was 19-for-25 and
connected with seven receivers,
none bigger than sure-handed
senior Teed Wertz.
The 6-0
Wertz lassoed eight passes for
132 yards, including Hunt's
23-yard scoring strike with
under two minutes left in the
opening half.
"We
were taking what they gave us,
but we're used to teams giving
us their best," Hunt said.
Gaining
the upper hand midway through
the first quarter, Hunt
orchestrated two 11-play scoring
drives on Red Land's first two
possessions. The first ended
with an 11-yard flip to Kyle
Otstot, the second a 2-yard
blast by running back Dan Yenger.
It was
Otstot's first and last
reception as the senior buckled
under a defender and did not
return "as a
precaution," said Pats
coach Frank Gay.
Minutes
later, Mechanicsburg displayed
its own offensive mettle,
churning 12 plays in just under
five minutes. Erik Lewis (11
carries, 47 yards) plunged in
from the 1.
Two
minutes later, Mechanicsburg's
failed on-side kick attempt
handed Hunt a short field. The
senior found Ethan Noss once,
for 16 yards, and Wertz twice to
put Red Land (8-0, 5-0) in
charge.
"This
is a young football team and
we've had our struggles, but
we've got to learn how to
win," said Mechanicsburg
co-head coach Chris Hakel.
"We've got to convince
ourselves that we're a good
football team and belong out
there.
"It's
not a real fancy passing game.
It's not all bells and whistles,
but when you've got [Hunt] back
there that can pull the trigger
and make smart decisions, that's
what it's about."
With
Mechanicsburg (2-6, 0-5) still
trailing 21-7, 'Cats grinder
Tarik Leftenant found traction
late in the third quarter.
Leftenant carried four times for
49 of his 77 rushing yards,
eventually finding the end zone
with 10:34 to go. Ben Anderson's
conversion attempt, however,
sailed wide right.
Red
Land's defense, paced by tackle
Aubrey Moore (two sacks), forced
one final three-and-out near
midfield, which let Hunt manage
the final 6:44. The
signal-caller converted two
third downs, and RB Junior
Rodriguez pounded for 5 yards on
a delicate fourth-and-4 at
Mechanicsburg's 12, to seal it.
Wildcats
QB Jake Zeigler, pressed all
afternoon, managed 133 yards.
Teed
Wertz might as well have been
sporting a suit, tie and
briefcase as he exited Memorial
Park Stadium on Sunday evening.
Despite his team-high six
catches for 115 yards with a
touchdown and a game-ending
interception on defense, Wertz
talked as though his big game,
which lifted Red Land to a 28-13
Keystone Division win at
Mechanicsburg, was just another
day at the office.
In fact, the 6-foot, 150-pound
senior didn’t even know he
eclipsed the 100-yard mark for
the third time this season.
“Did
I really,” said Wertz, who
gave the credit to his
quarterback, Skyler Hunt.
“Sometimes I don’t even know
the ball is coming and it hits
me right in the chest. Skyler
makes it happen every time, no
matter the situation.”
Red Land (8-0, 5-0 Keystone)
held a 21-13 lead with 6:45 to
play when Hunt took charge.
The senior quarterback, who hit
15 of 20 passes for 237 yards
and two touchdowns, capped a
13-play, 69-yard drive with a
1-yard quarterback sneak into
the end zone to set the final
with 1:37 remaining.
“Every team comes out and
gives us their best shot,”
Hunt said. “We just have to be
ready for it.”
Mechanicsburg
(2-6, 0-5) was no exception.
On their make-shift homecoming
-- the game was postponed from
Friday due to thunder storms --
the Wildcats came out swinging.
Mechanicsburg quarterback Jake
Zeigler found Ben Anderson for a
44-yard pass on the second play
of the game to put the Wildcats
into Red Land territory. But, as
was the case most of the
afternoon, Mechanicsburg came up
empty.
The Wildcats, who have lost six
straight, converted only two of
five trips across the 50-yard
line into points.
“This is a young football team
and we’ve had our
struggles,” said Mechanicsburg
co-head coach Chris Hakel, who
started only two seniors Sunday.
“We have to learn how to win.
We were playing against a very
good Red Land team and sometimes
I feel like we’re playing
against ourselves. We have to
convince ourself that we’re a
good football team and belong
out there as well.”
Until Red Land’s last
time-consuming drive, the
Wildcats matched the visitors
punch for punch.
Erik Lewis’ 1-yard touchdown
3:24 before halftime pulled
Mechanicsburg within 14-7 but
the ensuing kickoff was short
and Mike Fedor fell on the ball
at his own 49.
“I don’t think we really
felt threatened that we were in
a close game,” Red Land coach
Frank Gay said. “But that’s
our kids. We know we have the
firepower to get back into it.
That’s what we do.”
Four plays later Wertz had his
touchdown -- a 23-yarder up the
middle of a befuddled Wildcats
secondary -- and Red Land
regained its 14-point lead.
“(Red Land doesn’t have) a
real fancy passing game,”
Hakel said. “There aren’t a
lot of bells and whistles ...
when you have someone back there
who can pull the trigger and
make smart decisions, that’s
what it’s about.
“(Hunt)
makes the throws quick, that’s
the biggest thing.”
Thanks to all the quick hitters,
only one of Hunt’s completions
went for longer than 27 yards.
At the same time, only four
equalled less than 10.
“We watched (Mechanicsburg) on
film and saw that they had some
tendencies that we could take
advantage of the whole game,”
Hunt said. “They were dropping
into zone (coverage) so we had
to hit something real quick up
the middle and get going.”
Tarik Leftenant, who rushed 12
times for a team-high 78 yards,
ran around right side for a
10-yard touchdown early in the
fourth quarter to make it 21-13
after a missed extra point.
The teams traded series before
Red Land, which survived 10
penalties for 80 yards, went on
its long march to finish
Mechanicsburg off.
“I don’t like to lose but
these kids, with everything
they’ve gone through this
year, deserve to win,” Hakel
said. “At the same time, from
where we were last Friday (a
49-7 loss to Gettysburg), I
thought we competed a lot
better.”
Hunt found Kyle Otstot open over
the middle for an 11-yard
touchdown in the first quarter
and Dan Yenger bulled in from
the 2 early in the second
quarter for a 14-0 Patriots
lead.
Notes: Caitlin Taylor was
recognized as homecoming queen
prior to the game. The award was
given out at Saturday night’s
dance. ... After scoring the
touchdown Otstot suffered a
sprained ankle and didn’t
return. ... Mechanicsburg leads
the all-time series 16-14. ...
Red Land hosts Gettysburg on
Friday while Mechanicsburg
travels to Hershey in Keystone
action. Both games kick at 7
p.m.
GETTYSBURG
49, MECHANICSBURG 7
Warriors
erupt in second half
Saturday,
October 13, 2007
BY
BOB BLACK
Of
The Patriot-News
Despite
heavy statistical differences,
Mechanicsburg gave Gettysburg a
football game in the first half.
A casual
observer would have looked at the
one-touchdown Gettysburg lead and
assumed it was anybody's game to
win.
By the
middle of the fourth quarter, most
of the observers on
Mechanicsburg's side of the
bleachers were gone after
Gettysburg recorded five
second-half touchdowns in its 49-7
Keystone Division conquest Friday
night at John Frederick Field.
Pounded
was the most apt description for a
Gettysburg offense conditioned to
throwing the football for gobs of
yardage.
The
primary yardage gobblers for
Gettysburg were 215-pound junior
tailback Justin Jones and
180-pound senior fullback Cody
Trail.
Jones
rushed for three touchdowns and
123 yards and added a TD
reception. Trail, who picked up
most of his yardage in the first
half, was good for 87 yards on 11
carries.
"When
we were only up by a touchdown at
the half we decided to pound the
football in the second half,"
Jones said. "We know how well
we can throw the football, but we
also felt we could run it off the
way we controlled the first
half."
Even with
its domination of the first-half
statistics -- which included a
10-2 edge in first downs and more
than 200 yards of offense to just
into double figures for
Mechanicsburg -- Gettysburg led
just 14-7 at the intermission.
"When
we went to the locker room at the
half I told them we had to finish
things off," Gettysburg coach
Sam Leedy said. "And that's
what we did in the second
half."
The
first-half scoring consisted of a
17-yard touchdown pass from
Gettysburg quarterback Evan Lewis
to Storm Woerner, a 4-yard TD pass
from Mechanicsburg QB Jake Zeigler
to Tarik Leftenant and a 1-yard
plunge by Jones.
But in
the second half, Jones ran for a
pair of touchdowns in the third
quarter, caught a TD pass from
Lewis early in the fourth and
Gettysburg's defense took care of
the rest. Linebacker Brian Irvin
picked off a pass while
Mechanicsburg was mired deep in
its own territory for a 27-yard
touchdown.
Then,
just a minute later on what looked
almost like instant replay, Trevon
Johnson intercepted another errant
Mechanicsburg pass and the mercy
rule was instituted.
Lewis,
who had thrown for 1,295 yards and
13 touchdowns heading into Friday
night's game, still managed 124
yards and a pair of touchdowns.
"I
think this proves that we can run
the football as well as we can
throw it," Lewis said.
October
11, 2007
FRISCO'S
Picks
Gettysburg
35, MECHANICSBURG 7 Wildcats
don't usually give up this much,
but Gettysburg is red hot.
SUSQUEHANNA
TWP. 21, MECHANICSBURG 14
Susquehanna
Twp. to .500
Saturday,
October 06, 2007
BY
GEOFF MORROW
Of
The Patriot-News
Susquehanna
Twp. hurt itself without providing
much relief for Mechanicsburg.
Mechanicsburg's
self-inflicted wounds provided some
generous charity for Susquehanna
Twp., as the Indians edged the
Wildcats 21-14 in a Mid-Penn
Keystone game at Roscoe Warner Field
Friday night.
Gabe Oliver
rushed for 156 yards and two
touchdowns on only 16 carries, and
Mechanicsburg twice coughed up the
football at the most inopportune
times as Susquehanna Twp. (3-3, 1-2)
snapped a three-game skid. It was
the fourth straight loss for the
Wildcats (2-4, 0-3), all of them by
seven points or fewer.
"The
truth is we got a little
lucky," Indians coach Joe
Headen said. "That fumble out
of the end zone was the play of the
game. Sometimes it's better to be
lucky than good."
After the
teams marched into the locker rooms
at halftime knotted 7-7, a couple of
touchdown runs by Oliver sandwiched
a scoring pass from Mechanicsburg's
Jake Zeigler to Mike Poplaski to
give the hosts a 21-14 lead entering
the final quarter.
Both
offenses were suddenly moving at
will, and the Wildcats were 11 plays
into a drive deep in Susquehanna
Twp. territory midway through the
fourth quarter.
But
sophomore tailback Tarik Leftenant,
who racked up 137 yards and a TD on
23 carries, fumbled just before the
goal line. The ball ricocheted out
of bounds for a touchback.
Junior
fullback Erik Lewis (eight carries,
68 yards) also fumbled inside the
Indians 10-yard line midway through
the second quarter, squashing a
drive that could have put the
Wildcats ahead 14-0.
"We're
close," Mechanicsburg co-head
coach Chris Hakel said. "We're
learning how to win, and it can be a
long process, painful at times. Both
running backs ran hard, but part of
running hard is finishing with the
ball. These are the growing
pains."
The outputs
for Leftenant and Lewis were both
season highs, not surprising
considering the Indians defense
allowed 200-plus rushing yards for
the fifth straight game.
Susquehanna
Twp. overcame 11 penalties for 92
yards (compared to two for 25 yards
for Mechanicsburg). Nine of those
yellow flags were accumulated by the
offense.
"Some
of those I have to stick up for the
kids," Headen said. "But
some of those we need more
discipline. Discipline is on me. I
take the blame for that."
Leftenant
helped the Wildcats strike first,
scoring on a 4-yard burst 11 seconds
before the end of the first quarter.
The TD was set up by Lewis' 53-yard
jaunt.
Despite
offering little on offense, the
Indians salvaged a halftime tie when
Solomon Nyarko fielded a punt,
scooted left and zipped down the
sideline for a 79-yard TD return
with 86 seconds before half.
A heavy
dose of Oliver in the third quarter
turned the tide of this battle.
"We
knew we had to utilize our speed to
the corner and that our offensive
line would pick it up," said
Oliver, who had only six carries (38
yards) in the first half. He
credited his fullbacks and offensive
line, particularly center Cory
Esworthy and left tackle Bryan
Sanders, for creating holes.
After the
fourth-quarter fumble and ensuing
Indians drive, Mechanicsburg got the
ball back at its own 29 with 1:51
left. It drove to Susquehanna's
44-yard line before a couple
incompletions and an illegal
blocking penalty helped stall the
drive on downs.
GEOFF
MORROW: 255-8250 or gmorrow@patriot-news.com
LOWER
DAUPHIN 13, MECHANICSBURG 7
LD
grabs a victory on emotional night
Saturday,
September 29, 2007
BY ANDREW P.
SHAY
For The
Patriot-News
There was an
RL painted in the middle of the field,
and matching stickers on the back of
Mechanicsburg's helmets to honor its
late coach Rich Lichtel.
Stage one of
the healing process for this team,
playing for the first time since its
long-time mentor passed away, started
Friday night at John H. Frederick
Field.
The lone
missing ingredient on this
emotion-charged evening was a Wildcats
victory.
Mechanicsburg
played well enough to win, but two key
big plays by Lower Dauphin were enough
for the Falcons to scrape out a 13-7
victory in a game the Wildcats
dominated for long stretches.
"This
game for all of us was not about
winning and losing," said
co-coach Chris Hakel, a former QB for
Lichtel. "It was about coming
together as a group and to take that
next step forward in the healing
process. It was difficult for them.
And it's very difficult for me.
"In our
minds, as coaches and players, we took
the next step tonight."
Mechanicsburg
owned the first half of this Keystone
Division contest and appeared on the
verge of taking a 7-0 lead into
halftime thanks to a 4-yard TD pass
from Jake Zeigler to Tyler Bullock.
The Falcons
didn't record their initial first down
of the game until there were 5 minutes
remaining in the second quarter. On
that drive, LD moved deep into
Wildcats territory before coming up
short on a fourth-and-8.
So, with 43
seconds remaining, Mechanicsburg took
over at its own 15.
Taking a knee
was the obvious choice.
Anyone who
knew Lichtel's style should not have
been surprised that the Wildcats tried
to push the envelope. After a 15-yard
run by Zeigler on first down,
Mechanicsburg spiked the ball.
"That's
Mechanicsburg. Rich would have done
the same thing," said LD coach
Rob Klock, whose offense managed only
43 total yards in the first half.
"That's what they do."
But, two
incompletions later, there were still
7 seconds showing on the clock and the
Wildcats had to punt.
Nick Guevarez
broke through and blocked the kick.
Joey Miller picked it up and covered
the final 7 yards with ease for a
momentum changing touchdown with no
time showing on the clock.
Instead of
7-0 Wildcats, it was 7-7 at halftime.
"Looking
back, we wish it hadn't come to
that," Hakel said. "I'd have
much rather run the clock out. But
through all of this the one thing we
preached to the kids was to go out and
play as hard as we can and let the
chips fall where they may."
Mechanicsburg
still had the upper hand in the third
quarter, picking off a pair of Matt
Consevage passes to kill both Falcons
drives in the quarter.
Adam Tuttle
returned the second pick 36 yards to
the Falcons 23. The Wildcats moved all
the way to the 5-yard line before
being forced to settle for a field
goal try.
On the first
play of the fourth quarter, Ben
Anderson's 22-yard attempt was
blocked.
"We had
a couple things that went our way on
special teams," said Klock, who
was not happy with his club's
performance. "We got some breaks,
the kids executed and we took
advantage of them."
Following the
blocked field goal, LD marched down
the field and scored.
Spearheaded
by an 11-yard run on third-and-9 from
the LD 32 by Carl Bashore, the Falcons
used a great grab by running back
Jordan Rosario to register the winning
points. His 40-yard catch-and-run over
the middle with 8:08 to play put the
Wildcats in a hole for the first time.
And, with
everything else they had to deal with,
it was simply too much to overcome on
this night.
"I think
each and every one of them reached
down inside and found something
special as a way of saying thank
you," Hakel said. "They
played their tails off. We're all
better because we knew Rich. And what
these kids are going through is an
experience that will build their
character and make them better
people."
ANDREW P.
SHAY: 255-8123 or ashay@patriot-news.com
One
of the good guys
Rich
Lichtel will be remembered for more
than football
Thursday,
September 27, 2007
I
wasn't planning on writ ing another
column about Rich Lichtel this week,
but God works on His clock, not mine.
God
spoke to Rich Lichtel at 7:01 p.m.
Friday, probably saying something
simple like "Welcome home!,"
leaving the rest of us to come up with
the remaining words and thoughts about
a life that was about as well-lived as
possible in nearly 61 eventful years.
Since
I received the word of Lichtel's
passing Friday, the anger, the sorrow
and the frustration that boiled up
that night have finally settled into
the more comfortable and soothing
chair of reflection.
The
many people who knew and loved Rich
have repeated countless stories and
thoughts in the last six days about
the Mechanicsburg Area High School
football coach.
Some
of the stories are funny; Rich had a
well-honed sense of humor and an
impish disposition. Some of the
stories are serious, recounting all of
the time and generosity he and his
family bestowed on Mechanicsburg's
students, not all of them football
players.
All
of them are warm and loving, because
that's exactly what Rich was.
As
I told Steve Leedy of WMSS-FM during a
halftime interview at Saturday's
Cumberland Valley-Bishop McDevitt
game, it is pro forma to repeat the
platitudes and discard the rest when
speaking about someone who has just
passed away.
Except
with Rich Lichtel, there was no
"rest" to discard. The
platitudes stood as a testimony to
Rich's ideals and the way he conducted
his life. He didn't leave any
"buts" behind, as in,
"He was a good coach,
but..."
Well,
unless you were one of those Memorial
Park grumblers who thought Lichtel's
team threw the ball too much, didn't
run enough and would be complaining
about the "1" and ignoring
the "9" if Mechanicsburg
went 9-1.
Guess
what? Lichtel didn't care about that.
Never did. He was way bigger than
that.
Of
all of the admirable things -- and
there were many -- about Rich, the one
that most amazed me was his ability to
synthesize.
Synthesize?
That doesn't sound like much of a
compliment.
But
consider this. High school football is
not an island, not an entity unto
itself.
Rather,
high school football is a blend of
several cultures, something that Rich
recognized.
There
is the Warrior Culture, the slam-bang,
testosterone-fueled nature of the game
itself that can easily spin out of
control without steady leadership at
the helm.
There
is the Academic Culture, the idea that
football, like all sports, is an
extension of the classroom and an
ongoing learning process.
There
is the Cultural Culture, which
recognizes that playing football does
not make the rest of the world go
away, that the entire spectrum of life
issues doesn't dissolve just because
of a touchdown pass or an
interception.
Rich
was keenly aware of all of these
aspects. He was a master of
perspective, and he spent the vast
majority of his time as coach not
drawing lines on a whiteboard, but
doing what he could to smooth the
rough corners of adolescence.
"We'd
be in preseason camp, early in the
morning and Rich would gather the
players for a little talk," said
Chris Hakel, who played quarterback
under Lichtel and now serves as
co-head coach at Mechanicsburg with
Jeff Costello.
"The
rest of [the assistants] would go to
our stations to prepare for
practice," Hakel said. "Five
minutes would go by. Then 10. Maybe
even 20. We'd be wondering what was
going on, and the kids would still be
in the circle listening to his
stories."
And
five, 10, 20 years later, his former
players stand willing to testify that
those stories, those lessons, those
laughs, meant far more than any Xs or
Os.
"One
thing about Rich, he really enjoyed
his [Camp Hill] home," former
Mechanicsburg assistant George
Eisenhauer said.
"It
was his castle, but his drawbridge was
always down. There were times there
were so many people going in and out
of his place that I thought Bev
[Rich's wife] and he were running an
adoption service."
That
care didn't just extend to students,
either at Mechanicsburg or in Camp
Hill, where Rich ran the community
swimming pool at Seibert Park.
In
2001, the year-old son of one of his
assistants, current Susquenita head
coach Jeff Geisel, had undergone a
third open-heart surgery for a defect.
Geisel tells the rest of the story:
"I
had missed practice to be with my son
and was in the hospital at his bedside
about 8 at night when the nurse said
we had visitors. Into the room comes
Rich Lichtel along with
[then-Mechanicsburg players] Peter
Thomas and Eric Hoffman.
"They
came down to see how Joshua [Jeff's
son] was doing. Joshua was asleep, but
Rich came over and said a prayer for
him and talked to me for a
while," Geisel wrote.
"He
also presented a game ball signed by
the team, which he placed in Joshua's
crib. Needless to say my wife and I
were extremely moved by the greatness
of his heart, his kindness and his
love for people, especially in times
of need.
"These
are the types of acts he did
frequently for people in need, and
never once asked for thanks or public
displays of gratitude.
"As
an aside, both of my older sons who
got to know Rich were looking forward
to playing for him as Wildcats
someday. Last Friday night when they
heard the news of his death, they both
bawled their eyes out, and Joshua has
been sleeping with his football ever
since."
Synthesis.
Last
year, Rich invited me to his house to
show me something, an item of which he
was truly proud. It was a DVD produced
by his son, Jeff, who did an amazing
job of conducting interviews of former
assistants and associates, including
Lichtel's father, Ward, who survives
him.
In
addition, Jeff compiled not only
footage of Mechanicsburg games, but
also archival film of Rich during his
playing days at Bloomsburg University
and wove it into a wonderful,
professional video tapestry simply
titled, "Coach."
It
is a tribute of the highest order from
a son to a father. I don't know how
many copies exist, but if you can get
your hands on one, watch it.
You
will do what I did while I watched it
in Rich's viewing room over in Camp
Hill: laugh, ooh and ahh, stifle a
tear, make fun of Rich's speed while
gaping at his ability to fire a
football a long way off the wrong
foot.
And
mostly, reminisce.
At
the end of the video, Jeff ended with
a simple, but powerful two-word
phrase, white letters planted against
a black screen: Thanks, Coach.
We
just can't say it any better than
that.
ROD
FRISCO: 255-8181 or rfrisco@patriot-news.com
September
21, 2007
TOP
GAMES
Mechanicsburg
2-1 @ Middletown 2-1
7
p.m. Friday at Middletown's Memorial
Field
All
right, who told these two it was OK to
start the season with 2-1 records? The
insolence... Hey, just a little
Patriot-News humor there. Very little.
In truth, we applaud both teams for
shaking off last year's shackles (a
combined 4-16) to be in this position.
And what is that position? Well, a win
suddenly puts either team in the thick
of the playoff rating, especially
Class AA Middletown.
Granted,
there are a lot of rocks strewn across
the road ahead, but someone's going to
feel pretty good checking out of
Memorial Field with a 3-1 mark Friday.
September
21, 2007
FRISCO'S
Picks
Mechanicsburg
22
MIDDLETOWN 20
Geez,
this is just like old times...
September
21, 2007
JV's
drop a heartbreaker to Northern &
the Frosh mover to 3-0
Sorry
for the delay in updating the
site.... Monday, The JV's
traveled to Polar Bear land & left
with a hard fought loss 20-14.
The
Freshman team hosted a gutsy Palmyra
team Wednesday at The Fred. The
'Cats left Memorial Park with a 12-6
victory to move to 3-0 on the season.
The Freshman team plays at Middletown
next Wednesday at 6:00 PM.
September
15, 2007
NORTHERN
28, MECHANICSBURG 21
Bears
outlast Mechanicsburg
Davies,
defense turn tide for Northern
Saturday,
September 15, 2007
BY
ERIC F. EPLER
For
The Patriot-News
Despite
the fourth-quarter collision that
bruised a few muscle fibers in Jake
Scott's back, Northern's sizable
defensive end had only positive reviews.
And that's after his blitz-crazed Polar
Bears allowed three touchdowns Friday
night at Mechanicsburg's Frederick
Field.
Fortunately
for Northern, a few Wildcats heroics
would not overshadow head coach Rick
Mauck's predictable, yet oh so
punishing, ground attack.
Mike
Davies ripped for 129 yards and two
touchdowns and the Polar Bears outlasted
a wonderful effort by Mechanicsburg
quarterback Jake Zeigler to clip the
Wildcats 28-21 at Memorial Park.
The
difference came from Irvin Smith,
Davies' backfield mate, who smashed in
from the Wildcats' 1-yard line with
11:24 left.
Nearly
five minutes later, Zeigler's deep toss
to a wide-open Ben Anderson gave
Mechanicsburg a look, but Northern
dissolved the final 6:36 by collecting
six first downs on 13 consecutive run
plays.
"[Assistant
coach] Tom Wise brought in a special
game plan and we really executed and
came ready to play," said Scott,
who along with active linebackers Matt
Murphy and Davies helped limit the
Wildcats to 55 rushing yards on 22
attempts.
That
number is even more impressive
considering Zeigler scurried 58 yards
midway through the third period to set
up an Erik Lewis 3-yard blast.
"They've
got a good passing game. The linemen,
the quarterback, the tight end, they all
did good, Scott said. "Both teams
were about even, so yeah, I'm real happy
with that."
After
Davies notched a short TD run in the
first, Northern threatened a blowout by
extending its lead to 14-0 after
quarterback Jordan Rutherford delivered
a beautiful 44-yard post to Robert
Bleiler with 8:29 left in the opening
half.
Minutes
later, Rutherford went back to work.
Only this time, the senior fired just
behind Ryan Aumiller on a cross and
Anderson was there to collect the
deflection near midfield. With 1:13
showing, Zeigler hit Anderson near the
sideline to set up his 1-yard sneak.
"That
was the only thing I was disappointed
about. There was enough time to ball
control for another score before
half," Mauck said. "I kicked
myself for that, but you know when you
coach you've got to be aggressive. The
kids know when you've got the hammer
down and when momentum runs across the
field it's hard to get it back on your
side."
Despite
the mistake, which cut Northern's edge
to 14-7, the Bears quickly assumed
control in the second half. Again,
Davies took the lead. On a short field,
Davies clipped off runs of 6 and 16
yards to swell Northern's lead to 21-7.
Davies
and Smith (11-63) combined for all but
12 of Northern's 204 rushing yards.
Zeigler, pressed all night by Mauck's
attacking defenders, totaled 143 passing
yards.
"I
thought we fought a heck of a
battle," said Wildcats co-head
coach Chris Hakel. "I think it's
good for these kids to play against that
kind of competition because they can see
what they need to do. You've got
eliminate the little mistakes here and
there, but we're close."
September
13, 2007
Wildcats
keeping Lichtel in mind
By
Travis L. Pickens, Sept. 13, 2007
Before
the lights high above Memorial Park
Stadium turn on Friday night, the
Mechanicsburg football team will huddle
on the field like every other prep squad
in the commonwealth.
They'll talk about what they want to
accomplish and try to hype each other
up. Usually, a huddle like this ends
with the team, in unison, yelling
“win” or “go Wildcats.”
The difference is that Mechanicsburg
isn't your average team.
When that moment of togetherness ends
Friday, you won't see the Wildcats
jumping up and down, pounding on each
other's shoulders pads and yelling. What
you will see is the group, clad in the
trademark maroon helmets, home maroon
jerseys and gray pants, become eerily
silent.
With everything around them focused on
football, these young men will reflect
not on the game that brings them
together but on life and how hard that
game can be.
When
the moment is complete they'll join
together and say two words in unison.
The fans in the visiting bleachers not
familiar with the Mechanicsburg program
may not immediately understand what the
players said or why they said it.
The Mechanicsburg faithful, on the other
hand, will know exactly what those two
words were and how much meaning they
carry.
“Before every game our team gets in a
huddle and says, ‘coach Lichtel,'”
senior co-captain Matt Morell said.
“We just feed off him.”
Rich Lichtel, head coach of
Mechanicsburg since 1981, is who Morell
was referencing as he talked about the
Wildcats' pregame routine.
Lichtel
isn't on the sidelines this season as he
recovers from health problems.
“He's had two back surgeries, so after
the second one we decided it's more
important to rehab through all this,”
said Lichtel's wife of 39 years,
Beverly. “That's what he needs to
concentrate on.”
Lichtel, whose wife said was recovering
in Harrisburg Hospital and unavailable
for comment, remains close to the game,
and the team, he loves.
A former quarterback at Bloomsburg
State, according to the Mechanicsburg
football Web site Wildcat-Pride.com,
Lichtel took the reigns from Jack
Mackert and hasn't looked back.
Coming into the 2007 season Lichtel
compiled a 157-113 record, good for a
.579 winning percentage. According to
Wildcat-Pride, Lichtel's 1986 team
knocked off Carlisle, 21-20, in the
District 3 Class AAAA title game. The
Wildcats' championship came two years
before the PIAA implemented a state
playoff system, so the season ended with
that game.
Playing as a AAA school 18 years later,
Lichtel returned to the district final
with star quarterback Zach Frazer
guiding the offense.
Despite Frazer - the 2004 Associated
Press Class AAA Player of the Year - and
All-State punter Jeremy Boone, who
caught 84 passes for 1,083 yards,
Mechanicsburg couldn't get past
perennial power Manheim Central and was
denied a berth in the PIAA playoffs.
That journey to a district final was one
of many lasting impressions Lichtel made
on Boone, now Penn State's starting
punter.
“I talk to coach Lichtel about once a
week,” Boone said. “I just keep in
touch with him, let him know how things
are going and just make sure he's doing
OK.
“He had such a vital impact on me ...
I feel I have to support him and stay in
contact with him.”
Boone
isn't the only one. Chris Hakle, who is
teaming up with fellow long-time Lichtel
assistant Jeff Costello as co-head
coaches this year, said he visits
Lichtel every week.
“The words I used to him when I saw
him (Sunday) were, ‘You just keep
fighting. These kids will keep fighting
as long as you keep fighting,'” Hakle
said.
So far the Wildcats have been doing that
every week. With Lichtel fresh in their
minds, the players came together and
started 2-0 with wins over Carlisle and
Spring Grove.
Following the 34-13 pasting of the
Rockets on Friday, Mechanicsburg was
plus-6 in turnover ratio and knocked the
Spring Grove monkey off its collective
back.
“I guess it was revenge in that we
wanted to pay them back but it was our
first time beating them and we really
wanted to get a win against them,”
Morell said.
Last season the Rockets, out of the York
Adams Interscholastic Athletic
Association, beat Mechanicsburg 16-0. In
2001 Spring Grove sent Mechanicsburg
home in the District 3-AAA semifinals
with a 19-3 win.
So it's a safe bet that when Lichtel saw
the film of Friday's game - he watches
game film every week - he felt the same
joy and excitement his players felt down
in York County.
“They bring films in and they tell him
about (the games),” Beverly Lichtel
said. “He's worked with a lot of these
kids so he knows what they can and can't
do. We would love for him to be out
there and hopefully he will be again.”
Unfortunately Lichtel won't be stalking
the sidelines when his Wildcats host
rival Northern on Friday.
The Polar Bears come into the game 2-0
and on a wave of momentum following
their 29-3 win over Central York.
Regardless
of the rivalry and how much the game
means for playoff points, Northern coach
Rick Mauck understands the emotional
edge the Wildcats have.
“They're off to a good start without (Lichtel)
being there,” Mauck said. “His
long-time assistants are keeping things
going the way Rich would have it. They
should be commended for the job they're
doing.”
Outside of the Northern and
Mechanicsburg rivalry, Mauck, who said
he has known Lichtel for 18 years,
coached against Lichtel when he was
running Central Dauphin's program in the
early 1990s. The teams routinely met for
the for their first scrimmage.
“There would be nothing better than to
have him there,” Mauck said of Lichtel.
“Unfortunately, I don't think that's
something that we have any control
over.”
When the game does get underway,
Lichtel's fingerprints will be all over
what the Wildcats do - the first
offensive play of the game comes
directly from Lichtel.
“As small as it may seem to get the
first play from him, right now that's
what we can do to make him included in
the game,” Hakle said. “Everybody
understands that Rich is still the head
coach. He's still a big part of this
team.”
To the average fan, one play -
especially the first one - may seem
trivial. But the Wildcats use that play
to set the tone for the rest of the
game.
“It lets us start the game off well
because coach (Lichtel) wants us to run
that first play,” senior co-captain
Mark Monroe said. “It helps us to keep
from starting out sluggish. We really
want to get as much out of that play as
we can because he called it. That can
really help the offense to get going.”
From there, the defense has taken over.
A goal-line stand in the waning moments
secured the Wildcats' 14-7 win over
Carlisle in Week 1. Last week, Hakle
said if not for the five forced
turnovers, the score wouldn't have been
as wide as 21 points.
“Our
kids took advantage of Spring Grove's
turnovers,” Hakle said. “We were
impressed with a lot of their players. I
think the game was closer than the score
indicated.”
As the turnovers indicate, Mechanicsburg
is finding ways to win. Down 7-0 heading
into the fourth quarter against
Carlisle, the Wildcats rallied for two
touchdowns and a win. In hostile
territory and against an opponent they
had never beaten, the players bonded
together and came out on top again.
As the team continues to fight on the
field, its coach keeps fighting in an
effort to get back on the field with the
players he loves.
“His big thing is the kids,” Hakle
said. “That's where he draws his
happiness from and it helps to give him
strength.”
The feeling coach and team is mutual.
“The first thing he tells me is
congratulations and wants to hear about
the game,” Hakle said. “To me that's
amazing. With everything he has going on
the important thing to him is still the
kids.”
September
13, 2007
FRISCO'S
PICKS
Form
the Patriot News
Northern
22, MECHANICSBURG 16
Wildcats have been a wonderful
surprise to date. A win here
would make them plain dangerous.
September
13, 2007
Wildcats
Frosh thump West Perry 34-12
More
Info Coming Soon!
September
10, 2007
JV
'Cats win 1st of the Year!
The
JV Wildcats rebounded from an
opening game loss to drop the
visiting Spring Grove Rockets
20-12 last night at "The
Fred."
Visiting
Mechanicsburg played inspired football against the
Rockets.
By
HEATH HALLMAN
For the Daily Record/Sunday News
Sep 8, 2007 — It's tough to beat an opponent that's
fighting for more than just a victory.
The
Spring Grove football team discovered that in its home
opener against Mechanicsburg on Friday night. The
Wildcats topped the turnover-plagued Rockets, 34-13.
Mechanicsburg
(2-0) is going through a tough time, as head coach
Rich Lichtel battles illness this fall - and the
Wildcats are drawing strength from his example.
Said
assistant coach Chris Hakel: "Our coach is
fighting each and every day, and we gotta reach down
inside, and if we think we're tired, we gotta think of
him."
The
Mechanicsburg players seemed to understand that as
they took the field Friday.
Spring
Grove opened the scoring midway through the first
quarter with a 38-yard field goal by Cory Baker. Then,
as the quarter came to a close, the Wildcats' Jake
Zeigler answered with a 5-yard touchdown pass to Matt
Morell.
Things
then began to go badly for the Rockets, as quarterback
Ian Smith was intercepted on the first play of the
second quarter. It was his first of four interceptions
thrown by Smith, and it led to a nearly six-minute
drive that was capped by a spinning, 3-yard touchdown
run by the Wildcats' Tarik Leftenant.
Spring
Grove was forced to punt on its next possession, and
Mechanicsburg capped a six-play, 58-yard drive with a
45-yard touchdown throw by Zeigler to a wide-open Morell.
The
Wildcats scored again quickly when, on the second play
following the kickoff, Smith was intercepted again. This
time he was picked off by linebacker Aaron Jones, who
returned the pick 33 yards for a quick six points.
Following the extra point, the score was suddenly 27-3.
"Our
kids made mistakes, and they capitalized on them,"
said Rockets coach Gregg Trone. "It's the type of
game that you would've never expected as a coach to
occur. Just made too many mistakes."
The
Rockets a 46-yard field goal by Baker with no time left
in the half. But, in the third quarter, Spring Grove
failed to capitalize on two Wildcat turnovers.
The
Spring Grove highlight of the game occurred with less
than 10 minutes left in the final quarter, when Smith
found Purnell Richardson streaking down the right
sideline for a 54-yard touchdown.
"It's
our job as coaches to improve on the mistakes and move
on," said Trone as he walked off the field.
"It's a helpless feeling as a coach standing there
watching all these things happen and there's nothing you
can do about it, but our kids didn't quit the second
half, they tried and tried. Sometimes kids have a bad
night."
INDIVIDUAL
STATISTICS Rushing - Mechanicsburg, Leftenant 13-35,
Lewis 8-27, Zeigler 11-21, Anderson 1-6, Nik Cremo 1-5,
Adam Olsen 2-2, Kennedy Nye 2- (-2); Spring Grove, Smith
8-22, Matt Duncan 3-17, Joey Rudd 4-15, Richardson 1-12,
Bobby Bailey 1-7, Baker 1- (-2). Passing - Mechanicsburg,
Zeigler 7-17-1-131; Spring Grove, Smith 11-30-4-139. Receiving
- Mechanicsburg, Adam Tuttle 2-54, Morell 2-50,
Anderson 2-11, Matt Kovelesk 1-16; Spring Grove, Caleb
Burns 3-34, Duncan 3-29, Baker 2-6, Richardson 1-54,
Matt Brookhart 1-9, Josh Miller 1-7.
September
6, 2007
Frosh
Open with the Season with a W
The
Freshman football team opened
the season last night at
Carlisle and returned with a
hard fought 13-0 victory over
the Thundering Herd. Way
to go 'Cats!
More
Highlights coming soon!
September
6, 2007
FRISCO'S
PICKS
SPRING
GROVE 14, Mechanicsburg 13
Both
teams struggled offensively
last week. M'burg always has
trouble with Rockets
MECHANICSBURG 14, CARLISLE 7
Wildcats stave off
Herd's last chance
Saturday, September 01, 2007
BY ERIC F. EPLER
For The Patriot-News
It ended in a twisted heap and
ignited a wild following Friday night at Memorial Park
Stadium.
Host Mechanicsburg, finding a
rhythm at last, posted two fourth-quarter touchdowns, then
sacked a pair of goal-line opportunities by Carlisle to
secure an engaging 14-7 Mid-Penn crossover football
victory at John Frederick Field.
Junior quarterback Jake Zeigler
passed for 169 yards and sophomore running back Tarik
Leftenant gobbled up 171 all-purpose yards for
Mechanicsburg, which bolted ahead on Zeigler's 3-yard
keeper with 3:25 to go.
Earlier, it was Leftenant's
56-yard burst, aided by Ben Anderson's terrific downfield
block, that drew the suddenly spry Wildcats even with 8:48
left.
"You've got to love the way
the kids put it together when they had to," said
Mechanicsburg's Chris Hakel, one-half of Mechanicsburg's
head coaching staff in the absence of longtime skipper
Rich Lichtel.
"They learned a lot of
valuable lessons. I tell them all the time that they've
got to take advantage of every opportunity because you
don't get that many during the course of a game,"
Hakel said.
"I think [Lichtel] was in
our heads. These kids are finding something deep inside to
play for."
Despite allowing 129 ground yards
to Carlisle running back Kahilil Bunce, the Wildcats
defense, which forced five turnovers, twice took center
stage in the game's waning moments.
Now trailing, Carlisle moved to
the opponent's 30 on QB Jordan Holter's quick strike to
Rob Davis. Seconds later, Devon Hensel collected Holter's
third interception to squash the threat.
Holter went back to work only one
minute later after Brett Ickes' defense stopped Leftenant
short on a third-down dive.
With the clock now showing 1:04,
Holter's 25-yard cross to Josh Pruegert and two short
hook-ups to Jordan Wenger moved the Herd to
Mechanicsburg's 1.
In a flash, the Wildcats stopped
Bunce on a blast to cover the final nine seconds.
However, game officials ordered
one second be added for a Mechanicsburg injury. The second
chance still wasn't enough as Carlisle's Terrance Bennett
fumbled Holter's relay.
Earlier, Mechanicsburg's Matt
Morell intercepted a pair of passes from Holter, who
turned eight completions into 149 yards. Pruegert broke a
scoreless match in the third on a 5-yard run.
"The biggest thing is you
can't turn the ball over. I thought our defense played
well in the first half, but they were certainly on the
field too long," Ickes said. "What I do love is
that fight there in the end. Being down 14-7 and to come
back and move all the way down to the 1. Our kids are
growing up."
Leftenant finished with 75 yards
rushing and caught five passes from Zeigler for 96 more.
Mechanicsburg's initial scoring drive in the final period
stretched 83 yards, all by the 5-5, 160-pounder.
"There were some things we
noticed that Carlisle was doing that gave us an
opportunity," Hakel said. "Once Tarik gets a
hold of that ball, he's a special player."
ERIC F. EPLER: 255-8187 or eepler@patriot-news.com
From
the Sentinel...
Wildcats
win wild one
By
Jeffrey Kauffman, September 1, 2007
Mechanicsburg
had numerous opportunities to
put Carlisle away on Friday
night but couldn't close the
door until time expired on high
school football's opening night.
The Wildcats scored twice in the
final quarter to post a 14-7
over a Carlisle side that
perviously enjoyed a 7-0 lead.
The Herd turned the ball over
four times, including three in
their own end of the field, but
they were able to put the clamps
on the Wildcat offense and not
allow the home team to put the
ball in the end zone over the
first three quarters.
Carlisle fumbled away its
possession and each team punted
on their ensuing two possessions
with Mechanicsburg gaining field
position each time. Wildcats
quarterback Jake Zeigler found
Matt Morrell for an early score
on a fly pattern but it was
called back on a holding penalty
and the Wildcats had to punt.
Morrell did intercept a Herd
pass late in the opening quarter
and Zeigler slipped an apparent
sack and turned it into 38-yard
gain. The drive faltered on a
fourth down pass.
Carlisle
regained an opportunity early in the second stanza as
Holter was again picked off by the Wildcat defense but a
roughing the passer call nullified the play. Khalil Bunce,
who rushed for 131 yards, single-handedly moved Carlisle
down the field but was stopped on a fourth-down play by
Dan Estricher.
“Our defense played well tonight but they were on the
field too long in the first half,” Carlisle coach Brett
Ickes said. “Any coach knows you can't turn the ball
over and you have to make plays.
“They made more plays than we did and they deserved to
win.”
Bunce contributed two big plays to aid the Herd's next
drive as they opened the scoring for the season. Josh
Pruegert ran in from the 5-yard line and Skyler Bierley
drilled the extra point for the 7-0 edge.
Mechanicsburg
rallied on its next possession, which spanned the third
and fourth quarters. The Wildcats were aided by a face
mask penalty on the Herd, which turned an 8-yard loss
thanks to a sack, into only a 3-yard loss. After making
two catches on the drive, sophomore running back Tarik
Leftenant hand-off, broke two tackles and raced through
the Herd defense for a 56-yard score. Ben Anderson kicked
the extra point.
Morrell ended the next Herd possession with another
interception. He raced 62 yards with the ball but an
illegal use of the hands penalty brought the ball back to
the Wildcat 45. Leftenant caught another pass over the
middle for 21 yards and Greg Lewis blasted his way through
the line for three carries to the 3-yard line. Zeigler
split the defense to make it 14-7 in favor of
Mechanicsburg.
“Jake and Tarik are special players and they made some
things happen tonight,” Mechanicsburg co-head coach
Chris Hackel said. “I told the kids at the half that we
needed to play smart and take advantage of
opportunities.”
Holter stepped up in the hurry-up offense and completed
several passes to get the Herd down to the Mechanicsburg
25 but his pass to Bunce was again picked off by Aaron
Jones.
Derrick Mease fielded the punt - the Wildcats went
three-and-out - at the 50-yard line and fell forward to
the 45. A pass to Pruegert gained 25 and a pass to Jordan
Wenger gained nine more to the 11-yard line. A third down
pass to Wenger got the Herd to the one and Bunce was
stacked up by the Wildcat interior line at the goal line.
The clock ran out but one second was put back on due to an
injury.
Holter attempted to hand the ball to Bennett but the
exhange was botched. Bennett fell to the ground to cover
the ball while the Wildcat players celebrated a victory
for head coach Rich Lichtel.
“It should have never gotten to where it was at the end
but you have to love the way the kids put it together when
they had to,” Hakel said. “Our kids learned a valuable
lesson and they have to take advantage of an opportunity
when you get them because you don't get that many chances.
Rich was in the back of these kids heads and they dug down
deep.”
Mechanicsburg travels to Spring Grove next Friday while
Carlisle hosts Central Dauphin East in a Mid-Penn
Commonwealth Division opener at Millen Stadium.
“Our kids are growing up,” Ickes said.”They never
quit and they played very hard to the final play. You have
to make the plays. We are a lot better than we were last
year and we are making steps to get better, but it won't
get any easier.”
Form
the Patriot News
You only need to know four
words: No hurricane this week.
That's news, actually. It seems
like opening week has been a
hurricane remnant magnet the
past 10 years or so. In fact,
the big word for Friday is
pleasant. Highs won't get above
80. Clear skies. Makes for sharp
national anthems. Saturday's a
beauty, too.
Two
Keystone Teams Earn State Top 10
Ranking
#3
Red Land & #10 Gettysburg
have earned spot in the Patriot
News AAA State
Rankings.
Tarik
Leftenant gets tackled
during last season’s
game against Red Land.
Leftenant should be a big
part of Mechanicsburg’s
running game this year.
(Sentinel File Photo)
Wildcats
move on with no Lichtel
Costello
and Hackle team up to coach Mechanicbsburg.
By
Travis L. Pickens, Sentinel Reporter
This
season will offer a unique challenge to the Mechanicsburg
football team.
Losses won’t be as devastating, injuries won’t be as
hard to overcome and those long, three-a-day practices in
August weren’t as difficult to work through.
With 26-year head coach Rich Lichtel sidelined while he
battles health issues, the Wildcats embark on a new season
with Lichtel fresh in their minds.
And that isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
“I think they had a little bit of that last year,” said
Chris Hackle, who is acting as co-head coach with Jeff
Costello as Lichtel recovers. “They sensed (Lichtel’s)
back was causing him problems and he was in a lot of pain at
the end of the season. They saw how strong he was as a
person and how much passion he had for coaching. They knew
he was in a great deal of pain last season.”
Jake Zeigler throws a pass
against Red Land last season. Zeigler returns this
year, and will have to use his legs again.(Sentinel
file photo)
Mechanicsburg
rallied behind its coach and beat Hershey on Senior Night,
but dropped a 28-21 decision to Palmyra to close the year.
The Wildcats finished 3-7 overall and 2-5 in the Keystone
Division.
Now, with the dawn of a new season, Mechanicsburg has the
chance to make Lichtel proud from the sideline.
The Wildcats must replace linemen Zack Kumler, Andrew
Shapro, and Mike Fitzpatrick, but have two capable
quarterbacks in Jake Zeigler — the returning, and
projected, starter — and Mike Poplaski, who will play
tight end if Zeigler wins the starting job.
“They’re dueling it out right now,” Hackle said.
“The fact that Jake played last year is helping him out.
He understands what we’re trying to do; he takes control
of the offense and runs it.”
Poplaski,
who measures in at 6-foot-4, 235 pounds, will be a factor in
the passing game, but Hackle said the Wildcats need to get
back to the basics.
“That means we have to run the football,” Hackle said.
“If we can develop up front, get some unity, work together
and run the football there will be a lot of things we can
do.”
Tarik Leftenant, a 5-5, 160-pound speedster, will be the
Wildcats’ feature back in the multiple formation offense.
Aaron Jones and Erik Lewis are change-of-pace fullbacks who
offer a more physical running style.
“We’re going to utilize the fullbacks, but Tarik will be
the main back,” Hackle said. “We’re going to play off
of what West Virginia does and go out of the shotgun with
two backs. (Leftenant’s) speed will help us.”
The key for the Wildcats is how fast the offensive line
comes together. A defense that returns six starters will
likely keep Mechanicsburg in most of its games but Hackle
understands the offense needs to score points for the team
to win.
“We really stressed conditioning in the offseason,”
Hackle said. “Throughout last year we played well at the
beginning of games but in the second half we started to fade
off.”
Playing in the Keystone, Mechanicsburg can ill afford to
wilt late in games.
“I thought at times we were competitive last year,”
Hackle said. “There’s really no break in our schedule.
That forces the players to be excited each week. It makes
every game like a rivalry game.”
Patriot
News Keystone Division
Predictions
1.
RED
LAND
2.
GETTYSBURG
3.
LOWER
DAUPHIN.
4.
SUSQUEHANNA
TWP.
5.
HERSHEY
6.
MECHANICSBURG:
Tough times for the Wildcats
with their long-time coach
battling health issues, and a
team trying to find an
identity of any kind.
Outlook: This
will be a four-team race. The
division championship will
likely come down to Oct. 26
when Gettysburg travels to Red
Land.
Predicted order of
finish (2006 record, division
finish)
1. Gettysburg (4-3, 4)
— Senior-laden team is led
by quarterback Evan Lewis
(1,265 yards). Leading rusher
R.J. Vanbrakle is gone but
Lewis will be throwing to the
same wideouts.
2. Red Land (6-1, 2)
— Matt Cox and Brian Danner
will be replaced by Junior
Rodriguez in the backfield.
Defending district champions
return 15 starters.
3. Lower Dauphin (7-4,
3) — Quarterback
Colton Sipe (1,366 yards) is
gone but Falcons return almost
everyone else. Jordan Rosario
(1,011 rushing yards) will be
a force.
4. Susquehanna
Township (7-0, 1) —
Indians always an athletic
club but they don’t have
enough returning experience to
crack the top three.
5. Hershey (2-5, 6)
— Trojans better than the
bottom three but will struggle
with the upper-echelon teams.
6.
Mechanicsburg (2-5, 5)
— Young offensive line needs
to keep quarterback Jake
Zeigler off the ground for
Wildcats to challenge.
7. Palmyra (2-5, 7)
— Team is rebuilding its
skill positions but returns
sack leaders Justin Faiola and
Matthew Johnson.
8. Middletown (0-7, 8)
— All but one loss last year
was by 19 or more points. If
the defense doesn’t tighten
up, Blue Raiders will be in
for another long season.
M-Burg
Grad Boone Punting & Holding
for PSU
M-burg
Grad Jeremy Boone has been named
the starting punter & holder
for the Nittany lions to start
the 2007 season against FIU.
