Font ResizeSome nice passes from junior quarterback Blake Cahill, a couple of nice runs from senior running back Jason Milton and some flashes of excellence from others against Lancaster-Lebanon League opponent Manheim Township at Horn Field in Red Lion.
But there wasn't nearly enough, as Manheim Township rolled to a 42-7 victory over the Lions.
"As you can see, we made some great plays tonight on both sides of the ball," Red Lion coach Pat Conrad said. "But we are young. I look out there sometimes and see only three seniors on the field for us. We made some mistakes. When we start putting all that together, I think we'll be a very good football team. That's where we are right now. We just have to keep working and keep playing."
Things looked promising for Red Lion (0-2) early despite falling behind 14-0 in the first quarter. An illegal procedure pushed the Lions back five yards on first down from their own 33-yard line, but the 5-foot-10, 185-pound Milton burst through the left side of the Manheim Township defensive front for a 41-yard gain. A play later, Milton again went left and scored from 22 yards out to help Red Lion close to within a touchdown.
"I credit the coaching staff for making the adjustments at halftime," said Manheim Township first-year coach Mark Evans. "They were really hurting us with that off tackle. I
The Blue Streaks' 14-7 lead stood until the end of the first half, when they took advantage of great field position after Red Lion turned the ball over on downs with 45 seconds left before halftime.
Manheim Township senior quarterback Brennan Scott orchestrated a quick drive that saw him complete 5-of-6 passes for 54 yards, culminating in a 10-yard scoring strike to Tyler Karpinski with 10 seconds left.
Red Lion quarterback Blake Cahill didn't have a bad first half himself, going 6-for-8 for 54 yards, including a 23-yard screen to Milton on the final play of the half. But Manheim Township made some second-half adjustments, and the 6-foot-5 junior completed only two passes for 31 yards in the second half.
"When we execute, we are a very balanced team and can do a lot of good things," Conrad said. "We had some drops, we had some missed throws and poor decisions, and then we had some great catches and great throws. It's up and down. Once we start becoming more consistent, we'll be okay."
The game was still within Red Lion's reach entering the final 12 minutes, but the Blue Streaks scored on their opening possession of the fourth quarter when Scott again found Karpinski, this time with a 34-yard pass. On the ensuing kickoff, Manheim Township (1-1) recovered a pooch kick on the Red Lion 38 and parlayed that into a five-play drive that ended with a 16-yard touchdown run from junior Michenzie Foltz.
"We are playing some good football teams and you can't make mistakes or give them opportunities," Conrad said. "They will take advantage of it. Manheim Township is a good team and will do well in the Lancaster-Lebanon League this fall. Hats off to them. They caused some mistakes and we have to overcome that."
Milton finished with a team-high 123 yards rushing for Red Lion while senior Ryan Edie had four receptions for a team-high 50 yards.
"Red Lion has some weapons," Evans said. "(Milton) popped a couple and that quarterback is a nice little, well not-so-little, quarterback. He did a nice job in the pistol. I think they are going to win more than they lose, that's for sure."
Manheim Twp. 14 7 0 21 -- 42
Red Lion 7 0 0 0 -- 7
First Quarter
MT -- Raycol Martinez 37 run, 9:55 (Alex Woolley kick).
MT -- Martinez 39 run, 7:13 (Woolley kick).
RLi -- Jason Milton 22 run, 7:13 (Blake Cahill kick).
Second Quarter
MT -- Tyler Karpinski 10 pass from Brennan Scott, 0:10 (Woolley kick).
Fourth Quarter
MT -- Tyler Karpinski 34 pass from Scott, 10:23 (Woolley kick).
MT -- Michenzie Foltz 16 run, 8:47 (Woolley kick).
MT -- Foltz 44 run, 1:36 (Woolley kick).
-- MT -- RLi
First downs -- 18 -- 11
Rushes-yards -- 32-268 -- 34-152
Passing -- 11-19-0 -- 8-16-0
Passing yards -- 157 -- 85
Total yards -- 425 -- 237
Punts -- 4-40.0 -- 4-33.0
Fumbles-lost -- 0-0 -- 3-1
Penalties-yards -- 6-40 -- 3-25
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing -- Manheim Township, Raycol Martinez 13-139, Michenzie Foltz 4-73, Sallade 5-30, Morton 5-14, Green 2-10, Scott 3-2; Red Lion, Jason Milton 19-123, Cahill 10-13, Althoff 2-9, Edie 2-5, Dubose 1-2.
Passing -- Manheim Township, Brennan Scott 11-19, 157 yds., 2 TD, 0 Int.; Red Lion, Blake Cahill 8-15, 85 yds., 0 TD, 0 Int., Klein 0-1, 0 yds.
Receiving -- Manheim Township, Tyler Karpinski 4-67, Morgan 3-52, Reichenbach 3-26, Will 1-12; Red Lion, Ryan Edie 4-50, Milton 2-27, Althoff 1-7, Baublitz 1-1.
