Skip to main content

Annville-Cleona wins share of Section title


play
Show Caption

ANNVILLE – The message was simple for the Annville-Cleona football team.

A win and they would at least clinch a share of the Section 3 title for the first time in a dozen years.

And though it wasn’t perfect, the Dutchmen responded when it mattered most, scoring 27 unanswered points, en route to a 34-14 victory Friday at Annville-Cleona High School.

With the win and a 35-7 win by Lancaster Catholic at Northern Lebanon, the Dutchmen and the Crusaders were declared Section 3 Co-Champions – the first for the Dutchmen since 2004.

“I’m an Annville kid, and when you’re the second smallest school in your section…to be able to put a number up there that we will always have in that gym…I don’t even know how to describe it,” said A-C coach Matt Gingrich.

It was a big night for seniors Cameron Hoch and Griffin Hertz in particular.

Hoch had one last big night on the ground with 106 yards on nine carries, including a 55-yarder with 6:58 left to lock it up. Hoch also had two receptions for 70 yards.

“Going out like this, you can’t have a better feeling. This whole year, everybody’s been doubting us. We started off against Trinity where it was just bad, and then starting out 1-2. But then we won six of our last eight, it’s just awesome,” Hoch said.

“We knew we were going to have a rough start. We always did every game. They run a fast-paced tempo our second-string can’t keep up with. But after the first quarter I think we handled it great, and we knew every single play they were going to do. On offense, coach made great reads and great calls.”

Hertz had a big night on both sides of the ball, hauling in a 68-yard bomb from Noah Myers to tie it at 14 with 3:51 left in the half.

“I was really nervous when coach called it, and then when I started running I was like, ‘I have to catch this.’ But I caught it and ran as fast as I could,” Hertz said. “It’s something I do every game, just trick the opponent so they never know what I’m doing.”

Hertz followed with a back-breaking interception that eventually led to Hoch’s game-clinching score.

“I saw him run a slat all the way across the field. I just stayed on him the whole time and pulled in the interception,” he said.

Noah Myers also had a productive night under center, rushing for 108 yards on 17 carries and two touchdowns, along with finishing 3-for-6 for 138 yards with a touchdown and interception through the air.

Myers first rushing score came on a 12-yard touchdown run with 1:51 left in the first quarter to tie it at seven. A-C set it up with a 47-yard connection from Myers to Hoch on third-and-11.

Myers second rushing touchdown came on a powerful 28-yard run to make it 28-14 with 9:03 left. On that 91-yard drive, A-C had a huge third-and-long conversion, on a Hoch 20-yard run on third-and-12.

The other A-C (7-3, 5-1) touchdown came with 3:30 left in the third quarter, off a big 52-yard run by Caleb Turner that gave the Dutchmen its first lead at 21-14.

Donegal (4-6, 4-2) took their opening possession right down the field, ending in a three-yard touchdown run by Nick Ketner. Ketner’s score was set up by a fourth-and-10 conversion as Kobe Bistline hit Kevin Young on an 11-yard pass, along with a 21-yard run by Ketner the play before.

Tyler Snyder had the other Indians touchdown on a two-yard run to give Donegal the lead again at 14-7 with 9:33 left in the half, before A-C began its run.

And knowing this game was all his team had left, Gingrich says it didn’t take much for everyone to dig deep.

“We don’t have district playoffs. We had 24 minutes so we were going to let it all hang out. They worked and that was the difference,” Gingrich said.

Annville-Cleona 34, Donegal 14

Donegal _ 7 _ 7 _ 0 _ 0 _ — _ 14

Annville-Cleona _ 7 _ 7 _ 7 _ 13 _ — _ 34

First Quarter

D — Nick Ketner 3-run. (Emma Hudson kick)

AC - Noah Myers 12-run. (Anthony Frattarole kick)

Second Quarter

D — Tyler Snyder 2-run. (Hudson kick)

AC - Griffin Hertz 68-pass from Myers. (Frattarole kick)

Third Quarter

AC — Caleb Turner 52-run. (Frattarole kick)

Fourth Quarter

AC — Myers 28-run. (Frattarole kick)

AC - Cameron Hoch 55-run. (Frattarole kick)

Team Statistics

_ Donegal _ A-C

First downs _ 13 _ 15

Rushes-yards _ 46-195 _ 38-332

Passing _ 5-11-1 _ 3-6-1

Passing yards _ 45 _ 138

Total yards _ 240 _470

Punts _ 4-146 _ 3-98

Fumbles-lost _ 1-0 _ 1-0

Penalties-yards _ 3-20 _ 9-65

Individual Statistics

Rushing — Donegal: Kobe Bistline 3-(-21); Kevin Young 12-53; Nick Ketner 13-93, TD; Tyler Snyder 12-48, TD; Cameron Ellis 6-22. Annville-Cleona: Cameron Hoch 9-106, TD; Dylan Bomgardner 4-49; Dominic MacMillan 1-7; Caleb Turner 7-62, TD; Mitchell Long 1-9; Noah Myers 17-108, 2 TD.

Passing — Donegal: Bistline 5-11-1 for 45 yards. Annville-Cleona Myers 3-6-1 for 138 yards, TD.

Receiving — Donegal: Young 2-24; Seiler Edwards 2-21. Annville-Cleona Hoch 2-70; Griffin Hertz 1-68, TD.