Hart brothers power Squires over New Oxford
The New Oxford football team might have taken the field to fireworks, but it was Delone Catholic creating the explosive plays Friday night.
The Colonials celebrated their home opener Friday with an elaborate pregame tailgate complete with food trucks, games and a quick firework show when the players ran onto the field. But the Squires would spoil the party, rushing for 250 yards on their way to a 35-0 win.
While fans of both teams were able to enjoy the spectacle of the evening, the Squires did their best to stay focused on the game. Head coach Corey Zortman said it was not lost on the Squires that New Oxford planned festivities for a game against them.
"They did a great job putting on a really nice show for the kids, we're appreciative they were able to do it, but our kids used it as a motivational factor," Zortman said. "Like, 'Hey, they picked you to do this kind of game', and in sports you find anything you can to gain an edge."
It didn't take long for Delone to gain an edge on the field. New Oxford quarterback Tanner Miller fumbled a handoff on the opening drive, and the Squires capitalized plays later on a 4-yard run by quarterback Brian Shermeyer.
From that point on, it was all Delone Catholic. The Squires' running backs duo of Zach and Ryan Hart combined for 181 yards on the ground and consistently controlled the game's tempo. Zach finished with three touchdowns, and Ryan added a 65-yard punt return score in the first quarter as Delone went into halftime up 28-0.
The two brothers are used to splitting carries with each other, but both said there is no sibling rivalry when they're on the field. Zach is a power-runner, while Ryan is shifty and more of a speedster.
"We just keep working off of each other, we just keep going and one helps the other," said Zach Hart, a senior.
Added junior Ryan Hart: "It usually comes after the game that we'll talk about it, but during the game we're just here to get business done."
The Squires operate out of the Wing-T offense and traditionally rely heavily on the ground game. With last season's star back Tavian Dorsey having graduated, both Hart brothers are proud of how the team has run the ball during its 3-0 start this fall.
"It's a huge credit to our line, I think we only lost one guy on our line, and I think they're 95 percent of the reason why we're so good at running the ball," Ryan Hart said. "We're always proud of the running game at Delone."
The Squires ability to run the ball at will was especially frustrating for the Colonials. New Oxford has now given up 993 rushing yards during its 0-3 start.
First-year head coach Greg Bowman said the team needs to develop more mental toughness. He added the amount of fans at Friday's game should give the Colonials motivation moving forward.
"We've got to work on developing football players, plain and simple," Bowman said. "Our guys are not playing the way they've been coached to play. We appear to be timid at times. I don't know that we rallied around this event the way we could have, it's a bit disappointing that we didn't play a bit harder in front of all these people."
Delone Catholic_21_7_0_7_—_35
New Oxford_0_0_0_0_—_0
First Quarter
DC -- Brian Shermeyer 4 run (Brandon Hall kick), 10:29
DC -- Zach Hart 1 run (Hall kick), 6:29
DC -- Ryan Hart 65 punt return (Hall kick), 4:29
Second Quarter
DC -- Zach Hart 5 run (Hall kick), 6:29
Fourth Quarter
DC -- Zach Hart 5 run (Hall kick), 11:52
_DC_ NO
First downs_11_6
Rushes-Yards_44-250_26-81
Passing_2-8-0_4-15-0
Passing Yards_11_41
Total Yards_261_122
Punts_3-29_6-25
Fumbles-Lost_0-0_2-1
Penalties-Yards_4-50_3-25
Rushing — DC, Zach Hart 16-101, Ryan Hart 10-80, Logan Panzer 6-25, Andrew Hernandez 3-19, Sean Sneeringer 3-6, Brian Shermeyer 2-7, Tyler Monto 3-4, Derek Weaver 1-8. NO, Tanner Miller 11-20, Isaac Siegman 10-44, Brennan Romanoff 3-12, Brock Crawford 1-3, Brandon Scott 1-2.
Passing — DC, Shermeyer 2-8-11-0. NO, Miller 1-8-11-0, Connor Becker 3-7-30-0.
Receiving — DC, Hernandez 2-11. NO, Siegman 1-11, Eric Alt 1-15, Darrick Rudisill 1-7, Luke Lardarello 1-8.