York Suburban shuts down Eastern for sole division title

Eastern York was hoping to end a 26-year drought.

Instead, York Suburban on Friday night made the Golden Knights wait at least one more season while also equaling a mark established by the Trojans football program 54 years ago.

York Suburban claimed the YAIAA Division II championship outright for the second consecutive fall with a 35-14 win against the Golden Knights at Eastern York High School.

"We felt like nobody gave us much credit all year," said York Suburban coach Andy Loucks. "Everyone wanted to talk about Gettysburg, Eastern and everybody else but Suburban. What we do is just come out and play. These kids just come out and do it. Now, they have to talk about York Suburban."

It was the first time the York Suburban football program won back-to-back championships since posting undefeated seasons in 1961 and 1962.

The Trojans will open the District 3 Class 4A tournament next week. Brackets will be released Sunday.

"You see (York Suburban) on Twitter out throwing the ball at six in the morning," said Eastern York coach Jeff Mesich. "They are in the weight room. They are reaping the rewards of all that hard work. The old adage that the work you put in the off-season shows up during the season is true."

York Suburban (8-2, 6-0) left little doubt about the outcome with a 20-point first half.

The Trojans amassed 151 first-half rushing yards behind 87 yards on five carries by 5-foot-9, 164-pound senior Jadon Haynes.

"I feel like we have the best offensive line in the division," Loucks said. The group is anchored by senior Gavin Barclay (6-foot-6, 295 pounds), who has received Division I interest. "They showed it every week."

Haynes also scored on an 18-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Ben Igo on the Trojans' second possession of the game.

"This group has been playing together forever," Loucks said. "They are a good group of football players. For some, like Ben (Igo), he was behind a really good football player (in former quarterback Thomas Merkle) until this year. We knew we had enough talent. We knew we were going to be good."

York Suburban also got two second-quarter field goals of 35 and 24 yards from senior kicker Zach Weinstein.

While the Trojans offense was moving the football in the opening half, the defense was stifling the Eastern York offense.

The Golden Knights managed just 44 rushing yards and 16 passing yards over the first two quarters.

"The weeks where we play to a stalemate or win up front, we do pretty well," Mesich said. "The weeks where the other team beats us up front, we struggle. That's what happened."

The only points Eastern York (4-6, 4-2 Division II) mustered until the final minute of the game came on a botched first-quarter field goal attempt where holder Jimmy Kurnik found junior Jahshim Snyder in the end zone with a four-yard pass.

York Suburban_14_6_8_7_—_35     

Eastern York_7_0_0_7_—_14 

First Quarter 

EY -- Jahshim Snyder 4 pass from Jimmy Kurnik (Brock Morrison kick), 9:38

YS -- Jadon Haynes 18 pass from Ben Igo (Zach Weinstein kick), 5:58

YS -- Teague Hoffman 1 run (Weinstein kick), :34.6

Second Quarter

YS --   Weinstein 35 FG, 5:52

CY -- Weinstein 24 FG, :01

Third Quarter  

YS --  Haynes 4 run (Hoffman run), 1:18

Fourth Quarter

YS --  Teague Hoffman 12 run (Weinstein kick), 3:54

EY -- Keegan Corwell 2 run (Morrison kick), :40

Team statistics

 _YS_ EY

First downs_15_12

Rushes-Yards_35-252_40-113

Passing_10-15-0_10-17-1

Passing Yards_91_111

Total Yards_343_224

Punts_1-37.0_6-23.2

Fumbles-Lost_4-2_1-1

Penalties-Yards_5-50_6-85

Individual statistics

Rushing — York Suburban, Jadon Haynes 8-100, Janner Torres 7-71, Teague Hoffman 11-58, Ben Igo 4-9,  Lucas Friend 2-7, Maxwell Reinecker  1-5, Savion Harrison 1-3, Peter Gronki 1-(-1). Eastern York, Logan Kline, 15-63, Seth Bernstein 10-23, Keegan Corwell 8-20, Kaleb Corwell 3-8, Wyatt Smith 1-8, Cole Witman 1-3, Zachary Grove 1-(-3), Jahshim Snyder 1-(-9).

Passing — York Suburban, Igo 10-15, 91 yds., 1 TD, 0 Int. Eastern York, Bernstein 9-16, 107 yds., 0 TD, 1 Int., Jimmy Kurnik 1-1, 4 yds., 1 TD, 0 Int.

Receiving — York Suburban, Haynes 4-36, Colin Deardorff 2-23, T.J. Hoover 1-15, Hoffman 2-12, Willie Batty 1-5. Eastern York, Kurnik 3-52, Kline 4-30, Witman 1-14, Dylan Zurin 1-11, Snyder 1-4.