LAMPETER -- The disappointment was so strong, so evident in Red Lion.

The 21-17 loss to host Lampeter-Strasburg wasn't the outcome the Lions thought they were heading for.

Not after taking a three-point lead on a Jason Milton touchdown with 4:40 remaining on the clock. They had kept the ball for nearly eight minutes on the drive, going 80 yards on 18 plays.

And certainly not after snuffing Lampeter-Strasburg on the next three plays; featuring two bad snap fumbles and an eventual punt on fourth-and-21 with 2:31 remaining.

So what if Lampeter-Strasburg (1-2) had all three timeouts?

Milton, a senior, had already surpassed 100 yards rushing in the game.

And junior quarterback Blake Cahill was completing just enough passes to provide some semblance of offensive balance.

Get a few first downs. Move the chains. Get on the bus for the first win of the season.

Didn't you see the last Pioneer possession?

"I just wanted to get the ball back. It was just crazy," Lampeter-Strasburg senior running back Ryan Lawler said. "Short memory. Just get to the next play and go out there and do what we needed to do."

Well, as it turns out. That was an aberration.

After getting the proper stops, utilizing the timeouts and getting the ball back with exactly two minutes remaining; the Pioneers had 80 yards to go. They weren't going to get there on the ground.

On the first play of the drive, freshman quarterback

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Collin Shank found senior Brandon Green behind a defender for a 44-yard pass. Shank had completed just four passes for 27 yards to that point and had rarely looked deep. But there it was for the taking.

After Shank picked up nine yards on the ground he threw deep again, getting a pass interference call on the 1-yard line this time. Move it up 15 more yards to the Red Lion 13.

With about a 1:30 left, Lampeter-Strasburg emptied the backfield and brought Lawler sweeping from left to right from his end position.

Lawler, the one who has a knack for talking about how "juiced" (energized) he and his teammates are during big moments, didn't disappoint. He took the handoff, cut up field and delivered the Pioneers their first win of the season.

"We were so juiced," Lawler said. "We wanted to get the ball in and score and it just happened."

Despite 1:22 remaining on the clock, Red Lion had no answer.

Milton finished the game with 115 yards rushing and two touchdowns on 28 carries. Lawler had two touchdowns and 100 yards on 16 carries.

 

Red Lion  0  10  0  7 -- 17
L-S  0    7  7  7-- 21

Second Quarter
   RL -- Jason Milton 3-yard run (Steve Hanline kick), 10:55.
   L-S -- Drew Burford 30-yard run (Matthew Wright kick), 9:38.
   RL -- Steve Hanline 32-yard field goal, 7:30.
   L-S -- Matthew Wright missed 33-yard field goal, 2:55.
Third Quarter
   L-S -- Ryan Lawler 5-yard run (Matthew Wright kick), :40.
Fourth Quarter
   RL -- Jason Milton 1-yard run (Steve Hanline kick), 4:40.
   L-S -- Ryan Lawler 13-yard run (Matthew Wright kick), 1:22.
 
-- RL -- L-S
First downs -- 14 -- 16
Rushes-yards -- 36-128 -- 35-200
Passing -- 8-21-1 -- 5-11-0
Passing yards -- 132 -- 71
Total yards -- 260 -- 271
Fumbles-lost -- 1-1 -- 4-1
Penalties-yards -- 9-75 -- 11-80

 
  INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
   Rushing -- Red Lion, Chris Grant 1-3, Jason Milton 28-115, Blake Cahill 6-5, Dan Althoff 1-5; Lampeter-Strasburg, Ryan Lawler 16-100, Drew Burford 6-45, Kyle Horner 2-16, Collin Shank 3-15, Austin Landis 5-30, Dan Lind 1-0, Lance Witmer 1-0, Jason Lindsley 1- (-6).
   Passing -- Red Lion, Blake Cahill 8-21-132-0; Lampeter-Strasburg, Taylor 5-10-71-0-0, Brett Brooks 0-1-0-0.
   Receiving -- Red Lion, Dan Althoff 4-31, Ryan Edie 1-17, Seth Haight 3-84; Lampeter-Strasburg, Cameron Westerlund 1-0, Drew Burford 1-9, Brandon Green 2-43, Jordan Spahr 1-19.