Eastern York rebounds from early missteps, beats Gettysburg
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Things might not have started all that favorably for Eastern York, but eventually plenty went right for Dave Kemmick's football-playing bunch.
And once momentum swung decidedly and the Golden Knights began to dig in and gain some traction, a positive result wasn't all that far behind.
Flashing an effective, yet balanced ground game, and taking advantage of six turnovers, Kemmick's Golden Knights shrugged off an early deficit Friday night and roared back for a decisive 33-3 triumph against visiting Division II rival Gettysburg.
"It was good to have that happen," Kemmick admitted. "It hasn't happened in a couple of weeks, have things go right.
"(Ryan) Kalke, our quarterback, had a great game."
Kalke, Sam Pollock, Jordan Weaver and Brennen Shenk split four touchdowns while combining for 236 of the Knights' 293 rushing yards as Kemmick's bunch (3-3, 1-2) celebrated senior night by putting the brakes on a pesky three-game losing streak.
Kalke piled up 111 yards on just 12 carries, scoring once on an early sneak and setting up a second-half TD with a zig-zagging 44-yard jaunt to the Gettysburg 1 — despite picking the shotgun snap off the ground.
While Kalke's burst led to Weaver's 5-yard score, Shenk's 15-yard scoot late in the third had Eastern sitting on a comfortable 26-3 cushion.
Not too shabby for a Knights group that fumbled away its first possession, conceded a 32-yard Adam Yingling field goal and had Kalke's 25-yard touchdown pass to Seth Bernstein wiped out by an offensive pass interference call.
All in the opening quarter.
"That's what we're trying to learn here is to be resilient," Kemmick said. "If bad things happen, come back from them. We've been working on that."
Rebounding from its early missteps, the Knights scored on their next four possessions, trouncing a Gettysburg club (1-5, 0-3) that dropped its fourth in a row after coughing up five of its seven fumbles and having a pass picked off.
And if Eastern's 26-0 run during the second and third quarters didn't leave Matt Heiser's Warriors disheartened, Conner Barshinger's 44-yard fumble return on the first snap following Shenk's TD was the knockout blow.
"Picked it up and ran for it," Barshinger said.
And while Barshinger's score might have been his first career defensive score, it was the perfect capper to a favorable outing for Kemmick's Knights.
"It's been building up through the weeks," Kalke said. "We waited for this breakout, and we finally got it. We're hoping to keep this up for the rest of the year."
Gettysburg3000—3Eastern York014190—33
First Quarter
Get — Adam Yingling 32 field goal, 5:57
Second Quarter
EY — Ryan Kalke 1 run (Robert Lecates kick), 6:32
EY— Sam Pollock 5 run (Lecates kick), 0:54
Third Quarter
EY — Jordan Weaver 5 run (kick blocked), 8:18
EY — Brennen Shenk 15 run (kick failed), 2:36
EY — Conner Barshinger 44 fumble return (Lecates kick), 2:17
GetEYFirst downs616Rushes-yards31-12264-293Passing1-9-11-7-0Passing yards199Total yards141302Punts3-35.33-36.7Fumbles-lost7-54-1Penalties-yards3-254-30
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing — Get, Edny Celius 11-59, Tyler Wilt 9-48, Wesley Gayle 1-7, Bryce Newman 1-6, Liaon Shelton 2-4, Oakley Marsh 1-3, Khalil Hill 1-2, Kristian Stahl 2-0, Elijah Jackson 3-(-7). EY, Ryan Kalke 12-111, Brennen Shenk 9-70, Sam Pollock 14-38, Logan Kline 8-36, Shane Carberry 9-17, Jordan Weaver 7-17, Jimmy Kurnik 2-8, Jayshim Snyder 1-1, Lynn Snell 1-(-1), Team 1-(-4).
Passing — Get, Wilt 1-8-0-19, Josh Clapsaddle 0-1-1-0. EY, Kalke 1-7-0-9.
Receiving — Get, Marquise Camel 1-19. EY, Kurnik 1-9.