LOYSBURG - Jaws and E.T. were part of the Everett band's halftime show, but there was no Hollywood ending for the Warriors Friday night.
That story belonged to Chestnut Ridge and Trent Lohr.
The sophomore running back, playing in his first game the entire season, had a 51-yard run to set up a touchdown and ran in a key two-point conversion as the Lions won their first playoff game in school history, 22-21, over Everett in the District 5 Class AA championship game at Panther Community Stadium. With the victory, Chestnut Ridge earned a ticket to the state playoffs and will play the District 9 champion in two weeks.
Article Photos
Mirror photo by Gary M. Baranec
Chestnut Ridge’s Jacob Mock scores during the second quarter as quarterback Beau Bosch signals a touchdown in Loysburg.
"I tore my meniscus at the beginning of the season, before it even started," Lohr said. "I got surgery the second week of the season and rehabbed it to get back for this game.
"This is the first week I practiced. I didn't get cleared until the end of last week. This is the best feeling ever; we had never won a playoff game and now we're district champions."
Similar to the plot of most sports movies, things didn't start off well for the Lions.
Beau Bosch fumbled the snap on Chestnut Ridge's first offensive play, and Everett recovered. The Warriors marched 54 yards on 11 plays and cashed in with a score when Barkley Rhoat found the end zone on a 6-yard run.
Everett attempted an onside kick and had an excellent opportunity to recover it, but the ball took a strange bounce and went out of bounds. Ridge took advantage of the short field with a four-play drive highlighted by Lohr's 51-yard run and capped off by Bosch's 1-yard sneak.
"It was real exciting to get out there and have an impact," Lohr said. "Not being out there all year, I was only in on a couple plays, but it worked out."
The Warriors struck next, taking advantage of a 6-yard punt by Chestnut Ridge, and drove 27 yards for another touchdown. Everett quarterback Spencer McInroy found Kyle Droz all alone in the end zone for an 11-yard score. The Warriors decided to roll the dice on a fake extra point, and McInroy took a direct snap from the kicker's position and threw to a wide open Jared Donelson to make it 15-7.
It didn't take long for Ridge to respond.
The Lions took advantage of a 15-yard facemask penalty on the kick return and got a 1-yard touchdown run from Jacob Mock. Mock finished the contest with 103 yards on 23 carries.
"[Mock has] done a great job for us all year," Chestnut Ridge coach Max Shoemaker said. "He runs with a lot of energy and desire, and I think he showed that again tonight."
The Lions took their first lead of the game by taking the opening kickoff of the second half for a score. Mock finished the drive with a 5-yard run, but the story of the drive was the penalties Everett made. The Warriors got tagged for taunting on the kick, a personal foul that extended the drive and a facemask.
When Everett got the ball back, it was without McInroy, who not only tossed a touchdown pass but was Everett's leading rusher in the game with 40 yards on nine carries.
"He had a separated shoulder," Everett coach Mark Kirk said. "So we put Droz in. He's played some quarterback this year, but taking Spencer out probably hurt us a little bit."
It certainly didn't hurt on Droz's first throw, which went for a 63-yard score to Kyle Sheaffer. The snap on the extra point was bad, however, and Droz's pass after the botched kick attempt fell incomplete.
The Warriors seemingly recovered an onside kick following the score, but a penalty wiped it out.
"The explanation I was given was that we didn't give them an opportunity to catch the ball," Kirk said. "The kick hit their guy in the head. They said that's not the way it works, but that's the explanation I got. I'm sure they know what they're doing, but it seemed as though it bounced off the kid's head and we recovered it."
Everett got two chances from inside the Chestnut Ridge 30-yard line in the fourth quarter, but the Ridge defense turned the Warriors away.
Everett got the ball back one more time with 2:59 left, and Rhoat was wide open deep on the first play. Droz's pass overshot the speedy running back, and Matt Wiley closed the door on the game with an interception two plays later.
"I was in the right place at the right time," Wiley said. "I never felt a feeling like I did when I caught that ball. This means a lot to our seniors and everyone at our school."
SCORE BY QUARTERS
Everett7 8 6 0 - 21
Chestnut Ridge7 8 7 0 - 22
First quarter
E-Rhoat 6 run (Droz kick), 7:01.
CR-Bosch 1 run (VanMeter kick), 5:49.
Second quarter
E-Droz 11 pass from McInroy (Donelson pass from McInroy), 9:21.
CR-Mock 1 run (Lohr run), 5:03.
Third quarter
CR-Mock 5 run (VanMeter kick), 8:14.
E-Sheaffer 63 pass from Droz (pass failed), 7:12.
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING: Everett-McInroy 9-40, Karns 7-25, Rhoat 7-16, Droz 4-8, Sheaffer 2-7, Jays 1-2, Ritchey 1-(-2), TEAM 1-(-1). Chestnut Ridge-Mock 23-103, Bosch 19-42, Lohr 3-64, M. Wiley 5-14, White 1-0, TEAM 3-(-3).
PASSING: Everett-McInroy 2-6-0-18, Droz 1-8-1-63, Jays 0-1-0-0. Chestnut Ridge-Bosch 2-2-0-26.
RECEIVING: Everett-Sheaffer 1-63, Droz 1-11, Karns 1-7. Chestnut Ridge-College 2-26.
INTERCEPTIONS: Everett-none. Chestnut Ridge-M. Wiley.
TEAM STATISTICSECR
First downs713
Yards rushing31-9755-218
Passing (cmp.-att.-int.)3-15-12-2-0
Yards passing8126
Total yards244178
Fumbles-lost1-02-2
Penalties-yards6-605-46
Punts-avg.4-31.34-14.3
