BERWICK — In a game defined by one defensive stop after another, it was going to take just one big play to pick up a win at Crispin Field.
Lake-Lehman found that play first, and the Black Knights are 1-0.
On fourth-and-6 with just a minute remaining, Hayden Evans found a wide-open Chris Sholtis for 31 yards and a Lake-Lehman touchdown to lift the Black Knights to a 13-7 victory over Berwick on Friday.
A big game for Sholtis got even bigger when his team needed it most; the senior put the capper on a 137-yard day by slipping undetected through the Berwick defense and hauling in a pass from Evans, falling into the end zone to put Lake-Lehman ahead for the first time.
“I was just trying to give my best move, and I got open … the adrenaline just kicked in,” Sholtis said. “I trust Hayden with everything we got, I know he’s going to get me the ball.”
The very first play on the ensuing Berwick drive, defensive back Logan Deyo picked off a pass to shut the Bulldogs down one more time. Lake-Lehman needed to convert one more first down to seal the deal, and managed to draw Berwick offsides on third down and short to move the sticks and end the game.
The Black Knights’ game-winning drive started around their own 35, taking over on downs with 4:35 to play in a 7-7 tie after turning Berwick over on downs for the fourth time.
Two of those stops were right on the goal line, the Lehman interior refusing to budge an inch against Berwick’s rushing attack. One of those stops came after a bad punt had Berwick starting their drive inside the Lake-Lehman red zone.
The Black Knights held Berwick scoreless in the second half, and after a solid start to the game for Bulldogs quarterback Ashton Smith, he was able to complete just one pass after halftime.
“We just played our straight-up defense … we fought and we fought and we didn’t break,” Lake-Lehman coach Jerry Gilsky said. “The kids fought all four quarters, and it’s awesome to see.”
Berwick took a 7-0 lead in the first quarter after Smith found wideout Billy Hanson in the end zone, with Hanson making a diving snag to haul in a 28-yard touchdown pass with 3:03 left in the first.
Lake-Lehman’s next drive ran all the way down to the Berwick 1-yard line, but the Bulldogs stood firm and made a goal-line stand of their own to take over on downs.
With the ball coming their way after halftime, Berwick looked to strike right at the end of the first half but the first of those Lake-Lehman stops got in their way.
Four straight run plays from the 2-yard line got the Bulldogs nowhere, and Lake-Lehman seized some crucial momentum that they never gave up.
Evans scored on a keeper from two yards out to tie the game 7-7 early in the third quarter. The senior signal-caller finished with 161 yards passing and 58 yards on the ground, scoring once through the air and once with his legs.
Lake-Lehman (1-0) will play their home opener next week against Shamokin. Berwick (0-1) will look for their first win under new head coach C.J. Curry with a trip to Mid Valley.
Lake-Lehman 13, Berwick 7
Lake-Lehman`0`0`7`6 — 13
Berwick`7`0`0`0 — 7
First quarter
BER —Billy Hanson 28 catch from Ashton Smith (Caleb Yost kick) 3:03
Third quarter
LL — Hayden Evans 2 run (Logan Law kick) 9:24
Fourth quarter
LL — Chris Sholtis 31 catch from Smith (kick blocked) 1:07
Team statistics`LL`BER
First downs`14`12
Rushes-yards`38-137`31-108
Passing yards`161`113
Total yards`298`221
Passing`10-19-0`8-18-1
Sacked-yards lost`2-7`0-0
Punts-avg.`2-24`1-35
Fumbles-lost`0-0`2-1
Penalties-yards`9-77`7-45
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING — LL, Jim Mitkowski 11-40, Ben Dowling 11-36, Evans 14-58, Gavin Shoemaker 1-1, Alex Smith 1-2. BER, Everett Snyder 4-12, Gavin Galutia 21-71, Ty’Meere Wilkerson 2-8, Sean Bankes 1-1, Jake Lisnock 1-2, Caleb May 1-10, Smith 1-4.
PASSING — LL, Evans 10-19-161-0, Sholtis 0-1-0-0. BER, Smith 8-18-113-1.
RECEIVING — LL, Shoemaker 1-5, Sholtis 7-137, Dowling 1-12, Mitkowski 1-7. BER, Julian Howie 1-7, Hanson 2-31, Gabe Decker 2-22, Galutia 1-25.
INTERCEPTIONS — LL, Logan Deyo 1-20. BER, none.
MISSED FGs — none.
