Thursday, March 28, 2024
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Ephrata stuns Spartans


ImageEphrata junior quarterback Blake Crowther wanted to make sure his senior teammates would not end their high school careers with a loss.

After running and throwing for a touchdown pass earlier in the second half, Crowther made a game-clinching interception in the end zone Friday night to lead Ephrata to a 14-10 victory (boxscore ) over Garden Spot and spoil the Spartans' bid for a district playoff spot.

Crowther preserved the victory by snatching Spartan quarterback Tyler Horst's fade pass into the corner of the end zone with just under five minutes remaining in the game.

"Before the play, I was thinking, 'c'mon, throw it my way," said Crowther.

Two plays earlier, Ephrata's Kyle Schillaci sacked Horst to push the Spartans back from first and goal at the 6.

After the turnover, Ephrata ran out the clock by pounding the ball on the ground.

Though he saved his final act for defense, Crowther made big plays all night on offense, including many scrambles where he avoided sacks by breaking away from Spartan tacklers.

"We missed their quarterback four or five times," said Zamperini. "We had our shots."

His most spectacular run also resulted in the turning point that helped the Mountaineers overcome a 10-7 deficit early in the fourth quarter.

Facing second and 17 from midfield, Crowther dropped back for a pass but found himself under intense pressure from Spartan defenders. Just when it appeared Crowther would be sacked, he somehow escaped the pocket and broke three tackles on his way to a 14-yard run.

As if that wasn't demoralizing enough for the Spartans, a 15-yard personal foul penalty was enforced at the end of the run, leading to Crowther's six-yard touchdown pass to Joel Yoder for the final margin of victory.

"Typically, our kids play very disciplined, but this was just one of those nights," said Zamperini.

Unfortunately for Zamperini, his squad would lose its discipline again later in the fourth quarter. On the team's final drive that led to Crowther's interception, Ross Shober's 48-yard touchdown run was negated by a penalty. Garden Spot then had a 15-yard penalty tacked on for unsportsmanlike conduct.

Another of Crowther's biggest runs of the night was a 17-yard touchdown run that tied the game at 7 in the third quarter.

"(Crowther) played a great game," said Ephrata head coach Kenneth Grove. "I'm sure glad he's an underclassman."

Garden Spot head coach Matt Zamperini agreed with that assessment.

"I think he (Crowther) is the most dangerous quarterback we faced all year," said Zamperini.

With the Mountaineers (2-5 L-L League, 2-8 overall) entering the season's final weekend with only one victory, the team needed to find some motivation for this game and certainly found it with the chance to knock Garden Spot (3-4, 5-5) out of the district playoffs.

"It (eliminating Garden Spot) was definitely a big incentive this week," said Grove.