11/22/2022
While the Ephrata Review's Nov. 23 print edition does include an article and photos from from the Cocalico football team's big 32-8 win over Solanco in last Friday's District Three Class 5A semifinals, below is Matt Pawlikowski's article for additional coverage.
The Review published a day early this week due to the Thanksgiving holiday, and because of unforeseen circumstances, Matt's article did not run in the print edition.
Congrats to the Eagles and best wishes to them against Exeter this Friday in the District Three Class 5A championship game.
By Matt Pawlikowski
QUARRYVILLE- “One down, one to go, another town, one more show.”
For the District Three Class 5A No. 12-seeded team Cocalico, those lyrics from the rock band Yes pretty much sum up the post-season run the Eagles have been putting on in November, especially last Friday night’s win over top-seeded Solanco.
All the Eagles did in a rematch with the Golden Mules was hold them to a minuscule 134 total yards offense. And on a day that began with snow and ended with a police es**rt through Denver, the road warrior Eagles (9-4) took home a dominating 32-8 win in Quarryville.
The win moves Cocalico into the District Three Class 5A championship game this Friday night against Exeter, where the Eagles will look to win a fourth title. A berth into the PIAA State tourney against WPIAL champion Pine Richland is also at stake.
“This is amazing. We came in as the 12 seed, knew we had an opportunity, and we took it,” Cocalico quarterback Joshua Myer said. “I can’t take any credit for this game. Our defense did amazing, the offensive line did great, and all my runs were because I had a fullback in front of me, Sam Steffey making great blocks, and that line. We had a rough season to start and had a couple of tough losses. But have proved what we can do. We are really showing up now and playing Cocalico football.”
Myer (18-67 rushing, 2 TDs) may not take any credit, but he got the show rolling after a scoreless first quarter with his three-yard plunge with 7:12 left in the second quarter, capping a 10-play 52 yard drive.
But Myer was right.
Cocalico’s defense did an amazing job keeping the Mules in check. In fact, what they did in the first quarter was epic. Solanco, which earned a 21-7 non-league win over Cocalico on Sept. 2, had three series and was held to negative yardage (minus-10), including two penalties.
The 134 total yards allowed by the Eagles marks the third consecutive week they have allowed 150 yards or less. Dane Bollinger had 10 tackles, two for loss on defense. Then there was Tyler Angstadt, who seemed to be in on every tackle and led the team with 13.
“We just did our job, and I am really proud of all of them,” Angstadt said. “We talk about tradition. Cocalico football is all about hitting and playing physical and playing our own game and not talking or playing the other team’s game. It’s 11 guys on the field at a time, doing our responsibility.”
Owen Weaver also had two tackles for loss and a fumble recovery, and it was as if every member of that unit came up big at one point or another.
“Our defense set the tone, and they didn’t let them do anything,” Cocalico coach Bryan Strohl said. “We knew they were capable of hurting us, and I am proud of them tonight. It’s hard to single out just one guy. There were so many tonight. They were eager to show how far they have come.”
Solanco’s only score came late in the game following a long long kick return. It followed Myer's second score of the game, after a clock-eating 11-play, 52-yard drive which started the final quarter. And the men in the trenches that Myer spoke about, including Chucky Drain, Levi Bearinger, Hunter Frable and Adam Laudenslager were a big reason for that as they gave Myer and his backfield movement, along with great holes.
“Traditional Cocalico football, kill them on the line,” Drain said with a huge smile. “We are blowing out teams up front. We have been together for 13 weeks now and had a lot of time to work on what we were bad at, and I think it’s finally culminating into what we have now. We know every game, no one is going to pick us, but we pick us. This is my family. This is a brotherhood, and everyone has bought in. Everyone has locked in.”
That blocking also led to another standout performance from Steffey, who had 251 yards rushing and three touchdowns.
“It comes down to pure grit and force,” Bearinger said. “You have to thank our offensive line coaches. They have done a phenomenal job. And you have to thank our quarterback for doing a great job at what he does. Having a Thanksgiving practice now, it’s going to be really cool. I love all these guys. They are amazing.”
Steffey’s first score was a 12-yarder, but his second with 4:49 left in the third quarter was perhaps his most impressive, a 45-yard scamper which made it 19-0.
“I’m going to get them a gift, and right now it may be at Christmas time,” Steffey said. “I can’t say enough about them. They go hard all the time, go 100 percent up to the end. There is no let up, and it’s just how we play, every time since I was in midgets. We don’t want this to end. We are playing at our best and playing assignment, sound football.”
Quotable
“Like I told them, and I think they had the feeling too, we just had to get in,” said Cocalico coach Bryan Strohl, now just the third coach to lead an Eagle team to the District finals. “And it came down to that E-town-Ephrata game and watching it in the locker room. When it happened, did I see this coming like that? Probably not.
"But I knew we could be dangerous, so it doesn’t totally shock me. We have had so much growth since the beginning of the year and come a long way. I am proud of them, their effort, their passion they play with and to beat a team like Solanco tonight, who is very physical. Our kids had to bring it tonight, and they certainly did. It was a tremendous effort across the board. Our guys were swarming.”
“Going to the District championship... they always talk about the 2019 team going there,” Bearinger said. “So that obviously has always been the goal to get there. Now we have to win it. We are just out there grinding, and it’s been a lot of fun. This is awesome. Coming to Cocalico football games as a kid, I watched those guys go to the playoffs and now we are doing it.”
Stat chat
Five...The number is memorable because the Eagles held the high-octane offense of the Mules to just five first downs. More impressive is how the team responded in third down situations. Solanco failed to convert on 14 tries. The Mules were also just 1-for-4 on fourth downs.
Also for the third consecutive District Three 5A contest, the Eagles’ defense held an opponent under 150 total offensive yards. The Eagles also had no turnovers, and had just three penalties in the game.
Angstadt led the Eagles with 13 tackles, Dane Bollinger had 10, two for loss. Weaver and Logan Brubaker both had two tackles for loss against the Mules. Carter Getz had six tackles.
Up next
It’s another undefeated team for the 12th-seeded Eagles as the road warriors travel to Reading this Friday to play Exeter. Also nicknamed the Eagles, Exeter is the No. 2 seed in 5A and currently sit at 11-0 with their most recent win being a 21-7 decision over Northern York last Friday night.
Exeter went 6-0 in the L-L this year and toppled two Cocalico rivals in Manheim Central and Warwick on the way to that slate. On Sept 30, they defeated Warwick 47-7 and, in the season final, were able to squeak out a 21-17 win over the Barons. They also knocked off the Section One champs in Hempfield.
Stat wise, Exeter enters the game similar to what the team saw in Gettysburg. In Richie Karstien, who also plays defense, Exeter has a back who has rushed for 1,545 yards and 19 touchdowns.
They also have a senior signal-caller in Mason Rotelli, who has passed for 1,513 yards (90-of-135) with 22 TDs and just seven interceptions.
Rotelli’s favorite target is a big receiver in 6-foot-6 Joey Schlaffer, a Penn State commit, who has 888 yards and averages 22.4 yards on 11 carries. Last week against Northern York, Schlaffer had six catches for 126 yards.
