Northern Lebanon’s first two games were different, but both ended up as tough losses. It’s definitely not the type of beginning that the Northern Lebanon football team was seeking.
But there’s good news. There’s plenty of football left to be played and the Vikings will get better.
On a cool Friday night at Fred Gahres Stadium, Northern Lebanon dropped their second game to start the season, this one to Susquehanna Township, 42-14. After slipping into an early 28-0 hole, the Vikings enjoyed some positive moments, but not enough to make the contest competitive.
In light of last week’s season-opening 20-17 overtime loss at Pine Grove, Northern Lebanon is now 0-2 on the still young year. Susquehanna evened its overall mark at 1-1.
“We’re not where we want to be,” said Northern Lebanon head coach Jason Rice. “But we think we’re in a position to turn the tide. The message in the locker room (after the game) was, ‘Guys, we’re turning the page.’”
“I hope people don’t look at our 0-2 record and throw in the towel on us,” continued Rice. “We’re getting into the part of our schedule where we can compete. We have games coming up that I know we can win.”
“We’re still playing good football,” said Northern Lebanon senior linebacker and emotional leader Luke Shaffer. “We lost to two tough teams. We’re going to be a good football too, at the end of the day.”
Following their rocky start, the Vikings righted their ship to a degree in the middle of the second quarter. Parlaying a 20-yard pass completion from quarterback Kael Erdman to Moises Gonzalez and back-to-back receptions by Shaffer, Northern Lebanon drove 64 yards on six plays to get the one-yard Erdman sneak that made it 28-7, 9:22 before the intermission.
Then, the Vikings recovered the ensuing on-side kick. But they could do nothing with it.
“At the beginning, we were kind of waiting to see who was going to make the first big play,” said Rice. “We were waiting for someone to step up. It was a slow first quarter, but in the second quarter, it just clicked. We at least won the second quarter. We showed we could play this game.”
“We were playing really tight,” said Shaffer. “It wasn’t the start we wanted. It took our leaders to loosen us up. We tried to make the most of it. We were trying to have fun.”
With the outcome very much in doubt, Susquehanna Township tallied a pair of second-half touchdowns, one on an 11-play, 85-yard march late in the third quarter and the other on a 48-yard punt return by burner Lex Cyrus early in the fourth that brought the mercy rule into play. The Vikings posted the final score of the evening when Gonzalez turned a short pass from Erdman into an 83-yard touchdown reception, with 50 seconds remaining.
“Our goals haven’t changed,” said Rice. “The ultimate goal is to be in a position to compete in the fourth quarter of every game. Were we in the game tonight? No. But we fought to the last breath.”
“That’s a good football team,” said Shaffer. “We gave it our all. We played four quarters. We didn’t give up. They (the Indians) got the momentum at the start, but we kept our heads up.”
Using its speed, playmaking abilities and NL miscues, Susquehanna Township tallied 21 points in the game’s first 9:38. Then, on the first play of the second stanza, Indian back Dorian Smith shredded the Northern Lebanon defense for an 85-yard scoring jaunt that brought the visitors’ advantage to 28-0.
“We don’t see a lot of teams with the kind of speed that Township brings,” said Rice. “There may have been moments where our guys were doing the best we can. After a while, we got settled in. That second quarter showed me a lot.”
Some 316 of Susquehanna Township’s 463 total yards came in the first half. The Vikings were limited to a total of six rushing yards.
Northern Lebanon defensive end Eli Thompson penetrates the Susquehanna Township offensive line. (Will Trostel) A Northern Lebanon wide receiver runs a route against a Susquehanna Township defensive back. (Will Trostel) Northern Lebanon quarterback Kael Erdman falls on a botched snap in the endzone for a Susquehanna Township safety. (Will Trostel) Northern Lebanon punter Riley Messinger sends a punt to Susquehanna Township. (Will Trostel) Northern Lebanon running back Myles Watson gets stuffed at the goal line. (Will Trostel) Northern Lebanon defensive line runs after Susquehanna Township’s quarterback. (Will Trostel)
Northern Lebanon Vikings
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Roster
Head Coach: Jason Rice
Assistant Coaches: Mark Rice, Josh Thompson, John Heisey, Josh Wolfe, Rusty Wallace, Hunter Wallace, Collin Wall
| Jersey Number | Name | Grade | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Bryan Mitzel | 10 | WR/DB |
| 3 | Moises Gonzalez | 12 | WR/LB |
| 4 | Kael Erdman | 10 | QB/LB |
| 5 | Julian Rivera | 9 | QB/WR/DB |
| 7 | Brendan Ryan | 11 | WR/DB |
| 8 | Luke Shaffer | 12 | TE/LB |
| 10 | Bryce Yocum | 9 | TE/LB |
| 11 | Tanner Feagley | 12 | WR/DE |
| 12 | Kaleb Barr | 10 | WR/DB |
| 14 | Riley Messinger | 11 | K/P |
| 17 | Owen Dohner | 9 | WR/DE |
| 18 | Sincere Perez | 10 | RB/LB |
| 19 | Garrett Bohn | 11 | K |
| 20 | Jack Kleisath | 9 | RB/LB |
| 21 | Corey Jackson | 11 | RB/DE |
| 22 | Kade Erdman | 12 | WR/DB |
| 23 | Eli Ostermayer | 12 | RB/LB |
| 25 | Brady Ryan | 9 | WR/DB |
| 27 | Jaxin Bush | 9 | WR/LB |
| 29 | Myles Watson | 11 | RB/DB |
| 30 | Raheim Rushton | 11 | WR/DE |
| 42 | Joe Billig | 9 | WR/DB |
| 43 | Jasper Uhler | 10 | WR/DB |
| 51 | Matthew Chernich | 10 | OL/DL |
| 52 | Russell Beers | 11 | OL/DL |
| 55 | Kyle Hitz | 12 | OL/LB |
| 57 | Eli Thompson | 11 | OL/DE |
| 60 | Christian Peiffer | 10 | OL/DL |
| 62 | Hayden Adams | 11 | OL/DL |
| 66 | Caleb Wright | 10 | OL/DL |
| 68 | Bryce Wimer | 11 | OL/DL |
| 73 | Ethan Hughes | 11 | OL/DL |
| 74 | Kale Loser | 11 | OL/DL |
| 77 | Andrew Stohler | 11 | OL/DL |
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