Warriors fly past Mounts

In the end, Jon Resch simply made more plays.

Behind a strong performance from his offensive line, Warwick's senior quarterback tossed four touchdown passes to lead the Warriors to a 28-14 win over Ephrata Friday night at Grosh Field. Warwick claimed the George Male Trophy, awarded annually to the winner of the backyard rivalry, for the second straight season.

Warwick (3-0) looked to take control early, beginning its first drive on the Mountaineer 37. Resch hit wide receiver Zach Snyder on a 21-yard play to reach the 1 before Ephrata mounted a goal-line stand.

Instead of taking an early 7-0 lead, the Warriors failed to score. A missed 21-yard field goal was the first of a couple wasted opportunities for the Warriors, who also missed a 36-yarder to open the third quarter.

"The first two weeks we did a good job (at finishing drives)," said Warwick head coach Bob Locker. "I think a couple times I got greedy, trying to make a play that maybe wasn't there instead of being more patient. So some of the blame falls on me. But certainly we have to learn to take advantage. When you get inside the 30, you have to find ways to put points on the board, especially against good football teams."

Ephrata (0-3) capitalized on the ensuing possession -- a 12-play, 80-yard drive capped by a 10-yard run by quarterback Blake Crowther. The lead was short-lived, though, as Resch directed a response of his own.

On second-and-nine from the 17, an Ephrata blitz forced Resch out of the pocket. He moved around just long enough to allow senior wide receiver Matt Fitzpatrick to get open in the end zone for the touchdown.

"(The wide receivers) don't give up on a play," Resch said. "A lot of times, you'll see if a quarterback scrambles, the wideout will give up. But they break their patterns off and come back. And not only that, the linemen don't give up on the play. If I have to scramble for an extra four or five seconds, they continue to block."

Warwick needed only four plays on their next drive as Jon's brother, Eric Resch, broke off a 31-yard run down the sideline to the Ephrata 12. From there, Jon found Randy Yost for a TD to make it 14-7.

"He made the plays tonight," said Ephrata head coach Ken Grove. "He beat us in some scrambling and put the ball on the money. We thought we had to put some more hits on him and we didn't get to hit him."

"(Resch) made some tremendous plays tonight," Locker said.

Warwick visits Wilson and hosts Manheim Township the next two weeks.

"I'm very happy we're 3-0," Locker said. "We have to get better, though."

"We're going to have to be diversified again like we were tonight," Resch said. "We ran the ball well and threw the ball well and we have to do that to beat Wilson and Manheim Township."