Mules grind out win against Ephrata
- 28 October 2007
In Section 2 action Saturday afternoon, the Solanco Mules (5-1, 6-3) beat the host Ephrata Mountaineers, 28-14.The game was a battle in the trenches, as both teams took advantage of soggy field conditions to run the ball effectively.
Solanco piled up 212 yards on 41 carries, and the Mounts (1-5, 1-8) racked up 143 yards on 32 carries. When they did go to the air, both the Mules and Mounts had similar success, each squad completing 10 of 14 passes for 117 yards and 107 yards respectively.
The Mules used a balanced ground attack to confuse the Mountaineers on defense. Running back Jordan Elvey led the Mules with 94 yards and a touchdown. Multipurpose back Patrick Nieto tossed in 59 yards and a score, and quarterback Ben Miller scrambled for 11 yards and a score.
Ephrata quarterback Blake Crowther led all rushers with 102 yards and one touchdown. Mounts running back Woody Miller contributed 26 hard-fought yards.
Solanco got on the board first when Miller tossed a 12-yard touchdown pass to receiver Kyle Braightmeyer with 2:38 left to play in the first quarter.
The Mountaineers had their opportunities to put points on the board in the first quarter but stalled on two drives -- one at the Solanco 16-yard line after the Mules stuffed Crowther on a forth-and-four run, and another on forth-and-two from the Solanco 32.
Solanco struck again with 8:51 to play in the second quarter, when Nieto pounded the ball through the Mountaineers defensive line for a 2-yard touchdown.
The Mules got tricky with the ensuing kickoff. Kicker Kyle Beane pooched the kick, and the Mules recovered it on the Ephrata 39-yard line.
Solanco used the short field to its advantage. Running back Mike Brooks and Nieto ran the ball around the corner of the Mountaineers defense and Elvey took a 5-yard run to the house to make the score 21-0 at the half.
Ephrata came out at halftime recharged on both sides of the ball. On the Mules' first possession of the third quarter, Mountaineers defensive end Jordan Becker recorded the first sack of the game, and the defense stuffed two attempted rushes to force Solanco to go three-and-out for the first time in the contest.
Crowther used his legs to put the Mounts on the board later in the third. He broke off a 16-yard run from their own 17-yard line on third-and-five to start the drive, and on the next play he took a bootleg to the right side 67 yards for a touchdown. Crowther also pounded in the two-point conversion to close the gap to 21-8.
With his 67-yard touchdown run, Crowther became the first quarterback in Ephrata history to eclipse the 1,000-yard rushing mark. He ended the game with 1,058 career rushing yards.
Solanco stretched its lead to 28-8 with 1:20 left to play in the game when Miller took a quarterback sneak 1 yard for the score after sustaining a drive for more than 5 minutes.
Ephrata punched in a final score in the waning minute when Crowther fired an 8-yard pass to wide receiver Curt Kulp in the front corner of the end zone. The subsequent two-point pass failed.
Next up, Solanco hosts Lebanon at 7:30 p.m. Friday, and Ephrata hosts rival Garden Spot, also at 7:30 p.m. Both games will be senior-recognition games.
We here at www.ephratamounts.com are proud sponsors of the Dodgeball for Diabetes tournament.