Buckskins outduel Ephrata

For the second time this year, Ephrata held a halftime lead. And for the second time this year, the Mountaineers fumbled away a victory, falling 17-7 [box score] to Conestoga Valley in Witmer Friday night.

Each team managed to play one disciplined half of football. Ephrata played well in the first half, in jumping out to a 7-0 lead, and the Buckskins a quality second half, putting up 17 points to rally for the win on a night when former star Jordan Steffy was inducted into the school's sports Hall of Fame.
 

Down 7-0 at halftime, the Buckskins (2-1) stalled Ephrata's first drive of the second half, gaining possession at their own 39. CV then got 50 yards on four carries from running back Anthony Brown, setting up a 29-yard field goal from Robbie Cardina.

On the ensuing possession, the Mountaineers (0-3) fumbled it away on their own 20. One play later, Brown took the handoff 20 yards for the touchdown to give the Buckskins a 10-7 lead.

"We came out and played sloppy in the first half, played undisciplined," said CV head coach Tom Nichols. "There was really nothing we could say at halftime about schemes to change. We just came out and played (in the second half) with discipline. We did things the right way, protected the ball, stayed on blocks and did all the little things right."

In the second half, the little things added up. Brown had 16 carries for 170 yards (24 for 227 on the night) and two touchdowns, as the Buckskins just wore down the Mountaineers defense.

"I think our defense, at times, played really well," Mounts head coach Jim Vieland said. "They got worn down in the second half and we couldn't stop their off-tackle (run)."

CV made it a 10-point game at the beginning of the fourth quarter, putting together an seven-play, 75-yard drive, capped by Brown's 23-yard run.

Ephrata took an early lead, scoring on its initial possession. QB Jeremy Franck engineered an 11-play, 57-yard drive, completing three passes for 40 yards and finishing the drive with a six-yard touchdown run.

"We were moving the ball, we were controlling field position and we weren't making the mistakes we made in the second half," Vieland said. "That's really been our season so far … we're just not finishing games. I think once we clean it up, we'll be in much better shape to win games but until we do that, we're going to struggle.''