The Bears got four scoring plays of 45 yards or longer en route to blanking Ephrata, 48-0 [box score], on Homecoming Night at Thompson Field.

 

"I told them this week to play with some fun and enthusiasm," said Elizabethtown coach Mike Cottle, whose team won for only the second time in the last six weeks. "I think we lost the fun of football the last couple weeks. They came out tonight and had fun. When you have fun, you play better."

 

Playing three days late due to heavy rains last Friday, the Bears (2-2 Section Two, 3-4 overall) grabbed the early lead and never looked back.

 

Derrick Fake got it rolling with a 45-yard touchdown run on the game's fifth play from scrimmage.

 

"You could just see a difference at the beginning," said Cottle. "They were upbeat and positive and looked like they were ready to play some football."

 

Fake added a 79-yard TD run in the third quarter, while Arthur Quaye was on the receiving end of a 58-yard TD pass from Tyler Cottle and also ran one in from four yards out.

 

The Bears scored on their first three possessions, and opened up a 27-0 halftime lead.

 

Ephrata's offense was held to 39 yards in the first half and 75 total. The Mounts, loaded with many inexperienced players, fell to 0-7 overall.

 

"We're going to keep fighting," said Mounts coach Scott Shelley. "We're not going to give up."

 

Elizabethtown, meanwhile, was able to rack up 408 total yards, including 289 on the ground. Fake finished with a game-high 157 yards on just seven carries.

 

Nick Lonardi's 61-yard TD catch midway through the third quarter was the last of the big scoring plays for the Bears.

 

"We played a pretty good game tonight," said coach Cottle. "We're trying to get a winning season, which we haven't had for awhile. We're going to try to get to 6-4, so hopefully a game like this helps catapult them these last couple weeks."