Cedars Follow Brown to Win

Too much Matt Brown. Too many turnovers. And a gut-punch setback for host Ephrata, which couldn’t overcome five giveaways Friday night in a 31-20 Lancaster-Lebanon League Section Three loss against Lebanon in War Memorial Stadium.

Brown ran wild, piling up 204 yards on 25 carries, and his three second-half touchdown runs iced it for Lebanon, which trailed 7-6 at the half, but clinched it when Brown found the end zone three times in the fourth quarter alone.

Ephrata (1-1 L-L, 1-2 overall) was up 7-6 at the half, but the Mountaineers missed a trio of golden opportunities in the first two quarters. Three times Ephrata had first-and-goal inside Lebanon’s 10, and all three times the Mounts fumbled the ball away; Skyler Sattizahn scooped up the first two fumbles and Julien Coleman nabbed the third for the Cedars.

Lebanon (1-1, 2-1) took a 6-0 lead off of Sattizahn’s second fumble recovery; QB Isaiah Rodriguez lobbed a 38-yard pass to Alex Rufe for a first-and-goal, and Rodriguez capped the drive with a 1-yard dive and the Cedars, who had their PAT kick blocked, scored first.

Rodriguez went 17 of 28 for 206 yards through the air, as Lebanon piled up 489 total yards and overcame three turnovers.

Ephrata finally cashed in on a drive right before the half. After Taj London sprung a nifty punt return into Lebanon territory, Andre Weidman broke off a 27-yard gainer, and QB Joey Gunzenhauser, on second-and-goal, scored from seven yards out. Ryan Hornberger’s PAT gave Ephrata a 7-6 lead at the half.

Gunzenhauser, under center for the injured Miracle Wratto, rushed for 91 yards and passed for another 80 yards as Ephrata had 366 total stripes.

Lebanon sprang to life in the third quarter, when Rodriguez fired a 14-yard TD strike to Kaden Harbaugh. Ephrata punched right back, with Richard Greer crashing in for a 1-yard TD dive and the Mounts led 14-12 with 7:36 to go in the third.

But that’s when the turnover bugaboo again bit Ephrata, and Lebanon capitalized. Brown’s 4-yard run with 8:46 left put the Cedars ahead for good, and after Rafael Quinonez picked off a pass, Lebanon was right back in business, and Brown crashed in from a yard out and the Cedars were in control.

Later, after Jaden Deitzler recovered another fumble for Lebanon, Brown dove in from a yard out to cap the Cedars’ scoring. Ephrata tacked on a late score when Coy Schwanger tossed a 29yard TD pass to Weidman with 1:09 to go.

But the five turnovers proved too costly for the Mounts.

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