1 week Ago
Line Mountain was set up perfectly for a story-book ending Friday night. • Sign up for PennLive’s daily high school sports newsletter and weekly, curated High School Sports Highlights newsletter The Eagles had the ball on their own 2-yard line, trailing Camp Hill 21-19 with 1:58 seconds remaining in the game. Big plays from running back Ian Bates and quarterback Kaiden Maurer drove Line Mountain down to the 6-yard line.
Which set up wide receiver and kicker Chase Zerbe with a game-winning 23-yard field goal attempt. With 12 seconds remaining in the game, Zerbe lined up, swung his leg and just missed over the left upright. Game-winning FG attempt missed! Lions pull out a 21-19 victory against Line Mountain.
Wow what a game pic.twitter.com/Dmw2VHUlMu One kneel down later and Camp Hill (5-4, 4-3 Capital) walked out of Siebert Park with a 21-19 victory over Line Mountain (6-3, 5-2 Capital).
Football games are won in the trenches and Camp Hill did that for the majority of the game. The Lions didn’t allow Line Mountain to get anything going in the run game and applied consistent pressure on Maurer all game. While Camp Hill’s defense played well, the offense struggled to move the ball consistently.
Quarterback Drew Branstetter struggled for most of the game due to his offensive line allowing constant pressure. His receivers didn’t help either, struggling to win in jump-ball situations. On the other hand, Line Mountain couldn’t stay out of its own way.
Turnovers, untimely penalties and special teams lapses all plagued an Eagles team that moved the ball well Friday night. The stars Camp Hill cornerback Jack Bender played lights out Friday Night. His name may not have popped up in the stat sheet much, but his impact was surely felt.
Bender, who listed as 5-foot-7, was matched up with 6-foot-5 Line Mountain wide receiver Bryce Smeltz for majority of the game, and stood his ground. Bender was tested multiple times, but came up with a pass break up each time he was targeted. Bender also blocked an extra point after the Eagles’ first touchdown.
Game-winning moment Both teams scored three touchdowns in Friday’s matchup. However, Line Mountain left three points on the table on an extra-point attempt and a two-point conversion attempt. Bender blocked Line Mountain’s first extra-point attempt, which forced the Eagles to go for two after their second touchdown of the game.
Maurer’s pass slipped right through Bates’ grasps resulting in a failed two-point attempt. The game looks a lot different if Bender doesn’t block that extra-point attempt. They said it: “In my mind, I was like, ‘Come on, just this once.
Just give us this once, one time, that’s all I’m asking for. Just give us just one break.’ And we got our breaks.
” - Camp Hill quarterback Drew Branstetter on his thoughts during the Eagles’ last-second field goal attempt. “Definitely about feeling confident. I think playing with yourself in a good headspace, telling yourself, ‘I can make these plays.
’ At practice, I matched up against tall people getting ready for these types of situations. Just going back to the fundamentals and playing like I do in practice is the key there.” - Camp Hill cornerback Jack Bender on taking on the challenge of guarding Line Mountain wide receiver Bryce Smeltz.
Camp Hill 7-0-14-0 – 21 Line Mountain 0-6-6-7 – 19 First Quarter CH-Alexander Serdar 7-yard run (extra point good), 4:22 Second quarter LM-Dalton Schadel 9-yard reception from Maurer (extra point blocked), 0:23 Third quarter CH-Serdar 71-yard reception from Branstetter (extra point good), 11:23 LM-Kaiden Maurer 2-yard run (2-point attempt no good) CH-M.A. Scaringi 47-yard reception from Branstetter (extra point good), 6:04 Fourth quarter LM-Schadel 19-yard reception from Maurer (extra point good), 5:30 -- Thanks for visiting PennLive.
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