HILLIARD – It’s only one game, but this Lancaster football team had a different vibe about it.
For starters, the Golden Gales are running a more wide-open offense, rather than the traditional wing-t, which primarily consists of running the ball. They still run the ball, but they are more balanced, which was crucial against Hilliard Darby in the season opener on Aug. 22.
Lancaster fell behind twice against the Panthers but remained resilient throughout. The Gales trailed 20-14 late in the fourth quarter but were able to put together a winning drive and scored with 2:34 remaining to pull out a thrilling 21-20 victory.
Before the game, Lancaster coach Bryan Schoonover said the Gales had a great week of practice, one of the best since he’s been the head coach, and Lancaster was able to carry that momentum into the game. They made plays all over the field, on both sides of the ball, when they had to. They converted huge fourth-down plays on offense, and defensively, they forced three turnovers, including forcing two fumbles inside their own 5-yard line, which was huge.
“You have great weeks of practice when kids want to work hard, they are bought in, they trust each other in each other and trust the coaches, and there are no egos,” Schoonover said. “We preach to play as hard as you can for seven seconds. Everything you’ve got for seven seconds, and then it starts over, and our kids have bought into that. This is a group of guys who like to compete, and they came out and competed. They were excited, and they were flying around. We made a lot of mistakes, but we did a nice job of overcoming them.”
Play of the game
With the score tied at 14-14, Darby scored on a 31-yard touchdown run to give them a 20-14 lead with 4:43 remaining. However, Lancaster’s Xavier Milliser, a 6-foot-4, 275-pound junior defensive lineman, darted in and blocked the extra point.
“I knew we would have one more drive in us, so I knew I had to shoot through and get the ball and block it,” Milliser said. “It was a great feeling. I shot through, and it actually hit my helmet because I had penetrated through so much. When that happened, I just felt like something good was going to happen for us, and it did.”
Winning plays throughout
Lancaster made so many crucial plays on both sides of the ball, including on the winning drive. It started when Drew Whitlach had a long kickoff return after Darby had taken the lead. He returned it to the Panthers’ 37-yard line.
It took Lancaster six plays to score to tie the score. After gaining a yard on a running play, senior quarterback Brody Burke connected with Kaleb Santiny for a 10-yard gain and a first down. After the Gales were penalized for a false start, it didn’t deter them. Burke hit Jahmeir Gordon on a 4-yard pass, then Gordon ran for 10 yards and another first down. Burke then went to the air again, finding Santiny on a quick pass. He broke a tackle and took it to the 1-yard line for a 16-yard gain. On the next play, Gordon scored with 2:34 remaining. Sophomore Gunner Bell PAT was right down the middle to give the Gales the lead.
Lancaster was then able to get a defensive stop on four downs to seal the deal in the final two minutes.
“A lot of the game we didn’t have a lot going, but when it counted, we did, and that’s what matters,” Burke said. “I don’t know what it is, but there is a lot different about this team this year. We were ready to go. We have nothing left to lose, except for putting it all on the line for the win.”
Lancaster fell behind 7-0 when Darby scored on a 94-yard touchdown run midway through the first quarter, and the Panthers looked as if they were about to take a 14-0 lead late in the half, but the Gales forced a fumble at the 1-yard line, and then proceeded to go on a 99-yard scoring drive to tie the score at halftime.
During the drive, Gordon had a 22-yard run, and the Gales were able to keep the drive alive on a 15-yard, roughing the punter penalty, then Gordon caught a 23-yard pass from Burke. After an 18-yard completion to Santiny, Burke threw a strike over the middle to Whitlach for a 15-yard touchdown with 2:05 left in the half.
Gordon gave the Gales a 14-7 lead when he scored on a 1-yard run on fourth-and-goal early in the fourth quarter, but Darby responded quickly by scoring on a 72-yard pass play to set up the thrilling ending.
Gordon carried the ball 26 times for 85 yards and caught four passes for 66 yards. Burke completed 17 of 26 passes for 207 yards, including going 11 for 14 for 119 yards in the second half.
Up next
The Gales will play their home opener against Dublin Scioto on Aug. 29 at Fulton Field.
Tom Wilson is a sports reporter for the Lancaster Eagle-Gazette. Contact him at 740-689-5150 or via email at twilson@gannett.com for comments or story tips. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter twil2323.
This article originally appeared on Lancaster Eagle-Gazette: Resilient Lancaster pulls out a heart-stopping one-point victory over Hilliard Darby
Reporting by Tom Wilson, Lancaster Eagle-Gazette / Lancaster Eagle-Gazette
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