Week 10: Elco proves mettle, thwarts Berks Catholic's comeback attempt

With a District 3 playoff berth on the line, Elco got the final laugh, taking out Berks Catholic, 34-21 on a warm Friday evening.

The Raiders led 27-7 early in the third quarter before a late touchdown thwarted the Saints comeback.

"I couldn't be more proud of the effort," Elco head coach Bob Miller said. "This is a team that never plays with their eye on the scoreboard. They play every second of the game with every man engaged, giving effort, cheering on the sideline, calling pass-run. Then when we need it, man, can they dig down on both sides of the ball. And my proudest thing is the adversity never stopped them."

Jake Williams led the Raiders offense, running for 324 yards on 25 rush attempts, scoring four times.

Berks Catholic (4-6 overall, 3-4 L-L Section 4) jumped out to a quick 7-0 lead, scoring on their first drive. Devin Garcia capped a 10-play 75-yard drive with a 2-yard scoring burst to give the Saints the lead.

Elco answered right back with a long drive of their own capped by a Williams' 35-yard touchdown run in which he initially started right and then cut back to the left before out-racing the defenders.

After the Raiders defense responded by forcing a punt, Williams and Co. were back at it as he scored from 5 yards out and added then Steven Rosado's quarterback sneak from the 1-yard line with under 30 ticks left in the half gave Elco (7-3 overall, 4-3 L-L Section 4) the 20-7 lead at the half.

On their first offensive play of the second half, Williams burst through the right side of the line for a 78-yard touchdown gallop to make it a 20-point game. Berks Catholic made it interesting with a pair of touchdown runs by Garcia, one each in the third and fourth quarters, but a gritty offensive drive sealed the deal with Williams capping it with his fourth touchdown, this one from 10 yards out.

"For them to dig down, several times in the second half and get those stops and then to score from the 10 when we needed it. That's their identity," Miller said. "This is a tough freakin' team."

The Raiders will likely play in the District 3 Class 4A postseason, which begins next week. They entered Friday in the No. 9 position with 10 teams qualifying. The brackets will be released on Sunday.

"Keep the same mentality and the same focus all year long," Miller said when asked about the start of the postseason. "(The goal is) to have fun every single day, to continue to raise the standard and have the best football experience they can possibly have at Elco."

Pickle Rick

A tradition started by 2022 graduate Cody Sky, Elco lineman Griffin Fisher obtained the shirt when Sky passed it down. After the game Miller and Fisher posed for a picture with each of them donning the shirt and when asked about it Miller said, "When he (Sky) graduated, he passed it off to Griffin Fisher. So now in big games we pull out the Pickle Rick shirt. We're gonna celebrate and send a picture to Cody and now these guys, the next lineman, wanna be the next Pickle Rick shirt guy."

Key play

With the Raiders clinging to a 27-20 lead late in the contest, Mitchell Frederick took a handoff to the left side. He lowered his shoulder into a defender and bulldozed his way into the end zone. The play was called back, but it created a surge of adrenaline on the Elco sideline that made the difference as they scored three plays later.

By the numbers

The Raiders controlled the game, running for 383 yards on 46 rushes. They also completed all three pass attempts for 31 yards and gained 18 first downs. Berks Catholic, meanwhile, gained 297 total yards and had 16 first downs.

Unsung heroes

A lot of the publicity for Elco goes to Jake Williams, which isn't hard to figure out as he has run for 1,988 yards this season after Friday's 324 yards and also added 26 touchdowns. But the Raiders offensive line and backfield members Elliott Kreider and Mitchell Frederick regularly open large holes for Williams to run through.

They said it

"They (the offensive linemen) have become the soul of the team; coach Wetzel and coach Williams do a phenomenal job of leading them up front. We call them the plow boys. We are just gonna plow the field and open the way for the running backs." - Elco Coach Bob Miller.

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Week 10 scores

Annville-Cleona 24, Northern Lebanon 0: The Little Dutchmen won a share of the L-L Section 5 championship with a shutout of the Vikings and Lancaster Catholic's victory against Schuylkill Valley.

Annville-Cleona will now look to the start of its second season in the District 3 Class 2A tournament. They were the top seed when play started on Friday.

Cael Harter scored a pair of touchdowns, one on the ground and one on an interception return and Cam Connelly added a 2-yard quarterback keeper for the Little Dutchmen touchdowns. Annville-Cleona finishes the regular season at 7-3 overall, 6-1 in L-L Section 5 while Northern Lebanon's campaign ends at 4-6 overall, 3-4 in L-L Section 5.

Hershey 21, Palmyra 13: The Trojans rallied, scoring 14 straight points late to defeat the Cougars on senior night.

Palmyra's season ends at 2-8 overall. Braxtin Risser scored on a 73-yard touchdown run, and Richie Kowalski scored the other touchdown from 16 yards out.

This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: Elco football thwarts Berks Catholic comeback attempt in Week 10