The Lions held on by 1 point to beat the Delaware County Christian Academy (Delco)(Knights) last Saturday at home. To say the least, great defense was played throughout the day on both sides, and in the end it all came down to one extra point.
Coming into the day two key players were sidelined due to injury for Lower Moreland. Junior running back and middle linebacker Ryan Killion, and junior offensive and defensive lineman David Chung were both out and forced other players to step up. As a result of these injuries the Lions moved Max Sandberg from outside backer to inside backer, and Senior Dominic Vacchiano stepped in to fill the Right Guard position. Senior safety Oscar Zhang shifted to outside backer, and junior Peter Ebert started at safety.
The Lions kicked off to start the game, and junior Dylan Kanter set the tone. On the first play of the game Kanter was all over the ball carrier and Delco barely made it out to there 20. A good first defensive series forced the Knights to punt, but the first play for Lower Moreland on offense resulted in a fumble and the ball was going the other way.
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Delco was first to strike but missed the extra point and the Lions were down 6-0 with 10 minutes left in the half. After another Lions fumble, the Knights had the ball; it was 4th and 7 in Lions territory. Oscar Zhang tipped a pass intended for a Delco receiver, and Glenn Mahon picked the ball off coming away with his third interception of the year. After the interception, the Lions had the ball at midfield, but after a pass interference call, they were on Delco’s 30 yard line. Senior Max Sandberg broke about 5 tackles, juked around defenders, and had a Delco defender hanging on his ankle after he scampered in for a 30 yard touchdown. Kicker Jordan Pocrass added on the extra point and put the Lions up 7-6 going into halftime.
After Sandberg’s run, no more offense was put up on the board. The Lions emerged victorious, and defeated the Delaware Christian Academy 7-6. With the absence of Ryan Killion, running backs like Sean Burke, Sandberg, and Oscar Zhang had to carry the load. Another great performance came from Joseph Leventhal, who led the Lions on the ground rushing 10 times for 48 yards.
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Defensive outside unit coach, and offensive end coach Justin Beck was asked how he felt about the recent close games the Lions had been in,
“I give a lot of credit to the league. Every game we have played has been competitive, and I think a lot of credit has to go to the commissioner of the B.A.L (Bicentennial Athletic League) and the teams in the league for working as hard as they are.”
Coach Beck was also asked about next week’s game Vs. Jenkintown,
“Jenkintown is a very athletic, explosive team, with much energy. Our team defense has been looking great all year. Some players such as Max Sandberg, and George Zisis had breakout games last week and are hopefully going to keep it up this week. Our defense can compete with anyone and has potential to dominate.”
The Lions came away with the victory and advanced to 4-1 on the season. This Friday Lower Moreland will be away playing Jenkintown under the lights. A three game win streak is giving the team great confidence, and the Lions will try to extend that streak Friday.
1st 2nd 3rd 4th Total Delco Christian 0 6 0 0 6 Lower Moreland 0 7 0 0 7SCORING
DC – Alexander Linton 12 yard run (kick failed)
LM – Max Sandberg 26 yard run (Pocrass kick)
PLAYER STATS
RUSHING
Delco Christian – Favino 20-149; Tascone 6-24; Linton 3-16, TD; Grim 6-4
Lower Moreland – Leventhal 10-48; Burke 9-37; Sandberg 9-35, TD; Zhang 6-30; Gifford 12-20
PASSING
Delco Christian – Grim 7-15-1 – 74
Lower Moreland – Gifford 0-2-0 – 0
RECEIVING
Delco Christian – Burrell 2-28; Driscoll 2-23; Favino 2-18; Grim 1-2
Lower Moreland – none
SACKS
Delco Christian – Tascone, Goines
Lower Moreland – Zisis
INTERCEPTIONS
Delco Christian – none
Lower Moreland – Mahon
