2008 Greencastle

Week 8

For all the Marbles

Polar Bears lose Championship in a 15 Round Heavyweight

Title Bout

October 17, 2008

Greencastle 24 – Northern 16

If you are going to lose a Championship that has been yours for last four years and six out of the last nine, this is how you do it; not with a whimper but with a bang. The bang could be heard in Dillsburg all the way from the Maryland State line when the Polar Bears knocked helmets with the Blue Devils in last night’s contest in Greencastle, PA.

The Bears exchanged haymakers with the Blue Devils for three and a half quarters and nobody fell to the canvass. After a scoreless 1^st quarter where the teams tried to find their way, Greencastle struck first early in the 2^nd when Devil QB, Adam Ritchie, hit Wideout DJ Cordell down the visitor’s sideline with a 33 yard strike putting Greencastle in scoring position. The Bears Defense rose up and held the Devils to a 28 yard Nathan Poole field goal. That made the score 3-0 as both teams headed into the locker room. The first half was costly to the Bears, not in terms of points but in losing the offensive services of Robbie Bleiler and the defensive services of Travis Wenger both to injuries.

Even with the injuries, the second half began with Northern taking momentum that was capped off when Jake Warner hit a 39 yard field goal to tie the game at three. After holding Greencastle to a three-and-out, Northern took the ball and began driving. As the third quarter came to a close, the Polar Bears were lining up for a 37 yard field goal to take the lead. After switching sides of the field, Coach Mauck reached into his bag of tricks and called for the fake. Holder Hank Sanders picked up the ball and floated it over the pursuing Devils to Dan Blemler who made a terrific outstretched catch for the 20 yard touchdown. The Bears led 10-7 with 6:10 to go in the game but that’s when the wheels came off the cart. Greencastle’s punishing ground game kicked it into high gear and the Devils reeled off three straight touchdowns in a span of 4 minutes and 19 seconds. Northern came back with a touchdown of their own in the last two minutes when Joe Tuschak hit Ryan Aumiller for a 65 yard strike but the onside kick was gobbled up by Greencastle and the game ended 24-16.

The loss drops the Bears to 5-3 on the season but still within striking distance of a PIAA playoff spot with Susquehanna Township coming to Bostic this Friday. The game is huge for both teams as playoff spots are on the line. Township crushed Hershey last night and are also 5-3 on the season as they head toward Dillsburg. It should be a game for the ages as these two teams have not met for eight years.

Don’t miss it!

Next Week

At Greencastle-Antrim

Friday 10/17/08 - 7:30 p.m.