High school football: Schuylkill Valley hangs on to win Frost Bowl over Hamburg
· Yahoo Sports
This year’s annual Frost Bowl between Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 5 foes did not disappoint, and there was certainly no love lost between the teams.
Schuylkill Valley, which did not score its first offensive touchdown until the final two minutes of the third quarter, came out on top 24-17 over Hamburg at Leesport on Friday night.
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“It’s one of those things that’s called intestinal fortitude and guts. Let’s show some guts here,” Panthers coach Bruce Harbach’s message to his team at halftime. “I’ll be damned if they were going to come on our field and take the trophy away from us. Our kids determined that.”
This year’s win over the Hawks (3-2, 5-3) marks the fifth straight in the rivalry as the Panthers inch closer to bringing the Section 5 title back to the hands of the black and red, sitting at 5-0 Section 5, 7-1 overall.
It’s also the first time in school history the Panthers have started 7-1, with high aspirations in mind that’ll hopefully end with some hardware in November.
Harbach’s squad was ranked No. 1 in District 3 Class 3A, with Hamburg sitting at No. 3 entering the matchup.
Friday’s victory did not come without some adversity, however. Before the in-game challenges began, key starter Ervin Ortiz suffered a dislocated knee, which will knock him out for the rest of the season.
“Next man up, and we have to play to the best of our abilities,” junior Anthony Batista, who had two touchdowns, said. “We just have to read our keys and do our one-eleventh every single play, play our hard side, and the rest will take care of itself.”
Schuylkill Valley trailed until 2:21 left in the third quarter, when the Panthers finally got their high-flying offense going behind senior quarterback Alex Aletras.
The Panthers captain rushed for a season-high 174 yards while completing 15-of-22 passes for 150 yards and two late-game touchdowns.
The first touchdown tied the game at 17 in the third quarter on an RPO. Aletras extended the play and found Batista in the flat before the junior made a couple of defenders miss, breaking tackles on his way to a 16-yard touchdown.
As for the Hawks, the second half did not bring much offensive success after a 14-point first quarter.
Tyler Hartranft’s squad rushed for 120 yards in the first half, with Blaise Ernst and Bryce Schmeck scoring on runs of 4 and 32 yards, respectively. But after halftime adjustments, the Panthers bottled up the Hawks, who rushed for just three yards as a team in the second half.
“Our kids played extremely hard,” Hartranft said. “I’m really proud of them. Ultimately at the end, we didn’t make enough plays to finish it.”
Ernst, who was coming off back-to-back 200-yard games, had his fair share of big runs but was slowed down, finishing with 71 yards on 16 carries. Schmeck had 58 yards on six carries.
The Hawks’ first offensive series of the second half ended with an Aron Moser 28-yard field goal, which was followed by a three-and-out after Schuylkill Valley’s touchdown.
Taking over at their own 28-yard line with 1:25 left in the third quarter, the Panthers’ offense got back to work.
Rushes of 13 and 10 yards from James Santana and Aletras put the Panthers around midfield.
“They knew we had a great passing attack. They knew that we’re going to spread it out. So, they’re going to give me running lanes, and I’m going to take them,” Aletras said.
The Hawks had a long night trying to stop Aletras from using his legs. Whether it was scrambling, extending plays for first downs or taking off on designed quarterback runs, he made them pay.
When playing Schuylkill Valley, if you load the box, Aletras will let it fly. But if you try to get back in coverage, he’ll make you pay with his legs, creating a true lose-lose situation for Section 5 opponents.
From the shotgun, Aletras sent William Johns, Berks County’s leading receiver, in motion across the formation to his left. Johns broke into a full sprint down the Hawks’ sideline, leaving the coverage in the dust as his quarterback put the ball in the breadbasket for a 46-yard game-winning touchdown.
With plenty of time left, 8:33, the Hawks had to get the ball rolling, and at first, they did.
Isaac McFadden, who finished 10-of-17 for 122 yards, connected with Owen Bentz for a first down, followed by two 10-yard carries from Ernst.
Driving into Panthers territory, the Hawks’ offense stalled after a mental error from the sophomore quarterback.
McFadden dropped back in the pocket as the pass rush became too much for him. He tried to escape but found himself wrapped up at the Panthers’ 45-yard line for a 17-yard loss on a sack by Sebastian Batista, Anthony’s older brother.
It was a day for the Batista brothers, who also have a younger brother, Joel, a freshman on the team.
Anthony began the day with a 30-yard pick-six on the second play from scrimmage to get the home crowd into it early.
“Coming into this game, we knew it was going to be a bloodbath,” Anthony Batista said. “We were going to go at each other, and it was just going to be a good game. We had to come out firing. In the first half we were a little off, but then in the second half we tightened up and we got the job done.”
When asked about the play of the Batista brothers, as well as the rest of the squad, Harbach spoke highly of his team, wearing a big smile as he said that even at 71 years old, this group keeps him young.
Facing a third-and-27, McFadden completed a 10-yard pass to Alex Soto to put the ball at the Panthers’ 45-yard line with 4:30 left.
Instead of pinning the Panthers deep with a punt, Hartranft decided to keep his offense on the field with three timeouts in his pocket.
McFadden dropped back and threw short of the sticks, with the Panthers’ secondary keeping everything in front of them. Regardless, the pass fell incomplete.
“Second half we weren’t tackling well, and were looking to try and create a spark in the moment. That’s what I thought was the best call to go win the football game,” Hartranft said of the decision.
The Hawks’ defense did stand tall, forcing a fourth-and-inches with about a minute remaining.
But Aletras went under center for a sneak to pick up the first down. He followed that up with a 39-yard run before sliding down inside the 10-yard line like a seasoned vet to cap off the huge Section 5 victory.
The Panthers earned a share of the section title in 2023 before winning it outright the following year in 2024.
Schuylkill Valley faces Kutztown (1-4, 2-6) before taking on Annville-Cleona (4-1, 5-3) in Week 10, with a chance to hoist the title.
“The way they battled back tonight, that shows a lot of character in our football team and a lot of character for our seniors,” Harbach said. “Hopefully, we get through the next two weeks.It’s my job as a coach and our coaching staff to keep these guys motivated as we go into Kutztown next week.”
Down the road at Hawk Hill, Hamburg will look to get back on track when it hosts Annville-Cleona.