Fumble recovery in final minute saves Lancaster Catholic against Berks Catholic

At the bottom of the pile, lying flat on his back, was one of Lancaster Catholic's senior captains. Drew Schwanke was holding the ball.

Good times seem to follow the linebacker. Everyone around him is always laughing and smiling. This fumble recovery was the best of times. It helped the Crusaders steal victory from defeat.

Lancaster Catholic outlasted Berks Catholic 30-28 in a Lancaster-Lebanon League Section Five football game at Crusader Stadium Friday night.

A matchup of big plays and timely stops was decided by the biggest stop of them all. It was decided by Schwanke.

"I came in late and I was about to jump in there," linebacker Zach Dresch said. "I see him with the ball to his chest. Belly up. I was so happy."

Bryce Gumby tormented Lancaster Catholic all night. The elusive 6-0, 175-pound senior raced for 268 yards and four touchdowns. He broke free on scoring runs of 22, 72, 70 and 5 yards.

Berks Catholic (1-1 L-L, 2-3) put the ball in Gumby's hands as it tried to set up Tyler Osorio for the winning field goal. That's when Lancaster Catholic finally stopped Gumby.

Schwanke made the hit, ripped out the ball and held onto it. The fumble never touched the ground.

"He just has fun playing the game," LC coach Chris Maiorino said. "He's a great kid. He's enjoying his high school career, which is what we want these guys to do. Everybody loves him."

The turnover gave Catholic possession at its own 12 with 31 seconds left. Three kneel downs and it was over.

Before Schwanke had his moment, it was Dresch, another senior captain, who delivered all the stops. The 6-2, 190-pound linebacker had as much influence on the scoreboard as anyone without ever carrying the ball into the end zone.

Dresch stuffed Nate Rose on 4th-and-2 in the first quarter. The senior sacked Zach Suski on fourth down to end another drive in the third quarter.

"When he slows down and sees the game, he's one of the best in the league," Maiorino said. "He plays so loose and he has fun. He's calm, he stays in it and he stays positive. That's what a captain does."

Dresch caught two passes as a tight end. The second reception converted a crucial fourth down that led to a touchdown.

Lancaster Catholic's offense was carried by Brandon Way and Colton Hegener. One delivered bruising running runs between the tackles. One produced big plays on the perimeter.

Way carried 27 times for 105 yards and three touchdowns. Hegener had an 85-yard kickoff return, 32-yard reception to set up a score and an 11-yard TD catch.

Berks Catholic was quiet until Gumby awakened the offense with his first TD. The Saints piled up 317 yards rushing.

"This has been an offense we've had a tough time stopping," Maiorino said. "We stopped them enough. They're good, so they figured it out here and there as the game went on. But our guys kept fighting."

Lancaster Catholic (2-0, 3-2) has faced Berks Catholic in the preseason the previous three years. Those summer duels didn't go the Crusaders' way.

Dresch admitted he was worried when the Saints marched toward the potential go-ahead score.

"Our heads were down; I'm not gonna lie," Dresch said. "We stayed physical and we got the ball back."

Then the Crusaders celebrated.

Good times always seem to follow Schwanke around.