Tigers Came Storming Back Despite Major Injury

Tagged under: District 2, District 4, Gameday Hub, News

Dave Fegley | August 27, 2022

Lightning strike allowed Tigers to regroup in win

It was just week one of the high school football season, but Friday night’s game in Berwick featured just about everything that could possibly happen in a season.

On the scoreboard, Southern erased a halftime deficit to defeat Berwick 42-27. From a roster standpoint, the Tigers appear to have lost their defensive leader.

On the opening kickoff, Garrett Garcia raced down the field to make the first tackle. Unfortunately, it looks like it will be the only one he will have this season after setting a program record with 205 a year ago.

The all-state junior linebacker was examined by medical personnel on the sidelines after limping off the field. It’s yet to be officially determined, but preliminary reports are that SCA’s leading tackler in the past two seasons tore up his knee.

“After coming back to win against a good team, the feelings should all be positive. Unfortunately, it appears that we suffered a major loss on the first play of the game,” said Jim Roth who is in his 39th season as the head coach of the Tigers.

After a scoreless first quarter, Berwick struck twice in the second quarter to go in front 14-0. Then, just before the kickoff in the third quarter, lightning struck Crispin Field.

After a nearly two-hour long weather delay, with multiple strikes that reset the precautionary time clock, the Tigers came storming back.

Southern scored three straight touchdowns in the third quarter as Berwick scored a touchdown as well to make the score 21-21 heading to the fourth.

“The delay helped the players settle in. In the first half, Berwick had their way on both sides of the ball. I’m sure the Garcia injury played a part in our team’s lack of focus, but you need to give their kids credit for the way that they came out from the start,” Roth said.

The five-time defending PIAA Class 2A champions would score three more touchdowns in the final frame to pick up the victory as Roth is now 38-1 for his career in season openers.

To start the game, the Bulldogs first possession ate up over 10 minutes of the first quarter clock, but the Tigers were able to keep the home team off the scoreboard after a holding penalty and a Tyler Arnold sack ended the drive.

After Southern went three-and-out, Berwick got on the board as senior Matt Lonczynski found senior Drey Wilk across the middle for an eight-yard touchdown.

On the ensuing kickoff, the Tigers looked like they were going to tie the game immediately. Louden Murphy, who went to the hospital via ambulance with a health scare during the weather delay, returned the kickoff 94 yards to the end zone. A debatable blindside block penalty erased the score. The Tigers had a chance three plays later to answer, but a perfectly thrown pass was dropped in the end zone.

With just under six seconds left in the second quarter, Lonczynski kept it himself from a yard out, after completing a fourth down pass on the previous play, to make the score 14-0 at the half. Then Mother Nature took its course.

Southern, who usually averages more than 10 yards per play in any given season with their starters, ran a total of just seven offensive plays in the first half for six yards.

Ironically, the last time the Tigers had a weather delay for this long was back in 2005 in a road game as well. Southern trailed Mount Carmel Area at the Silver Bowl 21-6, and the Tigers came back to win that one.

“Yeah, that’s weird to think this many years later we were in an almost identical situation. Most of the coaches were around back then, but the players were either babies or not born yet. From what I remember, we were flat in that game and then came out after the delay and played much better like we did in this one,” Roth said.

Early in the third quarter, junior Carter Madden scored on a three-yard carry to get the Tigers on the scoreboard.

After the defense forced a punt, Madden scored again. This time he scampered in from 30 yards out on a reverse. After a high snap on the PAT, Southern was able to convert the unplanned two-point conversion to take their first lead 15-14 with 6:54 remaining in the third quarter.

“I knew what I had to do at that point. I was supposed to be in a rotation with Garrett (Garcia) and Louden (Murphy) at the one halfback spot, but unfortunately neither of them were available at that point,” said Madden. “I was tired for sure with playing defense as well, but I went out there and just tried to do my best.”

After Madden’s pair of rushing touchdowns, seniors Braeden Wisloski and Wes Barnes followed suit with two rushing touchdowns each.

Wisloski’s first one came on a 36-yard jaunt. After another miscue on the ensuing extra point, the score was 21-14 in favor of the visitors.

On the first play of the fourth quarter, Wilk caught his second touchdown pass of the game. That 40-yard connection from Lonczynski knotted the game at 21-21.

The tie didn’t last long. On the first play of the next drive, Wisloski broke through two tackles and the senior used his 100-meter dash state champion speed to gallop into paydirt for a 73-yard score to make the score 27-21 with the PAT being blocked.

“As captains and leaders, a group of us just tried to get the team refocused during that long break. The way the second half played out, it was just crazy. We came out and dominated like we wanted to, but they gave us a battle for sure,” Wisloski said.

After the Tigers forced a punt, Barnes owned the rest of the game on both sides of the ball. The senior fullback scored on the first play of each of the next two Southern drives.

“Hard work. We just kept working hard. The key was staying mentally tough after what transpired in the beginning of the game. Taking care of business is what this program’s all about,” said Barnes.

His first one went 44 yards up the middle untouched. The next one was tougher as the bruiser busted two initial tackles before heading 56 yards. Playing safety to end the game, the converted linebacker intercepted a pass late to put a stamp on the victory.

In between the pair of Barnes scores, Spencer Kishbaugh caught an 80-yard touchdown pass for the Bulldogs to make the final four touchdowns of the game coming on the first play of the respective drives just adding another look as to how bizarre the night played out.

Southern will travel to Kemp Memorial Stadium next Friday to renew their rivalry with Shamokin Area. Berwick has another tough test in week two as they travel to Valley View.

Southern Columbia 42, Berwick 27

SCA — BER

First Downs: 10 — 18

Rushes-yds: 24-289 — 38-113

Passing yds: 37 — 251

Total yds: 326 — 364

Passing (C-A-I): 2-6-0 — 12-22-2

Penalties: 3-23 — 1-15

Fumbles-lost: 0-0 — 3-0

Southern (1-0): 0-0-21-1 — 42

Berwick (0-1): 0-14-0-13 — 27

SCORING PLAYS

B — Drey Wilk 8 pass from Matt Lonczynski (Luke Peters kick)

B — Lonczynski 1 run (Peters kick)

S — Carter Madden 3 run (Isaac Carter kick)

S — Madden 30 run (Ryan Kerstetter pass from Jake Toczylousky)

S — Braeden Wisloski 36 run (Carter kick)

B — Wilk 40 pass from Lonczyski (Peters kick)

S — Wisloski 73 run (kick blocked)

S — Wes Barnes 44 run (Wisloski pass from Blake Wise)

B — Kishbaugh 80 pass from Lonczyski (kick blocked)

S — Barnes 56 run (Carter kick)

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING — Southern: Braden Wisloski 7-133, 2 TD’s; Wes Barnes 9-112, 2 TD’s; Carter Madden 5-41, 2 TD’s; Jack Beirmaas 1-2; Garrett Krebs 1-1; Blake Wise 1-0. Berwick: Ryan Bankes 14-43; Bo Sheptock 14-39; Matt Lonczyski, 5-15, TD; Dray Wilk 1-11; Jack DeAndrea 2-2; Spencer Kishbaugh 2-3.

PASSING — Southern: Blake Wise 2-6-0, 37 yards. Berwick: Matt Lonczysnski 12-22-2, 251 yards, 3 TD’s.

RECEIVING — Southern: Wes Barnes 1-23; Carter Madden 1-14. Berwick: Spencer Kishbaugh 5-121, TD; Drey Wilk 4-66, 2 TD’s; Bo Sheptock 1-34; RBankes, 1-15; Rowan Slabinski 1-15.

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