Lower Dauphin wins a back and forth battle against Red Land, 34-28 @PAFootballNews @LDAthletics @RedLand_AD

Tagged under: District 3, Gameday Hub, News

Jake Taylor | October 16, 2021

In a contest with 9 total touchdowns, there’s bound to be many explosive plays on both sides of the ball, but Lower Dauphin was able to secure the win on Homecoming Weekend in Hersheypark Stadium. At the end of the night, this game ended up being the most exciting game I’ve seen all season. Lower Dauphin forced a two touchdown differential early in the second half that Red Land couldn’t recover from, which resulted in the final score of 34-28.

Both teams ran very efficient and creative offensive schemes throughout the whole game. Red Land had great route running from senior Sam Sklar who ended with 9 receptions for 157 yards and 2 scores, and freshman Anderson French brought in 4 catches including a 20-yard touchdown.

Red Land ties it right back at 7 on a 71 yard pass from Roman Jensen to Sam Sklar. 7-7 nearing the end of the 1st quarter. @PaFootballNews @RedLand_AD @LDAthletics pic.twitter.com/Hr7p4Jli1h

— Jake Taylor (@jaketaylor123) October 15, 2021

The back and forth continues as Anderson French grabs a 20 yard pass in the end zone for Red Land. 14-14 with 7:54 left in the 1st half. @PaFootballNews @RedLand_AD @LDAthletics pic.twitter.com/W5SkrKiWg3

— Jake Taylor (@jaketaylor123) October 15, 2021

Sophomore quarterback Roman Jensen demonstrated spectacular rollout skills and scrambling abilities on his way to an over 250-yard passing day. Lastly, Kaden Peifer notched a score on a 4 yard run that proved to be the only points in the fourth quarter.

Kaden Peifer rams in the ball from the 4 to bring the deficit to 6 after the PAT. 34-28 Lower Dauphin on top with 10:58 to play. @PaFootballNews @RedLand_AD @LDAthletics pic.twitter.com/7x5V939dsN

— Jake Taylor (@jaketaylor123) October 16, 2021

Lower Dauphin, on the other hand, relied on more ground game work from their primary running back, senior Jacob Kauffman, who seemed to be fighting through pain after just their first drive. He ended with roughly 150 yards rushing, highlighted by a 43 yard touchdown late in the first quarter. Also, the play from Lower Dauphin quarterback Braden Landis really impressed me for several reasons. For one, he threw for nearly 200 yards while connecting with six different receivers with only 5 incompletions. He threw two touchdown passes to both sophomore Ty Millhimes, and junior Charlie Fortney.

Ty Millhimes takes a screen pass 38 yards to the house. PAT was deflected, 27-14 Falcons @PaFootballNews @LDAthletics @RedLand_AD pic.twitter.com/R2EyfRdTHw

— Jake Taylor (@jaketaylor123) October 16, 2021

Charlie Fortney AGAIN! A 61 yard rollout pass from Landis and the good PAT from Jacob Gesford makes it 34-21 Lower Dauphin @PaFootballNews @LDAthletics @RedLand_AD pic.twitter.com/fnmPZD7zHZ

— Jake Taylor (@jaketaylor123) October 16, 2021

Landis showed his ability to see the field and know when to pull it down, adding 11 rushes to his total. Secondly, he had great communication with their playcaller which resulted in effective pre-snap motions and audibles on each play.

While it may go unnoticed to some fans, the level of confidence in your teammates, and mastery of your playbook is what makes a quarterback, and ultimately your whole team, successful throughout the season. After the game, Lower Dauphin head coach Josh Borelli confirmed that saying, “Our guys are smart kids…. they’re able to absorb all of the concepts we throw at them.” Borelli hopes to build on the Falcons’ streak next Friday as they travel to Hershey to face the 1-7 Trojans. On the other side, the Red Land Patriots host Bishop McDevitt (6-1) next week.

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