TJ and Lampeter matchup looks like old school football
Tagged under: District 3, District 7, News, Playoffs
Billy Splain | November 29, 2024
When the Jaguars and Pioneers face off today at Mansion Park in Altoona they should throw out all the fancy new gear, break out the old 1975 pads and neck collars, put on those old single bar facemasks and have at it. This game has that feel. Old school, ground it out and pound on each other football. It isn’t the first time these two have met in the state round. TJ pounded Lampeter-Strasburg in 2019. But this isn’t 2019 and these two teams are mirror images of each other.
The Pioneers are led by dual-threat qb Caileb Howse. He’s a danger anytime the ball is snapped. He’s got 1,500 yards with 16 tds passing and 1,300+ and 19 tds on the ground. And he’s a leader. Howse can either throw to tight end Emory Fluhr, wide receivers Danny Weichler, Christian Nolt or running back Dom Brown. All are capable of making the play needed. He also has the option to hand the rock to steady, bruising but speedy back in Brown who’s powerful legs have churned out over 1,400 yards and 22 scores.
Defensively the Pioneers come at you hard and fast. Fluhr leads a linebacking core that is more than capable of stopping either the pass or the run. The Pioneer defense has only given up more than 14 points twice, and the last time was a hard fought overtime with against perennial power Wyomissing.
For TJ it’s a different script. Luke Kotsko has thrown for over 1,900 yards and 24 tds but that’s where his game stops. He’s not really a threat to run the ball. That job falls on Tyler Eber. He’s not a big back, but he takes off like one. With over 2,000 yards and 31 tds he’s a force to be reckoned with. The offensive line is tough. They’ll lean on you and wear you down and they’re also very good at protecting for the pass. Brayden White is the go to buy for Kotsko. He’s the kind of receiver that you want as a quarterback. He just gets open.
Much like the Pioneers, the Jaguars have a linebacking corp that is built to top the opponenet. Mason Hostetter leads the group that includes Asher Jones, White, Zach Villa and Kane Eggerton. The lines are led by D1 talent Shep Turk. There are 15 schools that have offered him a coveted college scholarship, but first he’s on a mission to win Bill Cherpak his 5th state title.
Any way you look at this game, any angle, this has the potential to be a classic. At 1pm today the game begins with the coin toss. From there, it’s a toss up. Strap in. It’s gonna get rough.
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