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Cambridge Springs Wins First D10 Title Since 1996

Tagged under: District 10, Gameday Hub, News, pfn, Playoffs

| November 19, 2023

Meadville – It took 27 years, but the Cambridge Springs Blue Devils again rule District 10.

Cambridge Springs overcame first and second-half deficits and a 28-22 loss to Lakeview on October 6th to win their first district title in nearly three decades.

“It was all effort tonight,” said Cambridge Springs head coach Nate Liberty. “We used everything, we’ve been doing it all season long using everybody. We’re not a one-person band, and that’s what I love about this team. Everyone had to step up at the right time, and they did.”

The Blue Devils used a balanced rushing attack, and some gadget plays to open up a 10-point fourth-quarter lead before hanging on for a dramatic 32-29 victory.

Like their matchup from October, the Blue Devils found themselves trailing in the first quarter as the Sailors ate up nearly the entire first-quarter clock as they went on an 18-play 68-yard drive, chewing up the 10:49 of the first period – scoring on Mitchell Tingley’s 3-yard run.

 

“I said before the game that we wanted to control possession, and it was a textbook start,” said Lakeview head coach Bill Hickman. “Some things just didn’t go our way, and it’s tough to swallow. My hats off to Cambridge Springs. They’re a great football team. We’ll take some positives from this, like our region championship and a birth in this game. But make no mistake: we don’t believe in moral victories. I’m proud of these guys, but we’ll come back strong next year, count on it.”

On their initial drive, Cambridge Springs took the lead early in the second quarter when Preston Gorton scored on a 32-yard run – Tristen Mazzadra caught the 2-point pass from Brett Kania, giving the Devils an 8-7.

The 2-point conversions played a huge factor as the Blue Devils converted on all four attempts, which ultimately helped lead them to victory as each team scored four touchdowns.

After holding the Sailors on downs, Kania capped an 11-play 54-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown run late with 2:40 remaining until halftime.

Lakeview didn’t go into the locker room quietly as they put together an 8-play 57-yard drive with Tingley scoring his second touchdown of the night on a 4-yard run with 17 ticks left on the clock. Leyton Zacherl’s 25-yard pass to Blake Skiles put the Sailors in close.

Keeping their momentum going from the end of the first half, Danick Hinkson intercepted a Morgan Applebee pass at Sailors’ 38-yard line before Lakeview drove 62 yards in nine plays, capping off the drive with Tingley’s 6-yard run.

“Our players are the definition of resiliency,” Hickman said. “Our kids have met every single challenge. This may have been a speed bump we didn’t overcome, but we battled until the end, only losing by three. These kids have been through worse, and what does kill you makes you stronger as a person, not just as a football player. Part of my job isn’t just teaching football. It’s about building character. I take pride in that.”

Down but not out, Cambridge Springs went into the bag of tricks as Brandon Hoover threw a 51-yard completion to Daniel Brown before tailback Josh Gorton tossed a 14-yard pass to Hoover, giving the Blue Devils the lead back at 24-22 late in the third quarter.

On the ensuing play of their next possession, Lakeview lost a fumble at their 38-yard line.

Five plays later, Hoover was in the end zone again, scoring on a 15-yard pass from Applebee 48 seconds into the final stanza.

 

“That last fumble was huge,” Liberty said. “We fought until the end. Brandon Hoover, as a sophomore, look at what he did in this game with the touchdowns and interception. If that’s not mental toughness, I don’t know what is.”

On the succeeding drive, the Sailors drove into Blue Devils territory only for Hoover to come up huge again, intercepting a pass intended for Hinkson, ending the series.

The interception concluded a remarkable evening for the sophomore.

“It’s amazing, and I don’t even know what to say,” said Hoover. “We had this goal all summer long coming into the season. It feels great. I focused on my job and what I needed to do. I’m still in shock. We had fewer mistakes tonight than we had against them in the regular season. We all did our job. Last week, we were down by two scores in the fourth quarter. We were only down by a couple of points in the fourth tonight. We came together as a team and pulled out the win.”

However, the Blue Devils would lose a fumble a couple plays later, leading to Tingley’s fourth touchdown of the night from four yards out, cutting the deficit to 32-29 with 3:27 remaining.

Micthell Tingley had a big game for Lakeview, rushing for 174 yards on 31 carries scoring four times.

Despite over three minutes left on the clock when the Sailors kicked off to the Blue Devils – they wouldn’t see the football again.

Cambridge Springs held the ball for eight plays, including the final 4th-and-1 at the Sailors’ 32-yard line, where Tristen Mazzadra picked two yards, ending the contest.

Preston Gorton led a balanced rushing attack with 73 yards on eight carries, while Brett Kania and Morgan Applebee rushed for 44 and 36 yards, respectively.

The Blue Devils will advance into the PIAA playoffs, meeting District 9 Champion Redbank Valley.

“This is huge for our community; it means everything,” Liberty concluded. “We may even have a home game in our stadium next week. That would mean the world to this community as well.”

Lakeview concludes their season at 9-3.

“This team is much bigger than football,” Hickman concluded. “This community needed this football team as much as we needed them. We’ve been through so much, including tragedy. I appreciate everyone in our entire community, and I wanted this tonight as much for them as myself. Ultimately, we gave them some positive memories they can cling to.”

Game Highlights:

 

Cambridge Springs 32 Lakeview 29

Score by Quarters

Cambridge Springs – 0 16 8 8 – 32
Lakeview – 7 7 8 7 – 29

Scoring Summary

First Quarter

L – Mitchell Tingley 3 yd run, (Tingley pat), 1:11 – 18-68

Second Quarter

CS – Preston Gorton 32 yd run, (Tristen Mazzarda from Brett Kania), 10:31 – 6-68

CS – Kania 1 yd run, (Mazzarda rush), 2:40 – 11-54

L – Tingley 4 yd run, (Tingley pat), 0;17 – 8-57

Third Quarter

L – Tingley 6 yd run, (Tingley rush), 5:44 – 9-62

CS – Brandon Hoover 14 yd pass from Josh Gorton, (Mazzadra from Morgan Applebee), 1:11 – 8-76

Fourth Quarter

CS – Hoover 15 yd pass from Applebee, (Kania rush), 11:12 – 5-38

L – Tingley 4 yd run, (Tingley pat), 3:27 – 7-22

Individual Stats

Rushing: CS – Kania 12-44, Preston Gorton 8-73, Applebee 8-36, Hoover 3-19, Mazzadra 2-10, Josh Gorton 4-9. Totals: 37-191. L – Tingley 31-174, Zacherl 7-14, Aiden Osborne 7-22, Danick Hinkson 2-16, Team 1-2. Totals:48-228.

Receiving: CS – Daniel Brown 1-51, Hoover 3-39. L -Tingley 1-10, Blake Skiles 2-33.

Passing: CS – Applebee 2-for-5, 25 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, Hoover 1-for-1, 51 yards, Josh Gorton 1-for-1, 14 yards, 1 TD. L -Leyton Zacherl 3-for-8, 43 yards, 1 INT.

Interceptions: CS – Hoover. L – Hinkson.

Follow PA Football News on Twitter @PaFootballNews

 
 
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