Twin Valley falls to E-town, 47-42

Trailing by four points midway through the fourth quarter, Twin Valley found itself with fourth-and-goal from its opponent’s 3-yard line.

In a game filled with few defensive stops, the Raiders’ run play was stuffed at the 2-yard line. After stopping Twin Valley just shy of the goal line, Elizabethtown went 98 yards to score another touchdown to extend its lead, one that it would not relinquish.

“I wish I could’ve done a little better down here on the goal line (on) that fourth-and-3,” Twin Valley coach Brett Myers said. “If I call a better play, it’s a different ball game.”

The play proved to effectively be the Raiders’ last chance at a lead in the contest, as they ultimately fell to the Bears 47-42 in a Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 3 game Friday night at Twin Valley.

“I’ve got to do a better job of getting our guys prepared to finish games like this,” Myers said. “We came up a little short.”

The Raiders (1-1, 3-2) came up just short in a game that featured nearly 100 points, more than 900 yards of total offense and six lead changes. Twin Valley scored 42 points for the second consecutive week after defeating Fleetwood 4214 in Week 4.

The Raiders opened the scoring in the first quarter, as quarterback Evan Myers ran for an 18-yard touchdown, his first of three rushing scores. The sophomore also completed 7-of13 passes for 167 yards with one interception.

Elizabethtown (1-0, 5-0) responded on its next possession, as quarterback Josh Rudy scored on a sneak. The ensuing extra point was no good, so Twin Valley remained in front 7-6.

The Raiders added to their lead with six seconds remaining in the first quarter, as running back Evan Johnson notched an 11-yard touchdown run. Johnson, a sophomore, finished as Twin Valley’s leading rusher, carrying 13 times for 83 yards.

Early in the second quarter, Bears running back Logan Lentz plunged into the end zone from the 1. However, the Raiders remained ahead 14-12 after the ensuing twopoint conversion was unsuccessful.

Elizabethtown took its first lead with 37 seconds to go in the first half when Lentz bowled his way into the end zone for another touchdown. The ensuing extra point was no good, and the Bears led 18-14.

The Raiders scored on their first possession of the second half, as Myers scored on a 2-yard run. Elizabethtown fired right back with a 37-yard rushing touchdown from running back Cade Capello, which — after a successful extra point — gave the Bears a 25-21 lead midway through the third quarter.

The shootout continued on the next drive, as Twin Valley marched down the field in 1:12 to retake the lead. Following several big plays, Myers scored on a 4-yard run and the Raiders took a 28-25 lead.

Twin Valley appeared to have halted the Elizabethtown offense on its next possession, as it gained only 5 yards on its first three plays of the series. However, the Bears elected to go for the fourthand-5 from their 19-yard line and converted, as Rudy completed a 7-yard pass.

Behind its risky fourth down conversion, Elizabethtown rode that momentum all the way down the field before Lentz scored on a 5-yard touchdown run, which made it 32-28 following the successful extra point. The Bears finished 3-for-3 on fourth down attempts.

Elizabethtown stopped the Raiders 2 yards shy of the end zone on Twin Valley’s next possession. The Bears then went 98 yards — 89 of which came on a pass from Rudy to wideout Brady Cummings — on a quick drive that was capped by Lentz’s fourth rushing touchdown and a successful two-point conversion.

Lentz led the way for Elizabethtown, powering his way to 146 yards and four touchdowns on 27 carries. He had six carries of 10 yards or more.

Several of Lentz’s touchdown’s were set up by big passing plays as the Bears racked up 537 yards of offense. Rudy, a senior, threw for 287 of those yards, completing 9-of-14 passes with two interceptions.

Rudy’s primary target was Cummings, who had five catches for 226 yards.

The Raiders could not stop Elizabethtown, however, as the Bears consumed the clock and found the end zone again, as Capello scored his second touchdown. The senior finished with nine carries for 74 yards and the two scores.

Down 47-36, Goebel scored again for Twin Valley with just over a minute remaining. The Raiders’ ensuing two-point conversion attempt and onside kick attempt were both unsuccessful.

Goebel finished with 12 carries for 73 yards and two TDs. Wide receiver Josh Zolty had three catches for 105 yards.

The five-point loss was Twin Valley’s second onescore loss of the season, as it fell to Lower Dauphin 17-14 in Week 2. With another sixtouchdown effort, the Raiders have scored 40 or more points in consecutive games for the first time since 2007.

“Our kids played really, really hard,” Myers said. “That makes me proud.”