Twin Valley earns 1st district win
Raiders run for 456 yards and six touchdowns in a 43-29 victory over Milton Hershey in a District 3 Class 4A quarterfinal
Long before the 2022 season started, Twin Valley running back Evan Johnson and several of his teammates set their goals for the upcoming year.
The players weren’t focused on wins, touchdowns or yards, but something larger.
“We just knew that we had to be the change,” Johnson said. “We wanted to change something up in our school. That’s been our main goal, to be the change and switch the whole culture around here.”
On Friday night, the “change” hit a major milestone.
The Raiders won the first district playoff game in program history, defeating Milton Hershey 43-29 in a District 3 Class 4A quarterfinal at Twin Valley.
“It’s amazing,” Johnson said. “We’ve been working so hard.”
Johnson was a catalyst for the Raiders, running for 210 yards and three touchdowns on 17 carries. Johnson’s two second-half touchdowns — runs of 63 and 42 yards — proved to be the difference.
“We just don’t give up,” Johnson said. “We knew it was going to be a tough one.”
The two teams combined for nearly 1,000 yards of total offense and just two punts. The Raiders ran the ball for 456 yards and six touchdowns on 54 carries.
“Offensively, we want to make the most of every possession,” Twin Valley coach Brett Myers said. “We wanted to be aggressive, we wanted to score points.”
The fourth-seeded Raiders (74) wasted little time generating points as Johnson ran for a 60yard touchdown less than two minutes into the first quarter to open the scoring. The sophomore had three runs of 40 yards or more, all of which went for touchdowns.
“He’s pretty good,” Myers said. “He’s got wheels.”
The fifth-seeded Spartans (6-5) responded later in the first quarter when quarterback Jason Burney found wide receiver Mohamed Koroma for a 12-yard touchdown. Milton Hershey took the lead with a successful trick play on the ensuing two-point conversion, as holder Zion Brooks found wide receiver Syncere Rascoe in the end zone to make it 8-7.
Twin Valley retook the lead with 21 seconds remaining in the first quarter, as quarterback Evan Myers ran for a 2-yard touchdown. The sophomore finished with 78 yards and two scores on 10 carries.
The Spartans retook the lead early in the second quarter when Burney connected with wide receiver Angel Roberts for a 3-yard touchdown. Koroma led Milton Hershey with 75 yards receiving, while Roberts had 74 yards.
Myers scored again on the Raiders’ next possession on a 37-yard touchdown run to give Twin Valley a 20-15 lead. Its point-after attempt was no-good, as a bobbled snap was picked up by holder Josh Zolty, who threw an incomplete pass to end the broken play.
The Raiders extended their lead with just over a minute remaining in the first half when running back Jaydon Goebel ran for an 11-yard touchdown. The senior finished with 148 yards on 22 carries.
“Our offensive line, our run game has been really amazing lately,” Johnson said. “I’m just really proud of our linemen, all our tailbacks.”
On the Spartans’ next drive in the final seconds of the first half, the long snapper snapped the ball over the punter’s head and out the back of the end zone, resulting in a safety to give Twin Valley a 29-15 lead at the break.
Milton Hershey came out strong in the third quarter, as running back Elijah Johnson ran for a 19-yard touchdown on his team’s first possession. Johnson finished with 201 yards on 28 carries.
The Spartans scored again on their next possession. Burney found wide receiver Malachi Thomas for a 15-yard touchdown, which tied it 29-29 following the extra point. Burney completed 14-of-29 passes for 241 yards, three touchdowns and one interception.
Johnson broke the tie late in the third quarter with a 62-yard run to put the Raiders up 36-29 following the extra point. Early in the fourth, he ran for a 42-yard touchdown to make it 4329 following the successful point-after.
“The kids deserved it,” Myers said about the win. “We got tough kids that are fighting and scrapping to be successful.”
Twin Valley protected its 14-point lead for the final nine minutes. The Raiders held Milton Hershey scoreless for the final 17 minutes of the game, thanks in large part to a pair of key turnovers.
“It means everything,” senior fullback and outside linebacker Nick Harris said about the victory. “This could’ve been my last game. (We) keep playing (and) keep playing hard.”
In its second district playoff appearance — last year was the first — Twin Valley will look to continue its run in the semifinals at top-seeded Bishop McDevitt on Friday at 7 p.m. McDevitt beat East Pennsboro 42-7 in its quarterfinal.
With their first postseason win behind them and their new culture taking shape, the Raiders are eager to continue their historic season.
“This is a confidence booster,” Johnson said. “It really motivates us.”