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Hanover Area running back Steve Pask drags Lake-Lehman linebacker Brandon Roberts during the second quarter of Friday night’s game.
FRED ADAMS/FOR THE TIMES LEADER
HANOVER TWP. – Hanover Area head coach Ron Hummer and Lake-Lehman head coach Carl Kern walked off the field with smiles on their faces Friday night.
But for different reasons.
Hummer was pleased with his team’s 26-22 victory against the Black Knights. Kern was happy with the way his inexperienced team performed.
The Hawks took advantage of seven Lake-Lehman turnovers, Tomas Cabrera caught seven passes for 134 yards, Mike Balas recorded two interceptions and scored a touchdown, and linebacker Steve Pask played a stellar defensive game in a Wyoming Valley Conference Class 2A season-opener.
“Our defense really picked it up in the second half,” said Hummer. “The first game is always a little sloppy and you expect the teams to make mistakes. We got the win, that’s the most important thing.”
Despite losing every starting skill player from last year’s team, Lake-Lehman rolled up 360 yards of total offense against Hanover Area, including a 243-yard passing performance from quarterback Adam Weaver. The junior threw four interceptions, but two of those went directly through the hands of a Black Knight receiver and into the arms of a Hanover Area player.
“With all of the inexperience that we have, I’m tickled pink with how our kids played,” said Kern, whose lone returning starters on offense include a pair of linemen. “I’m not happy with the loss, I’m not saying that. But our kids kept battling. Even at the end of the game, we had a chance to win.”
Balas caught a 19-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Brandon Colorusso and Mike Redick added the PAT to give Hanover Area a 26-22 lead with 3:13 remaining. One play from scrimmage later, Tomas Cabrera picked off a Weaver pass.
With a chance to get one more first down and run out the clock, the Hawks fumbled the ball away at the Lake-Lehman 28-yard line with 1:34 remaining. Weaver quickly began moving his team down the field, completing a 7-yard pass to Chris Prater and a 23-yarder to Nick Shelly.
But on first-and-10 from the Hanover Area 40, Weaver overthrew a teammate and the pass was picked off by Josh Cabrera at the 25 with a minute remaining.
Weaver connected on scoring passes of 47 and 37 yards to Brandon Roberts and Bryan Mathers, respectively, as Lake-Lehman took a 19-14 halftime lead. The Hawks responded with a pair of touchdowns in the third quarter. Pask, who finished with more than a dozen tackles, picked up a lost fumble in the end zone for a score and Tomas Cabrera broke loose for a 45-yard touchdown run to give the Hawks a 19-14 lead.
Lake-Lehman regained the lead in the last five minutes, with Zach Yursha hauling in a tremendous throw by Weaver – between the outstretched arms of several Hanover Area defenders – for a 15-yard touchdown pass. Prater caught a two-point conversion pass to give the Black Knights a 22-19 lead with 4:37 left in the game.
In addition to his defensive game, Pask also rushed eight times for 52 yards for the Hawks. Mathers had five catches for 71 yards and rushed 13 times for 55 yards for Lake-Lehman.
Hanover Area 26, Lake-Lehman 22
Lake-Lehman
0
14
0
8
—
22
Hanover Area
0
7
12
7
—
26
First Quarter
No scoring
Second Quarter
HA – Redick 4 run (Redick kick) 10:38
LL – Roberts 47 pass from Weaver (Yursha kick) 9:11
LL – Mathers 37 pass from Weaver (Yursha kick) 1:25
Third Quarter
HA – Pask fumble recovery in end zone (run failed) 7:24
HA – T. Cabrera 45 run (pass failed) 1:40
Fourth Quarter
LL – Yursha 15 pass from Weaver (Prater catch) 4:37
HA – Balas 19 pass from Colorusso (Redick kick) 3:13
Team Statistics
Lehman
Hanover
First downs
16
12
Rushes-yards
34-117
32-171
Passing
243
154
Total Yards
360
325
Comp-Att-Int
12-20-243
9-20-1
Sacks by
0-0
1-6
Punts-Avg.
2-14.5
4-24.2
Fumbles-Lost
5-3
2-1
Penalties-Yards
11-55
5-40
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING – HA: Pask 8-52, T. Cabrera 7-67, Redick 11-40, Kaufer 2-5, Colorusso 4-7. LL: Prater 8-32, Weaver 6-25, Shelly 5-5, Mathers 13-55, Hazletine 2-0.
PASSING – HA: Colorusso 12-20-1. LL: Weaver 8-19-190-4, Prater 1-1-53-0
RECEIVING – T. Cabrera 7-137, Balas 1-19, Tomko 1-(-2). LL: Mathers 5-71, Roberts 1-47, Smith 1-53, Shelly 3-40, Yursha 1-15, Prater 1-7.