JEFFREY REINHART jreinhart@LNPnews.com
Lampeter-Strasburg’s Speed Rush defense has been stellar the last two weeks.
The Pioneers’ blitzing 4-3 front held Elizabethtown to just 40 rushing yards in the District 3 Triple-A quarterfinals, and then followed that gem up last Friday by holding Hershey to minus-6 rushing yards in the district semifinals.
L-S’s 4-3 front will definitely be tested again Friday in the Pioneers’ first trip to a district championship game.
But this time, when L-S (11-2), the No. 7 seed, takes on Gettysburg (12-1), the No. 4 seed, at 7 p.m. in Hersheypark Stadium, it will be the Pioneers’ secondary under the microscope because Warriors’ senior quarterback Evan Lewis has a penchant for winging the football.
Senior cover corners Jonny Gainer and Derek Lefever and senior safeties G.J. Frankford and Justin Taylor will man the secondary for L-S, and those guys are ready for Lewis, his rocket right arm, and Gettysburg’s all-out aerial assault.
Lewis has passed for 2,566 yards and 30 touchdowns this season. He’s completing 67 percent of his passes and has been intercepted just five times.
“Lewis is a special player,” said Manheim Central coach Mike Williams, whose Barons dropped a 44-27 decision at Gettysburg in Week 2.
All Lewis did that night was complete 12-of-19 passes for 268 yards and three touchdowns, rush for 75 yards and two more scores, and kick a school-record 47-yard field goal.
“He’s a winner,” Williams continued. “He makes plays, and he can make something out of nothing. He’s as elusive as can be. And he’s got great leadership qualities.”
So the Pioneers’ defense – yielding just 208 yards a game coming into the district finale – must know where Lewis is at all times. Period.
“Lewis is quick and he’s very mobile and he’s got a great arm,” Lefever said. “We haven’t seen many teams that can consistently throw the ball deep. Gettysburg will put the ball in the air. Most passing teams we see run a lot of slants and stop-and-go patterns. These guys will run a lot of deep posts and deep fades.”
Meaning Lefever, Gainer, Frankford and Taylor must be on their toes.
“They will throw the ball a lot,” Taylor said. “The wideouts are fast, and the quarterback is just as fast as the wideouts. He’ll scramble a lot, and he’s got a really good arm. We’ll have to shut down the big play. We can’t give up any home runs.
“We’ll have to play our best defensive game yet.”
Particularly in the secondary – where the Pioneers’ fearsome foursome are the last line of defense if Lewis has a hot hand.
“If our defensive line can keep the pressure on like it has been, hopefully we shouldn’t have to worry about too many deep passes,” said Gainer, who said Lewis reminds him of former Lancaster Catholic standout QB Nick Downey.
“Not the biggest guy,” Gainer said, “but we can’t look past him.”
Not with all the weapons Lewis has at his disposal: Storm Woerner, Zach Michael and Justin Jones all average more than 18.5 yards per catch, and Woerner leads the team with 35 catches and 10 TD grabs.
Jones is also Gettysburg’s leading rusher with 1,032 yards.
“We’re facing the best complete offensive until we’ve faced all season,” L-S coach John Manion said. “The key for us will be keeping the play in front of us, and not giving up any big plays.”
Williams’ advice?
“Keep him in the pocket,” Central’s coach said. “You have to contain him.”
Nobody in the District 3 playoffs has contained Lewis, who is 38-for-55 for 698 with nine TD passes and just one pick in the last three games.
“For us, it’s another game and we’re tying to get another win,” Lefever said. “It just so happens that the winner here gets a gold medal.”
If the Pioneers want to bring home the gold, containing Lewis is priority No. 1. And Gainer, Lefever, Frankford and Taylor are up for the challenge.
