Barons’ senior talks about game-winning kick return vs. Mechanicsburg

The fourth-quarter clock was winding down, and Manheim Central was behind.

But this wasn’t any other game – this was the District 3 Triple-A semifinals, and the Barons trailed 21-20 late in the fourth quarter when host Mechanicsburg lined up to kick off.

The ball took one big hop, and Central senior Alex Shenk scooped it up on his own 9 and took off.

His head up searching for blockers, Shenk spotted the wedge near midfield, cut left and punched it into overdrive.

Nobody sniffed him.

Shenk’s 91-yard kickoff return gave the Barons the lead for good, and when senior LB Travis Ebersole picked off Mechanicsburg last-gasp fourth-and-2 pass with time running out, Central survived, 26-21, and advanced to the District 3 Triple-A championship game opposite West York on Friday at 7 p.m. in Hersheypark Stadium.

Central will be gunning for its 16th district championship.

And Shenk is a very big reason why the Barons are heading back to Hersheypark Stadium.

He played a key role in Central’s other special teams touchdown against Mechanicsburg, when he fielded a punt in the first half and handed the football off to Dan Trafford on a reverse trick play. Trafford raced 75 yards for a touchdown.

Shenk’s kick-return TD put Central ahead to stay, and helped the Barons punch their tickets back to their home away from home.

I chatted with Shenk after the game about Central’s clutch special teams plays against Mechanicsburg, including his big kick return. We also talked about Trafford’s big return, about Ebersole’s game-saving pick, and about the Barons going back to the district championship game.

You can listen to the interview with Shenk by clicking on the ‘play’ button above.

You can also download the Podcast and play it on your favorite mp3 device by clicking here.