Reading holds off Warwick

October 10th, 2009 10:27 pm · 0 comments

Nazario, Stewart help Red Knights top Warriors, 35-28

READING – After his team trounced Reading 50-6 in Week 4, Manheim Township coach Mike Melnyk said he was glad his Blue Streaks not only won, but got the Red Knights out of the way because, in his estimation, Reading was ready to pounce.

Good call.

One week after handing Penn Manor its first loss this season – with an electrifying 32-27 come-from-behind win in Week 5 – upstart Reading remained hot, holding off Warwick 35-28 in an L-L League Section 1 game Saturday night at Albright College in Reading.

Jason Stewart and Denny Nazario each rushed for more than 100 yards, and Stewart had three touchdown runs, including a 55-yard TD dash just before halftime, and a 1-yard run just before the end of the third quarter for the Knights.

With Stewart dinged up in the second half, Nazario, who is playing while nursing a knee injury, picked up the slack with a pair of clutch kickoff returns, and his 43-yard TD burst capped Reading’s scoring with 8:39 to play.

Nazario rushed for 123 yards and Stewart rushed for 102 yards for Reading.

Make that two wins in a row for the Knights, who improved to 3-3 overall and to 2-1 in Section 1 – one game behind Wilson (3-0, 5-1) and Manheim Township (3-0, 5-1).

Reading, in its final season in the L-L League before it jumps to the I-C League in Berks County next year, will have a major say in the Section 1 race:

The Knights are set to visit in-county rival Wilson on Friday.

Reading jumped out to a 14-0 lead against Warwick, which lost its second game in a row and dropped to 1-2 in Section 1 and 3-3 overall.

QB Freddy Pena, who had his second ultra efficient game in a row under center for the Knights, hit Yamil Echavarria for a 10-yard TD pass with 4:48 to go in the first quarter. That drive was set up when Warwick QB Jordan Donmoyer lost a fumble on fourth down for the Warriors.

Stewart’s first TD run made it 14-0 with 8:09 to go in the second quarter. That score came after the Knights held and turned Warwick over on four downs.

Pena, who completed 16-of-18 passes for 209 yards and two TD in Reading’s Week 5 win over Penn Manor, picked up where he left off in that game against Warwick, completing 9-of-11 passes for 130 yards for the Knights.

Warwick finally got on the board when Donmoyer hit Cameron Shertzer for a 4-yard TD pass with 27.2 seconds to go in the half. That play came on third-and-goal, and it capped a drive that featured a pair of fourth-down conversions for the Warriors.

Shertzer’s TD grab made it 14-7, but Reading, undaunted, answered immediately.

On the Knights’ first play after the kickoff, Stewart tiptoed the sideline and romped 55 yards for a TD, giving Reading a 21-7 lead at the half. Nazario set up that score with a big kick return.

Warwick had great field position to open the third quarter, when D.J. Johnson returned Reading’s kickoff to midfield. But the Warriors stalled, and ended up trying a fake punt on fourth down. But Chris Schaffer, who rushed for 136 yards in the loss, came up short on the fake punt and Reading held.

But the Knights couldn’t cash in, and Schaffer picked off Pena on Reading’s ensuing drive. Schaffer capped the drive with an 18-yard TD run with 5:34 to go in the third quarter, and Warwick sliced Reading’s lead to 21-14.

But once again, Nazario had another big kickoff return to give Reading great field position, and Stewart finished off that drive with his third TD run of the game – a 1-yard dive with 1:46 to go in the third quarter, giving the Knights a 28-14 lead.

Warwick, finally picking up some speed, answered with Cody Taft’s 1-yard plunge with 9:19 to go in the game, making it 28-21.

Reading got its final TD with 8:39 to play when Nazario ripped off a 43-yard TD run with 8:39 to go, giving the Knights a 35-21 lead.

The Knights were able to sit on that lead a little longer when Echavarria picked off Donmoyer with 5:13 to play.

Warwick capped the scoring with under a minute to go when Schaffer scored his second TD of the game with a 3-yard dive.

The Warriors will look to snap their 2-game losing streak Friday when winless McCaskey visits Lititz. The Red Tornado will bring a 17-game losing streak into that game – the longest in program history since McCaskey lost 16 in a row from 1974-76.