Pioneers’ Manion, Halpin, DelRocini wrap up win over Elco

Really, really good win last Friday night for Lampeter-Strasburg, which steamrolled previously unbeaten Elco 40-14 in Lampeter, knocking the Raiders out of a first-place tie in Section 3 with Lancaster Catholic, which took over sole possession of first place compliments of its 62-7 triumph over Pequea Valley.

L-S did a bang-up job on Elco QB Arron Achey, who came into the game as the league’s top-ranked passer and owner of a league-best 16 TD passes. The Pioneers rotated ‘spies’ on Achey, and chased him from sideline to sideline. So Achey spent the night throwing on the run and often times throwing off-balance with defenders in his face.

And L-S made sure to knock down Achey, so he had to pick himself up – again and again and again.

So after a 1-2 start, L-S is back to the .500 mark at 3-3 and is feeling pretty good about things. The Pioneers’ goal now is to run the table, go 7-3 and make the District 3 Triple-A playoffs – while hanging in the Section 3 hunt, hoping someone can knock off Catholic over the final four weeks.

After L-S dismantled Elco, I caught up with coach John Manion and Pioneers’ players Zach Halpin and Christian DelRocini. Here are those audio Podcast interviews …

 

John Manion is a happy camper.

Lampeter-Strasburg’s coach knew his team had a rugged early season stretch, including non-league games against Cocalico and Penn Manor, plus Lancaster Catholic in a key section game in Week 5.

The Pioneers lost all three of those games – but a combined 18 points; ouch – but playing that kind of competition early on toughened up L-S, which never lost focus, and took out some frustrations with its 40-14 romp over Elco in Week 6.

After the game, Manion said his team had come full circle, had found itself, learned from some mistakes, and was ready to, well, unleash.

And unleash L-S did vs. Elco, handing the Raiders their first loss this season.

I chatted with Manion about the win over Elco, about overcoming some early season losses to get back to .500, and about where the Pioneers go from here.

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

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

 

Zach Halpin was a busy boy last Friday night.

On offense, the converted tight end scored three touchdowns from his new fullback spot – two runs plus a 79-yard TD reception from QB Nate Shank – and he was part of a defense that held the league’s top-scoring team to a season-low 14 points.

Make that two weeks in a row that Halpin and his defensive mates have stood tall for L-S. In Week 5, L-S held another high-scoring offense, Lancaster Catholic, to just 14 points. Of course, the Crusaders won that game 14-13. But the Pioneers’ D stood tall, picking off Catholic QB Kyle Smith two times.

And against Elco, L-S played terrific run defense, and its swarming package – with Halpin blitzing from his DE spot – kept Elco in check, and forced QB Arron Achey to throw on the run the whole night.

I chatted with Halpin about the Pioneers’ D effort against Elco, about what it meant to knock the Raiders from the ranks of the unbeaten, and where L-S goes from here.

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

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

 

Christian DelRocini knows a thing or two about playing defense and chasing quarterbacks.

As a freshman he was a key cog on Lampeter-Strasburg’s District 3 Triple-A championship team, and after battling through some injuries in his sophomore season, he’s back to 100 percent and making plays for the Pioneers.

DelRocini, lined up at the other DE spot opposite Halpin, and the rest of the Pioneers’ D unit tamed Elco in Lampeter-Strasburg’s 40-14 Section 3 win last Friday night.

DelRocini also stepped up large on offense, hauling in a TD catch – his sixth this season – from his tight end spot.

I chatted with DelRocini after the win over Elco about the Pioneers’ gritty defensive effort, about getting back in the W column after a 1-2 start, and about where the Pioneers are heading with four weeks to go in the regular season.

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

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