To say Cocalico grounded out its 56-31 victory over Elco in the first round of the District 3 Triple-A playoffs last Friday night in Denver might not even do this one justice.
The Eagles ran 46 plays against the Raiders – all 46 calls were of the rushing variety.
Senior QB Matt Carty attempted exactly zero passes against Elco.
The end result of those 46 running plays – a school single-game record 589 yards … and a trip to the district quarterfinals this Friday against No. 2 seed Susquehanna Township, whom Cocalico topped in the first round last year when (get this) the Eagles set their previous record for rushing yards in a game.
I popped in on Cocalico practice Monday and chatted with coach Dave Gingrich, RB Jon Smoker – who smoked Elco for a career-best 256 yards and five TD runs – and LB Andrew Prevoznik.
You can listen to those audio Podcast interviews here …
Dave Gingrich makes no bones about it.
We’re a Veer option team.
These are the plays we run.
We’re very good at the plays we run.
And if it ain’t broke, we certainly aren’t going to fix it.
Hence his all-run attack against Elco in the first round of the District 3 Triple-A playoffs, when Gingrich called 46 running plays in the Eagles’ 56-31 triumph over the Raiders.
Cocalico pumped out an eye-popping 589 rushing yards, and the Eagles hope to keep that up Friday when they visit tricky No. 2 seed Susquehanna Township (10-1), which features speedy dual-threat QB Ben Dupree.
I chatted with Coach Gingrich about the lights-out rushing performance against Elco, about how the Eagles will prep for Dupree and Susquehanna Township, and about the sudden resignation of his friend and coaching comrade, Northern Lebanon’s Jack Beidler.
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.
Oh, what a night.
Jon Smoker has been sort of the forgotten guy in Cocalico’s backfield.
With sturdy FB Austin Hartman cranking out back-to-back 1,000-plus-yard seasons, QB Matt Carty gobbling up scads yards on keepers, and guys like Shiron Hudson and Roman High sharing some carries, Smoker has kind of quietly just kept plugging away.
In Cocalico’s first-round District 3 Triple-A playoff game against Elco last Friday, the spotlight found Smoker – in a big way.
The senior slugger gouged out a career-high 256 yards and scored a career-high five touchdowns in the Eagles’ 56-31 romp. It was, he says, the greatest game he’s every played.
Smoker’s big night not only propelled Cocalico into the second round of Districts, but it upped his numbers to 494 yards (10.3 yards per carry) and eight TD this season – and gave the Eagles another super reliable back in their Veer option attack.
Oh by the way, Smoker’s third cousin is – ta-da – former Manheim Central standout Jeff Smoker. So he’s got that athleticism in his genes.
I chatted with Mr. Smoker about his big performance against Elco and about this week’s game against Susquehanna Township.
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 player by clicking here.
If you know anything at all about Cocalico’s football program, you probably know all about the Eagles’ Veer option attack and gaudy offensive numbers – like the 3,717 rushing yards and 398.5 yards per game – both tops among L-L League teams still dancing in District 3 playoff brackets.
Cocalico’s defense has flown under the radar this season.
Bet you didn’t know the Eagles own the fourth-ranked total team D in the L-L League, yielded 237.0 yards per game.
Yes, Elco put up some crooked numbers last Friday in the first round of Districts, piling up 467 yards and 23 first downs. Dual-threat QB Arron Achey did a lot of that damage through the air, chucking it for 341 yards.
Take away that epic night by Achey, and Cocalico’s D has been quite stingy.
One of the ringleaders of that unit has been LB Andrew Prevoznik. Known early on perhaps more for his kicking prowess, Prevoznik has had a dynamite season stuffing ball-carriers and chasing quarterbacks.
Through 11games he leads Cocalico with 126 total tackle point, which including a team-best 72 assisted tackles and a big 15 tackles for losses.
The aforementioned Jon Smoker is second on the team wit 113 total tackle points, including 31 solo stops.
Prevoznik, who still handles the extra point and field goal duties, Smoker and the rest of Cocalico’s D will be tested mightily in the district quarterfinals against dual-threat QB Ben Dupree and a Susquehanna Township offense that averages 429.4 yards per game.
I chatted with Mr. Prevoznik about the big win over Elco, about Cocalico’s defense, and about prepping for Mr. Dupree and the Indians.
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.
