Williams, Ebersole, Gorman wrap up district quarterfinal win over Daniel Boone

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Manheim Central locked in a nail-biter football game?

Believe it.

The Barons, basically untouched since a 17-14 last-second squeaker over Cocalico way back in Week 4, was on the ropes a couple of times in their District 3 Triple-A quarterfinal game against Daniel Boone last Friday night in Manheim.

Daniel Boone led 14-10 at the break, and had a couple of chances in the fourth quarter to retake the lead, but Manheim Central held on for a 24-20 victory.

No Manheim Magic needed, but for the first time since the Cocalico game, the Barons had to stand up and makes some major plays in the second half of a football game.

Quarterback Justin Gorman certainly made some plays. He had a pair of second-half TD keepers, including a snazzy 43-yard TD run that gave the Barons the lead for good.

And DB Casey Ebersole certainly made some big plays. After getting burned for a first-down gainer in the first half, Ebersole picked off a pair of passes thrown by Daniel Boone All-State QB Jon Monteiro.

Next up – Manheim Central hosts another Berks I-C League entrant, No. 4 seed Conrad Weiser, Friday at 7 p.m. in a District 3 Triple-A semifinal game. The winner goes to Hersheypark for the title game. The loser is done.

Oh by the way, if the Barons win, coach Mike Williams will earn his 300th career victory.

I chatted with Coach Williams, Gorman and Ebersole after the win over Daniel Boone.

You can listen to those audio Podcast interviews here …

 

Mike Williams had to do something last Friday night that, well, quite frankly, he hasn’t had to do in a while.

March into the locker room, bark a little bit, and challenge his players.

They got the message – loud and clear.

Trailing Daniel Boone 14-10 at the half in last Friday’s District 3 Triple-A quarterfinal game in Manheim, Williams got his players’ attention at the break, made some tweaks and adjustments, and Manheim Central responded.

The Barons got a pair of second-half TD runs from QB Justin Gorman, survived a fumble, and played good D late in their 24-20 win.

I chatted with Coach Williams about the comeback, about the halftime challenge, and about moving on to the district semifinals.

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.

 

Justin Gorman didn’t let the first-half interception bother him.

Manheim Central’s senior QB threw a pick early in the first quarter of the Barons’ District 3 Triple-A quarterfinal game against Daniel Boone.

Gorman went on to engineer four scoring drives – Joe Gruber, who rushed for 108 yards, had a 22-yard bolt, Taylor Groff drilled a 37-yard field goal, and Gorman had a pair of second-half TD runs to lead the Barons to a 24-20 win.

Gorman has been lights out as of late, and he continued his torrid stretch with 96 rushing yards and the two scores against Daniel Boone.

I chatted with Gorman about overcoming the early pick and getting Manheim Central’s O back on track, about establishing Gruber and the running attack, about having to hold off a team in the second half for the first time in a long time, and about advancing to the district semifinals.

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.

 

Casey Ebersole challenged himself to hunker down on D last Friday night in Manheim Central’s District 3 Triple-A quarterfinal game against Daniel Boone.

Ebersole, one of the top cover-corners in the L-L League, had a tough assignment against the Blazers – keep up with Kelly Saylor, who came into the game leading the Berks I-C League in catches, receiving yards and TD catches.

That’s a tall task for anyone.

And while Saylor did catch 10 passes Friday – including a sweet grab near Central’s sideline, when he raced past Ebersole – most of them were in the first half, when Daniel Boone built a 14-10 lead.

In the second half, Ebersole came to play, manning up more on Saylor and throwing a monkey wrench into the Blazers’ usually pass-happy attack.

Ebersole had a pair of second-half interception to help Manheim Central ice a 24-20 victory over Daniel Boone, which out-gained the Barons in the game.

I chatted with Ebersole about the picks, about how he challenged himself to play big against Daniel Boone QB Jon Monteiro and his favorite target, Saylor, and about advancing to the district semifinals.

Ebersole also chatted about his college recruiting - he’s close to making a decision about his baseball future.

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.