Berks Sports Report Paul Roberts
Alan Moyer said he had no idea that Thursday night was his 150th career victory. His players knew. They dumped a bucket of water on the longtime coach after a tense 28-14 win over ELCO. The Scouts scored a pair of touchdowns in the final 90 seconds. Moyer played at Conrad Weiser and was an assistant coach for 15 years. This is his 23rd season as the head coach in Robesonia. “It’s everything. I bleed blue and white. It’s near and dear to me and my whole family. I think my players sense that,” replied Moyer.
The Scouts didn’t make it easy on their coach. They committed four turnovers in the first half after taking a 7-0 lead on the opening drive. Conrad Weiser marched 65 yards on 13 plays. Connor Sellars hit tight end Robbie Giffing for 14 yards on fourth-and-8 from the 35-yard line. Sellars then threw a perfect 9-yard fade pass to Dylan Parr with 6:10 left in the first quarter. Parr, a 6’3 senior, had four receptions for 33 yards. “He’s a big target. He’s one of those greedy receivers. He wants to get the ball,” emphasized Moyer. Parr is one of just two returning starters on offense from a (10-1, 6-0) team.
The Raiders’ defense tied it up with 3:42 remaining in the opening quarter. Griffin Kreider scooped up a fumble and raced 31 yards untouched for a touchdown. ELCO had a chance to go in front in the second quarter after junior quarterback Brinley Donmoyer broke off a 60-yard run from deep in his own territory. Kaiden Leonard had other ideas. He intercepted Donmoyer in the end zone to keep it 7-7. The (0-2) Raiders lined up for a 29-yard field goal on their next series, but the snap was low and they never got off the kick.
Javien Rivera made it 14-7 on a 5-yard touchdown run with four minutes to play in the third quarter. Brayden Sweitzer rumbled for seven yards on fourth-and-2 to extend that 40-yard drive. Conrad Weiser piled up 232 rushing yards on 53 carries. Rivera, a 155-pound senior, finished with 99 yards on 18 touches. Sweitzer, a 165-pound senior, added 92 yards on 22 runs. The Scouts have four new starters on the offensive line. “This group has been very coachable. We’re not sure what we have. All we know is we got a bunch of kids that are playing hard together. At this point, we’re pretty pleased,” noted Moyer.
Donmoyer burst free up the middle for a 35-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter. It was 14-14 with 10:45 on the clock. The 6’1, 190-pound junior ended up with 105 yards on 15 carries. He got 95 of those yards on two plays. Donmoyer was 6-of-11 through the air for 52 yards. ELCO was limited to 196 total yards and one offensive score. “Our defense was pretty outstanding,” stated Moyer. Conrad Weiser put together a clutch 11-play, 64-yard drive in the final period. On fourth-and-6 from the 36-yard line, Sellars rolled right and connected with Owen Kerns over the middle for a pivotal 16-yard gain. It was the lone pass attempt on the drive, and a play that the Scouts just put in during the week. Rivera’s 2-yard touchdown run gave Conrad Weiser a 21-14 edge with 1:11 left. Kerns came up big again with 21 seconds remaining. The 6’, 170-pound senior sealed the win with a 31-yard pick-6. “He’s a playmaker, have a lot of confidence in him,” said Moyer.
The (2-0) Scouts managed 295 total yards. Sellars went 6-of-10 for 63 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Nathaniel Zimmerman made the pick late in the first quarter. Sellars, a 5’8 junior, is taking over at quarterback for Donovan Gingrich. He was a three-year starter who passed for nearly 4,000 career yards. It wasn’t pretty, but Conrad Weiser got the job done. “We finally decided not to make any mistakes…Good teams find a way to win. We gutted it out,” explained Moyer.