Alan Moyer-Conrad Weiser

Chad Henne threw for 7,071 yards at Wilson and went on to be a four-year starter at Michigan. He spent 15 seasons in the NFL and won two Super Bowls with the Chiefs before retiring. It says a lot that Conrad Weiser head coach Alan Moyer would compare Bishop McDevitt senior Stone Saunders to Henne. Saunders passed for 303 yards and 5 TD in a 42-7 victory in the District 3-5A quarterfinals. “I equated him to watching Chad Henne throw back when I had a chance to coach him in an All-Star Game. It’s very, very similar to Chad and the quick release and the velocity of the ball,” stated Moyer. Saunders holds the state record with 195 touchdown passes. The 6’2, 215-pound Kentucky commit is closing in on 13,000 career passing yards. He was 11-of-13 on a windy Friday night in Robesonia. Saunders heaved a 40-yard touchdown pass over the middle to Dominic Diaz-Ellis on the Crusaders’ opening 80-yard drive. Jontai Quick made a diving grab for a 13-yard score early in the second quarter. The 5’9, 150-pound sophomore finished with four receptions for 167 yards and three touchdowns. Quick was wide open down the right seam for a 69-yard TD with 8:44 left before halftime. He used a big time stiff arm to go 64 yards down the left sideline on Bishop McDevitt’s next possession. The (10-1) Scouts trailed 28-0 midway through the second period. Nazir Jones-Davis broke off a 67-yard touchdown run less than three minutes later that put him over 1,000 rushing yards for the season. The (10-2) Crusaders reached the end zone on their first five drives which covered a total of 345 yards. Saunders had 250 passing yards in the first half. He tossed a 41-yard TD down the left sideline to Diaz-Ellis with four minutes to go in the third quarter. Diaz-Ellis, a 6’ senior, surpassed 1,000 receiving yards on the year. Third-seeded Conrad Weiser got on the board with eleven minutes remaining. Donovan Gingrich hit Davis Keppley for a 14-yard strike. They’re two of the twenty seniors on the Scouts’ roster. Conrad Weiser was without running backs Javien Rivera and Jonathon McQuillen, as well as standout WR/S Evan Rittle, due to injuries suffered in Week 8. Coach Moyer told his team to focus on the positives this season, including a Section 3 championship in the Lancaster-Lebanon League. “A lot of real good life lessons for these kids about picking each other up, battling adversity, and how to be successful,” he noted. The sixth-seeded Crusaders improved to (67-9) all-time in the District 3 tournament. The 17-time champions will visit unbeaten Mechanicsburg in the semifinals next Friday. The Scouts have a lot to be proud of after going (2-8) a season ago. This year marked their first (10-0) start since 1996. “It’s not by accident. It’s a lot of hard work. It’s the kids and coaching staff buying in to getting back to what we do here. It is pretty remarkable,” said Moyer.