Donovan Gingrich-Conrad Weiser

Donovan Gingrich may not have seen ‘Animal House’, but he does believe that when the going gets tough, the tough get going. “We have a team of dogs. If we need to flip a switch, we can flip a switch,” said Gingrich. ELCO took a 21-14 lead with less than two minutes to play on a 95-yard drive that lasted ten minutes. Conrad Weiser answered in just 41 seconds. Gingrich found a wide open Ousmane Conde on a throwback pass that covered 44 yards. The Scouts hadn’t used that play all season. Trey Dianna caught a 14-yard fade in the left corner for a touchdown with 62 seconds remaining. Longtime head coach Alan Moyer opted to go for two points. Gingrich emphasized, “That’s just Coach Moyer and that’s Weiser. If we have a chance to win, we’re gonna go for it. I was not gonna run off the field. I knew we were going for two.” Moyer has the most victories in school history (135), and he picked up another on Saturday in thrilling fashion. Gingrich went right back to Dianna for the 2-point conversion. The 5’10, 160-pound senior made the grab just inside the front right pylon for a 22-21 edge. The (2-2) Scouts handed the Raiders their first loss on homecoming night in Robesonia. ELCO reached Conrad Weiser’s 37-yard line with 18 seconds to play, but Jake Williams was held to one yard on fourth-and-three. Williams, a 180-pound junior, racked up 209 yards and two touchdowns on 28 carries. The (3-1) Raiders outgained the Scouts 406-239. Ira Gensamer connected on field goals of 31 and 38 yards in the first half. Conrad Weiser was in front 14-6 at halftime. Josh Miller broke a couple of tackles on a 51-yard touchdown reception with twelve seconds left in the first quarter. The 5’4, 150-pound junior added an 8-yard touchdown catch two minutes before the break. The speedy Miller had four receptions for 65 yards. Evan Rittle came up with an interception with 26 seconds to go in the second quarter at the Scouts’ 8-yard line. The sophomore also contributed on offense with three catches for 51 yards. Williams tied it at 14-14 with a 45-yard sprint down the left sideline followed by a 2-point conversion late in the third quarter. Two key penalties hurt the Scouts on ELCO’s mammoth fourth quarter drive. They jumped offside on fourth-and-five with 4:37 on the clock at their 46-yard line. Then came a horse-collar tackle penalty that moved the ball to the 12-yard line. Williams reached the end zone on the next play. However, Conrad Weiser responded with a go-ahead 58-yard drive. Gingrich was 13-of-23 for 223 yards and three scores. Dianna, who also plays basketball and baseball, provided three catches for 55 yards and the clutch 2-point conversion. I asked Gingrich about their relationship. He replied, “Trey is Trey. Anytime I’m looking to get yards or score, I’m going to Trey.” Dianna and Miller are tied with a team-high 16 receptions this season. Gingrich has 6TD and a pair of INT. He learned a lot last year from Class 4A all-state pick Logan Klitsch who’s now at Dartmouth. “He was a great role model. I was watching what he did. He was just amazing to have around,” stated Gingrich. The two quarterbacks remain in contact. Klitsch set program records with 5,110 career passing yards and 51 touchdown tosses. Gingrich is one of 24 sophomores on the Scouts’ roster. “We definitely have a bright future. I’m looking forward to it,” he said. Raiders’ senior quarterback Dom Thornton ended up 7-of-15 for 131 yards and a pick. ELCO limited Conrad Weiser to ten rushing attempts for 16 yards, but the Scouts were +2 in turnover margin. The two schools are only separated by ten miles. They’re part of Section 4 in the new Lancaster-Lebanon League. It will be tough to top this classic next season.