Drew Engle-Twin Valley

Special teams play is not an afterthought at Twin Valley. It’s a priority for the undefeated Raiders who are ranked #6 in the state in Class 4A. “We emphasize them a ton at practice. We’re always putting in different things. We work really hard on special teams,” said running back and safety Drew Engle. The third phase of the game was pivotal in a 49-7 rout of Octorara on Thursday night.

Twin Valley led 7-0 early in the second quarter when Dominic Summers blocked a punt which set up the Raiders at the 3-yard line. Engle’s 2-yard run made it 14-0 with eight and a-half minutes remaining in the first half. On the ensuing possession, Twin Valley brought heavy pressure again on fourth down and the Braves weren’t able to get off a punt. Ryan Rementer capped a 33-yard drive with a 13-yard touchdown run on a counter. The Raiders kept momentum in their favor as Keenan Munn recovered an onside kick at Octorara’s 41-yard line. After a penalty, Lucas Myers broke free up the middle for a 46-yard touchdown run and a 28-0 advantage. Munn recovered a fumble on the next series which gave Twin Valley the ball at the Braves’ 31-yard line. Engle took it from there with a dazzling touchdown run. He started up the middle, got bottled up, bounced it to the left, cut back across the entire field, and raced down the right sideline for a 31-yard score. The Army lacrosse commit put the Raiders in front 35-0 with 4:38 left before halftime. “I bounced it outside and saw a couple more guys out there so I went the other way. It just opened up. My O-line does a fantastic job blocking for me and it starts with them,” explained Engle. After using its timeouts, Twin Valley got the ball back with 1:30 to go in the first half. Ben Grundy took a quick pop pass from Maverik Foster and sprinted 62-yards down the left sideline. After a scoreless first quarter, the (5-0, 2-0) Raiders exploded for 42 points in just ten minutes. “I think we were fired up, a little bit mad we didn’t score,” replied Engle.

Myers ripped off a 62-yard touchdown run down the right sideline to extend the lead to 49-0 with 5:18 to play in the third quarter. “He’s one of the hardest workers on the team. It also keeps us fresh. He does give me a little bit of a break which is nice. I love working with him,” noted Engle. Myers finished with 132 yards on only seven carries. The 6’1, 215-pound junior reached the end zone three times. Engle added 82 yards and two scores on ten carries. The 5’11, 185-pound senior was named an All-American by USA Lacrosse earlier this year. Foster was 8-of-10 for 134 yards and a touchdown. Twin Valley piled up 413 total yards including 279 on the ground. The Raiders are averaging 56.6 points per game at the midway point of the regular season.

Octorara got on the scoreboard on the final play of the third quarter thanks to a 47-yard run by Brayden Mastripolitto. The 5’11, 175-pound junior entered the night with 631 rushing yards and 11 TD. The (3-2, 1-1) Braves were without starting quarterback Mason Prokay for the second straight game. Sophomore Gavin Davis was under center again due to Prokay’s injury. Prokay is a standout javelin thrower. The 6’3, 210-pound senior finished 11th at Nike Outdoor Nationals this summer. Twin Valley’s defense was spearheaded by Rementer. The 200-pound senior linebacker had a team-high seven tackles. The Raiders have outscored their opponents 283-46. “We’re just focused about getting better every day, never satisfied and just keep working hard,” said Engle.