YORK — From the opening kick, James Buchanan took off.
The Rockets blasted off from the launch pad, igniting York Tech 60-13 on Saturday during the York Rose Bowl at Smalls Field. James Buchanan (1-0) dominated in every phase, setting up a 32-0 lead after the first quarter and a 46-0 advantage at halftime.
The matchup between the two last year at the same venue was a 15-13 decision, also in favor of the Rockets. The previous season, they lost. But with the sun shining off their silver trophy, white roses given to each and every veteran who rallied their group, the Mid-Penn Conference Capital representatives left no doubt this time around.
It's also the most points scored by the Rockets since a 50-39 win over Halifax on Sept. 3, 2021.
Being able to score 60 points in one game, that's unheard of for us in past years," said senior running back and middle linebacker Alex Brake. "This is a big moment for us. We have to keep this train rolling into our next game and throughout the season.
THE STARS
The game was thoroughly dictated at the line of scrimmage. James Nicol, Kolton Pensinger, Shawn Fisher, Clayton Gearheart, Jack Johnson and Brock Martin paved the way for 288 rushing yards on 33 total carries for James Buchanan.
Brake led from the stable, gaining 123 yards on seven carries, reaching the end zone four times on runs of 6, 53, 2 and 44 yards.
My big ole' favorite linemen were just taking on every block," Brake said. "There were plays where I wasn't even getting touched. I just saw green grass and headed straight forward.
Christian Pine rushed six times for 41 yards, adding a 6-yard touchdown run and a 2-point conversion run. Hunter Egli had nine carries for 63 yards with a 1-yard touchdown run, while Jakob Mayne and Zach Stoner scored touchdown runs of 2 and 6 yards, respectively.
It wasn't just the offensive side of the ball either. That group of two-way linemen was a bulwark for James Buchanan, holding the Spartans (0-1) to a net gain of just 16 yards through the first half of action.
We've been telling them all offseason that it starts with them. The game is won in the trenches, and that's what they did today," said Rockets coach Cliff Pine. "They won it in the trenches. We've got that big middle guy, James Nicol, the kid's a beast. Three hundred and 50 pounds, 6-foot-4, 350 pounds, he's going to move things out of his way and we're going to run the ball.
York Tech quarterback Cole Bisker returned after suffering a season-ending ACL injury last year. Finishing 13-of-24 for 136 passing yards and a touchdown, and taking an 11-yard keeper late in the third quarter to get on the board, 46-6, he showed flashes of potential after helping the Spartans get out to a 3-1 start last season.
It's a team effort, but Cole had a great game. I think we had nine or 10 dropped balls," said York Tech coach Steven Duvall. "He was on, he had some really good throws. He made good decisions, he was reading the defense well, a lot of maturity from Cole this year. He's really matured a lot, he's one of our team captains, our leaders and I think he showed it today on the field.
HOW IT HAPPENED
James Buchanan didn't miss a beat, scoring 32 points in the first quarter alone. Egli returned the opening kick to the Spartans' 39-yard line, and then five plays later, he was in the end zone on a 1-yard run. With a 2-point conversion by quarterback Josh Kimmel, the Rockets started with an 8-0 lead.
The ensuing drive saw more points on the board, once again from Egli. Two botched snaps saw a scramble in the back of the end zone during an attempted punt, Egli bringing down the ball carrier for a safety and a 10-0 lead after four minutes of play.
Three minutes later, Brake capped a six-play, 37-yard scoring drive with his first of four touchdowns, Pine slamming in the 2-point conversion after — three straight drives on both sides of the ball resulting in points on James Buchanan's totem.
It didn't stop there. Needing 1 yard for a first down, Brake took a handoff 53 yards to the end zone. After a sack from Martin and a blocked punt that was downed at York Tech's 2-yard line with two seconds on the clock, Brake plunged in to carry a 32-0 lead through 12 minutes.
I'll be honest with you, 103.7 said we're going to lack defensively this year. I hope 103.7 watched this game because we're not going to lack defensively," Pine said. "Our guys are hungry on both sides of the ball this year, and we're going to come out with fire and intent every game.
The Spartans gained one first down in the first half, while Stoner and Pine recorded consecutive 6-yard touchdown runs to further extend their lead in the second quarter. James Buchanan never looked back once.
BIG PICTURE
The game was the fourth consecutive season-opening meeting between the two, the Rockets having now won three of them in that time.
For a team that's still searching for a winning record for the first time since 2009, there have been signs of inching closer to that rebuild. In Duvall's first season as head coach of the Spartans, they secured two more wins than the previous year, although one was by forfeit.
York Tech still had a 3-1 start last year despite losing a close game to James Buchanan, and with Bisker back in form, the Spartans hope to recover against Kutztown and Columbia over the next two weeks of their non-conference schedule.
We were getting blown out on both sides of the ball. They won the battle in the trenches on both sides of the ball and we have to be better," Duvall said. "We have to continue to practice and get better. That's the name of the game. We made a lot of mistakes. We'll look at film. We'll let this one set in, we'll get back to it tomorrow in our coaches' meeting, practice on Monday and get ready for Week 2.
York Tech 0-0-6-7 — 13
James Buchanan 32-14-7-7 — 60
First quarter
JB-Hunter Egli 1 run (Josh Kimmel run), 9:22
JB-Egli safety, 7:59
JB-Alex Brake 6 run (Christian Pine run), 5:11
JB-Brake 53 run (Finn Lorson kick), 1:16
JB-Brake 2 run (Lorson kick), 0:00
Second quarter
JB-Zach Stoner 6 run (Lorson kick), 7:11
JB-Pine 6 run (Lorson kick), 0:53
Third quarter
YT-Cole Bisker 11 run (kick failed), 5:34
JB-Brake 44 run (Lorson kick), 3:16
Fourth quarter
YT-Cam Clouser 8 pass from Cole Bisker (Landen Grazuties kick), 9:40
JB-Jakob Mayne 2 run (Lorson kick), 2:52
TEAM STATISTICS
First downs: 9, 7
Rush yards: 33-288, 16-21
Passing: 44, 136
Comp-Att-Int: 2-5-0, 13-26-0
Fumbles-lost: 1-1, 3-1
Points: 1, 5
Penalties: 5-40, 2-10
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING –James Buchanan: Alex Brake 7-123, Christian Pine 6-41, Hunter Egli 9-63, Jakob Mayne 7-48; Zach Stoner 1-6; Briar Hensley 3-7; York Tech: Cole Bisker 7-14, Serge McGill 7-2, Magnus Mitchell 2-5.
PASSING –James Buchanan: Josh Kimmel 2-4-0—44, Stoner 0-1-0—0; York Tech: Bisker 13-24-0—136, Diego Diaz 0-2-0—0.
RECEIVING –James Buchanan: Brock Martin 1-25, Pine 1-19; York Tech: Dominic Quintin 3-56, McGill 5-37, Cam Clouser 3-29, Mikell Gee Jr. 1-18, Marques Parker 1-2.
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