Week 1 high school football scores: New Oxford topples Bermudian Springs in second half

New Oxford hadn't lost a game to Bermudian Springs in the previous four games between the two leading up to Friday night.

The Colonials ensured that record stayed intact. After shaking off a sluggish first half and riding the horsepower of running back Clayton Nieves, the Colonials stumped the Eagles, 28-13, on their own field.

"Once we got over that shell shock of them striking first, I think we settled in a little bit and started to execute a little bit better," New Oxford coach Jason Warner said. "The adjustments we made the players went out and executed. That was really the story in the second half. But they held on."

Nieves provided the boost the Colonials needed. Luke Frey and Ryan Vargas pulled out their lone touchdown of the first half after Frey caught Vargas wide open on a 48-yard pass late in the first quarter. The Eagles had struck first after running back Eddie Sebright scored from 11 yards out on his team's first drive of the night.

But Nieves didn't let the deadlock last for long. His first touchdown − an 11-yard rush up the middle − put the Colonials ahead for good. A 25-yard breakout along the left sideline only added fuel to Nieves' fire.

"Some of that too, you can credit the offensive line," Warner said. "We have a big squad, so we're able to work guys through ... We're constantly rotating guys in and out on the defensive line, which gives our linemen a break. Some of that started to show, which created some bigger seams and allowed Clayton to get through there a little bit better."

New Oxford didn't allow Bermudian Springs to catch up. Two turnovers in a 30-second span stalled a drive by the Eagles in the red zone. The Eagles had four turnovers by the end of the night, two of which came thanks to Brayden Billman. When Sebright scored again in the fourth quarter on a three-yard punch, the Colonials blocked the extra-point attempt.

"(Billman's) a ball hawk, man, he's special," Warner said. "We got out of it healthy, which is always good. I think they did too, aside from some cramps and stuff like that. You've got to like that and start getting to work for next week."

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Central York 47, Central Dauphin 0: The Panthers scored on the ground and through the air. They blocked a punt and forced the opposing quarterback out of the back of the end zone for a safety.

Matthew Parker connected on all six extra-point attempts and added a field goal when the mercy rule kicked in.

And they held the Rams without a first down until well into the second half.

“I am just really, really proud of the effort tonight, especially defensively,” Central York coach Gerry Yonchiuk said. “Our four linebackers just fly to the football.”

Brooklyn Nace threw four touchdown passes, including two to Saxton Suchanic, but it was Tyler Frey who Yonchiuk singled out.

“He almost scored in every way,” Yonchiuk said. “He was all over the field.”

Frey opened the scoring in the first quarter when he ran one in on fourth down from the 1. He blocked a punt and Legend Johnson took it in from the 5 for another score. Frey nearly scored again, but was stopped just short of the end zone on the free kick after a safety.

Nace connected for touchdowns on passes of 8, 38, 3 and 13 yards. He tried to balance that air attack with a ground game, but the Panthers came up short.

“I wasn’t real happy with the execution of our offense,” Yonchiuk said after the Panthers used all of their timeouts by early in the second quarter. “But we can get that cleaned up.”

Yonchiuk and his staff expected the big Central Dauphin defensive line to clog the running lanes, and that’s what happened. But with a relatively young offensive line, he is confident the running game will get on track before too long.

Week 1 YAIAA scores

South Western 36, York Suburban 6: After the Trojans scored on their opening drive, the Mustangs responded with 26 unanswered points in the first half to roll out to their first win of the year. Austin Rollman had two touchdowns for the Mustangs, while Rylan Bratton scored the Trojans' lone touchdown.

Susquehannock 26, Delone Catholic 10: Josh Pecunes rushed for two touchdowns while Joe Fuller and Dawson Zorbaugh each tacked on a touchdown run of their own as the Warriors etched a win over the Squires. Delone Catholic's lone touchdown came on a 16-yard pass from Zach Staub to Logan Ford.

Eastern York 42, Columbia 6: The Golden Knights rode two touchdowns in the first quarter and a pair of blocked punts to a blowout win over the Crimson Tide. Quinn Bramble completed a touchdown pass to three separate receivers throughout the game while the defense held Columbia scoreless until the fourth quarter.

Boiling Springs 35, Littlestown 7: The Thunderbolts scored their lone touchdown of the night on an eight-yard pass to Brody Clabaugh in the first quarter. Boiling Springs scored three times in the first quarter and held the Thunderbolts scoreless in the second half.

Tri-Valley 36, York Catholic 16 : The Fighting Irish were set back after giving up 22 points to the Bulldogs in the first quarter. They scored on a six-yard run and forced a safety before halftime, but were only able to tack on a final touchdown on a 50-yard pass in the fourth quarter.

Dallastown 26, Hempfield 9 : Dallastown ended a seven-game losing streak to Hempfield on Friday after blowing them out at home. The Wildcats led by two possessions come halftime and shuttered the Black Knights out of the second half entirely.

Spring Grove 31, Northern York 14: The Rockets took an early lead on a pair of 75-plus yard touchdowns in the second quarter and capped off the first half with a field goal from 29 yards. Northern York responded with a touchdown in the third, but the Rockets put another two scores on the board to cruise to their first win of the year.

Dover 42, Northeastern 7: The Eagles worked fast and scored a pair of quick touchdowns in the first quarter, all the while holding the Bobcats to one touchdown through the first half.

Biglerville 39, Annville-Cleona 36: The Canners trailed the Dutchmen by a point at the half, and managed to wrestle control after a touchdown to take a five-point lead with less than seven minutes left in the game. The Canners and the Dutchmen traded another pair of touchdowns, capped by the Canners' final score with 31 seconds left.

Kennard-Dale 38, Hanover 7 : The Rams opened their season with a statement win after piling on a 31-point margin over the Nighthawks. The win is the Rams' largest margin of victory since a 40-point win over Gettysburg in 2021.

James Buchanan 15, York Tech 13: James Buchanan's Christian Pine and Alex Brake each rushed for a touchdown as the Spartans fell to the Rockets in their season opener on the road.

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This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: Week 1 high school football scores: New Oxford topples Bermudian Springs in second half