Central Bucks East earned a big win at Chambersburg High School’s Peach Bowl Showcase on Saturday. (Photos provided courtesy of Chambersburg athletic director Ron Coursey.)
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 38, CHAMBERSBURG 21
Ethan Shine dashed 74 yards for a touchdown on the third play of Saturday night’s game against Chambersburg, and as beginning go, they don’t get much better than that.
“Ethan had a really great offseason, and he made a point to trim down a little bit, work on his speed and change of direction, and it’s really paid off,” East coach John Donnelly said. “Last season he had some runs – he would break away and maybe get tracked down.
“He was kind of a thumper runner last year – just downhill running over people, and he still is a very physical runner, but this one he broke a few tackles and then separated from guys that had pretty good angles on him. It was a great way to start, for sure.”
Shine’s electrifying play set the tone for an impressive performance not only for the senior running back but also the Patriots, who rolled to a win that was even more decisive than the final score suggests in a contest that capped Chambersburg High School’s Peach Bowl Showcase. The event featured six games over two days with East playing the host team in the final of four games on Saturday.
“We fell into a really good situation to be part of this kickoff classic,” Donnelly said. “There were 12 teams – five different districts were represented, two different states. Our thing from the beginning once we solidified it was – ‘Look, we’ve got to really go out and represent District 1 out here in District 3,’ and I think we did a nice job of that.”
The Patriots opened up a 31-0 lead before the Trojans got on the scoreboard and – led by Shine’s 151 yards on 16 carries – amassed 242 yards on the ground and 402 yards total offense.
“The O-line never gets enough credit, but they did a great job overall in providing good running lanes and excellent push up front,” Donnelly said.
Comprising the Patriots’ offensive line were left tackle Sean Connor, left guard Liam Powers, center Connor Harris, right guard Joe Collins and right tackle Chris Poulson.
Donnelly also credited the play of his team’s defense. The Trojans scored all of their points in the fourth quarter and only one touchdown against East’s first team defense.
“We had an interception, we had a fumble recovery in the special teams phase, so we start the season off plus-one in the takeaway ratio, which is where we always want to be,” Donnelly said. “I thought the defense really did a good job, especially against the run.
“They have some really good athletes and some guys that can make plays in space. They made a few plays through the air, but overall, I thought our guys had great pursuit angles and played on their side of the line of scrimmage for the majority of the night.
“Reagan McCullough and Sean Connor played well. Joey Collins was very good in the middle, and our linebackers – Joe Maeglin, who’s our Mike, had a good day. Matt LaBouliere had an interception on the back end, and Declan Kelly had a real good night too, just being physical and coming up in run support as a corner for us.”
The Patriots – thanks to Shine’s early TD – led 7-0 after one quarter. Jack Corrigan’s 35-yard field goal gave East a 10-0 lead, and the Patriots came up with another highlight reel play when quarterback Pat Keller hit Jack Donnelly, who turned the pass into a 65-yard touchdown.
Chambersburg moved the ball inside East’s 35-yard line, but a big sack by Connor forced the Trojans into a third-and-long and eventually a turnover in downs. East took a 17-0 lead into halftime.
The Patriots opened the second half with a pooch kick that was recovered by Miles Demby inside the Trojans’ 30, setting up Shine’s second touchdown of the game – this one on a six-yard run to put East on top 24-0 early in the third quarter. Keller connected with Luke Quillen for a 23-yard touchdown late in the quarter, and the Patriots were in command, leading 31-0.
After Chambersburg broke up the Patriots’ shutout bid, Tommy Day scored on a one-yard plunge to put the Patriots on top 38-7 before the Trojans scored a pair of late TDs against the Patriots’ reserves.
In addition to Shine’s big performance, Day finished the night with 81 yards on eight carries. Keller was 7-for-14 for 160 yards and two touchdowns and would have had even better numbers had it not been for three drops.
East initially was scheduled to play the school’s first night game ever against Ridley on Friday night, but Ridley backed out of its commitment. Hence, the Patriots accepted the invitation to compete in Chambersburg’s showcase. Although the Patriots didn’t christen the stadium lights to open the season Friday night, they certainly didn’t feel shortchanged, participating in the school’s official lighting ceremony on Thursday night night.
“The ceremony was a lot of fun – I get chills thinking about it,” Donnelly said. “There are so many people that put in so much time long before I was there and long before these students were there. I know they’re so appreciative of the opportunity.”
Saturday was a long day for the Patriots, who left their school at 9 a.m. and saw their game against the home team end very close to midnight.
“It was just a first-class operation by their AD Ron Coursey,” Donnelly said. “They had a Peach Bowl trophy for every winner after each of the games. They fed us before and after the game. It was a great environment, a great stadium. It was pretty neat.
“We went to Shippensburg University and did a walkthrough. We were able to watch the game before us a little bit while we were getting ready to take the field, and you had Imotep versus Bishop McDevitt where there were at least a half dozen Division 1 commits on the field, so it was a lot of really good talent.
“It was a unique situation. As soon as that game ends, you had a half hour to warm up and then play. It was a very non-traditional pregame in that way. We were talking to the team after the game, and it was quarter to 12. This was their first fall classic, and they did a great job with it.”
As for the peach reference, Chambersburg, according to Donnelly, is known for its peaches and the Patriots were treated to some after the game.
Central Bucks East (1-0) will travel to Bensalem on Friday for a non-league game. The Patriots will play their first home game under the lights on Friday, Sept. 9, against Souderton.
Central Bucks East 7-10-14-7 38
Chambersburg 0-0-0-21 21
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