UNION — Conrad Weiser’s Chase Ober fell on the onside kick and before he could even get back to his feet, the lights above Brazinsky Field went out.
Although the Blazers’ defense was able to force a three-and-out after the 10 minutes it took to get the lights back on, the Blazers’ offense just couldn’t get clicking again and the Scouts won the marathon Berks Football League Section 1 opener 39-28.
“I’ve never experienced anything like it,’ said Weiser defensive back Luke Thomason. “The important thing is we came out with the win and that’s what we’re trying to do.’
Thomason did his part coming up with an interception, a sack and catching a floated pass for a two-point conversion on a botched snap during the kick after Weiser’s last touchdown.
“I guess that’s just a little bit of luck,’ Thomason said of the two-point conversion. “That’s just the way the night was going for me, I guess.’
Penalties played a huge role in the game.
Boone amassed 16 penalties for 130 yards compared to Weiser’s three penalties for 30 yards.
“It’s frustrating that week after week we’re getting hammered with penalties,’ said Boone coach Bill Parks. “I understand that we made some mistakes but that’s really unbalanced. 11 points in the game, 130 yards, that could easily make up the difference.’
“My boys are frustrated,’ Parks continued. “For the officials to put it in that direction, it’s really disappointing.’
For the most part, Boone (2-2 overall) was able to hang with Weiser (4-0) in the game, especially thanks to a pair of 80-yard touchdown runs from running backs Paul Galanti and Cinque Ramsay.
“We’ve got so many guys that can do that, they have to respect that all over the field,’ Parks said of his rushers.
At the half, the score was 14-7, and after Galanti’s 80-yard scoring rush around the edge, the score narrowed as close as 17-14 midway through the third quarter. But a series of penalties walked Weiser upfield and set up a Pierce Brosius catch for a 4-yard touchdown catch, making the score 24-14, and Boone got no closer.
Although the Blazers collected three sacks, Weiser quarterback Tyler Hoss threw for 231 yards and three touchdowns.
Weiser could only gain 27 yards on the ground in the first half on 15 carries, but Hoss threw two touchdowns and amassed 186 of his passing yards in the first half.
“We came out and we said we wanted to stop the run and, well, they threw two touchdown passes, so it was kind of a shake-up there,’ Parks said.
Both sides turned over the ball fairly frequently, with Boone losing a fumble and giving up two interceptions while Weiser turned the ball over on two fumbles of its own.
One of those fumbles came at the end of the first half as Ober caught a pass and dove to the end zone. The ball was knocked from his hand as he flew through the air. That kept the score close going into the half and the Boone sideline rowdy.
“Conrad Weiser was good, they’re everything we expected them to be, but we saw that we could play with the best in this league,’ Parks said.
