×

Held together by tape, Pinzka has big day

Late in the fourth quarter Saturday, Lycoming safety Joe Pinzka and a teammate adjusted the tape around his elbow, looking for a better fit. They worked around the dried streak of blood staining the white bandaging.

“They’re holding me together with tape,” Pinzka said with a perverse smile strewn about his face. “I can make it another two-and-a-half minutes.”

Nothing was going to keep Pinzka off the field Saturday against Misericordia. He wasn’t guaranteed another game, and he sure as hell wasn’t going to miss what could have been the final game of his career because of an inconvenient separated shoulder.

The brace keeping his right shoulder intact as much as possible protruded from underneath his shoulder pads and jersey, meaning he couldn’t hide the ailment which kept him from playing in the Stevenson game a week earlier. He didn’t care. He just wanted to make sure everything was attached where it was supposed to be each time he ran on the Mangelsdorf Field turf to take his spot at safety.

Despite the pain, Pinzka delivered one of his best performances of the season. Two weeks after separating his shoulder on a play in which he was ejected for targeting, he returned to the lineup to help the Warriors hold Misericordia, the highest-scoring offense in the Middle Atlantic Conference, to 22 points below its season average.

He intercepted a pass deep in Lycoming territory in the fourth quarter when the Cougars were marching for the tying touchdown. He recorded four of his seven tackles in the fourth quarter as the Warriors turned away Misericordia four times in Lycoming territory. It was an inspirational performance which nobody should be surprised about.

“He’s the best. He’s great,” Lycoming head coach Mike Clark said. “Joe missed his final home game, so it would have taken a lot to keep him off the field (Saturday).”

As he assessed himself following a 21-14 win over Misericordia, which knocked the Cougars out of league title contention and helped extend Lycoming’s season by one more week, Pinzka dreaded the thought of what it would feel like to pull at his own shoulder pads and jersey to try and remove them.

The result, though, made the pain worth it. In a season where it seemed like everything which could go wrong for the Warriors did go wrong, their regular-season finale was the marquee kind of win it had been searching for since knocking off Widener on the road in Week 2. Pinzka couldn’t fathom not being a part of that performance. The senior has missed just two games in his career, one as a freshman and two weeks ago against Stevenson. For him, it was two too many.

A young man whose formed a familial bond with his teammates with his positivity and encouragement, was willing to endure the pain and the bloodshed of one final go-round all to secure Saturday’s special win.

“I know when I get in that locker room and I try to get these shoulder pads off that it’s going to be agony,” Pinzka said. “But I’m not worried about that right now. I’m just enjoying the moment.”

Pinzka earned a first-team All-MAC award Tuesday for a season which includes four interceptions and 53 tackles. Potent safety play has become a theme of Lycoming’s defenses in Mike Clark’s tenure as head coach. Pinzka’s was the 15th All-MAC selection for a Lycoming safety since Clark’s first season in 2008.

Pinzka took the position this season and has owned it every step of the way. He had reason over the last two weeks to sulk over misfortune. He was called for targeting at Wilkes two weeks ago in the second half despite not leading with his head and not making contact with the head of the Wilkes receiver. In fact, it was on that play Pinzka separated his shoulder.

An appeal to the NCAA didn’t overturn the targeting call, meaning he had to miss the first half of the Stevenson game. But the shoulder injury prevented him from playing at all.

So he returned Saturday with the same energy and passion he’s always played with, and maybe just a little more determination. And despite his strong performance where he could have easily soaked up the glory of playing well through the pain, he heaped all the praise on his defensive line for creating the pressure to make his fourth-quarter interception possible.

He’s embodied what a captain and leader should be, and it’s why he was praised by his coaches and teammates following the win for playing hurt and doing his part to get Lycoming to this week’s Cetennial-MAC Bowl Series against Franklin & Marshall.

“It’s almost demented to know that you’re hurt and I’m making this worse by playing,” Clark said. “Some guys just have a difference mental and physical toughness that they bring, and you hope everyone has that. Not everyone does. But that’s who Joe is.”

Here’s a closer look at Lycoming’s 21-14 win over Misericordia on Saturday:

TIDE-TURNING PLAY: The time was ripe for Lycoming to take a chance. Fourth-and-1 from the Misericordia 36-yard line with under 40 seconds to play in the first half, punting would have been too cautious. Even with a blustery wind straight out of the arctic, a 53-yard field probably wasn’t in Jamie Fisher’s range. So a crack at a first down made so much sense for Clark. As he’s done more in recent weeks, he put the football in quarterback Elijah Shemory’s hands on a designed run and trusted the true freshman to find some running room. Shemory was stuff at the first-down line, but spun out of a tackle and picked up 5 more yards to earn a first down and keep the drive alive. Three plays later, he hit Brock Zollicoffer on an in cut and when the safety slipped in the end zone, Zollicoffer got to the end zone for a touchdown with just six seconds to play in the half. The touchdown proved to be the winning points, forced Misericordia to play catchup the entire second half, and allowed a defense playing lights out to ratchet up the pressure on the first-place Cougars.

“At times, it pays to be aggressive,” Clark said.

BEST DEFENSIVE STAND: Take any pick from the four fourth-quarter drives by Misericordia’s offense. All four reached Lycoming territory. Two ended in turnovers. Two ended in a turnover on downs. Neither one finished in the end zone with the tying score. Pinzka and Jeff Coplin each intercepted a pass. Loffredo’s fourth-down pressure off the edge led to an incomplete pass. And Jarrell Payne’s coverage left a small window for Misericordia quarterback Aaron Barry to throw to on the Cougars’ final offensive play. It was a championship-worthy performance from a defense which has been one of the top statistical defenses in the MAC all season.

BEST OFFENSIVE PLAY: When Sam Romanofsky forced a fumble which was recovered by Ahmad Curtis midway through the second quarter in a 7-7 game, the Lycoming offense tried to cash in immediately. Shemory threw a beautiful pass over the middle out of the reach of the linebackers and underneath the safeties to Tyjah During who picked up 30 yards to the Cougars’ 5. Two plays later Shemory rushed into the end zone from 2 yards out to give Lycoming a seven-point lead. It was easily the best pass of the day for Shemory who struggled with consistency in a strong, inconsistent wind.

LOCAL ROUNDUP: Lycoming — Shemory, a Jersey Shore graduate, completed 11 of 22 passes for 148 yards and a touchdown, but also threw three interceptions, including two in the fourth quarter as the Warriors tried to run out the clock. He also rushed for 23 yards and a touchdown. Montoursville’s Keith Batkowski carried 10 times for 24 yards. Jersey Shore product Loffredo led Lycoming with 11 tackles, including a tackle for loss. Hughesville’s Trey Smith had five tackles, all of which were solo stops.

Misericordia — Hughesville graduate Nick Yeager recorded seven tackles for the Cougars. The team’s leading tackler, Yeager was named an Honorable Mention All-MAC selection Tuesday at defensive back.

LYCOMING OFFENSIVE MVP: Prior to leaving the game with an apparent shoulder injury, receiver Tyjah During was on his way to a very good day for the offense. He caught an 8-yard pass on third-and-8 on the first play of the second quarter to pick up a first down. He also ran a great route to beat his defender and find open space on the 30-yard catch which setup Shemory’s touchdown run. Since returning from a previous injury, During has shown flashes both as a kick and punt returner and with his speed to be the next key weapon for the Warriors’ offense.

LYCOMING DEFENSIVE MVP: If nothing else, Pinzka return from a separated shoulder was going to be an emotional pickup for a team which respects the team captain immensely. But then the senior from Lansdale Catholic, who has played in 38 of the 40 games since joining the team, played outstanding for a defense which needed an even more outstanding performance against the league’s top scoring offense. And in true Joe Pinzka fashion, he credited his fourth-quarter interception to the pressure the defensive line got on the quarterback.

“He’s a role model,” Loffredo said. “It means a lot to show that he’s working hard and doing everything he can to get back on this field and give it all he’s got.”

UNSUNG HERO: Freshman running back Justin Joseph saw significant time on just one drive Saturday. Starters Jacob Fimbres and Keith Batkowski were being given a break to regroup when Clark called on the Wyoming Area product to carry the load during a first-quarter drive. Joseph proceeded to carry the ball six times on an 11-play drive, for 23 yards, including his first career rushing touchdown. The 199-pounder gave the Warriors a different dynamic as a big-bodied back who was more than happy to run through some attacking defenders. Only a later ankle injury kept Joseph from adding even more production to a running game which has averaged just 1.8 yards per carry over the last three games.

“I think Justin gave us a presence this week. He’s shown he’s dependable and I think he’s got a chance to be a good player going forward,” Clark said. “He practices incredibly hard. That kid at practice is an all-time effort guy. You get his best a lot.”

Mitch Rupert covers Lycoming football for the Sun-Gazette. He can be reached at 326-1551, ext. 3129, or by email at mrupert@sungazette.com. Follow him on Twitter at @Mitch_Rupert.

NEWSLETTER

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *
   

Starting at $4.62/week.

Subscribe Today