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ALMEDIA–Weston Pick and Coltin Hans play other sports and lead busy lives. But they really never experience a football offseason. Their seasons might end, but the work continues.
All the time Pick and Hans put in while few are watching sure has made them stand out when the bleachers are filled. And that effort has helped them leave indelible marks on program history.
Montgomery played an outstanding team game Saturday afternoon, thumping CMVT 41-14 at Wen Cerra Memorial Field. Pick and Hans played huge roles while making history. Pick made 22 tackles, breaking the Montgomery regular-season tackle record of 156, while Hans caught 12 passes for 214 yards and three touchdowns, becoming Montgomery’s first 1,000-yard receiver.
Logan Almeida threw for 228 yards, Colby Springman ran for 192 and Montgomery (5-5) won its second straight game entering next week’s District 4 Class A semifinal showdown at Muncy. Still, one could not ignore the magnitude of two tremendous milestone performances Saturday.
“It means a lot to me. I’ve put in a lot of work in the offseason and the big guys in front of me are doing a lot of work, helping me out a ton,” Pick said after a spectacular performance which included three tackles for loss, a sack and a fumble recovery. “I was hurt last year. That hurt me a little bit out there, but now I’m ready to show people what I have.”
“It’s all that work in the offseason and all the teammates working together which makes it all pay off,” Hans said. “I couldn’t have done it without the line and Logan always gets good balls to me, so without him I wouldn’t be there.”
Montgomery built a 21-0 halftime lead before imposing the mercy rule a little more than midway through the fourth quarter. The offense was balanced and explosive, producing touchdowns on all but two possessions, as well as 457 yards. Pick fueled a stingy defense which did not allow a point until the fourth quarter and which consistently made big stops when CMVT did threaten. Pick recovered a fumble at the 3-yard line snuffing out one drive and seemingly was everywhere, again making a big impact a year after injuries marred what likely would have been a breakthrough sophomore season.
Pick has a district-best 158 tackles this season, breaking Rhyle Strausbaugh’s regular-season mark set in 2018. He needs 14 tackles next week to break Strausbaugh’s total single-season mark. Strong and fast, the 6-foot-1, 210-pounder is averaging 15.8 tackles per game, so that record is well within reach. More important, Pick has helped the defense elevate this season and is a big reason the team has secured its second .500 regular campaign in the last five years.
“Weston is a super hard worker. His football IQ is bar none. He loves the game. He does all the right things and it shows on the field,” Montgomery coach Christian Diggs said. “Over 150 tackles in a 10-game season … that’s incredible at any level. He will go head up with anybody. He’s not concerned with who’s in front of him, he just wants to make the play.”
Pick was one of several Red Raiders who consistently made those plays against CMVT. Fellow linebacker Payton Hartman totaled 11 tackles, Tanner Springman nine and defensive end Thayden Miller intercepted a screen pass while adding a fumble recovery. Montgomery forced four turnovers, stopped CMVT three times in its territory in the first half and built off last weekás strong performance against District 4 AAA playoff qualifier Cowanesque Valley.
Add in the offense moving the ball at will and Montgomery achieved exactly what it hoped to in its regular-season finale. The Raiders have been up and down at times this season, but enter districts on a high after producing quite a complete performance.
“We started out slow, but we turned it on and found ourselves,” Pick said. “It made for a really good game. Everybody was clicking on all cylinders.”
Like Pick, Hans has been in high gear all season and has played his best football at the perfect time, catching 23 passes and four touchdowns the past two weeks. The senior captain leads District 4 with 68 catches for 1,025 yards. Playing on a muddy field Saturday, Hans appeared right at home. The conditions played no role and Hans looked like a man wearing skates on an ice rink while everyone else had on sneakers.
Hans caught scoring strikes of 54, 32 and 25 yards as Almeida moved within 82 yards of 2,000 this season. He made short catches, ran intermediate routes well and consistently torched defenders deep, unleashing his entire arsenal.
“That’s impressive, getting 1,000 yards in a 10-game season,” Diggs said. “He didn’t say one thing to us about hitting that record and getting that goal. Even before the game he just said, ‘Let’s go out and win and compete and get ready for next week.'” He’s the definition of a team player and I couldn’t be any more proud of him.”
Hans made his milestone catch about as memorable as possible. After catching 11 and five-yard passes on the previous two plays, Hans showed off his speed and broke deep down the right sideline. Almeida threw a perfect pass, hitting Hans in stride as ran the rest of the way untouched and into history. His teammates were maybe even more excited than Hans as they swarmed him in the end zone and congratulated him.
“It was definitely a surreal moment. I don’t think I will ever forget that,” Hans said. “I don’t think that will ever feel real to me, but that was awesome having the team there with me, too.”
Montgomery essentially did whatever it felt like doing Saturday as offensive linemen Thayden Miller, Braiden Beachel, Colton Hessler, Gavin Strouse and Owen Staggert surged. They gave Almeida ample time to throw and also opened up running lanes for the backs to exploit. Springman did that and more, piling on the yards after carry and showing the burst he had displayed earlier this season before suffering an injury which sidelined him for three weeks.
Springman bounced off a tackler near the line of scrimmage late in the first quarter, bounced outside and went 48 yards down the left sideline for the game’s first touchdown. After Hans caught a 25-yard touchdown on a fourth-and-19 play, Springman went back to work and ripped off an 84-yard run which put Montgomery up 21-0. This time, Springman burst through a big hole up the middle, cut outside and outraced the defense down the right sideline.
It was a great day for the Springman family with Tanner scoring an impressive 12-yard third-quarter touchdown that made it 34-0. Like Colby, Tanner absorbed a hit, spun away and lowered his shoulder at the goal line, running over a defender to produce his first varsity touchdown. He also made nine tackles, including two for loss, while Colby added eight.
“Colby was off for four weeks, so he needed a little time to get back and get his feet wet again,” Diggs said. “I think this week is going to be big for him going into Muncy and getting that confidence back. He realizes his strength. He’s a really strong kid and hopefully that carries into next week.”
Montgomery is soaring into next week. It knows it faces a difficult task against the three-time defending district champions, but this is exactly who Montgomery wanted come playoff time. That goes double after Muncy won the Old Shoe Trophy two weeks ago. Second chances do not come often, but Montgomery has one now and is ready to get back to work.
“This was a big game for us. We needed this going into the playoffs,” Hans said. “That momentum is going to carry on.”
Montgomery 41, CMVT 14
Montgomery 7 14 13 7ä41
CMVT 0 0 0 14ä14
First Quarter
M-Colby Springman 48 run (Hayden Wilt kick), 1:00
Second Quarter
M-Coltin Hans 25 pass from Logan Almeida (kick failed), 6:11
M-Springman 84 run (Almeida pass to Devon Deem), 3:58
Third Quarter
M-Hans 32 pass from Almeida (kick failed), 8:46
M-Tanner Springman 12 run (Hayden Wilt kick), 4:59
Fourth Quarter
C-Toby Zajac 2 run (pass failed), 7:15
M-Hans 54 pass from Almeida (Wilt kick), 5:39
C-Shane Tomlinson 8 pass from Caden Long (Braxton Brown run), :17
TEAM STATISTICS M C
First Downs 14 11
Rushes-yards 18-229 50-226
Passing yards 228 32
Total yards 457 258
Comp-Att-Int 16-26-0 3-7-1
Fumbles-lost 1-0 4-2
Penalties-yards 7-66 2-15
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING: Montgomery, Colby Springman 10-192, 2 TDs; Devon Deem 1-19; Tanner Springman 2-16, TD; Weston Pick 2-5; Logan Almeida 3-(-3). CMVT, Toby Zajac 36-217, TD; Dante DiAgostino 5-20; Shane Tomlinson 5-(-1); Caden Long 4-(-10).
PASSING: Montgomery, Almeida 16-26-0, 228 yards, 3 TDs. CMVT, Long 3-7-1, 32 yards, TD.
RECEIVING: Montgomery, Coltin Hans 12-214, 3 TDs; Deem 3-5; Maurice Walters 1-9. CMVT, Tomlinson 3-22, TD; DiAgostino 1-10.
INTERCEPTIONS: Montgomery, Thayden Miller.
RECORDS: Montgomery 5-5. CMVT 0-8.