“This means a lot,” said Eberhart. “He’s fighting for his life, so I’m going to fight for him on the football field. We gave a whole whiteout for him and got the ‘W.'”

Montoursville (2-1) assistant coach Joe Hanna, filling in for Boughton, said the play was to be a bootleg right to Marco Pulizzi, but Lewisburg covered him and forced Eberhart back to his left. Lewisburg (0-3) expected Eberhart to run at that point, but instead he found Conrad standing open just beyond the goal line.

Boughton watched the whole thing, spending much of the evening lined up along a fence circling the track behind his team’s bench. He spoke to several players and coaches on the field after the game. He is undergoing treatment after a cancer diagnosis earlier this year.

“Winning this way, it’s a real emotional release,” said Hanna. “Everything going on with coach Boughton, it’s good to win it here with him here in front of the kids.”

MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Montoursville and Lewisburg compete on Friday night.

There was more to come after that score, as Lewisburg quarterback Wade Young hit Jack Blough over the middle for 30 yards on the game’s final play. It took a few defenders and, perhaps, the hopes of countless bug-eyed Montoursville fans for the stop.

It was a game either team could have won, though for much of it neither team looked like it should have won. Eberhart threw for three touchdowns, but also threw two first-half interceptions. One was a 39-yard pick six to Lewisburg’s Quin Michaels.That play was why Montoursville was tied 7-7 at the half, despite allowing just 53 yards total offense and two first downs.

“I was mad at myself, but I got myself back together in the locker room,” said Eberhart. “I threw two touchdowns in the second half and we won.”

He threw three for the game, hitting James Batkowski for an 8-yarder in the first half and then Pulizzi avoided dropping a bobbled 21-yard catch in the corner of the end zone for a 14-7 lead in the second half.

That Pulizzi touchdown, on Montoursville’s first possession of the second half, came after Ethan Wanner stuffed Lewisburg on a fourth-and-1 at midfield. Overall, Wanner helped lead a Warrior defense that mostly shut down the Green Dragons, save for a couple big plays.

MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Montoursville runs the ball against Lewisburg on Friday night.

“He’s our emotional leader there, and sometimes we have to calm him down, but he gets after it,” said Hanna.

Lewisburg tied the game at 14-14 on the next series, as Young hit Charlie Landis for 58 yards before running it in from three. That was a successful scoring effort. Others failed, as the Dragons missed two field goals thanks to drives that kept going backward near the goal line thanks to repeated procedure and holding calls.

A personal foul on Montoursville negated a third missed Lewisburg field goal, and the Dragons responded with a 10-yard touchdown pass to Cam Michaels for a 21-17 lead.

“At that point, the one thing we did do that we’ve had trouble with was battling together as a team, despite all the mistakes,” said Lewisburg coach Eric Weeks. “Despite all the flags, just battle.”

Montoursville had the better kicking night, as Wyatt Fry’s 26-yard field goal created a 17-14 lead early in the fourth quarter.

MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Montoursville coach Bryce Eberhart throws against Lewisburg on Friday night.

Next week, Lewisburg is at Southern Columbia and Montoursville is at Central Columbia. One sidelight to Friday’s game at Montoursville was a collection of “oohs” and “ahhs” with some applause as the public address announced updates of rival Loyalsock’s upset win at state powerhouse Southern. But for the Warriors, Southern can wait a few weeks on the schedule.

“Bryce kept plugging away. We told him he’s a new QB, keep learning,” said Hanna. “The schedule does not have a lot of breaks. He’ll get broken in by learning. You do the good, you take it with the bad. But week to week you get better, and the wins and losses will take care of themselves.”

MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Montoursville’s James Batkowski runs against Lewisburg during the first half of Friday’s game.

MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Montoursville and Lewisburg compete on Friday.