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Loyalsock wins Bridge Game against Montoursville, snapping a six-game losing skid to the Warriors

By Chris Masse 8 min read

Loyalsock players often start dreaming about defeating Montoursville while playing backyard football as young kids.

How fitting then, that Loyalsock went back in time and used some brilliant improvisation to end five years of frustration against its rival. Tyler Gee and Jaylen Andrews often looked like they were making plays up in the dirt Friday at Kenneth M. Robbins Stadium, and all of them beautifully came together as their combined explosion helped Loyalsock capture the Battle of the Bridge Trophy for the first time since 2017.

Gee threw for 311 yards and Andrews caught six passes for an area record 284 yards and four scores as Loyalsock broke open a close game, defeating Montoursville, 48-14. Gee also ran for a 61-yard touchdown, totaling 384 yards and Andrews was unstoppable, averaging 65 yards per score while going over 1,000 yards and tying the single-season program record for touchdown catches (14). The Lancers (9-1) snapped a six-game losing streak against Montoursville (4-6), won their sixth straight game and capped their best regular season of the 2000s.

"It kind of turned into backyard football," Gee said. "Really, though, it was all Jaylen at the end of the day. Credit to Montoursville. They came in and knew what we were trying to do and a lot of plays we had to do a little improv."

That ability to turn nothing into something big helped Loyalsock score the game's first touchdown and later pull away. Andrews made a tremendous adjustment on a Gee deep ball late in the first quarter, thrown as Tyler Lepley hit him. Despite good coverage, Andrews came back, outjumped two defenders, then spun away for a 74-yard score which made it, 7-0.

Montoursville tied the game early in the second quarter when Bryce Eberhart found Corbin Frey for a 29-yard touchdown. Gee ripped off a 61-yard touchdown and Davion Hill (156 yards, 2 touchdowns) a 65-yarder as Loyalsock built a 21-7 halftime lead. Then Gee and Andrews went back to work, helping Loyalsock land the knockout blow.

Gee was flushed out of the pocket on Loyalsock's first third quarter series, again avoiding Lepley and rolling right. On the run, he lofted a deep ball toward Andrews. This time, Andrews adjusted the opposite way, going back and catching a 35-yard touchdown on the run. A series later, Gee threw an absolute dime more than 40 yards through the night sky, hitting Andrews in stride for an 80-yard score which made it, 35-7.

"Tyler is growing as a quarterback every week. He's seeing more and continuing to really push the envelope by making some plays that were later into the time clock," Loyalsock coach Justin Van Fleet said. "Last year, traditionally, he was getting the ball off real quick but when things broke down he wasn't necessarily in his comfort zone. Now he's getting comfortable with that and that's an exciting development for him. He's coming along quite well in his development as a quarterback."

Andrews has made similar massive strides. Rian Glunk earned all-state honors and had one of the area's best ever receiving seasons last year but was injured in Week 2 and has not returned. That left a canyon-like void but after catching just five passes last season, Andrews has grown into an all-state candidate. Several Lancers have come up big and helped Loyalsock keep moving forward despite a series of costly injuries and Andrews epitomizes it, catching 45 passes for a district-high 1,050 yards and 14 touchdowns.

And Andrews reached that 1,000-yard milestone with a highlight reel play. Gee threw a short pass on an underneath route, then watched Andrews fake out a series of defenders on an electrifying 71-yard score down the right sideline which made it 48-7. That play also gave Andrews the area's single-game yardage record, breaking the previous mark of 266 set by Montgomery's Colton Harer in 2012.

"He's been been huge," Gee said. "A lot of times at Loyalsock it seems like we have a receiver that breaks away every year and turns into that wide receiver one as we call it. It changes over the years but Jaylen has really fit that role."

"That's a nice way to get 1,000 yards on a big touchdown run, so good for him and good for the team," Van Fleet said. "He's a big-time player and in this game he made some big-time plays."

Montoursville made some excellent plays, too, especially early. The Warriors, who will play at Athens in next week's District 4 Class AAA quarterfinals, moved the ball well throughout their first three series and showed outstanding balance on their eight-play scoring drive which tied the game. Montoursville stayed productive on its next series and moved it to the Lancer 22-yard line before a big combined sack by Jeremiah Johnson and Ian Hornberger; as well as a fourth down end zone break up by LJ Lee, started changing the game's complexion.

The Warriors suffered a devastating blow when Frey was injured after making a big hit on a punt return late in the first half. Frey was carried off on a stretcher but had movement and was taken to the hospital largely for precautionary reasons. Coach Joe Hanna said Frey was doing better following the game and that all tests came back clean.

Montoursville continued battling after Frey's injury and Lepley had two sacks while Eberhart (11 of 21, 128 yards) went over 1,000 yards and found Tristen Stelene for a 36-yard fourth down, fourth quarter touchdown. Matthew Conklin added 80 yards rushing and went over 800 this season. The Warriors last five opponents (Southern Columbia, Danville, Jersey Shore, Selinsgrove and Loyalsock) are a combined 44-6, but neither the injuries, nor strength of opposition has dulled this team's determination.

"I'm proud of the kids for starting off strong; we just gave up some big plays and it was tough to recover from that," Hanna said. "With the loss of Corbin, some kids had to step up and they did so. I told them after the game I was proud of them for playing hard the whole game."

The defense did some things well, but Loyalsock's big-play ability proved too much. All but one of Loyalsock's touchdowns came from 35 or more yards and four five covered at least 61 yards. Even better for Loyalsock, it scored three of those touchdowns on third down plays, twice doing so on third-and-8.

The first third-and-8 touchdown came when Gee avoided a potential sack and sprinted to his left. The all-state quarterback beat containment to the sideline, then took off like he was shot from a cannon and outran the defense as Loyalsock answered Montoursville's touchdown and went ahead to stay.

"Cy (Cavanaugh) had a crossing route and he was able to take out the last defender," Gee said. "It was a great block."

It was a great win, too. It was one no Lancer previously had ever experienced. The state's fifth-ranked Class AAA team, which hosts Lewisburg in the quarterfinals, has lofty goals, but this victory sure meant a lot.

"I told them after that game last year to remember that feeling for next year. It's big. It's such a big rivalry. This game matters," Hornberger, a standout two-way lineman said. "It's a great feeling. With it being Senior Night and everything coming together, it was great."

"I wasn't able to play last year and didn't play in playoffs because of an injury (in 2020), so it's nice to have the bridge back," Gee said. "I made sure I did everything I could to stay healthy this year."

Hornberger and fellow offensive linemen Johnson, Ethan French, Carter Secora and Jake Ackerman helped pave the way for 539 yards. Loyalsock scored on four straight second half possessions and on six of seven starting after Montoursville tied the game. The Lancers broke things open with 21 points in the third quarter and Hill exploded through a big hole on the left side to nearly go the whole way untouched on his 65-yard touchdown which made it 21-7 late in the first half.

Montoursville pushed Loyalsock hard throughout the first half and made it imperative that it would not relinquish the Bridge without a fight. Loyalsock features a lot of explosive playmakers, but at its core this is a blue collar, hard-nosed team. Putting all that together helped Loyalsock win nine regular season games for the first time in the 2000s.

Now a new season beckons.

"Last year we weren't in the groove of things. Now we can all trust each other. Now we all know everyone is going to do their job," Hornberger said. "So, if it's a blowup play and something happens it's on to the next play. You have to have that mentality if you want to be a good player."

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