Local Sports

Chris Masse on football: Damschroder’s will to win was crucial in Port downing Shore

More binds Trey Damschroder the baseball player and football player than immense talent. In fact, what separates him more than his athletic gifts is something statistics cannot measure.

It is an iron will that connects both sports; a toughness which made him both a Division I baseball and football recruit. And while he will pitch at North Carolina A&T in 2028, Damschroder displayed the mettle which has made him such a fantastic football player yet again last Friday.

Damschroder caught eight passes for a career-high 185 yards and two touchdowns as Williamsport rallied late and edged Jersey Shore, 32-28 in thrilling fashion at Thompson Street Stadium.

"I wanted to be the one out here who wanted this game the most." Damschroder said. "I've been playing these kids since Pee Wee; I've been playing on this field since Pee Wee. When we started playing them again we had those tough two losses (the past two years), high scoring losses, so I wanted to go out on top in the last ride. We needed this one for sure."

Damschroder made sure Williamsport got it.

It was not just that Damschroder produced big numbers either. It was when he did so. Jersey Shore scored 14 straight second half points and took a 28-20 lead early in the fourth quarter. From there, Damschroder went to another level. He caught three critical passes on Williamsport's next two scoring drives, totaling 93 yards and a touchdown.

Two plays after Jersey Shore went up eight, Damschroder caught a 10-yard pass near the left sideline and was engulfed by orange jerseys. Channeling his inner-Derrick Henry, Damschroder ran over multiple defenders, pulled away and went 36 yards for a touchdown which made it, 28-26.

Williamsport then forced a punt and took possession at its own 28-yard line with three minutes, 31 seconds remaining and a chance to take the lead. Embracing the big moment again, Damschroder split the defense and hauled in a 43-yard Zion Hughes pass. He followed with a 14-yard grab and Hughes scored the game-winning touchdown a play later, running in from eight yards out.

"I trust in coach (Kevin) Brown's play calling and he trusts in his athletes. That's really all it was," Damschroder said. "I made a play and got our offense going and Zion got us in the end zone and won us the game."

Some athletes run from the fire, but Damschroder constantly runs toward it. He has made clutch pitching his calling card throughout his high school career. That started in the Backyard Brawl when Damschroder was a freshman, entering with the bases loaded and no outs in a close game. He retired three straight batters to help ensure victory, then delivered a near repeat a year later, earning the win in relief as Williamsport defeated eventual state finalist Montoursville for the championship.

It continued last season when Damschroder's ability to excel in the biggest moments helped Williamsport go 19-2 and capture the HAC-I championship. That clutch gene transfers well to the football field come fall. Damschroder caught a late go-ahead touchdown against Shikellamy in Week 4 when Williamsport turned an 11-point deficit into a three-point lead and he played like a man possessed when the Millionaires had little margin for error Friday.

"He was awesome. He is one of the most competitive people I've ever coached," Brown said. "He was not going to let us lose. He made a ton of plays. He had a big day."

It was one which started brewing when Damschroder woke up Friday morning. He and Hughes exchanged text messages and the chemistry they have displayed since first taking the field together as Pee Wee football players shined through under the bright Thompson Street Stadium lights.

He primarily was a starting pitcher last spring, but throughout his first two seasons, Damschroder often was a closer. Different sport, but similar result last Friday. A relentless worker, Damschroder put all the skill, will and work together at the perfect time and made sure Williamsport left the field victorious.

"That was a promise we made each other from the first time we woke up this morning. He texted me and said are you ready and I said you know it," Hughes said. "He came in focused. He was focused in school. He's a playmaker. I'm so proud of that kid."

FUEL TO FIRE

When quarterback Tevin Williams suffered an illness before Week 4 and was lost for an extended period, Hughes started hearing the whispers. What would become of Williamsport's season? How could an offense survive without the dynamic play-making abilities Williams possesses?

All that talk did was throw some extra logs on a competitive fire which always is burning. Hughes moved from running back to quarterback and has settled back into a position he played most of his life and carried the baton forward. Hughes has played as well as any District 4 quarterback this season and none has thrown for more than the 340 yards he produced Friday against Jersey Shore.

"There were a lot of what I would say are haters that as soon as Tevin went down, it was, 'The team is done or who is going to play quarterback now? Or Zion isn't capable of playing quarterback to get us the win," Hughes said. "Even my dad said there were some people in the stands saying after a shaky start against Shikellamy that I forgot to how throw the football. I'm a kid that's going to use that as fire every time, let alone my ACL tear and coming off that. I had a lot of doubters coming off that, too.

It's nothing new to me. I just had to show it to everyone else."

Oh, how he has.

In three starts, Hughes has thrown for 780 yards and six touchdowns, while running for 160 yards and three scores. Against Jersey Shore, Hughes completed 19 of 29 passes and ran for 69 yards, totaling 409 yards and five touchdowns.

Hughes made all the throws, showing great touch on the deep ball. He made big throws at crucial moments and displayed the leadership which has defined his scholastic career which was just as vital.

After missing last season with a torn ACL, Hughes has come back even stronger and better. And Williamsport's quarterback position remains quite potent.

"Nobody wants to lose a player like Tevin Williams, but if anybody is going to lose a guy like that we're probably in the best position in this area for a backup quarterback," Brown said. "I haven't thrown out anything in the offense. He just absorbs it and he is a gamer. He has a quarterback brain. He thinks the games through. He and I have great discussions about what we should be doing next. I say it every week but I'm glad he's on my team."

EXTRA POINTS

Points came fast and furious Friday at Kenneth Robbins Stadium as Lewisburg defeated Loyalsock, 61-42. The Green Dragons (3-3) won their second straight and have scored 104 points in those games. Xavier Carter threw for 327 yards and five touchdowns; Drake Osunde had four catches for 101 yards. Todd Dershem also caught a touchdown and intercepted two passes. Cayden Sones returned a kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown and ran for a career-high 118 yards for Loyalsock. Freshman quarterback Dyson Dupont threw for 176 yards and three scores, going over 1,000 yards this season. Jackson Keefer caught two scores and Carter Brown the other. Lewisburg and Loyalsock combined for 103 points, 917 yards and 40 first downs. All 103 points, too, were scored before midway through the third quarter ... Hughesville won its second straight game, rallying from down three in the final eight minutes and defeating Midd-West, 22-13. The defense allowed just 156 yards and Chase Shrawder ran for 99 yards and two touchdowns. Nick Stubbs found Connor Anstadt for a 45-yard touchdown and Anstadt kicked a 30-yard field goal. Hughesville has held consecutive opponents to under 200 yards ... Speaking of stingy defense, Milton did not allow an offensive point until the final minute, defeating Northwest, 33-10. The Black Panthers controlled both lines and Luis Santos totaled 225 yards with a touchdown, including a career-high 167 yards rushing. Quarterbacks Paxton Humphrey and Kamryn Wilson threw for 245 yards with Brady O'Rourke and Jhemzuel Feliciano catching touchdowns ... Central Mountain played its best game this season, pushing surging Shikellamy (5-1) hard in a 35-22 loss. The Wildcats reached a season-high in points as Kyle Everett totaled 144 yards with a score and Gavin Heverly scored twice, including on an 89-yard kickoff return ... Aeden Dowling ran for a touchdown, caught an Owen Moore scoring strike and intercepted a pass as Canton defeated Sayre, 20-7. The Warriors limited Sayre to 143 yards and have allowed just 22 points in four wins. Moore threw for 164 yards and added 43 on the ground.

Dr. Masse's top 5 rankings

1. Williamsport (5-1): Seniors like Damschroder, Hughes, Anthony Manley, Cordoza Minor and Kason Ulmer all had big games, but so did several young players. Specifically, sophomore Jaylen Williams and freshman Mha'si Strickland intercepted three passes. Williams ended a Jersey Shore drive on the game's opening possession with a pick at the 1-yard line before making a great play on a deep ball in the third quarter. Strickland all but sealed victory when he made a terrific catch on a sideline pass on Jersey Shore's final series.

2. Montgomery (5-1): A surging offensive line paved the way as Montgomery piled up 381 rushing yards and 67 first-half points in Friday's 73-0 win against Wyalusing. Trace Furman (119 yards, 2 touchdowns), Lincoln Miller (106 and 4) and Briar Persing (92 and 2) all produced their yards on seven or fewer carries, while Gage Furman found Persing for a 38-yard score. Freshman Waylon Barrows also ran for a touchdown. It was the second straight week, Montgomery topped 300 rushing yards. The defense produced its sixth shutout in two seasons and second this year. Montgomery also has held opponents scoreless for six straight quarters. The Raiders can clinch a share of their second straight NTL-II championship with a win against Sayre Friday. A win there and in the finale against Cowanesque Valley would give them the title outright again.

3. Montoursville (4-2): Montoursville produced an impressive victory and mercy-ruled its third straight opponent, downing Danville, 35-8. The Warriors scored 125 straight points since Week 3 before Danville scored a late fourth quarter touchdown. The defense bottled up Danville's running game and Jacob Schon collected 11 tackles, including three for loss. Kaden Kleinman picked off a pass as the Warriors surrendered just nine passing yards. Quarterback Elijah Eck went over 1,000 yards for a second straight season, throwing for 231 yards and four touchdowns. The junior signal caller has thrown seven touchdowns the past two weeks and hit six different receivers Friday. Colton Conklin also had a big night, running for 136 yards on seven carries as Montoursville moved to fourth in the District 4 Class AAA standings.

4. South Williamsport (4-2): You want to know how dominant South's defense has been this season? The Mounties allowed just six points in Friday's impressive 28-6 win at Muncy and their points per game average actually went up. South is allowing just five points per game and came within 9:50 of producing a fourth shutout this season. A dominant offensive line paving the way for a time-consuming running game helped, but the defense also never let Muncy get going when it did have the ball, surrendering just 10 first half yards and holding it to its fewest points this year. Samir Moy intercepted a pass at Muncy for a second straight year, as did Cade Lusk, while Dominick Goode returned from injury to collect his fourth sack; Kasim Davenport adding another. That line helped Lusk (129 yards), Garrett Lorson (88) and Eli White (47) all score touchdowns as South built a 28-0 advantage.

5. Jersey Shore (3-3): Battling a knee injury, senior linebacker Zeke Sechrist delivered a valiant performance against Williamsport, making eight tackles, including four for loss. He also ran for 73 yard-earned yards on 13 carries. Quarterback Nolen Pauling topped 300 total yards for a sixth straight game, generating 442 yards and four touchdowns. The junior threw for 265 yards and three scores, while running for 177 and a touchdown. He also went over 2,000 total yards this season and leads District 4 with 1,558 yards and 17 touchdowns. Connor Winters caught two touchdowns for a third straight game and Khani McCray added a 40-yard score, his fourth in his debut season.

Players of the Week

Jaylen Walker, Lewisburg and Bryson Fillman, Montoursville: Walker continues to shine in all facets and played one of the area's more remarkable games this year, scoring six touchdowns four ways, and doing so in all three phases at Loyalsock in less than 2 ½ quarters. The senior receiver caught seven passes for 97 yards and three touchdowns, and ripped off a 79-yard rushing touchdown. Walker also returned a kickoff 76 yards for a score and an interception 45 yards for another. Walker leads the area in touchdown catches (9) and interceptions (5), scoring as a receiver, rusher, defender, kick returner and punt returner. He returned that kickoff and produced the pick 6 during a 20-second third quarter span before adding a 26-yard touchdown catch less than 2 ½ minutes later.

Montoursville unveiled a new weapon and released Fillman upon Danville as the freshman caught six passes for 130 yards and four touchdowns. It was a remarkable breakout performance in Fillman's first significant varsity action. He scored the game's first four touchdowns and made it, 28-0 with a 73-yard catch and run. Fillman is the first Montoursville receiver of the 2000s to catch four touchdowns in a game.

Game of the Week

Mount Carmel at Montoursville: These teams played one of the district's best games a year ago as Montoursville prevailed 43-42 in triple overtime in a roller coaster of a district semifinal. The rematch is a big one as Montoursville could force a three-way tie for first in the HAC-II with a victory. Doing so, though, will be difficult against the 6-0 Tornadoes who are fresh off a dramatic 27-26 victory over defending 2A state champion Southern Columbia. These are two of the district's most storied programs, and a playoff atmosphere again will surround the latest matchup in this series.

–Masse may be reached at cmasse@sungazette.com. Follow him on Twitter at @docmasse