The Gettysburg High School Warriors (2-2) showed out on homecoming night for their home crowd with over 400 yards of total offense and a decisive 38-20 win over the visiting Northern York (0-4) Polar Bears.
Despite the consistent flags on the field throughout the game, with over 20 penalties called, the Warriors fired on all cylinders in every phase of the game. “They (penalties) were haunting us, but we were still able to capitalize on some opportunities despite being backed up. We need to eliminate the mistakes moving forward,” said coach Matt Heiser; the Warriors had over 12 penalties.
After a pair of scoreless drives, Gettysburg drew first blood with an 11-yard scramble from QB Grant Johnson, where the sophomore capped his own TD with a 2pt conversion to make the score 8-0 with just over a minute left in the 1st quarter. After a quick Northern York three-and-out, the Warriors put together another efficient drive, capped off with a Johnson pass to senior playmaker Julius Warren to make the score 15-0 at 9:07 in the 2nd quarter. “It feels good, really good,” Warren said about his offensive outburst, “we prepared for it and showed it on the field.” Warren finished the game with two receiving touchdowns and over 80 yards total offense, including multiple tackles and pass breakups on defense. Gettysburg would go into the half up 15-0 after an array of drives got derailed by penalties, and the Warrior defense turned the ball over on downs for the Polar Bears.
The second half opened with Northern York driving down the field (with a flurry of flags thrown along the way) and reaching pay dirt via a Grady Bonin scamper into the end zone to make the game 15-6. Any momentum gained by the four-and-a-half-minute drive by the visiting team was quickly erased by the next kickoff. Mauricio Escobar-Rudy fielded the ensuing kickoff and took it across the field and down the opposing sideline for a quick score; Warriors 22, Polar Bears 6.
The next Northern York drive stalled just outside the red zone, and they turned the ball over on downs at the Gettysburg 21-yard line. The Warriors open up their next drive with a jet sweep to Julius Warren that goes for 40 yards, then some healthy doses of their bell cow, Preston Burnett. Warren would find the endzone a second time thanks to an arcing pass from Johnson to extend the lead to 29-6. The ensuing drive would consist of a quick Polar Bear strike of QB Mason Barnett, hitting Cash Keck for a 76-yard touchdown. Gettysburg responded with what they know best: hand the ball off to number 5. Preston Burnett finished the game with over 175 yards, and most of them came in the second half, and wore down the opposing defense thanks to the tenacity with which he runs the football. Preston refuses to stop churning his legs once he is met with contact and is always the lower man. Watching him run after initial contact is similar to watching longtime NFL standout Frank Gore run the football; not always flashy, he can break away, but will almost always make two yards turn into four or five yards.
Grant Johnson finished the drive and found the endzone through the air for the third time, this time to Trevor Cunningham, to extend the lead to 36-12 with just 9:49 left in the fourth quarter. Northern finished the game with a late score, making the final 36-20 in favor of the home team; however, the Warriors were dominant in every facet of the game.
The defense was starting four sophomores and recorded three three-and-outs and three turnovers on downs drives. “We started four young guys on defense tonight; they’re getting better each week. We have older guys in the shell, the younger guys up front are getting better and getting more mature,” said Heiser of his defense. “Defense plays with energy. Whenever we’re dead out there, we’re silent, we’re not making plays. When we have the energy and we’re communicating, that’s when we’re at our best,” says Juluis Warren. Despite his offensive output, Warren contributed to the defense just as much, helping with multiple tackles and pass breakups.
The Warriors (2-2) will travel to Mechanicsburg (3-1) to face the Wildcats, who are coming off their first loss since October 6th, 2023.
