Party like it's 1996: How Cambridge Springs football won its first D-10 football title this millennium
MEADVILLE — The streak is over.
For the first time since 2007, District 10 has a Class 1A football champion from somewhere other than Mercer County.
Cambridge Springs looked all season like a squad that could end the drought. But so many others had come close in recent years only to fail.
That wasn’t the case in Saturday’s D-10 final at Bender Field.
No. 2 Cambridge Springs (12-1) built an early lead and forced two late turnovers in a 32-29 victory over top-seeded Lakeview (9-3). The victory avenged a regular season loss to the Sailors, won Cambridge’s first D-10 title since 1996 and returned small-school football glory to Crawford County.
“We’ve been doing it all season, using everybody,” Cambridge Springs head coach Nate Liberty said. “We’re not a one-man band and that’s what I love about this team. Everyone had to step up at the right time and they did. If that’s not Blue Devil pride, I don’t know what is.”
Familiar formula
CS had turned to a variety of playmakers all season. The same was true Saturday when sophomore Brandon Hoover entered the spotlight.
Each side scored twice in a first half that only featured five total possessions. That included CS touchdowns by Preston Gorton and Brett Kania, each followed by two-point conversions to Tristen Mazzadra.
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Mitchell Tingley’s third of four touchdowns gave Lakeview a 22-16 lead with 5:44 left in the third quarter. That’s when the Blue Devils pulled out a few tricks.
CS ran two double passes where quarterback Morgan Applebee lateraled the ball to Josh Gorton, who then threw it to Hoover. The first converted a long third down and brought the Blue Devils into the red zone, and the second formed a 13-yard TD.
“I don’t even know what to say, man,” said Hoover, who also pulled down an interception in the game. “We had this goal all throughout the season. Even in the summer, this was our goal, and we came out and completed it. It was a long journey.”
Game-changing sequence
Josh Gorton recovered a Lakeview fumble on the first play following his TD pass. That gave the Blue Devils a short field and they took advantage when Applebee hit Hoover for a 15-yard score which put them up by 10.
Lakeview answered with 3:27 left, but CS recovered its onside kick attempt and ran out the clock. In a game defined by power running, the Blue Devils were simply three points better.
“Our defense came out and stopped the run game when we needed it at big times,” Preston Gorton said. “Our offense came up big and scored points. There was a lot of contact and we just had to power through it, run through it.”
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Long time coming
Lakeview won 28-22 at CS in an emotional Oct. 6 contest played one day after three Lakeview teenagers were killed in a car accident. Saturday’s rematch featured plenty of emotion, albeit of a different nature.
Mercer County teams had won 16 consecutive Class 1A crowns before Saturday, dating back to Mercyhurst Prep’s 2007 victory.
This Blue Devils squad, however, had the perfect formula. They’re deep, they’re physical and they played an impressive brand of defense against one of the district’s top rushing attacks. They also boast the Gorton twins, a gritty senior duo which has been at the center of the program’s recent rise.
“It’s fun. We grew up playing together and we’ve always been competitive against each other,” Preston Gorton said. “It’s made us each better.”
Josh Gorton concurred with a smile.
“I just like playing with my brother,” he said. “That’s it.”
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Contact Jeff Uveino at juveino@timesnews.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter,@realjuveino.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Streak over: Cambridge Springs wins Class 1A football crown for Crawford County
