Twin Valley earns big win over Elco in District 3 Class 4A football quarterfinal
Nov. 11—Coming off a bye week, Twin Valley picked up right where it left off in the regular season.
Second-seeded Twin Valley opened its playoff run with a commanding 35-7 win over seventh-seeded Elco in a District 3 Class 4A football quarterfinal on Friday night at Twin Valley.
"It was good for us to be able to get a little bit of a break," Twin Valley coach Brett Myers said. "We came out with good effort and we finished the way we should."
True to form, Twin Valley (10-1) ran for 359 yards and five touchdowns on 46 carries. Friday marked the third straight game in which Twin Valley ran for at least 250 yards.
"We got a big line," Myers said. "We got two really good backs. They established themselves today as a physical group."
Running back Drew Engle led the way with a season-high 200 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries. It was the sophomore's second straight game with at least 100 yards.
"Our O-line did a phenomenal job," Engle said. "It's nice running behind them."
Engle opened the scoring late in the first quarter with a 7-yard run to make it 7-0 after Sam Frey's extra point.
Twin Valley extended its lead just over three minutes later on a 2-yard run from fullback Ean Winchester. The senior finished with 21 yards and the score on three carries and had one catch for 21 yards.
Engle scored again early in the second quarter, this time on a 2-yard run. Friday marked his third straight game with a rushing touchdown.
"They did their job," Engle said about the offensive line. "It helps me look good."
Quarterback Evan Myers broke free on a 52-yard touchdown run just before halftime to give Twin Valley a 28-0 lead. The junior finished 6-of-11 passing for 98 yards with an interception and had 89 rushing yards and the touchdown on six carries.
Twin Valley increased its lead late in the third quarter on a 5-yard run from running back Evan Johnson. The junior finished with 53 yards and the score on 12 carries.
"We're pretty good at running the ball," Brett Myers said. "We did what we should do."
Elco (8-4) got on the board early in the fourth quarter on a 47-yard touchdown run from running back Jake Williams. The senior had 179 yards and the touchdown on 22 carries. He came in with 2,232 yards rushing yards this season.
Williams was the lone bright spot Elco, which had just 226 total yards. A power-running team, Elco finished 2-of-15 passing and had just seven first downs.
"Little disappointed in how we finished," Brett Myers said. "We did a pretty good job on the Williams kid."
Twin Valley advances to the semifinals for the second consecutive year. Twin Valley will host third-seeded Manheim Central (10-1) — which defeated No. 6 seed Susquehanna Township 45-34 in a quarterfinal — on Friday, Nov. 17, at 7 p.m. The Barons have won 18 district titles, their most recent coming in 2018 in Class 5A.
"That's going to be some great competition for us," Engle said. "We're excited."
