Conemaugh Township runs past rival Windber in District 5-1A football semifinal
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DAVIDSVILLE — Senior running back Brennan Lohr rushed for 231 yards and three touchdowns, while sophomore quarterback Greyson Studer added 111 yards, two rushing touchdowns and a passing TD, guiding Conemaugh Township past rival Windber 41-28 in the District 5-1A semifinal, Friday, Oct. 31.
It was Conemaugh Township’s first D5 playoff win since 2016, when the program won a district championship.
“This is a special group,” said Conemaugh Township coach Brandon Studer. “Our offensive line, for at least the last two years, we’ve been preaching to them. You are the right guys for the job; you’ve just got to believe in yourselves. Now, the last four weeks, they’re really peaking out there. They want to run the football. They’re eager to run the football. Tonight, Brennan and Greyson were finding the holes they were opening.”
Lohr notched two first-quarter touchdowns on runs of 19 and 5 yards midway through the quarter, and second-seeded Conemaugh Township led 13-0 with 6:27 to go.
Windber responded, when senior Nokosi Fowler-Whetstone broke through on a 45-yard touchdown run. Jonas Krause added the PAT, and the Ramblers trailed 13-7 with 5:04 remaining.
Conemaugh Township (7-4) came up big defensively in the second quarter. Senior D.J. Bambino made a sliding interception on the Windber sideline. Lohr cashed in the turnover with an 11-yard touchdown run, capping a 10-play, 70-yard drive all on the ground. Conemaugh Township led 20-7 at the break.
“We came into the season aiming to beat Windber in the playoffs, and that’s exactly what happened,” Lohr said. “All that hard work we’ve been putting in every single practice, all season long, even on Friday nights have been getting us ready for a game like this. I couldn’t be more proud of the guys. We executed perfectly.”
Conemaugh Township had 214 rushing yards at the half.
“All year, we put it on tape, and teams that run right at us, we’re not built to stop that,” Windber coach Matt Grohal said.
Studer diversified the rushing attack in the second half. He recorded his first touchdown of the game with 6:14 left on a 1-yard score. It came on the heels of a fumble recovered by Josh Baker, setting Conemaugh Township up at the Windber 36.
“I’ve got to give the whole credit to the line,” Greyson Studer said. “They’re opening crazy holes for us. We could drive a semi-truck through those holes.”
Freshman Ike Serenko cut into the Conemaugh Township lead on a 57-yard touchdown run with 5:11 remaining in the third. He finished with 120 yards on the ground.
It was a wild start to the fourth quarter. Three touchdowns were scored in a 2:04 span of time. Studer found pay dirt on a 14-yard run for a 34-14 lead.
Then, Fowler-Whetstone broke loose on a 56-yard scamper just 28 seconds later. He finished with 119 rushing yards.
However, Studer delivered the knockout blow, when he scrambled right, avoiding a sack, then found a wide-open Colton Shippey for a 75-yard touchdown.
Cole Mash added a 1-yard touchdown for the third-seeded Ramblers (5-5) with 5:06 to go, setting the final.
It was the final game of Grohal’s 15-year head coaching career at Windber. He resigned ahead of Week 9, after being reinstated from a 2-game administrative suspension during investigations into an alleged hazing incident involving members of the football program. Grohal’s been an integral part of Windber football for 25 years and has put in countless hours leading a program rich in tradition to a pair of D5 crowns.
“It’s been a long time, and to not be here is tough,” Grohal said. “This has been my life. It sucks. I want to be with these kids and I can’t. I love these kids. I love the community, and I love this program. If what I was doing was wrong, I don’t want to be right.”
Conemaugh Township meets top-seeded Meyersdale for the D5 title.
Adam Ripple is the Daily American sports editor. He can be reached at 814-444-5926. Follow him on X @ARipple_DAsport. Follow Daily American Sports on Facebook and @dailyamericanmedia on Instagram.
This article originally appeared on The Daily American: Conemaugh Township bests Windber for 1st D5 playoff win since 2016
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