The last time these former division rivals met in 2017, the Barons mashed the Ephrata Mountaineers 79-7.

Ephrata had not beaten Mannheim Central in 16 matchups.

But that losing streak is officially over.

Ephrata comes away with the HUGE 31-14 Win over Manheim Central! Mounts scored 17 unanswered points in the 4th quarter.

Brayden Brown had 2 rushing TD’s in the game plus a crucial scoop and score on defense in that final quarter.

Ephrata starts the season 2-0.

Last season was the most successful campaign ever for Ephrata, which won a share of the Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 3 title, made the District 3 playoffs for the first time since 1987, and collected the first three postseason wins in program history before falling to Cocalico 23-9 in the Class 5A title game.

Ephrata can attribute much of their success to Brayden Brown, who rushed for 43 yards and two touchdowns. Brown’s also deserves a shoutout for his performance on D, forcing a fumble, making 11 total tackles (2.0 for loss), and defending a pass which he returned for a touchdown.

Ephrata wouldn’t let Manheim Central keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force two fumbles. Ephrata can thank Dominic Pugh and Brown for forcing both of them. Pugh also put in work on the defensive side of the ball, forcing a fumble and making eight total tackles.

Ephrata’s victory was their eighth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 2-0. As for Manheim Central, their defeat dropped their record down to 1-1.

Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Ephrata will face off against Garden Spot at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. As for Manheim Central, they will head out to take on Dallastown at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.

L-L football standings after two weeks: