Cocalico coach Dave Gingrich walked over to Susquehanna Township quarterback Ben Dupree, shook his hand, and whispered something in his ear.
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Gingrich had just watched Dupree account for 504 yards of total offense, and five scores, in the Indians' 50-32 win over the Eagles in the District Three Class AAA quarterfinals at Roscoe Warner Field Friday night.
Needless to say, Gingrich was impressed.
"I told him that he was the best quarterback that I've seen in a long, long time," Gingrich recalled. "I thought we had a good game plan against him. But we don't have anyone that can simulate what he can do."
"He's a special player."
Township coach Joe Headen was equally in awe of his senior quarterback, who rushed for 350 yards and three touchdowns in 24 carries. But Headen couldn't quite explain what makes Dupree so great.
"It's what he does. I can't explain it," Headen said. "Sometimes you sit and watch him and try not to be a fan. It looked like he almost pushed fast-forward on a video. He's special."
The win advances the Indians (11-1) to next week's semifinals against West York, which beat Conestoga Valley, 35-34, in overtime Friday.
It was Cocalico (9-3) that impressed in the first half.
Matt Carty (6-90 rushing) scored on the Eagles' first play of the game with a 55-yard sprint before hooking up with Kyle Rissell for a 55-yard scoring strike and a 12-0 lead.
After having two first-quarter touchdown runs negated due to holding penalties, and Dupree thowing picks to Kevin Antol and Tim Larkin, Dupree (9-of-17 passing, 154 yards) hit Josh Grafton for scores of 30 and 46 yards. A PAT kick and a Dupree run, off of a bad snap, gave Township a 15-12 lead at the break.
Grafton's 46-yard score came on fourth-and-11 with a few seconds on the clock. Grafton streaked by the Eagles' prevent defense, catching Dupree's well-placed ball in end zone for the lead and the momentum.
"That turned the game around," Dupree said of the score. "They were beating us up in the first half but when you looked at the scoreboard we were up. We knew if we played our game we could win."
"We flushed him out of the pocket and he threw what I thought wasn't a good ball, but they made the play," Gingrich said.
Township added to the lead on its first possession of the second half when Adrian Arp (18-106 rushing) capped a 12-play, 65-yard drive with a one-yard plunge.
Cocalico answered on the ensuing kickoff when Tim Larkin raced 82 yards untouched to make it 22-19 in the Indians' favor.
From that point on, the Indians' big plays sealed the game.
Dupree scored three more times with runs of 82, 60 and 73 and Arp added another score on a 55-yard jaunt.
"It feels good to put up a game like that against a great team in Cocalico," Dupree said. "They're well coached and well disciplined."
Cocalico scored twice in the fourth when Carty hit paydirt from 15 yards out and Kyle Felpel hooked up with Kevin Antol on a 41-yard halfback option pass. Austin Hartman carried 19 times for 78 yards for Cocalico.
"I think the sign of a good team is that when you're faced with adversity, you can go one of two ways," Gingrich said. "Our kids stepped up all season."
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