A Week 9 rematch between Twin Valley and Lampeter-Strasburg unfortunately had the same outcome for the Raiders on Friday night.

No. 5 Twin Valley lost 31-13 to the No. 1 Pioneers in the Class 4A District 3 semifinal in Lancaster.

“Our kids played really hard, and I don’t think anyone can question that,” Raiders coach Brett Myers said after the game. “They tried really hard. I have to do a little better to prepare them to face a team of this level and to work until the second quarter. But you know, at the end of the day, they’re a very good football team. They deserve a lot of credit.

“Coaches that put everyone in the right position to succeed,” senior quarterback Evan Myers said. “Unfortunately the last few years we haven’t achieved our goals, but I’m happy to be able to do it with the guys we did it with.”

In Week 9 of the regular season, the Raiders (9-3) suffered a blowout 62-14 loss to the Pioneers.

But in a do-or-die game, the Raiders made things a lot more interesting this time around.

To start the game, the Pioneers (12-0) were quick to remind the Raiders how dominant they were.

On the second play from scrimmage, Danny Weichler took a 73-yard draw up the middle, untouched to hit first.

However, on Lampeter Strasburg’s next three possessions, they scored a hat-trick each time in the quarter.

Twin Valley’s offense also struggled to get things going, as they punted twice and turned the ball over once.

It wasn’t until the second quarter that the Raiders saw some success.

Evan Johnson had a 36-yard run to bring his team into the Pioneers’ red zone.

Three plays later, Drew Engle finished the job with a five-yard touchdown run to tie the game at seven points apiece.

On the ensuing kickoff, Cole Lopez caught the ball at the 10-yard line, found a crease and went for the runs.

He was beaten at the Raiders’ 30-yard line as the Pioneers started with excellent field position.

Quarterback Caileb Howse made Lopez’s big comeback count, and quickly.

On the second play of the series, Howse dropped back as his receivers ran down the field.

With plenty of time on their hands, the Raiders defensive backs lost Weichler when he was wide open in the end zone and caught the touchdown for a 29-yard score.

Looking to respond, the Raiders faced a third-and-8 on their own turf.

Evan Myers rushed to his right to try to extend the play, but was then caught by Christian Nolt.

The Pioneers failed to capitalize as kicker Peter Fiorello missed a 39-yard field goal wide left.

Facing a third-and-nine, Myers struggled under pressure but used his playmaking ability to make several defenders miss as he ran 13 yards for a first down Lamar Jackson-style.

“I hope I left something that the younger guys can look up to,” Myers said after the tough loss. “It kind of sets the stage for the years to come.” I feel like a lot of the older guys have done their best to help the younger guys be successful and get ready for next year, even though we’re finishing this year. I can’t wait to see where they go next year.

Unfortunately, the drive resulted in a turnover on downs seven plays later.

With less than three minutes left in the half, running back Dominic Brown decided to make his presence felt.

His number was called seven times on the eight plays of the drive. He rushed for 51 yards on those plays and scored on a three-yard run.

“Both (Howse and Brown) are really good, their offensive line is really good and they have a good plan,” Brett Myers said. “I would say our kids were healthy enough to, speed-wise, keep up with them a little bit. But they are good football players and they deserve all the credit.

Twin Valley faced a 21-7 deficit before halftime.

After a hat-trick by the Raiders in their first series, the Pioneers got back to work.

With about seven minutes left in the third, Howse rushed to his right then back to the middle of the field avoiding defenders, then back to the right before finally finding Weichler in the end zone for a 14 touchdown yards.

However, the potential ‘play of the game’ was erased due to an illegal man downfield.

The Pioneers were forced to attempt a 35-yard field goal that Fiorello knocked down.

As the Raiders offense returned to the field midway through the third game trailing 24-7, they knew they had to get things going before it was too late.

Myers started with a 10-yard run. Engle broke off runs of 17 and 13 yards before the Raiders got inside the one-yard line.

Myers took care of the rest with a QB powerhouse and scored on a second-down effort to lead 24-13.

Brett Myers decided to go for a two-point conversion, resulting in Evan Myers being sacked.

“I tried to get it back to two scores as best we could and it obviously wasn’t the right decision because it didn’t work,” Brett Myers said. “But it was the idea of ​​trying to go for two scores just to keep some momentum and it didn’t work. Bad call on my part.

The Pioneers faced a crucial third and ten, if the Raiders forced a punt they would have a chance to make it a game going into fourth.

However, Howse rushed left, directing traffic downfield before using his legs to take off and gain 13 yards to kill all of the Raiders’ momentum.

Six plays later, Howse hit Emory Fluhr on a cross route, spun downfield and overthrew a defender at the goal line for the score.

Time was not in Twin Valley’s favor as they entered game four with a score of 31-13.

The Raiders had two quality drives that got into Pioneer territory each time, but inevitably resulted in a turnover on downs.

For Twin Valley, Engle finished with 93 yards on 18 carries. Myers had 60 yards rushing and threw for 97 yards and two interceptions on 12-of-24 passing.

Lampeter-Strasburg returns to the Class 4A championship for the first time since 2021 when they lost 7-0 to Bishop McDevitt. Before that, they won the championship in 2019 and 2020.

The Pioneers will face the winner of No. 3 West York and No. 2 Wyomissing.

For the Raiders, their season goals fell short once again.

“I mean, the last four years have been a tough trajectory for everyone, from a team that was 0-10 and 2-8 the last few years to a playoff team that some people are game planning for a little longer for us. It’s a good feeling and I’m excited for the kids for next year,” Evan Myers said.

“A ton,” Brett Myers said of how much he will miss this group. “We have so many good seniors who are good people, you know. They’re great kids and they’ve done a really good job overcoming all the adversity they’ve had this year with injuries and illnesses. This is a special group and we will miss them.

Friday night was the last football game Evan Myers played for his father, Brett, in what was an emotional post-game realization.

“It’s going to be hard,” Evan said with tears in his eyes. “Something that all high school students must experience. It was great to come home for four years, see him every day and be able to talk football. I couldn’t ask for anything else.