Penn State-bound senior Zach Zwinak fueled the 8-0 Lancers' victory with three consecutive rushing touchdowns in the second quarter -- first with a 45-yard run at the 11:15 mark, followed by a 37-yard touchdown with 8:18 on the clock. His final touchdown came on a 1-yard rush in the final five minutes of the half, set up by a Nick Marth interception.

Even with a one-sided score, Tuscarora coach Dean Swink believes his team played with all-out effort, especially on the defensive end.

While Linganore led 7-0 in the first quarter off a 32-yard pass from Marth to Brandon Beisser, Tuscarora (5-3) made several big defensive stops on the ground. However, Linganore continued moving the ball.

"We took some chances and sometimes it paid off for us and sometimes it ended up burning us," Swink said. "We knew they are an awesome team and they are really well-coached. Any time you have to load up to take something away, you make yourself weak to something else."

Linganore coach Rick Conner said his team adjusted well to Tuscarora's defense and played strong defense itself.

"I thought we did a really good job defensively controlling them and playing well against their quarterback," he said.

If anything, Conner said the Linganore needs to work on ball security -- the Lancers had a few fumbles, including a turnover in Tuscarora's end zone.

Holding a 27-0 halftime lead, Linganore continued to play aggressively. Michael Johnson intercepted a pass and went 60 yards for a touchdown with 8:29 to play in the third quarter.

"He's a heck of an athlete," Conner said. "He's been dying to make a play and he made one. He's capable of doing that on a regular basis."

Then, with just seconds remaining in the quarter, Dwayne Randall put the Lancers up, 40-0 with a 28-yard rush.

In the final 3:34 of the game, Tuscarora's backup quarterback, Richard Bartholomew brought Titans fans to their feet when he connected with Chris Hayden for a 61-yard score, preventing the Linganore shutout.

After back-to-back losses, Swink is hopeful that Tuscarora will win its last two games.

"We'll find out what the character of the team is -- if we are able to bounce back," he said.

For Linganore , the win over Tuscarora brings the team another step closer to returning to the state championship.

"That's always a goal," Conner said. "But first thing's first, and that's Thomas Johnson. We've got our hands full with them next week."

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