Huge debut for Cedar Crest's Gage Ocker: Week 1 L-L game balls

Each Monday during the football season, members of the PennLive prep football coverage team will pass out three game balls to deserving gridiron athletes. So without further ado ...

GAME BALL NO. 1 GOES TO:

Gage Ocker, senior quarterback, Cedar Crest — Hello, world. Making his first varsity start under center for the Falcons, the 6-2, 220-pound senior did not disappoint. On 12 keepers, Ocker rushed for a Week 1 L-L-best 161 yards and — more importantly — he scored four second-half touchdowns, leading host Cedar Crest to a riveting 40-24 victory over rival Lebanon in the 42^nd Cedar Bowl. Ocker also completed 3-of-6 passes for 72 yards. But he did the most damage with his feet. In the second half, he had TD runs of 11, 8, 67 and 9 yards, respectively, helping the Falcons hold off the Cedars. Up next for Ocker and Cedar Crest: A trip to Hersheypark Stadium on Friday night to take on Lower Dauphin, which blanked Middletown 38-0 in Week 1. The Falcons will make a return trip to Hersheypark in two weeks to play Hershey.

GAME BALL NO. 2 GOES TO:

Derek Miller, senior tight end/defensive back, Elco — Although his effort came in a loss, Miller did a ton of damage on both sides of the ball for the Raiders in their crazy 55-54 non-league setback at Hamburg. On offense, the 6-1, 165-pounder caught five passes for 56 yards. Those five receptions were the most in a game by any L-L League receiver in Week 1. On defense, Miller picked off a pair of passes and — get this — he returned both of them for touchdowns. His first pick-six covered 19 yards and his second pick-six was good for 33 yards — the latter capping Elco’s 28-point second quarter outburst, which gave the Raiders a seemingly safe 41-19 lead at the half. However, Hamburg rallied for 36 unanswered points and stunned Elco, which piled up 422 yards of total offense; QB Jeff Martin went 15-of-27 for 320 yards — the most passing yards by an L-L signal caller in Week 1. Next up for Miller and the Raiders: A trip to Steel-High on Friday night for a tussle with the Rollers, who axed Halifax 63-0 in Week 1.

AND GAME BALL NO. 3 GOES TO:

CeVaughn Caldwell, senior wide receiver, Garden Spot — Heck of a season debut for the Spartans’ sleek 6-0, 180-pounder. In Garden Spot’s 48-3 non-league romp at Twin Valley, Caldwell had four catches for 149 yards — 37 yards per grab — and a pair of TD receptions, and he returned a punt 75 yards for another score as the Spartans, who went 10-0 during the regular season last year, got off to another hot start. Caldwell’s TD grabs covered 65 yards — to open the scoring in the first quarter — and 21 yards, which closed out a 27-point first-quarter onslaught for Garden Spot. Caldwell and the Spartans cranked out 399 yards of total offense, as Garden Spot’s o-line — Zach Walker, Chris Trostle, Alex Wilson, Zach Jones, Austin Zook — blew open holes and gave soph QB Mitch Martin plenty of time to throw; he completed 7-of-8 passes for 261 yards and five TDs. Next up for Garden Spot: A home date against Ephrata (0-1) on Friday. The Mounts dropped a 34-7 decision to Exeter in Week 1.

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