Joe Headen’s “Chicken Finger Fiasco” turned out to be a blessing.
This isn’t the story of some backyard BBQ gone wrong, or finding something nasty in your drive-thru snack.
This is about football. And rain. And teenagers. And lessons learned for the kids on the field and the coaches on the sideline.
Rewind to Week 8.
Rain and lightning pummeled the area that Friday evening, including a surge at Hersheypark Stadium where Headen’s Indians were battling Hershey.
The host Trojans had just pinned the Indians at the 2-yard line with a perfectly placed punt, the game still scoreless and not even five minutes old.
Susquehanna Twp. was still figuring itself out, adding new elements to the offensive mix every week to make it more than just The Colby Grant Show.
An offensive line in flux all season had, it turns out, finally found the right recipe the week before with center Alijah Burno, guards C.J. Shaw and Gerald Boddie, and tackles Adin Hines and Chris Seigle.
A confidence-draining loss to Bishop McDevitt preceded two narrow victories over Lower Dauphin and Cedar Cliff leading up to this game, so Headen and staff were at Code Orange, nearing Code Red.
Lightning struck nearby, and the kids were yanked from the stadium turf. Headen thought it was a sign. “Good,” he said to himself. “Let’s pack up and finish this darn thing Monday.”
But this was only a delay. Kids gathered first in the hot, humid locker room, then were allowed outside. Many reached the concession stands and started gobbling up chicken fingers and French fries.
Headen spotted this. Code Red indeed.
“This chicken finger fiasco started, and I was so upset,” he said. “I was so glad thinking we weren’t going to play until Monday, but as soon as I get done with my tirade, Mr. [Hershey athletic director Sam] Elias comes in and says we’re going to start back up in 15 minutes.”
Some players spoke in response, that awesome goose-pimple stuff that rallies the team and singes loose ends. Senior Justin Gassert, who’d recently emerged as another running-back option to complement the speed demon Grant, was one. Wide receiver Jordan Banks and linebacker Gary Hurst did, too.
The game restarted, and moments in, quarterback Jordan Baskerville sprinted 75 yards for a touchdown. Gassert, Grant, Mike Jones and Grant again added scores in the second quarter as Susquehanna Twp. built a 35-0 lead.
“Once they told us we had 15 minutes to restart the game, we got back to being focused,” Banks said of the delay. He could also be speaking about the season.
“We came together and bonded,” Baskerville added. “We were just trying to stay focused and stay calm. We had to overcome a lot of adversity.”
An unpredictable and highly versatile offense, directed by offensive coordinator Doug Atticks, running backs coach Eric Ramsey, offensive line coach Clarence Stokes and offensive quality control coach Rich Pastucka, played a significant role as well, as more and more players — Gassert, Jones, Banks, Jordan Millberry, Lorin Butler, Takhi Turner, Logan Sangree-Hills, Nick Trovalli, Tavon Thompson, etc. — were getting tossed into the mix with Grant and Baskerville.
“What sort of sets us apart from other schools is we have so many guys we can use,” Atticks said. “You can’t really focus on one thing because we can hurt you with so many different things.”
VIDEO: Doug Atticks talks about Susquehanna Twp. offense
What’s more, Headen says, is everybody — from Grant on down — has bought into the share-the-ball philosophy, and the Tribe has rattled off four straight decisive, high-scoring victories leading into its District 3-AAA quarterfinal tonight at home against Manheim Central.
“I can laugh at it now, and we joked [after the Hershey game] that we should feed them chicken fingers and fries at halftime for every game,” Headen said. “But that night showed that maybe my guys were more mature than I gave them credit for being.
“This group feeds off each other. [Note: No pun intended by Headen.] They’ve been very unselfish. It’s been inspirational.”
VIDEO: Susquehanna Twp. WR Jordan Banks talks about "variety" offense
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