Except when it moved toward the end zone. Then Lewisburg put up a metaphorical no entry sign. The red zone became the dead zone.

Lewisburg formed a White and Green wall all those times it appeared Montoursville might score, holding it scoreless on four trips inside the 35-yard line and three inside the red zone. Add in holding Montoursville to a second quarter field goal and Lewisburg surrendered just three points on four red zone trips between those first and last Montoursville possessions.

That resilient, physical defense made the difference as Lewisburg erased that 10-point deficit and edged the Warriors, 22-19 Friday at Memorial Stadium. Jeremiah Davis ran for 144 yards and two touchdowns, Chase Wenrich made three crucial plays on a go-ahead scoring drive and Lewisburg (8-1) reached eight wins in a season for the first time since 2012.

Kingston Fisher of Montoursville tries to sack Chase Wenrich of Lewisburg at Montoursville High School. Lewisburg won 22-19. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

“That really shows our character. We don’t break,” linebacker Quin Michaels said after making 12 tackles, including two for loss. “We bend but we don’t break.”

“Especially when we’re in the red zone we have a lot of heart,” said fellow linebacker Tyler Downs, who made a crucial third quarter sack to end a scoring threat. “We don’t want to let them into our end zone. We want to make sure we’re defending and defending our pride with that.”

They did so time after time. Lewisburg is the state’s No. 9-ranked Class AAA team, obviously is talented. But this hard-earned win against a tough opponent was more about its heart than anything else.

Combine those repeated clutch stops with two long second half touchdown drives and Lewisburg had what it needed to win the latest thriller in a series defined by them over the last 12 years. The Dragons also solidified their hold on the No. 2 seed in the district field and beat Montoursville in consecutive games for the first time since the 2011 and 2012 seasons.

“Our senior leadership is outstanding. When we get into those types of moments that’s what they’re talking about. They’re saying, ‘Let’s go, no touchdowns, no points. Let’s stop them,'” Lewisburg coach Eric Wicks said. “As they’re going down the field guys are saying, ‘That’s my mistake, and I owe you one,’ instead of dropping their heads. It’s that kind of mentality that is helping us win.”

Jeremiah Davis of Lewisburg runs for a touchdown against Montoursville in the thrid quarter at Montoursville High School. Lewisburg won 22-19. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

Christian Banks shined for Montoursville, running for 140 yards while going over 1,000 this season. Quarterback Jimmy Mussina threw for 181 yards and totaled two touchdowns, while also eclipsing the 1,000-yard barrier for a second straight season. Hayden Harvey and Kingston Fisher added sacks, but Montoursville (5-4) suffered heartbreak for a second straight week after also losing at Southern Columbia by three points.

Montoursville gained 363 yards and, not counting the final play of the half when it let the clock run out, moved at least as far as Lewisburg’s 31-yard line on all seven possessions. It also gained 26 first downs. But highlighting how effective Lewisburg grew once Montoursville was close to scoring, Lewisburg allowed just 10 yards on nine red zone plays between the first and final possessions.

A week after holding Shamokin scoreless in a five-point loss, the defense heated up when the pressure was most intense and produced one of its best wins this season.

“It’s a statement as a team. It shows who we are as a team,” Downs said. “We have heart and we’re going to play until the last second no matter what.”

A Mussina two-yard touchdown capped an opening Montoursville 12-play scoring drive and the Warriors went down the field again on their ensuing series, facing a third-and-1 at the 19. There, Sean Field and Danon Alabakoff, who made 13 tackles, stopped Harvey for no gain. Gavin Hawley’s 36-yard field goal made it 10-0 but the third down stop was a harbinger and Lewisburg immediately built on the momentum.

Christian Banks, left and Elijah Eck of Montoursville tackle Chase Wenrich of Lewisburg at Montoursville High School. Lewisburg won 22-19. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

Davis followed a super edge block by Michaels for 31 yards on fourth-and-3 before scoring a 1-yard touchdown on the next play, making it, 10-7. Again Montoursville thundered down the field and Banks caught a 13-yard Mussina pass setting up 4th-and-goal about a foot from the end zone.

Again, the Dragons breathed fire and denied points. Linemen Andrew Smith, Ben Crane, Nate Malusis and Hayes Schumacher exploded off the ball, Micahels, Downs and Alabakoff backed them up and Mussina was stopped a few inches from the goal line.

And while the ensuing field possession led to a safety on an intentional grounding penalty which put Montoursville ahead, 12-7 at halftime, the goal line stand was another game-changing moment.

“We pinched our d-line and our d-line up front handles them and the linebackers collapse and we all come together,” Michaels said. “We always say do it for our brothers, do it for the guy next to us. We do it for them. We don’t do it for ourselves, we do it for each other. We make our plays and we all do our jobs.”

That continued in the second half. After Wenrich’s 1-yard touchdown gave Lewisburg its first lead, 14-12, Downs delivered the next in a line of super red zone plays. The Warriors moved to the Dragon 12-yard line and faced a third-and-9, at the 12-yard line. A field goal would put Montoursville ahead by one, but Downs removed that possibility when he charged from Mussina’s blind side and dropped him for a 13-yard loss. The ensuing 4th-and-22 pass was incomplete as Lewisburg again preserved the lead.

Noah Rakestraw of Montoursville can’t make the tackle on Chase Wenrich of Lewisburg at Montoursville High School. Lewisburg won 22-19. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

“I just saw the lane open up and I saw all my friends around me and I said I’m going to make the play and we made the play,” Downs said. “That was huge for our team. It shifts momentum and let’s our offense have a chance to get momentum and keep building.”

Sure enough, four plays later, Davis broke through the line, shed two tacklers and ripped off a 62-yard run to the 5-yard line. Wenrich scored two plays later before Michaels did his best Tim Tebow impersonation, throwing a jump pass to Owen Fellon for a 2-point conversion which made it, 22-12.

“It helped boost our momentum and understand that we have to go win this game now,” Wicks said. “We can’t wait until the fourth quarter. We’ve been in overtime before with this team and lost, so it was make sure we go get it now.”

Alabakoff helped Lewisburg get it on the next series when he delivered another timely sack. Montoursville had reached the 17-yard line, but Alabakoff’s third down sack resulted in a 9-yard loss and again forced a fourth-and-18 which the secondary covered well to end another scoring opportunity.

Lewisburg proved equally adept on third down offensively. On the go-ahead touchdown drive, Wenrich dropped a dime to Jaylen Walker who made an excellent 31 yard catch on third-and-9. Three plays later Wenrich burst through an opening on third-and-10 and gained 19 yards before he and Nick Coleman repeated a near identical sequence as the Wenrich-to-Walker connection on the right sideline, this one covering 25 yards on second-and-15. That set up Lewisburg at the 5-yard line and Davis scored from a yard out two plays later, putting Lewisburg ahead to stay, 14-12.

James Williams of Montoursville scores a touchdown against Lewisburg at Montoursville High School. Lewisburg won 22-19. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

Montoursville finally broke through on its final series, showing no quit and going 60 yards after taking over with 1 minute, 52 seconds remaining. Mussina made an excellent play avoiding pressure and found James Williams for an 11-yard touchdown which made it, 22-19. Even when it did allow points, however, Lewisburg was still effective since it forced all but the game’s final 2.9 seconds to run off the clock.

The ensuing onside kick did not travel the mandatory 10 yards and Lewisburg celebrated its 12th win in 14 games going back to last year. It has been quite a run for a senior group which entered the program along with Wicks and has continued climbing the ladder ever since.

Resilient performances like the one delivered Friday are a major reason why.

“It’s amazing. They were like kids when we started and now they’re like young men and they understand what’s going on and they’ve grown,” Wicks said. “Their knowledge of the game and their desire to win has come so far and that’s why we’re winning. That senior leadership is huge. They know what it’s like to go 5-5 and 2-9 and 6-6, and at this point they deserve to win.”

Jimmie Mussina of Montoursville is tackled by Quinn Michaels of Lewisburg at Montoursville High School. Lewisburg won 22-19. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette