Nick Lamey sets pace for Archbishop Carroll in PIAA football playoffs

Officially, the touchdown run covered 53 yards.

Unofficially, it seemed twice that long, especially to the guy carrying the football.

“I don’t remember much about it,” Nick Lamey said. “I was very tired, that’s all I’ve got to say.”

Lamey’s spectacular scoring play rallied Archbishop Carroll from a second-quarter deficit and sparked the Patriots to a 34-28 victory over New Hope Solebury on Friday night in a District 12/District 1 subregional of the PIAA Class 3A state football tournament.

The quarterback’s scramble amazed some observers, including Carroll coach Kyle Detweiler, who regarded the run as “absurd” in its winding way through the defensive secondary and frantic sprint down the sideline to the end zone.

“He went across the whole field and almost through their entire defense,” Detweiler said. “I kept saying he was going to go down and he kept finding a way to stumble in for six points. It was one of the most unbelievable individual efforts I’ve ever seen.”

The play was the signature moment of a signature win for Carroll, the Patriots’ first triumph in a PIAA state playoff game in program history.

» READ MORE: Nick Lamey, Malachi Hansen lead Archbishop Carroll to Class 3A playoff victory

But it was just one of several big plays that Lamey made on a cool, clear night on Cardinal O’Hara’s field as a quarterback, defensive back, and punter.

“I try to give my best effort on every single play,” Lamey said. “Sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn’t.”

Seniors such as dynamic all-purpose standout Malachi Hansen, who scored touchdowns on a 61-yard reception and an 81-yard kickoff return, as well as Darryl Simpson Jr., Tyreese Walker, and Billy Coppock played feature roles in Carroll’s landmark victory.

But Lamey’s versatile playmaking ability was on full display as the 5-foot-11, 165-pound senior passed for 265 yards and three touchdowns, ran for another score, pulled in two interceptions, and unleashed a 50-yard punt from his own end zone.

“I can’t say I’m surprised,” Detweiler said. "That’s who Nick is. He’s just a playmaker. Not the biggest guy, not the fastest, not the strongest. He just makes plays. He’s a Swiss Army knife.”

Lamey sealed the victory with an interception at the Carroll 3-yard line with less than a minute to play. “I knew I had to make a play on it,” Lamey said. “They were this close to scoring.”

Detweiler knew Lamey was exhausted after playing both ways for 47-plus minutes.

“He fought to the end,” Detweiler said. “He was tired. They kept throwing at him, and I would have done the same thing because he was hands-on-hips tired. But he found the way to make an unbelievable play at the end.”

Carroll (2-2) will visit District 4 champion Danville (7-1) in Montour County in the quarterfinals of the state tournament on Saturday afternoon.

The game will mark another step in the progress the Patriots have made during the careers of this season’s seniors. After going from 2008 until 2018 without a winning record, Carroll finished 7-6 in 2019 and now is making the first state playoff run in program history.

“This team really deserves it,” Lamey said. “We’ve been out here working every single day, even through COVID and everything. We’ve been pushing ourselves every single day.

“It feels amazing to go out like this. Senior year, you try and make a mark.”