Sep 28, 2002 By The 15 min read

Uniontown saw its 15-game regular-season winning streak snapped, as Greenesburg Salem held on for a 9-7 Keystone Conference victory Friday night at Offutt Field. Leading 7-6 at halftime, the Red Raiders (4-1, 2-1) could advance no deeper than the Golden Lions’ 35-yard line in the second half.

After taking over on downs at its own 36-yard line, Greensburg Salem (3-2, 2-0) had a drive stall at the Uniontown 19 and brought in Adam Bonfanti to try a 37-yard field goal. Bonfanti split the upright with plenty of room to spare to give the Golden Lions their first lead, 9-7, with 2:41 left in the quarter.

The Red Raiders had turned away a Greensburg Salem scoring threat with 5:33 to play after Nashawn Jackson intercepted a pass near the Red Raiders’ goalline on fourth down and returned it 19 yards.

Uniontown picked up two first downs and had a first-and-10 at its own 43-yard line, but two incompletions and a four-yard run by quarterback Ryan Guthrie brought up a fourth down and six. Guthrie was sacked by Greensburg Salem’s Jonathan Beck with 3:40 remaining.

Guthrie gave Uniontown a 7-0 lead when he called his own number from one-yard out with 6:36 left in the first quarter. Two plays earlier, the Red Raiders’ Greg Leonard rumbled 61 yards to set up a first-and-goal at the Greensburg Salem 5.

Greensburg Salem got on the board with 4:34 remaining in the half, when Michael Bonnano scored on a seven-yard reverse to culminate a five-play drive which began at the Uniontown 37. The snap on the extra point attempt was bobbled, however, and Uniontown still led 7-6.

Leonard led Uniontown with 68 yards on three carries, while Bill McLee was held to 30 yards on eight attempts. Guthrie was 4 of 16 for 46 yards and one interception.

Brandon Sticca led the Golden Lions with 103 yards on 22 carries, while quarterback Chris Marsh was 8 of 15 for 98 yards.

Laurel Highlands 18, Yough 12

Amos Alonzo Stagg may be rolling over in his grave, but Laurel Highlands Coach Scott Knee is probably still smiling after his team beat Yough for its second consecutive win.

In a sloppy game that was marred by a combined 30 penalties for 247 yards, Laurel Highlands turned back a Yough rally to improve to 2-3 overall and 1-1 in the Keystone Conference.

“I’m seriously happy,” said Knee, the first-year coach. “We have a long way to go yet, but these kids played their hearts out and have come a long way in a short period of time. They deserve the feeling they have right now and I’m so happy for these guys. I really am. It’s a good feeling.”

Laurel Highlands nearly let that good feeling slip away, however. After Corey Nesser scored on a 1-yard touchdown run and added a 2-point conversion, the Mustangs led by 18-6 with 7:38 remaining. But Yough rallied.

The Cougars returned the ensuing kickoff to their own 43 and a facemask penalty moved them to the LH 42. Six plays later, a pop-up of a touchdown pass moved Yough to within 18-12.

Laurel Highlands punted the ball back with 3:41 left and Cougar Mountain was hopping with energy. But after Yough advanced to the LH 22, three consecutive sacks clinched the Mustangs’ win.

Linebacker Tim Hirsch had the first sack, defensive end J.T. Stefanik had the next two, and Hirsch finished Yough off by tackling quarterback Scott Kasics after he’d scrambled for a 2-yard gain on fourth-and-33.

“When they got the ball back, I was concerned because we’re not used to winning,” Knee said. “But our kids stepped it up. That showed me something. They’ve come a long way.”

The pass rush at the end of the game was similar to the pressure Laurel Highlands applied early in the game. Kasics was sacked on his first two pass attempts, had his helmet knocked off on his next attempt, and was generally abused throughout the first half. But he came back to lead Yough in its rally before the Laurel Highlands pressure re-surfaced.

“Our defensive coaches did a tremendous job,” Knee said. “We came out pumped up, hit a lull, but then found another gear late. They weren’t going to let it slip away.”

Carmichaels 40, Mapletown 7

Carmichaels churned out almost 400 yards on the ground in grinding out a lopsided victory over Greene County rival Mapletown.

The Mikes improved to 5-0 overall and 3-0 in the Tri-County South, while the Maples fell to 2-3 and 1-2.

Colby Giles rushed for 129 yards and three touchdowns, Bobby Hathaway added 119 yards and a pair of scores, and quarterback Jono Menhart chipped in with 88 yards. The Mikes ran the ball 52 times for 398 yards.

Hathaway also caught a touchdown pass from Menhart.

Mapletown’s aerial attack gave Carmichaels trouble in the early going. The Maples, riding the arm of Drew Denham, ventured into the Mikes’ territory on their first two possessions, but the drives stalled at the 22 and 5.

Both times the Mikes responded with impressive touchdown drives capped by a 3-yard run by Hathaway in the first quarter and an 9-yard run by Giles in the second quarter. Hathaway added an 8-yard scoring run with 5:57 left in the half to make it 19-0.

Mapletown took advantage of a Carmichaels’ turnover late in the half to notch its only score. Zach Grim recovered a fumble at the Mikes’ 9 and Denham connected with Gerod Buckhalter for a 4-yard TD pass with 12 seconds left on fourth and goal to make it 19-7 at the break.

Giles scored on touchdown runs of 22 and 23 yards in the third quarter to put Carmichaels up 33-7, and Menhart added a fourth-quarter TD toss to Hathaway to cap the game’s scoring.

Denham completed 14 of 32 passes for 111 yards. He was 11 of 21 for 88 yards in the first half. Buckhalter pulled in seven receptions for 66 yards.

Waynesburg 27, Charleroi 3

Last week, Cory Walsh proved he can run with the football. Friday night, he showed he can pass it, too.

Waynesburg Central’s senior quarterback completed seven of 12 passes for 137 yards and two touchdowns, both to junior receiver Scott Cree, and running back Bryan Golden ran for 102 yards and two more scores as the Raiders beat Charleroi.

Waynesburg stayed perfect at 5-0 (3-0 in Interstate Conference action) to set up next Friday’s showdown with Jeannette. Charleroi fell to 3-2 overall and 0-2 with its second consecutive conference loss.

“I have confidence in our passing game,” Waynesburg Central coach Dave Sarra said. “We haven’t been in many situations where we needed to put the ball in the air like we did tonight. We have confidence in Cory’s ability to throw it.”

Walsh was crisp on this damp evening and teamed with Cree to have a banner night. Cree caught five passes for 119 yards and the two scores.

“The coaches just called good plays,” Walsh said. “The offensive line gave me tome to throw and Cree can fly by any cornerback in the conference.”

“Their quarterback obviously was the difference in the game,” Charleroi coach Jim Dumm said. “Our guys were in good position to make plays on those throws, but that kid put the ball right on the money.”

West Greene 30, Geibel 8

If this had been Three Rivers Stadium a generation ago, the West Greene faithful might have been hollering “deeeee-fense.”

For it was heads up play on “deeeee-fense” that sparked West Greene to a win over Geibel Catholic in their wet Tri-County South Conference game Friday night at Connellsville Stadium.

The Pioneer defense picked off two Gator passes, returning both for touchdowns, and forced five fumbles, recovering four, to set up another touchdown and a field goal. The fourth TD came on a six-play, 65-yard drive in the first period, following a Gator punt.

And the Gator defense had their own moment, scoring the only TD late in the fourth.

Geibel Coach Angelo Dippolito said “you can’t turn the ball over as many times as we did and expect to win. We gave them the game. We did come out stronger in the second half, but we have to learn that there are 48 minutes in a football game. West Greene is a good team, they have a fine passing game, but you can’t make the mistakes we did.”

West Greene coach Scott Ondoff said, “The defense did a fine job for us, with some of the players new to the lineup because of injuries to the regulars. Nothing major, but it still gave us the chance to look at some other players on defense and they made the most of their chance.”

Coach Ondoff said, “Our quarterback is a very good athlete. He has accounted for 18 touchdowns so far, and he is nearing 1500 yards in passing.”

QB David Smith was 10-for-17 and 97 yards, five to Brandon Clutter for 45 yards and one TD. Tommy Golacinski led the ground game with 58 yards and one score in 13 carries.

Dan Chorba led Geibel’s rushers with 11-61, and Ardie Renze was 6-49.

Brownsville 41, Southmoreland 10

Brownsville scored 22 unanswered second-quarter points to outlast visiting Southmoreland in front of a homecoming crowd in Interstate Conference Play Friday night at Redstone.

The Falcons were led by the offensive onslaught of Carson Thomas, who scored three touchdowns and gained 106 yards on 16 carries. One of his three touchdowns came on a 79-yard punt return. Defensively, Thomas recovered a fumble in the first quarter.

“Carson (Thomas) is a good football player both sides of the ball,” noted Falcon coach Don Bartolomucci.

Thomas’s backfield mate Will Murray was also strong on the night, adding two touchdowns and rushing for 84 yards on seven carries. The two backs combined for 190 yards on 23 carries and scored five of the Falcons six touchdowns.

Quarterback Brian Gates scored the other touchdown on an 11-yard naked bootleg.

“This is the best we’ve come off the ball all year,” said Bartolomucci. “All in all, I was happy with the way the inside of our line played.”

Frazier 21, Jefferson-Morgan 7

Though small in stature, quarterback T.J. Martinak, a 5-7, 150-pound senior, stood tall for the Commodores with three touchdown passes to keep Frazier in the hunt for a Tri-County South Conference playoff berth.

Frazier is now 1-2 in the conference as is Jefferson-Morgan. Frazier improves to 2-3 overall while Jefferson-Morgan falls to 1-4.

The Rockets scored on the opening drive of the game, taking advantage of Jeff Weaver’s 68-yard kickoff return. Mike Myers recovered a fumble on the first play of the drive and the visitors made the most of the opportunity when Eric Swinchock capped the five-play drive on a slashing 5-yard run.

Justin Knight’s 28-yard gain on an inside handoff and subsequent face mask penalty pushed to ball inside the Rockets’ 20-yard line, then Martinak capped the drive when he found Steve Erdely wide open for a 15-yard touchdown pass.

Martinak accounted for all but four yards in the second scoring drive of the first quarter by rushing for 14 yards and passing for 45 more yards, including a 24-yard touchdown pass to Knight.

With the offense putting points on the board, it was the Frazier defense rising to the occasion late in the second quarter with an impressive goal line stand. Jefferson-Morgan had four cracks at the end zone from the 1-yard line, but the Commodores held firm.

Martinak put a cap on his performance after the second half kickoff by capping a 7-play, 56-yard drive with a 17-yard scoring pass to Riely Tidholm at 8:41 of the third quarter.

Martinak finished with 64 yards rushing and 102 yards passing on five completions. The Frazier defense allowed nine first downs and 149 total yards while the offense picked up 16 first downs and 267 total yards.

“These kids have been waiting for this for two years,” said Frazier coach Larry Wilson, referring to last year’s loss to Jefferson-Morgan. “We wanted to let T.J. (Martinak) make plays and he stepped up.”

Monessen 26, California 22

Monessen remained undefeated in the Tri-County South Conference with a win over California.

Quarterback Parker Bongiorno’s rushed for two touchdowns on four carries and passed for one for the Trojans. Ryan Robinson also rushed for 128 yards on 27 carries. California had 196 total yards of offense.

Justin Sims opened the scoring for Monessen with a fumble recovery in the first quarter to take the early 6-0 lead.

California rallied back in the second quarter on a 24-yard pass from Bongiorno to Dan Yurkovich. The extra point gave California the 7-6 lead at the 10:37 mark.

Monessen peeled off 13 straight points on a Quinton Martin 15-yard run followed by a 60-yard Ernest Williams interception return as the first half came to a close.

Bongiorno scored on runs of 12 and one yard in the second half as California went up 22-19 at the 10:46 mark in the fourth quarter.

Just 21 seconds later, Williams picked scored the game-winning touchdown on a 68-yard run.

California falls to 1-4 overall and 1-2 in the Tri-County South.

FRIDAY NIGHT RESULTS

WESTERN REGION

Altoona 42, Easton 35

Bald Eagle at Tyrone, ppd rain.

Beaver at Aliquippa, ppd rain.

Bedford 16, Central Cambria 8

Belle Vernon 13, Derry 7

Bellwood-Antis 49, West Branch 0

Berlin Brothers Valley 13, Shade 6

Bethel Park 21, Butler 6

Bishop McCort 21, Richland 6

Blacklick Valley at Windber, ppd rain.

Blairsville 17, Saltsburg 0

Bradford 28, St. Marys 21

Brentwood 40, Leechburg 14

Brookville 40, Union 7

Brownsville 41, Southmoreland 10

Burrell 40, Deer Lakes 6

Cambridge Springs 20, Conneaut Valley 6

Campbell Memorial, Ohio 45, Mercyhurst 6

Canon-McMillan 27, McKeesport 3

Carmichaels 40, Mapletown 7

Center 26, New Brighton 22

Central Catholic 46, Connellsville 0

Central Mountain at Williamsport, ppd rain.

Chartiers-Houston 14, Canevin 6

Clarion-Limestone 44, Clarion 0

Clearfield 45, Bellefonte 13

Corry at Girard, ppd rain.

Coudersport 20, Smethport 7

Curwensville 14, Brockway 8

Downingtown 24, State College 7

Eisenhower 36, Youngsville 0

Elizabeth Forward 44, McGuffey 0

Everett 12, Chestnut Ridge 7

Forest Hills 48, Cambria Heights 0

Fort Cherry 24, Beth-Center 6

Fort LeBoeuf at Northwestern, ppd rain.

Fox Chapel at Albert Gallatin, ppd rain.

Franklin Regional 34, Indiana 27

Frazier 21, Jefferson-Morgan 7

Freedom 34, Quaker Valley 7

Freeport 27, North Catholic 6

Gateway 21, Penn-Trafford 7

Greater Johnstown 41, Somerset 0

Greensburg Central Catholic 7, Washington 6

Greensburg Salem 9, Uniontown 7

Greenville 21, Wilmington 14

Harbor Creek at General McLane, ppd rain.

Hollidaysburg 48, DuBois 8

Homer-Center 15, Laurel Valley 6

Hopewell 35, Mount Pleasant 0

Huntingdon 37, Mount Union 0

Iroquois 16, North East 14

Jeannette 28, Chartiers Valley 7

Johnsonburg 20, Sheffield 0

Johnstown 41, Somerset 0

Junitata Valley 21, Tussey Mountain 14

Kane 27, Cameron County 20

Keystone 28, West Shamokin 8

Keystone Oaks 42, West Mifflin 3

Kiski Area 40, Latrobe 7

Knoch 41, Kittanning 0

Langley 16, Peabody 0

Linesville 26, Lakeview 6

Mars 20, Ford City 7

McDowell 26, Central 0

Monaca 40, Cornell 14

Monessen 26, California 22

Moon 42, Ambridge 8

Moshannon Valley 23, Williamsburg 12

Mt. Lebanon 22, Baldwin 10

New Castle 36, Montour 7

North Hills 35, Shaler 7

Oil City 27, Meadville 12

Penn Cambria 20, Central Martinsburg 7

Penn Hills 38, Hempfield 6

Penns Valley 21, Southern Huntingdon 19

Philipsburg-Osceola at Indian Valley, ppd rain.

Pine-Richland 47, Hampton 0

Portage 28, Conemaugh Township 0

Redbank Valley 26, Allegheny-Clarion Valley 12

Reynolds 19, Mercer 12, 2 OT

Riverside 17, Mohawk 14 (OT)

Saegertown 38, West Middlesex 16

Seneca 16, Fairview 8

Seneca Valley 47, North Allegheny 21

Sharon 14, Grove City 6

Sharpsville 35, Lutheran East 6

Slippery Rock 14, Hickory 10

South 16, Westinghouse 14

South Allegheny 7, Carlynton 0

South Fayette 21, Steel Valley 20

Springdale 48, Serra 7

Summit Academy 8, Union 6

Thomas Jefferson 48, Peters Township 7

Titusville 33, Erie East 0

Trinity 40, Ringgold 14

Union City 28, Conneaut Lake 13

Upper St. Clair 26, Plum 7

Valley 40, Highlands 6

Warren 35, Punxsutawney 8

Waynesburg 27, Charleroi 3

West Allegheny 24, Blackhawk 0

Woodland Hills 34, Norwin 14

EASTERN REGION

Bald Eagle Area at Tyrone, ppd.

Bangor at Palmerton, ppd.

Bermudian Springs at James Buchanan, ppd.

Bethlehem Freedom 19, Allentown Allen 8, ssp. 3rd quarter

Bishop O’Hara at Western Wayne, ppd.

Bishop Shanahan at Great Valley, ppd.

Bloomsburg 6, Central Columbia 0, 2OT

Blue Mountain 7, Tamaqua 0, ssp. 3rd quarter

Boyertown 46, Phoenixville 0

Carlisle at Central Dauphin East, ppd.

Cedar Crest 23, Governor Mifflin 0

Central 42, Lincoln 8

Central Bucks West 13, Bensalem 12

Central Dauphin 28, Cedar Cliff 7

Central Mountain at Williamsport, ppd.

Chichester 51, Caravel Academy, Del., 0

Clearfield 45, Bellefonte 13

Columbia-Montour Vo-Tech 22, Bucktail 20

Council Rock South 19, Methacton 13, OT

Crestwood at Wilkes-Barre GAR, ppd.

Cumberland Valley 45, Coatesville 7

Delaware Valley 14, Carbondale 0

Delone Catholic 31, York Suburban 0

Downingtown 24, State College 7

Dunmore at Scranton, ppd.

East Pennsboro at Big Spring, ppd.

East Stroudsburg South 14, Pleasant Valley 12

Eastern York 13, Littlestown 0

Exeter 28, Reading Central Catholic 27

Frankford 14, Gratz 0

Franklin 28, University City 0

Garden Spot at Elizabethtown, ppd.

Gettysburg 21, Palmyra 14

Hazleton Area at Berwick, ppd.

Hempfield 45, Penn Manor 19

Hershey at Middletown, ppd.

Honesdale at Lackawanna Trail, ppd.

Hughesville 37, Lewisburg 8

Jersey Shore at Danville, ppd.

Kutztown 14, Daniel Boone 6, ssp. 3rd quarter

Lakeland at Valley View, ppd.

Lampeter-Strasburg 41, Reading Holy Name 14

Lancaster Catholic 22, Pequea Valley 21

Lancaster McCaskey at Wilson, ppd.

Lebanon 19, Ephrata 6

Liberty 19, Allentown Dieruff 14

Line Mountain 39, Upper Dauphin 22

Lower Dauphin 20, Mechanicsburg 10

Lower Merion at Marple-Newtown, ppd.

Marian Catholic at North Schuylkill, ppd.

Mastbaum 32, West Philadelphia 0

Mifflinburg at Selinsgrove, ppd.

Millersburg at Newport, ppd.

Milton 20, Shikellamy 0

Minersville at Mahanoy Area, ppd.

Montoursville at Loyalsock, ppd.

Montrose 14, Old Forge 0

Muhlenberg 21, Schuylkill Valley 0

Muncy at North Penn-Blossburg, ppd.

Nazareth 18, Whitehall 7

Neshaminy 31, Truman 6

New Oxford 24, Spring Grove 21, 2OT

North Penn 28, Pennridge 7

North Pocono at Mid Valley, ppd.

Northeast 24, Germantown 6

Northern 28, Shippensburg 0

Northern Lehigh 3, Wilson 0

Northwest at Nanticoke, ppd.

Northwestern at Salisbury, ppd.

Notre Dame-Green Pond 35, Southern Lehigh 14

Overbrook 24, Southern 0

Pen Argyl 28, Palisades 0

Perkiomen Valley 24, Spring-Ford 12

Pius X at Shamokin, ppd.

Plymouth Whitemarsh 28, Upper Dublin 10

Pocono Mountain East at Lehighton, ppd.

Pottsville at Mount Carmel, ppd.

Radnor at Strath Haven, ppd.

Reading High 27, Manheim Township 7

Red Lion at William Penn, ppd.

Ridley 28, Penncrest 21

Roxborough 36, Olney 14

Salesianum, Del., at West Chester Henderson, ppd.

Sayre 20, Waverly, N.Y., 10

Schuylkill Haven 50, Panther Valley 8

Shenandoah Valley 20, Jim Thorpe 14, OT

Shikellamy 20, Milton 0

South Williamsport 39, Montgomery 6

Springfield Delco 30, Haverford 8

Susquehannock at Dallastown, ppd.

Susquenita at Greencastle-Antrim, ppd.

Towanda 42, Troy 6

Tri-Valley at Halifax, ppd.

Trinity at Camp Hill, ppd.

Tunkhannock at Wyoming Area, ppd.

Twin Valley at Conrad Weiser, ppd.

Upper Darby 17, Conestoga 14

Upper Merion 27, Souderton 7

Upper Perkiomen 28, Pottsgrove 14

Warrior Run at Southern Columbia, ppd.

Warwick at Manheim Central, ppd.

Washington 12, Dobbins 0

Waynesboro at West Perry, ppd.

West Scranton at Riverside, ppd.

Wilkes-Barre Coughlin at Wyoming Valley West, ppd.

Williams Valley at Pine Grove, ppd.