Uniontown lets one slip away
DERRY – Uniontown allowed its playoff chances to slip away Friday night against Derry Area. Leading 21-0, the Red Raiders saw their three-touchdown lead evaporate as the host Trojans scored 24 unanswered points in the second half to knock off Uniontown, 24-21, in a Keystone Conference game.
“It got away from us,” said Uniontown coach John Fortugna. “When you have 21 points up there, you don’t give the game away.”
The loss eliminates the Red Raiders (2-4, 3-5) from playoff contention.
“I have to give Derry Area credit because they never quit, and I told my kids every time we come up here, it’s a great game,” Fortugna said. “They outplayed us in the second half.”
The Red Raider offense had trouble moving the ball all night. Uniontown, which recorded its only first down of the game with 47 seconds left in the third quarter, could only muster just 50 yards of total offense.
“We couldn’t get anything moving on offense, and Derry’s defense was on us and made great plays,” Fortugna said.
Uniontown got its scoring from other sources as the Red Raider defense came up with two first-quarter touchdowns, while the special teams unit also contributed with a punt return for a score.
The Red Raiders could’ve put the game away in the first quarter, but an illegal block in the back nullified a 68-yard touchdown while a running into the kicker penalty brought back a 70-yard punt return.
“Those two touchdowns in the first quarter were called back and that hurt us,” Fortugna said. “It finally caught up to us in the second half and we lost the football game.”
Kerik Morris got Uniontown on the board early after he recovered a Josh Boggio fumble for a 30-yard touchdown. Dylan Spedden staked the Red Raiders to a 14-0 lead five minutes later, returning a Boggio interception 51 yards for a touchdown.
The Red Raiders, who held Derry Area to 23 yards of total offense in the first half, took a 21-0 lead early in the third quarter on a 51-yard punt return by Fred Johnson, but that was the last time Uniontown would reach the end zone.
Derry’s Bobby Shorthouse caught a 46-yard touchdown pass to get his team on the scoreboard and Collin Greene’s 4-yard to run pulled the home team within seven.
The Trojans tied the game when Ron Nicely capped a three-play drive with a 37-yard score.
Tyler Matusak capped the Trojan comeback with a 24-yard field goal as time expired.