Laurel Highlands evens record
Hmmm. Scott Knee was right. Laurel Highlands has indeed turned a corner, just as the first-year coach envisioned not that long ago.
But hold your Mustangs. Thought to be a team armed only with a passing attack, Laurel Highlands has reversed its fortunes thanks in large part to a running game which has, over the past three weeks, found its legs.
Junior Corey Nesser rushed for 163 yards and scored twice, as Laurel Highlands evened its record with a 14-7 victory over Derry Friday night before a packed house on homecoming.
The Mustangs’ third consecutive victory puts them in a third-place tie with Greensburg Salem, this week’s opponent, in the Keystone Conference. It also gives Laurel Highlands a .500 record for the first time since Sept. 11, 1997.
“They’re starting to believe in what we’re trying to do,” Knee said. “We’ve come such a long way. It’s all because of the players and my assistant coaches. These kids have done everything I’ve asked of them. We struggled and went 0-3, but the kids did what they were told and kept working.
“What a shot in the arm this is for the kids.”
After rushing for only 185 yards in its first three games, Laurel Highlands (3-3, 2-1) has ground out 413 yards the past three weeks, including 193 Friday night. Nesser was the workhorse, picking up the bulk of the Mustangs’ yardage on 25 carries.
His 31-yard run around left end with 6:10 remaining in the opening quarter gave the Mustangs a 7-0 lead and came one play after Laurel Highlands defensive tackle Scot Russell recovered a Derry fumble.
Nesser capped a 12-play, 77-yard drive with a three-yard run off right tackle to make it 14-0 with 7:06 left in the half. In the drive, Nesser carried seven times for 49 yards.
“He’s starting to come into his own,” Knee said of Nesser. “He’s coming off his blocks and he’s making people miss. His speed is phenomenal. We were running toss play after toss play and he was making things happen.”
Derry (1-5, 1-3) cut the lead to 14-7 with 1:11 remaining in the half when Dom Oliver bulled his way into the end zone from two yards out.
Oliver was one of the Trojans’ few bright spots, rushing for 109 yards on 19 carries.
Despite the victory, mistakes continued to plague Laurel Highlands. The Mustangs committed four turnovers – two lost fumbles and two Matt Humbert interceptions – and were penalized nine times for 85 yards.
Laurel Highlands found a way to overcome the errors, however, something it wasn’t doing in its first three games.
“Offensivley, we’re still making too many mistakes,” Knee said. “But before, when we would get a penalty, we would throw the football. Now, we’re getting the ball to Corey. Our running has improved to where it should help us out in the passing game.”
Another marked area of improvement over the past three games – three and a half games counting a strong third and fourth quarter against Belle Vernon – is the Mustangs’ defense. Laurel Highlands’ defensive line, led by J.T. Stefanik and Ken Riddell, played well, as did linebackers Greg Palladino and Paul Metz.
Metz came up with a key sack of Derry quarterback Dewey Schmitt on a third-and-five play at the Laurel Highlands’ 18 midway through the third quarter, and Stefanik set the tone early when he dropped Oliver for no gain on a third-and-three play near midfield on the Trojans’ first possession.
“We’re getting to the point where we’re having better defensive practices than offense,” Knee said. “We’re starting to come after people. My defensive coaches have done an excellent job.”