Mustangs clinch with win over AG
John F. Brothers/HeraldStandard.com
Laurel Highlands’ Danzel Beasley (7) finds running room as he gets by Albert Gallatin’s Robby Shea (7) during Friday’s game at York Run.
Albert Gallatin's Collin Smith (28) takes a hand-off from quarterback Marty Dodson. Smith, a sophomore, ran 25 times for 146 yards and two touchdowns. He also scored on a pass from Dodson.
Laurel Haiglands' Danzel Beasley (7) gets some blocking help from teammate George Teslovich (65) during the Mustangs 47-26 win over Albert Gallatin. Beasley gained 139 yards on 21 carries and scored three touchdowns, including one on an 87-yard kickoff return.
Albert Gallatin quarterback Marty Dodson gets his pass away before being wrapped up by Laurel Highlands Jake Kearns (35).
Laurel Highlands' Danzel Beasley (7) finds a hole and takes off for the end zone on this second-quarter kickoff return against Albert Gallatin.
Two weeks ago, Laurel Highlands football coach Zack Just wasn’t thinking about the WPIAL playoffs.
His team had just been dealt a 63-0 loss by powerful Franklin Regional and Just used words like “unacceptable” in describing his team’s play.
Just also noted that his team had “two winable games left and we need to make the most of them.”
The Mustangs did just that and capped their first regular season under Just with a 47-26 win over Albert Gallatin Friday night.
That win, coupled with Derry’s 28-7 loss to Hollidaysburg, handed the Mustangs the fourth and final WPIAL playoff spot out of the Keystone Conference. LH beat Hollidaysburg last week.
The Mustangs (4-5 overall, 3-4 in Keystone Conference games) will travel to a higher seed in the first round of the WPIAL Class AAA playoffs next Friday. Their opponent will be announced by the WPIAL on Monday.
“We’re going to prepare to win the game, no matter whether it’s Central Valley or Knoch or anybody else,” Just said.
LH overcame a sluggish first half with 28 points in the third quarter and never looked back. Albert Gallatin (0-9, 0-7) took leads of 14-0 and 20-13 before settling for a 20-13 halftime lead.
“Unfortunately, they make us play 48 minutes,” a disappointed, but upbeat Colonials coach Jeff Rush said. “Laurel Highlands did the same things in the second half that they did in the first half. They didn’t do anything we didn’t expect.”
The Mustangs just did the same things better after halftime and AG suffered two turnovers in the telling third quarter.
“To me, the turning point was when we had that goal-line stand at the end of the first half,” Just said. “At halftime, I just told them to defend their home field and to have no regrets. But this had nothing to do with me or what I said at halftime. I didn’t make one play. These guys made the plays and they are going to the playoffs because of it.”
Albert Gallatin sophomore running back Collin opened the game with a 57-yard touchdown run and he made it 14-0 with a 5-yard TD and a two-point conversion run before the first quarter ended.
“Give credit to AG,” Just said. “They came into the game fired up and they were well prepared. They showed us some fronts that we didn’t expect and it took us some time to adjust.”
Danzel Beasley scored on a 4-yard run to cut AG’s lead in half, but Smith caught a 30-yard scoring pass from Marty Dodson on a fourth-and-15 play to lift the Colonials to a 20-7 lead.
Beasley, however, took the ensuing kickoff 87 yards for a touchdown that made it 20-13 with two minutes left before halftime, which came with the Colonials deep in LH territory.
“That kickoff return hurt us,” Rush said. “Anytime you give up a touchdown late in a half, it hurts.”
The LH offense exploded in the third quarter, as quarterback Jake Riddell passed for 103 yards and two touchdowns (one each to Joran Vecchiolla and Rhasheed Dotson) and ran for another score in that 12-minute span. Beasley was busy, too, rushing 11 times for 43 yards in the third quarter. Mike Mason also scored for the Mustangs in the third quarter.
For the game, Beasley gained 139 yards on 21 carries and scored three total touchdowns. Riddell completed nine of 18 passes for 110 yards.
Smith, meanwhile, led all rushers with 146 yards on 28 carries and three touchdowns.
“We made progress this year,” Rush said. “We had a lot of injuries earlier in the season, but that allowed a lot of younger kids step up. A lot of them are coming back.”
Keystone Conference
Laurel Highlands 47, Albert Gallatin 26
At Laurel Highlands
First Quarter
AG: Collin Smith 57 run (run failed), 11:41 (6-0)
AG: Smith 5 run (Smith run), 1:20 (14-0)
Second Quarter
LH: Danzel Beasley 4 run (Drew Yauger kick), 6:49 (14-7)
AG: Smith 30 pass from Marty Dodson (pass failed), 2:11 (20-7)
LH: Beasley 87 kickoff return (kick failed), 2:00 (20-13)
Third Quarter
LH: Jake Riddell 13 run (pass failed), 7:25 (20-19)
LH: Mike Mason 3 run (Raphael Cannon run), 6:55 (20-27)
LH: Jordan Vecchiolla 8 pass from Riddell (Yauger kick), 1:53 (20-34)
LH: Rhasheed Dotson 29 pass from Riddell (Yauger kick), 0:01 (20-41)
Fourth Quarter
AG: Dodson 2 run (pass failed), 4:41 (26-41)
LH: Beasley 1 run (kick failed), 3:06 (26-47)