Ringgold’s quick scores finish Red Raiders
CARROLL TWP. — Uniontown found itself in a ball game with Ringgold late in the second quarter when the Rams pushed the pedal to the metal.
Ringgold scored two touchdowns in the final 1:56 of the first half and returned the second-half kickoff 75 yards for another score in a 60-21 win over the Red Raiders in Big Nine Conference action Friday at Joe Montana Stadium.
“If that wouldn’t have happened, it would have been a different game,” Uniontown coach John Fortugna said. “They are not that many points better than us. My kids never quit. They played hard, real hard.”
The loss drops Uniontown to 1-3 overall and in the conference, while Ringgold improved to 3-1 and into a third-place tie with Elizabeth-Forward.
Ironically, Ringgold’s offensive explosion followed a 95-yard touchdown run by Doug Lewis that had brought Uniontown back into the game. The Red Raiders trailed, 16-14, when Tristan Sandrosky caught a Xavier Ellis pass on a two-point conversion after Lewis’ run.
Lewis’ touchdown came 2:32 before halftime, but the Rams were just getting warmed up. They scored on a 40-yard pass from Nico Law to Chacar Berry with 1:56 remaining. The Rams forced a Uniontown punt, and Law struck on the next play with a 53-yard strike to Alan Pritchett to make it 30-14 at the break.
Pritchett then took the opening kickoff of the second half 75 yards for the back-breaker, 37-14.
Uniontown scored again on an Ellis-to-Sandrosky pass play covering 12 yards. The scoring play came just after Ellis faked a punt and ran for 27 yards to the 12-yard line.
But Ringgold rolled from there and scored the game’s last 23 points.
Ringgold coach and Laurel Highlands graduate Matt Humbert agreed with Fortugna’s assessment of the game turning point.
“That’s the positive thing this year,” Humbert said. “We can match their scores. The mental attitude is different. These kids don’t get down after the other team scores.”
He knew enough about Uniontown to know they could give his team trouble.
“Their line is a lot bigger than ours and they have really good football players,” Humbert said. “I’d say their backfield is one of the best in our conference.”
Uniontown put up 375 yards of offense, but its defense yielded 425 to Ringgold. Lewis finished the game with 164 yards on 11 carries and two touchdowns (the first covered 37 yards). He did not play after spraining an ankle early in the third quarter.
Law completed 9 of 15 passes for 206 yards and three touchdowns for Ringgold.