Central Valley ends Mustangs’ season again
Laurel Highlands quarterback Jimmy Pierce runs with the ball during Friday night's WPIAL Class AAA first-round playoff game at Central Valley.
Laurel Highlands quarterback Jimmy Pierce looks to pass against Central Valley during the Mustangs' WPIAL Class AAA first-round playoff game on Nov. 6. Pierce is the Herald-Standard Big School Football Player of the Year.
Carly Kolodziej
Laurel Highlands running back Christian Jones takes a handoff from Jimmy Pierce during their WPIAL Class AAA first-round playoff game at Central Valley on Friday night.
Laurel Highlands running back Lucas Boyle (21) runs the ball against Central Valley during their game Friday night at Central Valley.
CENTER TWP. — As the 16th seed taking on the defending champion, the Laurel Highlands Mustangs knew they needed to play well early and put Central Valley on its heels.
Unfortunately, knowing what was needed and being able to pull it off against an experienced, veteran team proved to be a little too much to ask.
Central Valley scored on its first play from scrimmage, returned an interception for a score on the Mustang’s first third-down play, and then scored twice more in the game’s first 10 minutes. It was too much for Laurel Highlands to overcome and the Mustangs fell 59-14.
“They made the plays early, you have to give them credit for that,” said head coach Zack Just. “They scored on the first play and then got the interception. We needed to be the team making the interceptions to win.
“Central Valley is an awesome team and the defending WPIAL champions but I really thought if we could have gotten on the board early, when we got down close, we could have made a game of it.”
Laurel Highlands had bounced back well after the interception return and driven from its own 25-yard line to the Central Valley 12 in just six plays, thanks in great part to a 49-yard pass from Jimmy Pierce to Jacob Swartz.
On third down at the 12-yard line, though, Pierce’s pass fell incomplete and a 29-yard field goal attempt on fourth down was blocked. Five plays later, Kurt Reinstadtler, who had return the interception for the touchdown, caught a 60-yard scoring pass from Chris Callaghan.
Any chance for Laurel Highlands to get any momentum was gone, down 21-0 in just six minutes.
“We never got any momentum,” Just said. “We played better at times but Central Valley was definitely better than us. I don’t think they were 45 points better, though.”
After Central Valley (9-1) built a 28-0 lead after one quarter, the Mustangs got on the board. Ian Edenfield intercepted Callaghan’s pass to set up Laurel Highlands on the 30-yard line and, one play later, senior Lucas Boyle scored on a 30-yard run.
Central Valley, though, responded with three more touchdowns and a field goal before intermission and the second half was played with a running clock.
Boyle scored his second touchdown of the game in the third quarter on a 5-yard run with the touchdown set up by a 43-yard pass from Pierce to Chad Livingston. That was the end of the scoring, though.
“The worst part of this loss is that I have an unbelievable group of seniors that I’ll miss,” said Just. “I won’t get the chance to coach them up on Monday and I feel bad about that.”
Laurel Highlands finishes with a 5-5 record.
WPIAL Class
Central Valley 59, Laurel Highlands 14
Laurel Highlands 0-7-7-0 — 14
Central Valley 28-24-7-0 — 59
First Quarter
CV: ArisTatalovich 71 pass from Chris Callaghan (Brendan Jugan kick)
CV: Kurt Reinstadtler 28 interception return (Jugan kick)
CV: Reinstadtler 60 pass from Callaghan (Jugan kick)
CV: Kyle Vreen 58 run (Jugan kick)
Second Quarter
LH: Lucas Boyle 30 run (Cameron Lizza kick)
CV: Danny Santia 9 run (David Schmidt kick)
CV: Tatalovich 46 pass from Callaghan (Jugan kick)
CV: Vreen 34 run (Schmidt kick)
CV: Jugan 38 field goal
Third Quarter
CV: Nico Battisti 12 run (Schmidt kick)
LH: Boyle 5 run (Lizza kick)
RUSHING
LAUREL HIGHLANDS (40): Lucas Boyle 7-36, 2 TDs; Jarves Crews 10-28; Christian Jones 4-10; Jimmy Pierce 9-(34). CENTRAL VALLEY (277): Kyle Vreen 13-129, 2 TDs; Danny Santia 7-71, TD; Nico Battisti 6-43, TD; Curtis Latshaw 3-15; Terry Woods 2-7; Chris Callaghan 1-6; Noah Thompson 3-5; Anthony Mendicino 1-1.
PASSING
LAUREL HIGHLANDS (148): Jimmy Pierce 7-15-0-2, 148. CENTRAL VALLEY (304): Chris Callaghan 11-20-3-1, 270; Curtis Latshaw 2-2-0-0, 34; Nico Battisti 0-1-0-0.
RECEIVING
LAUREL HIGHLANDS: Chad Livingston 2-49; Nick Campbell 2-27; Jacob Swartz 1-49; Christian Jones 1-18; Lucas Boyle 1-5. CENTRAL VALLEY:ArisTatalovich 3-118, 2 TDs; Kurt Reinstadtler 3-82, TD; Maurice Sims 2-15; Anthony Mendicino 1-30; Kyle Vreen 1-27; Cameron Drake 1-15; Danny Santia 1-13; Micah Thomas 1-4.