Warriors fend off Waynesburg in Interstate battle
ELIZABETH – Those who may have questioned the credentials of the Waynesburg Central Raiders as they elevated to Class 3A this season should be educated to the fact they are for real.
Yes, Waynesburg (3-1) fell 38-33 in a thrilling Interstate Conference battle against Elizabeth Forward (4-0) at Warrior Stadium, but the Raiders were in no way intimidated by the environment or the opponent.
“I told my guys that I’d get into a foxhole with them anytime,” Raiders coach Joe Kuhns said. “If they didn’t know who we are, they do now.”
Ky-mani Sumpter performed superbly for Waynesburg, rushing for 244 yards on 25 carries. Teagen Crouse provided some offensive balance, throwing for 123 yards.
Rocco Thompson rushed for 143 yards on 22 attempts for the Warriors.
Elizabeth Forward put some space between its and the Raiders on its second drive of the third quarter when Kaden Allen raced 41 yards on third and long for a touchdown. The extra point was good, pushing the Warriors’ advantage to 26-14 at the 4:49 mark of the third.
As it did much of the night, Waynesburg responded with a scoring drive on its third possession of the second half. Sumpter ripped off a 28-yard touchdown run to cut the Warriors’ lead to 26-20 early in the fourth quarter.
Any momentum the Raiders had dissipated on the ensuing kickoff that was returned 78 yards for a touchdown by Elizabeth Forward’s Travis Dusi. The two-point pass, however, was no good, leaving the Warriors lead at 32-20 with 11:30 to go.
Waynesburg would not go away. On its very next offensive play, Sumpter zipped through the middle of the Warrior defense for a stunning 90-yard touchdown run to slice the lead to 32-27 with 11:13 remaining.
“When I first saw him as a junior, he told me he was a receiver,” Kuhns said regarding Sumpter. “I told him no way, you’re now a running back. He was born to play that position.”
Knowing their defense was struggling to stop Elizabeth Forward, the Raiders executed an onside kick that Sumpter recovered, giving Waynesburg a chance to take the lead.
The Raiders did just that with 8:09 to go when Crouse, seemingly hemmed in, reversed field and outraced a stunned Elizabeth Forward defense for a 10-yard score. Sumpter’s two-point run was stopped, leaving the Raiders lead at 33-32.
Unfazed, Elizabeth Forward answered and jumped back into the lead thanks to a punishing 21-yard touchdown run by Thompson with 3:19 left. Allen attempted to sprint around the left end to get the two-point try, but was stopped short by Jack Riccuiti, giving the Warriors a 38-33 lead with 3:19 remaining.
Waynesburg had a chance to win the game late as it faced a fourth and 9 from its own 40. Crouse threw a pass that was caught by Riccuti, who was shoved out of bounds a yard short of the line to gain with less than a minute to go, giving the ball back to the Warriors, who ran to the clock to seal the contest.
“Timing on that whole play was off,” Kuhns said.
The Warriors began the smorgasbord of points with a 52-yard march on their initial drive. Allen climaxed it with a 5-yard run on fourth and goal. Luke Holdren’s kick was true to give EF a 7-0 lead a little more than four minutes into the game.
Waynesburg responded with a scoring drive of its own on its first possession as it drove 80 yards. Crouse slithered in from the 1 to score his first touchdown of the evening. The senior quarterback highlighted the drive with a 67-yard sprint down the sidelines to set up his touchdown.
Elizabeth Forward then played leapfrog as it re-took the lead on its second possession thanks to a tough 12-yard touchdown run by the bruising Thompson. An errant snap kept the Warriors lead at 13-7 early in the second.
The Raiders again got up off the mat and started swinging away again as they marched to their second score. Crouse did his best Josh Allen impersonation, scrambling right, pulling up the defense and flipping a 4-yard touchdown toss to Sumpter. Nate Riccuti knocked home the extra-point, giving Waynesburg a 14-13 lead at the 5:29 mark of the second quarter.
Thompson again made his presence known as he slammed in from the 3 with two-plus minutes remaining in the half to push Elizabeth Forward back into the lead at 19-14. Allen’s two-point pass failed, leaving the Warriors lead at five.
Waynesburg threatened to retake the lead before the end of the half as the Raiders drove to the Warriors 11, where the march stalled and Nate Riccuti’s 28-yard field goal attempt was no good.