Mustangs top Falcons in record-breaking fashion (copy)
Rob Burchianti | Herald-Standard
Laurel Highlands quarterback Rodney Gallagher (2) takes off on a 55-yard touchdown run against Brownsville during Friday night’s game at Redstone Field. Gallagher ran for two touchdowns and passed for three more in the Mustangs’ 65-0 win.
Brownsville running back Antwan Black pulls up to throw a pass as Laurel Highlands' Ayanze Sumpter applies pressure during Friday night's game at Redstone Field.
Laurel Highlands' Eric Allen breaks free for a 15-yard touchdown run against Brownsville during Friday night's game at Redstone Field.
Rob Burchianti | Herald-Standard
Laurel Highlands’ Bryan Yourchik (10) pursues Brownsville’s Antwan Black (2) during Friday night’s game at Redstone Field.
Laurel Highlands' Keondre DeShields (9) awaits a pass from Rodney Gallagher against Brownsville during Friday night's game at Redstone Field. DeShields made the catch for a 10-yard touchdown.
Laurel Highlands' Matt Lucas holds the ball high after catching a 10-yard touchdown pass from Rodney Gallagher during Friday night's game at Redstone Field.
Laurel Highlands' Leland Layhue (11) and Tahji Hooper (15) run interference for Rodney Gallagher (2) during Friday night's game against Brownsville at Redstone Field.
Laurel Highlands coach Rich Kolesar smiles during the fourth quarter of the Mustangs' 65-0 win over Brownsville at Redstone Field on Friday night.
REPUBLIC — Laurel Highlands is off the a record-breaking start during the first three weeks of the high school football season.
The Mustangs accomplished a pair of feats that had never been done before in their program’s history with their 65-0 non-conference victory over Brownsville in front of a large crowd at Redstone Field on Friday night.
It was the first time LH has opened a season with three consecutive wins on the field — the Mustangs started 3-0 in 1976 with the aid of a forfeit — and it was the biggest margin of victory in program history.
“One of our goals this year was to get off on the right foot,” Laurel Highlands coach Rich Kolesar said. “We’re setting some trends here. First team to start 3-0 in school history and we want to try to keep that going and get to 4-0 next week.”
The Mustangs open Big Eight Conference play next Friday at Ringgold.
Laurel Highlands was coming off a 28-21 win at Southmoreland.
“We cleaned up some mistakes from last week,” Kolesar said. “We ran the ball effectively, we threw the ball a little bit, we played really good on defense.”
Quarterback Rodney Gallagher, who again led the way for the Mustangs with two rushing touchdowns and a trio of passing TDs, isn’t surprised by LH’s hot start.
“I’m very excited for this team,” Gallagher said. “We’ve been working so hard, all through the summer and every single day. I know we can make a run this year.”
Gallagher helped the Mustangs get out of the gate quickly when he faked a hand-off to running back Eric Allen and then broke free for a 55-yard touchdown run on the first play from scrimmage.
Laurel Highlands’ defense quickly got into the scoring act as well, producing a 12-yard loss on a tackle by John Deak and then a 1-yard loss in the end zone for a safety by a pair of Mustangs, including Kaden Friel.
Allen returned the free kick to the Brownsville 25. LH executed a five-play drive that included a 19-yard run by Tahji Hooper, and, two plays after a holding penalty, a 10-yard touchdown pass from Gallagher to Keondre DeShields for a 16-0 lead.
After forcing a three-and-out, Laurel Highlands used three big plays to score again. Gallagher completed a 17-yard pass to Allen, Ryan Pyro broke a 20-yard run and Gallagher tossed a 10-yard touchdown pass to Matt Lucas with 6:29 left in the first quarter.
Brownsville moved the sticks for the first time with a four-yard run by Antwan Black and an eight-yard run by Hunter Pelehac. A penalty and a six-yard tackle for a loss by LH’s Kaleb Glebis forced a punt, which Gallagher returned 34 yards to the Falcon 6 with a thrilling reverse-field spin move.
Allen ran it in from there to put the Mustangs up 30-0 at the end of the first quarter, then scored on a 15-yard run on the first play of the second quarter to give the visitors a 37-0 lead.
The Mustangs’ defense contributed on the scoreboard again on Brownsville’s next possession when Daniel Carney recovered a fumble in the end zone for a touchdown.
It was the first of three straight drives in which the Mustangs forced turnovers that led to touchdowns. An interception by Hooper set up an eight-yard TD run by Gallagher. Two plays after Lucas picked off a pass, Gallagher found Joe Chambers for a 54-yard touchdown toss as LH went up 58-0.
Kolesar commended his team’s defense, which forced five turnovers.
“Coach (Paul) Eckerd has done a great job all year, getting us lined up properly, working on our tackling all offseason,” Kolesar said. “Great performance from them tonight.”
Kolesar pulled Gallagher at that point but his replacement, C.J. Soltis, led the Mustangs on a 31-yard touchdown drive that he finished with a six-yard scoring pass to DeShields for game’s final points.
There was no scoring in the second half, which was played with six-minute quarters.
Gallagher ended his night with two rushes for 64 yards along with 95 yards through the air on 4-of-5 passing.
“Rodney’s a great leader, a great kid and he’s having fun,” Kolesar said. “The nice thing is you see him in the second half, he’s encouraging his teammates, trying to cheer them on and trying to make everybody better.
“He wants the team to succeed and he’s helping them do that.”
Allen, who is a transfer from Brownsville, led LH on the ground with seven carries for 79 yards and two touchdowns. Harry Radcliffe (four) and Lucas (five) combined to go nine for nine on extra-point kicks.
Brownsville coach Brian Gates, whose team plays in Class 3A, could only tip his cap to the Class 4A Mustangs.
“They played hard,” Gates said. “They definitely came to play today.”
The path doesn’t get any easier for the Falcons (0-2) who begin Interstate Conference play next week when they host 2020 WPIAL finalist Elizabeth Forward.
Kolesar had words of encouragement for Gates and the Falcons, whose team is mostly made up of sophomores and freshmen.
“Their coach is in his first year, he has a really young team, there are growing pains that go along with that,” Kolesar said. “He’s got some very good young kids and I think in a couple years you’ll start to see them succeed.”
Black, a freshmen, showed his toughness in taking hit after hit while carrying the ball 11 times for 13 yards.
“He’s a winner no matter what,” Gates said of Black. “He doesn’t care who or what is in front of him, he’s going to go at it. He’s going to give you 100 percent for 100 percent of the game. When you try to pull him out he’ll tell you no, he doesn’t like coming out.
“That’s who he is. He’s a warrior.”
AJ Evans added four rushes for 17 yards in the second half for Brownsville. Pelehac completed one of five passes with Bryce Hrobiak making the lone reception for 10 yards.
The win didn’t earn the Mustangs a day off but they would be rewarded with a Saturday morning snack, according to Kolesar.
“We’ll get back to work tomorrow,” said the third-year coach. “I told them we did what we were supposed to do, report time is 8 o’clock and donuts will be there.”