NTL FOOTBALL: SAYRE ROLLS TO 35-14 WIN OVER COWANESQUE VALLEY (24 PHOTOS) (2020-09-25)
By TIM BIRNEYValley Sports ReportSAYRE "” Sophomore QB Lucas Horton had a big first half, and the Sayre ground game took over in the second half of a 35-14 win over Cowanesque Valley here Friday night in NTL football action at the Lockhart Street Bowl.
Horton completed 10 of 15 pass attempts for 130 yards in the first half, and rushed for 46 yards and two TDs. He also had an interception on defense, setting up Sayre's second score.
"I thought Luke (Horton) threw the ball really well. He really looked comfortable in the pocket," said Sayre coach Kevin Gorman.
"We only had a week to prepare him for Athens. He has three weeks under his belt now. I thought he looked really good.
"He stood tall in the pocket, and delivered some nice balls," added Gorman. "And, some of our wide receivers made some nice catches."
The Redskins ran for 164 of its 263 yards in the second half.
"Dave (Northrop) and Jake (Bennett) ran hard, and Zach Garrity came in and did a nice job," said Gorman.
After an early exchange of possessions, Sayre found paydirt on its third possession.
Following a false start penalty, Horton scampered 18 yards around left end on a keeper, and Northrop ripped off a 26-yard run.
Horton capped the three-play, 51-yard drive with a 12-yard run around right end. Senior Nic Bentley split the up rights with the PAT to give the Redskins a 7-0 lead with 2:45 remaining in the first quarter.
On the first play of the ensuing possession, Horton plucked a tipped ball out of the air for an interception to give Sayre the ball at its own 47.
Horton connected with senior Matt Lane on a 35-yard completion down the far sidelines. Two plays later, Horton scampered around left end on a 23-yard TD run to make it 14-0 with 1:38 remaining in the first quarter.
Sayre's next drive stalled after a holding call wiped out a first down run, and its final possession of the half ended with a CV interception.
"It was a good first half, but we hurt ourselves with penalties that killed drives," said Gorman. "I thought we played well, but we should have put more points on the board."
The Redskin defense held CV to 71 total yards "” 48 rushing and 23 passing - in the first half.
"Their quarterback (Tucker St. Peter) is good, he's a nice scrambler, and their running back (Cody Fleming) is a nice back," said Gorman. "We knew they were good.
"I thought we did a good job in the first half," noted Gorman. "In the second half, (St. John) either found running lanes, or we created lanes for him. I tip my hat to him, he played a great game.
"Overall, I thought we did a good job defensively in the first half, but the second half was bad," he added. "The same thing happened last year (at Cowanesque Valley). We got up on them, and came out and didn't play well in the second half."
CV's first possession of the second half ended on downs at the Sayre 45.
The Redskins needed just five plays to cover 55 yards, and increase their lead to 21-0. Northrop capped the drive with a 36-yard TD run with 6:00 left in the third quarter.
Three plays later, on third-and-15, St. Peter found a wide-open Tanyon Brown for a 70-yard TD pass to put the Indians on the scoreboard with 4:38 remaining in the third quarter. The conversion failed and Sayre led 21-6.
"It was obviously a blown coverage," said Gorman.
The Redskins answered with a nine-play, 75-yard drive to up their lead to 27-6.
The scoring drive featured a 12-yard run by Bennett, and a 28-yard run by Northrop, and was capped by a 7-yard TD run by Bennett with 1:14 remaining in the third quarter.
The Indians again turned the ball over on downs at its own 49, and the Redskins drove 51 yards on eight plays for their final score of the game.
The drive featured an 18-yard completion from Horton to sophomore Glenn Romberger, and a 13-yard run by sophomore Zach Garrity. The drive culminated with a perfect over-the-shoulder 21-yard TD pitch-and-catch from Horton to sophomore Jackson Hubbard with 7:38 left in the contest.
On the PAT, Garrity scooped up a low snap, and rumbled around left end for the two-point conversion to make it 35-6.
The Indians answered with a seven-play, 61-yard drive to provide the final margin.
The drive featured passes of 16 and 31 yards by St. Peter, who also ripped off a 15-yard run. Cody Fleming scored the TD on a 1-yard run with 3:52 left in the contest. St. Peter tacked on the conversion.
Sayre turned the ball over on its next two possessions, but CV reciprocated on the possession sandwiched in between.
"We have to protect the ball late in the game when we're trying to run out the clock," said Gorman.
Horton completed 15 of 21 pass attempts for 188 yards, with one TD and one interception, and also ran for 45 yards and two TDs on eight carries.
Junior Dom Fabbri led the Redskins with four receptions for 46 yards, while Lane had three grabs for 49 yards, and junior Josh Arnold had three catches for 37 yards.
Northrop led the Redskins with 111 yards and one TD on eight carries, including 69 yards on three carries in the second half, while Bennett, who had just nine yards on four carries before the half, finished with 52 yards and one TD on 14 carries, and Garrity added 45 yards on seven carries.
St. Peter completed 9 of 17 passes for 157 yards, with one TD and one interception. He also rushed for 76 yards on 15 carries.
Brown led CV with three catches for 93 yards and one TD, and Jacob Schmitt had three receptions for 42 yards.
CV finished with 261 yards in total offense, including 190 in the second half.
Sayre, now 1-1, hosts Wyalusing Friday.
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IN PHOTO 1: Sayre's Lucas Horton. ... PHOTOS BY TIM BIRNEY.
