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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2011 PAGE 5B
COLLEGE FOOTBALL ROUNDUP
BELT
GAR VS. PEN ARGYL
Green Knights were ready for Crawford
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Mixed martial arts returned to Scranton on Friday at the Lackawanna College Student Youth Center – the legendary boxing venue formally known as the Scranton Catholic Youth Center. Kris McCray won the professional main event with a unanimous decision over Gemryale Adkins in the catchweight class. Exeter native Richard Gates improved to 3-1 in his amateur career with a quick 36-second round victory over East Stroudsburg’s Anthony McGlynn. Gates caught a tense McGlynn on the defensive, leaving ample room for Gates to utilize the guillotine move to end the match. “He rolled to defend himself, and I was able to get the guillotine off,” said Gates, a welterweight. “You picture how a match is going to happen in your head ahead of time and it rarely occurs like that. “It’s what we trained for; it was just another day at the office. Scranton’s Dave Morgan returned home to a unanimous victory over Evan Velez in the flyweight division. Morgan received a raucous ovation before a match that lacked excitement. Both Morgan and Velez spent much of the match locked together on the mat in a hold. Morgan was able to hold off a potential match-ending submission hold and rebounded from the first loss in his career. “It’s like a riding a bike,” Morgan said. “My game is fully involved. He’s tough on his back.” Peters busted Spadell’s nose in the second round and was able to swing the momentum into a decision. He said the tactic of going strong and not holding back worked to his advantage in the end. “I was not afraid to go all out. You just keep just keep pounding away. I fought it like I was swinging a baseball bat.”
GAR’s top offensive threat was simply neutralized by the powerful Pen Argyl defense. By PAUL SOKOLOSKI psokoloski@timesleader.com
ASSOCIATED PRESS
LSU quarterback Jordan Jefferson tosses the ball away after scoring a touchdown against Arkansas on Friday in Baton Rouge, La. LSU defeated Arkansas 41-17.
SACKS
LSU enjoys a pig roast
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The Associated Press
earning the league’s automatic BCS berth and would need some help in a tight league race. Pittsburgh (5-6, 3-3) led 17-7 at halftime but was limited to 80 yards in the second half. Pittsburgh starting running back Zach Brown left the game with an undisclosed injury just before halftime and backup Isaac Bennett left the game midway through the third. Bennett would later return, but Pittsburgh’s offense stalled and West Virginia gained momentum. Alston’s 8-yard TD run midway through the third quarter cut West Virginia’s deficit to 20-14. In the fourth quarter, the Mountaineers turned the ball over on downs and Tyler Urban fumbled the ball away on the Mountaineers’ next drive. But a personal foul on Pittsburgh’s Aaron Donald gave West Virginia a first down at the Panthers’ 28. On fourth-and-7, Geno Smith hit Tavon Austin for nine yards. Alston followed with an 11yard run and then ran in the goahead score to cap the 83-yard drive and give West Virginia its first lead of the game. Pittsburgh was forced to punt with 2:30 left and got one last chance from its own 34 after West Virginia went three-and-out. Sunseri ran for a first down on fourthand-1. But he was called for intentional grounding on the next play and Pittsburgh couldn’t move the ball as time ran out. Sunseri went 12 of 23 for 137 yards. Mistakes on West Virginia’s special teams contributed to Pittsburgh’s first 17 points. West Virginia’s George Wright was called for a low block on a Pittsburgh field goal attempt that went wide right in the first quarter. Brown scored from a yard out five plays later. Bad punting has been a problem all season for the Mountaineers. Freshman Michael Molinari’s 22-yarder late in the first quarter set up Pittsburgh near midfield, and the Panthers scored in five plays, with Bennett going in from 6 yards out for a 14-0 lead. Molinari’s next punt went 27 yards and he was replaced by Corey Smith, who was stellar the rest of the game.
BATON ROUGE, La. — Tyrann Mathieu channeled his best Billy Cannon and No. 1 LSU was on its way to another run-away victory in the biggest game at Tiger Stadium in half a century. Mathieu returned a punt 92 yards for a score and the Tigers punished third-ranked Arkansas with 286 yards rushing, wiping out a 14point deficit with a 41-17 win Friday that secured a spot in the SEC championship. Kenny Hilliard, Spencer Ware and Jordan Jefferson all scored on the ground for LSU (12-0, 8-0 SEC), which is 12-0 for the first time and will play No. 13 Georgia next weekend in Atlanta. A win over the Bulldogs would assure the Tigers their third trip to the BCS title game in nine seasons. Though at this point, LSU might be able to get there even if it loses. Arkansas took a surprising 14-0 lead on Tyler Wilson’s TD pass to Jarius Wright and Alonzo Highsmith’s 47-yard fumble return, but LSU stormed back by scoring 41 of the next 44 points in the game. The rivalry game known as the battle for “The Boot,” a trophy in the shape of Arkansas and Louisiana, marked the first time two teams ranked in the top three had met in Death Valley since 1959, when Cannon’s 89-yard punt return lifted No. 1 LSU to a 7-3 win over No. 3 Mississippi. No. 8 Houston 48, Tulsa 16 TULSA, Okla. — Case Keenum threw for 457 yards and five touchdowns, Patrick Edwards had 181 yards receiving and four scores and No. 8 Houston earned a spot in the Conference USA championship game by beating Tulsa. The Cougars (12-0, 8-0) set a school season record by winning their 12th game. The 12 straight wins also match the school’s longest winning streak, set over the
1990 and ’91 seasons. Keenum helped Houston pull away by hooking up with Edwards twice for touchdowns after the Cougars faced a fourth down in no man’s land. He found Edwards cutting across the field for a 33-yard score on fourth-and-10 in the second quarter, then threw a deep ball to him for a 38-yard TD on fourth-and-1 in the third quarter. That score came in the midst of 28 unanswered points by the Cougars. No. 22 Nebraska 20, Iowa 7 LINCOLN, Neb. — Rex Burkhead, who started the week with his right foot in a walking boot, ran for 160 yards and a touchdown on a school-record 38 carries and No. 22 Nebraska defeated Iowa. Burkhead pounded away at Iowa’s defense 4 and 5 yards at a time and looked like his old self after being held to a season-low 36 yards in last week’s loss at Michigan. He had eight carries for 39 yards on a 10-play drive that ended with his 2-yard run and a 20-0 lead early in the fourth quarter. The Hawkeyes (7-5, 4-4) avoided getting shut out for the first time in 11 years when Marcus Coker scored on a 2-yard run with 3:26 left. Nebraska (9-3, 5-3) is hoping to land a berth in the Capital One Bowl, if two Big Ten teams are invited to BCS games, or the Outback Bowl. Boston College 24, Miami 17 MIAMI — Luke Kuechly ran an interception back for a touchdown and became Boston College’s all-time tackles leader, and the Eagles picked Jacory Harris off four times in his final college game en route to beating Miami. For Miami, the biggest news wasn’t the outcome in the season finale for both teams. It announced during
the fourth quarter that coach Al Golden has agreed to a four-year extension through Feb. 1, 2020. Colorado 17, Utah 14 SALT LAKE CITY — Coleman Petersen missed a 48yard field goal try with two seconds remaining as Colorado escaped with a victory over Utah, ending the Utes’ hopes for a Pac-12 South title and halting the Buffaloes’ school-record 23-game road losing streak. Petersen missed all three attempts after entering the contest leading the Pac-12 in field goals made with 17. With the loss by Utah (7-5, 4-5), UCLA will represent the South in the inaugural Pac-12 championship game. Louisville 34, South Florida 24 TAMPA, Fla. — Louisville got three touchdown passes from freshman quarterback Teddy Bridgewater to defeat South Florida and clinch a share of the Big East championship. Louisville (7-5, 5-2), which rallied from a two-touchdown deficit in the first half, took the lead for good on Bridgewater’s 10-yard pass to DeVante Parker with 9:38 remaining. Temple 34, Kent State 16 PHILADELPHIA — Bernard Pierce ran wild in the second half Saturday and finished with 189 yards and three touchdowns in Temple’s victory over Kent State in Mid-American Conference play. The Owls (8-4, 5-3) have won eight games or more for three straight seasons for the first time in school history. Central Florida 31, Texas-El Paso 14 ORLANDO, Fla. — Latavius Murray rushed for a career-high 233 yards and scored three times to help Central Florida rout Texas-El Paso 31-14 on Friday night in the season finale for both teams.
KINGSTON – The final score didn’t reflect the fear. The mere sight of Darrell Crawford flying up and down the field during past GAR games put Pen Argyl on red alert. It took a watchful group of Green Knights to corral Crawford long enough to ensure he wasn’t a factor in the outcome. “Watching film (of) Crawford, we watched about three runs where everyone on defense thought they had him wrapped up,” Pen Argyl defensive back and running back Dylan Evans said. “And he broke a 50-yarder, 60-yarder and 70-yarder.” By the time the 5-foot-9, 165pound Crawford broke free for two touchdown runs over the final 18 minutes of Friday’s PIAA Class 2A opener, Pen Argyl had a dominating 50-20 victory locked up. But not before the Green Knights scrapped their usual defensive gameplan. “In the Colonial League, it’s hard-hitting,” Evans said of the aggressive, attacking style of defense common throughout the District 11 league. “(Friday) we had to change things. First guy there had to break (the play) down. Kill shots had to come from the backside.” When Pen Argyl showed un-
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X-Calvary Christian game in the quarterfinals. “I’m extremely proud of my players,” Old Forge coach Mike Schuback said. “In every classification, only one team is going to be happy at the end of the year. (Southern Columbia) is a heck of a football team. We had to get a couple of stops defensively, and we didn’t do it. “I’m very proud of my young men. The young kids grew up, and the old kids led us. I can’t say enough about our players. They came down here and played the number two team in the state and were ahead with eight minutes to go.” In a battle of contrasting styles, it was the Southern Columbia backfield duo of Matt Moore and Tyler Levan that gashed the Old Forge defense with long runs all night. Moore delivered the fatal blows that ended the Blue Devils’ season. His 18-yard touchdown run with 8:33 left put Southern ahead 38-34 on what was the eighth and final lead change of the night. He followed that up with an 82-yard touchdown run to put the game away less than three minutes later. Moore finished the night with 263 yards and four touchdowns on 16 carries. His backfield mate Levan ran for 217 yards and a pair of scores on 23 attempts. “The Moore kid is physical and big. He just uses his body well,” Schuback said. “Levan ran really hard, but it all starts up front. Their offensive line did a heck of a job. We’re a little light up front. We only have one guy over 240 pounds. But the bottom line is, they ran the ball and we didn’t stop them.” Old Forge (10-3) relied almost exclusively on its passing game to make big plays. Quarterback Colin Carey completed 17 of 31 passes for 329 yards and four touchdowns while throwing two interceptions. Carey connected with Dave Argust on a 91-yard scoring strike to give the Blue Devils their first lead, 7-3 early in the second quarter.
PIAA Class A First Round Southern Columbia 45, Old Forge 34 Old Forge ........................... 0 21 6 7 — 34 Southern Columbia .......... 3 14 14 14 — 45 First Quarter SC –Swank 25 FG, 7:17 Second Quarter OF – Argust 91 pass from Carey (Mancuso kick), 10:59 SC – Levan 52 run (Swank kick), 10:42 OF – Piccolini 43 pass from Carey (Mancuso kick), 7:46 OF – Carey 3 run (Mancuso kick), 6:35 SC – Moore 22 run (Swank kick), 4:18
precedented patience, it killed GAR’s dreams of advancing past the first round of states. “They were just a better team tonight,” Crawford said. The shifty GAR senior quarterback broke free on a 47-yard touchdown run with 5:22 remaining in the third quarter, then scored on a 5-yard rush for GAR’s final two touchdowns. Even though they came against Pen Argyl reserves, those scores confirmed the apprehension the Green Knights were fretting about before facing GAR’s duelthreat quarterback. “When you see him run,” Pen Argyl coach Paul Reduzzi said, “He’s got a lot of shake to him.” Crawford didn’t make the Green Knights quake, though. They limited him to 13 yards on six carries before Crawford broke his 47-yarder, and Pen Argyl intercepted two of his passes while building a 36-6 lead in the first half. Although Crawford reached 4,000 yards rushing for his career on that 47-yard jaunt, he was held to just 77 yards on 10 carries for the game – mostly because his outside lanes were bottled up by Pen Argyl ends Scott Beltz and Brady Mutton. “Just got our ends solid and got kids to the football,” Reduzzi said of his team’s scheme. And in the process, the Green Knights got the horror out of their hearts. “Once we got out here, we settled down a little bit,” Evans said. “Our defensive ends contained everything nicely. I think we did a pretty good job.”
P I A A F O O T B A L L G L A N C E CLASS 4A Friday's Results Council Rock South 38, Garnet Valley 24 North Penn 27, Pennsbury 3 Wilson West Lawn 20, Cumberland Valley 14 Central Dauphin 28, Central York 21 Today's Games Easton (10-2) at Nazareth (11-1), 7 p.m. State College (7-4) vs. University Prep (11-1), noon, Mansion Park, Altoona North Allegheny (12-0) vs. Upper St. Clair (11-1), 8 p.m., Heinz Field, Pittsburgh Quarterfinals Dec. 2 or 3 Nazareth /Easton winner vs. La Salle College (11-1) Council Rock South (12-1) vs. North Penn (11-2) State College /University Prep winner vs. North Allegheny/Upper St. Clair winner Wilson West Lawn (12-1) vs. Central Dauphin (12-1), 6 p.m. Sat., Dec. 3, Hersheypark Stadium CLASS 3A Friday's Results Shamokin 27, Clearfield 26 Allentown Central Catholic 61, Valley View 54 Bishop McDevitt 42, Red Land 7 Lampeter-Strasburg 24, West York 13 Grove City 33, Erie Cathedral Prep 0 Today's Games Pottsgrove (10-2) vs. Phoenixville (9-3), 1 p.m., Plymouth-Whitemarsh H.S. Montour (10-2) vs. Knoch (12-0), 2 p.m., Heinz Field, Pittsburgh Quarterfinals Dec. 2 or 3 Archbishop Wood (11-1) vs. Pottsgrove/Phoenixville winner Shamokin (6-7) vs. Allentown Central Catholic (8-5) Bishop McDevitt (11-2) vs. Lampeter-Strasburg (12-1), 7 p.m. Fri., Dec. 2, Hersheypark Stadium Montour/Knoch winner vs. Grove City (12-0) CLASS 2A Friday's Results Mount Carmel 28, Bloomsburg 0 Lancaster Catholic 21, Wyomissing Area 14 Pen Argyl 50, GAR 20 Tyrone 46, Richland 21 Moniteau 39, Oliver 12 Today's Games General McLane (10-2) vs. Hickory (10-1), 1 p.m., Edinboro University Aliquippa (12-0) vs. Jeannette (12-0), 5 p.m., Heinz Field, Pittsburgh Quarterfinals Dec. 2 or 3 Mount Carmel (12-1) vs. Lancaster Catholic (13-0) West Phila. Catholic (9-3) vs. Pen Argyl (13-0) Tyrone (12-1) vs. General McLane/Hickory winner Moniteau (12-0) vs. Aliquippa/Jeannette winner CLASS A Friday's Results Southern Columbia 45, Old Forge 34 Columbia 36, Camp Hill 20 Sharpsville 21, West Middlesex 13 Today's Games Pius X (11-1) vs. Calvary Christian (8-2), 1 p.m., Salisbury Twp. H.S. Bellwood-Antis (10-1) vs. Penns Manor (10-1), 7 p.m., Mansion Park, Altoona Clarion Area (8-4) vs. Port Allegany (10-1), 1 p.m., Brockway H.S. Clairton (12-0) vs. Sto-Rox (13-0), 11 a.m., Heinz Field, Pittsburgh Quarterfinals Dec. 2 or 3 Pius X Calvary Christian winner vs. Southern Columbia (12-1) Columbia (7-5) vs. Bellwood-Antis/Penns Manor winner, noon, Sat., Dec. 3, Hersheypark Stadium Sharpsville (12-0) vs. Clarion Area/Port Allegany winner Clairton/Sto-Rox winner vs. North Star (10-1)
Third Quarter SC – Levan 22 run (Swank kick), 2:27 OF –Argust 12 pass from Carey (kick blocked) SC –Moore 68 run (Swank kick) 0:32 Fourth Quarter OF –Tomasetti 39 pass from Carey (Mancuso kick), 10:50 SC – Moore 18 run (Swank kick), 8:33 SC – Moore 82 run (Swank kick), 5:55 Team Statistics Old Forge So. Col. First downs ....................... 13 20 Rushes-yards................... 26-39 49-479 Passing.............................. 329 53 Total Yards ....................... 368 532 Comp-Att-Int ..................... 17-32-2 7-15-0 Sacked-Yards Lost.......... 2-19 1-6 Punts-Avg. ........................ 4-32 1-56 Fumbles-Lost ................... 0-0 4-3 Penalties-Yards ............... 2-10 6-30 INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS RUSHING – Old Forge, Febbo 10-36, Tomasetti 4-6, Carey 10-4, Sekol 1-(minus-2); team 1-(minus-5). Southern Columbia, Moore 16-263, Levan 23-217, Savitski 7-13; Fegley 3-(minus-14). PASSING – Old Forge, Carey 17-31-2-329. Southern Columbia, Fegley 7-15-0-58. RECEIVING – Old Forge, Argust 4-135, Tomasetti 5-98, Piccolini 5-83, Febbo 3-13. Southern Columbia, Day 5-45, Moore 1-6, Levan 1-4, Savitski 1-3.