FRANKLIN, Pa. – Cole Buckley accounted for a pair of fourth quarter touchdowns as Franklin rallied from a 17-7 deficit for a 21-17 win over Lakeview in its season finale.
Buckley connected on an 11-yard touchdown pass to Dreyden Payne with 6:10 to play, and his 8-yard touchdown run with 2:07 remaining gave Franklin the lead for good.
This came after the Knights came up big on defense in the third quarter with a goal line stand that forced Lakeview to attempt a short field goal, which Mitchell Tingley made.
After a winless campaign in 2022, the Knights finished the 2023 season at 4-6, as Buckley rushed for 105 yards and threw for 95.
The two teams traded touchdowns in the first quarter, as Tingley got Lakeview on the board first with a 41-yard touchdown run, which was followed by Bryson Watson’s 11-yard scoring scamper for the Knights late in the first quarter.
The Sailors, who will likely be the No. 1 or 2 seed in the Class 1A playoffs, scored with 16 seconds left in the first half to take the lead on a Leyton Zacherl 50-yard scoring strike to Danick Hinkson.
Tingley finished with 123 yards on the ground for the Sailors, while Zacherl had 108 yards through the air.
TITUSVILLE 28, CORRY 21
TITUSVILLE, Pa. – Jaxon Covell and Kameron Mong both rushed for over 100 yards as Titusville kept its playoff hopes alive with a 28-21 win over Corry.
Covell’s 62-yard touchdown run with five minutes to go in the third quarter and the following extra point gave Titusville a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.
Mong added an all-important insurance touchdown with 4:40 to go in the game, a 12-yard run.
For the game Covell had 182 yards on the ground and Mong 120.
The two teams traded touchdowns in the first quarter as Covell scored on 7-yard run and Nick Lesher a 13-yard scamper for the Beavers.
Ian MacDonald’s 1-yard scoring plunge and the 2-point conversion put Titusville up 15-7 with 5:48 to go in the first half, but the Beavers answered, scoring on Nolan Carey’s 40-yard touchdown pass to Rylan Smith with 54 seconds to go in the first half.
Carey’s 3-yard touchdown run just past the midway point of the third quarter gave Corry a 21-15 lead before Titusville re-took the lead on Covell’s touchdown run.
FORT LEBOEUF 43, SHARPSVILLE 7
WATERFORD, Pa. – Fort LeBoeuf was looking to bounce back from a tough loss to Corry last week, and boy did they ever.
Aiden Lesik accounted for three rushing touchdowns as the Bison finished the regular season 7-3 with a 43-7 win over Sharpsville.
Among Lesik’s touchdown’s was a 63-yard scoring scamper.
Connor McChesney scored on a pair of touchdown runs in the first half to stake the Bison to a 14-7 lead before Lesik’s first touchdown made it 21-7 at halftime.
Lesik’s 63-yard run came at the midway point of the third quarter.
Lesik put the finishing touches on his night with a touchdown run early in the fourth quarter, and Damian Blose also found paydirt on the ground in the fourth quarter for the Bison.
EISENHOWER 21, GIRARD 14
RUSSELL, Pa. – Eisenhower built a three-score lead, then held off a Girard rally as the Knights topped the Yellowjackets, 21-14.
Rewatch the game:
Tucker Lindell scored a pair of second-quarter touchdowns and had at least two sacks and multiple tackles for loss on his way to earning Allegheny Grille of Foxburg Player of the Game honors.
“It’s a really good thing to have (close games) because we have the battles now and we aren’t lost, don’t know what to do in the playoffs,” Lindell said during his Cole Orthodontic Associates player interview. “As we started to figure things out, we got the right guys blocked and were able to make plays and move the ball.”
See Lindell’s full Cole Orthodontic Associates interview:
Lindell put the Knights in front 21-0 just before the end of the first half, and Eisenhower got the ball back to start the second half.
Consecutive penalties pushed Eisenhower back to its own five, and then Girard got a strip fumble to take over at the Knights’ 10. Two plays later, Jeremiah Colon put the Jackets on the board with a 5-yard TD run.
Colon ripped the ball out of Lindell’s hands to set up Girard’s second scoring drive. He added a 24-yard run in the drive before finishing it off with a 4-yard TD run to make it 21-14.
The Jackets drove down to the Knights’ 13 with five minutes to play, but Eisenhower forced a turnover on downs to take possession and run out the clock.
Cole Kellogg got the scoring started with an 18-yard scamper late in the first quarter. Lindell scored his first touchdown on a 5-yard run midway through the second quarter.
Colon finished with 86 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries. Ryan St. Julien was 4-11 passing for 40 yards and Carsen Stevens was 2-8 for 26 yards and an interception.
James Kibbe had two catches for 38 yards and Derek Robison had four grabs for 28 yards.
Lindell had 12 carries for 64 yards and two touchdowns. Logan Penley had 15 carries for 53 yards.
Shawn Pascuzzi was 4-9 passing for 58 yards and ran five times for 43 yards.
Derek Childs had two catches for 34 yards.
GENERAL MCLANE 48, WARREN 7
WARREN, Pa. – Isaac Zietz had four total touchdowns and Magnus Lloyd had over 200 rushing yards to lead General McLane to a 48-7 win at Warren.
Zietz threw three touchdown passes and ran in another score. Lloyd ran for 212 yards and two scores on 16 carries.
The Lancers took control of the game when Zietz threw his first two TD passes during a 3-minute span in the first quarter. The first went to Jacob Zietz, the second to Caiden Holler
Lloyd ran in his first score three minutes into the second quarter. Isaac Zietz connected with Cooper Robson four minutes later to give the Lancers a 28-0 halftime lead.
Isaac Zietz had the lone TD of the third quarter on a 5-yard run.
Tommy Nyquist got the Dragons on the board in the fourth after he hauled in a 4-yard pass from Eric Dippold.
Lloyd answered right back with a 71-yard run, and Matt Caro connected with PJ Mitchell on a 30-yard pass to close out the scoring.
Nyquist finished with 90 total yards (84 rushing) on 26 touches with a touchdown. Dippold was 6-11 passing for 48 yards and a score.
Isaac Zietz was 7-10 passing for 134 yards and three TDs and had eight yards and a score on the ground. Jacob Zietz led the receivers with 4 catches for 75 yards and a touchdown.
NORTH EAST 51, REYNOLDS 19
TRANSFER, Pa. – Jamari Curlett accounted for five total touchdowns – one rushing and four coming on receptions from quarterback Jackson Humes, as North East beat Reynolds, 51-19.
Curlett had a monster game, scoring on passes of 25, 65 and 70 yards from Humes in the first half and 7 in the second half.
Curlett also scored on a 25-yard touchdown run in the first half, while Humes’ other touchdown pass was a 15-yarder to Donnell Gamble.
Curlett had 237 yards receiving of Humes’ 309 yards passing, while Curlett also had 66 yards rushing.
Cole Bermant and Bryson Galloway also scored on touchdown runs in the second half for North East.
For Reynolds, Gavin Alabran scored on a 97-yard kickoff return and a 19-yard touchdown run.
For Reynolds, Gavin Alabran scored on a 97-yard kickoff return and a 19-yard touchdown run.
CAMBRIDGE SPRINGS 20, UNION CITY 0
UNION CITY, Pa. – Brett Kania rushed for 144 yards and two touchdowns, surpassing 1,000 yards on the season, as Cambridge Springs closed out a 9-1 regular season with a 20-0 win over Union City.
The game was scoreless until 1:09 left before halftime, when Brandon Hoover connected with Parker Schmidt on a 19-yard touchdown, that, coupled with the 2-point conversion, made it 8-0.
Kania scored on runs of 3 and 10 yards in the second half.
The Blue Devils are looking at a top two seed in the Class A playoffs.
FAIRVIEW 43, NORTHWESTERN 7
ALBION, Pa. – Tyler Benford returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown and Fairview was off to the races in a game they had to win, 43-7 over Northwestern.
Vinny Campoli had an 8-yard touchdown run for Fairview, which is fighting for one of the remaining Class 3A playoff sports.
Javis Nesbitt, Benford had rushing touchdowns in the first half, while Braden Moore hauled in a 20-yard touchdown reception from Campoli as Fairview led 36-0 at halftime.
Northwestern scored in the fourth quarter on a Lloyd Fountain 13-yard strike to Kolton Sutter.
Campoli had 169 yards passing and 50 yards rushing for Fairview.
Fountain had 127 yards through the air for Fairview.
SENECA 42, MAPLEWOOD 22
WATTSBURG, Pa. – Nolan Seabury threw for three touchdown passes and ran for two more as Seneca beat Maplewood, 42-22.
Seabury had 215 yards passing and 120 yards rushing, throwing touchdown passes to Anthony Buscemi (48 yards, 9 yards) and Caden Barber (31 yards).
Seabury also scored on runs of 9 and 42 yards as the Bobcats picked up their fourth win of the season.
Kyle Jordan threw a pair of touchdown passes to Dominick Kinney and Dorian Doubet for Maplewood, while Kinney also had a 38-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.
SAEGERTOWN 28, IROQUOIS 24
SAEGERTOWN, Pa. – Aaron Shartle rushed for 162 yards and three touchdowns as Saegertown closed out its season with a 28-24 win over Irouis.
Shartle scored on a pair of 1-yard touchdown runs in the first quarter, with a Wyatt Burchill 13-yard touchdown run in the quarter giving the Panthers a 21-6 lead.
Shartle also scored on a 2-yard run in the fourth quarter that gave Saegertown a 28-18 lead.
Christian Krysiak threw three touchdown passes for Iroquois – two to Carmelo Hunter and one to Cole Bennett.
HARBOR CREEK 35, GREENVILLE 13
GREENVILLE, Pa. – Leading 21-13 at halftime, Harbor Creek’s Tyshawn Jones (21 yards) and Nate Hyche (9 yards) scored in the third quarter on touchdown runs to help Harbor Creek pull away for a 35-13 win over Greenville.
Jones had three touchdown runs on the evening, also scoring on runs of 13 and 36 yards in the first half.
Nick Solderich (2 yards) and Rudy Gentile (5 yards) scored on touchdown runs for Greenville in the first half, with Gentile finishing with 48 yards rushing.
