Showing their mettle
Mustangs overcome injuries, early TD in 12-7 win over Ambridge
Way back in January first-year Laurel Highlands football coach Aaron Raffle talked with his players about handling adversity.
无毛视频淲e无毛视频檝e always focused on what we do when we face adversity and how we get over that,无毛视频� said Raffle, who gave a tip of his hat to his father who recently passed away. 无毛视频淭hat无毛视频檚 something that my dad taught me years ago and I无毛视频檓 trying to bring it to these guys. They无毛视频檙e seeing it come to fruition, all that success you can have when you无毛视频檙e able to stay focused and rise up when things aren无毛视频檛 going our way.无毛视频�
Raffle无毛视频檚 team showed plenty of mettle Friday night.
The Mustangs watched Ambridge return the opening kickoff for a touchdown then had to deal with losing two key offensive starters 无毛视频� running back Gio Guerriere and quarterback Noah Lion 无毛视频� to injury during the first half and still managed to gut out a 12-7 victory over the Bridgers in a non-conference clash at Mustang Field.
无毛视频淭hese guys faced adversity today and pulled through,无毛视频� Raffle said.
Laurel Highlands无毛视频� defense didn无毛视频檛 allow a touchdown in limiting the Bridgers to 125 total yards and the Mustangs got fourth-down touchdowns from Marion Jones on a 2-yard run and Nick Crouch on a determined 38-yard reception to improve to 2-0.
Guerriere left the game with a foot injury after a 62-yard run to the Ambridge 1-yard line that set up the Mustangs无毛视频� first score midway through the second quarter. He still led LH in rushing with 11 carries for 82 yards.
Lion completed 3 of 4 passes for 31 yards before leaving with a shoulder injury after the first quarter but Laurel Highlands got a big lift from freshman Gabriel Centofanti who stepped in and completed 9 of 13 passes for 105 yards and a touchdown.
Raffle praised Centofanti for his play in a relief role.
无毛视频淗e showed a lot of composure out there for a young player,无毛视频� Raffle said.
Laurel Highlands found itself behind after the game无毛视频檚 first play as Ambridge无毛视频檚 Martese Priest returned the kickoff for an 88-yard touchdown down the left sideline. Ryan Lambert added the extra point for a 7-0 lead but the Bridgers (0-2) would not score again.
无毛视频淭hat无毛视频檚 obviously a stunning way for our team to start the game,无毛视频� Raffle said. 无毛视频淏ut they shook it off, overcame it and kept moving forward.无毛视频�
The Mustangs无毛视频� defense dominated much of the first half and forced a pair of turnovers with an interception off a tipped pass by Alafia Calloway in the first quarter and a fumble recovery by Colton Sweitzer in the second quarter.
Lion guided LH on a drive into Ambridge territory that began late in the first quarter, completing passes of 11 yards to Crouch and 17 yards to Scott McClay on third and 14 to the Bridgers无毛视频� 35. Lion left with his shoulder injury after the quarter and the Mustangs turned the ball over on downs at the 33.
Still down 7-0, Laurel Highlands无毛视频� defense forced a three-and-out and on the next play from scrimmage from the LH 37 Guerriere broke free on his long jaunt to the Bridgers 1 but he was injured on the tackle.
无毛视频淚t was a beautiful run,无毛视频� Raffle said. 无毛视频淓verything Gio does is a work of art. He无毛视频檚 a phenomenal athlete and we无毛视频檙e hoping we get him back for next week.无毛视频�
Ambridge无毛视频檚 defense kept the Mustangs out of the end zone for three plays but Jones would not be denied on fourth down as he plowed in from the 2 to get LH on the board with 5:36 left in the first half.
The extra-point kick was blocked, leaving the hosts behind 7-6.
无毛视频淓verybody here has heart,无毛视频� Raffle said. 无毛视频淵ou saw that with Marion Jones on that run.无毛视频�
Jones also played a strong game on defense, making several key tackles, including a sack, and deflecting a pass, despite leaving the field twice himself with injuries.
The Bridgers, riding the running of quarterback DJ Cain who led his team with 79 rushing yards, advanced inside the LH 40 late in the half. Crouch无毛视频檚 8-yard sack of Cain at the LH 46 led to a punt and the half ended with Laurel Highlands down by one.
The Mustangs opened the second half with an eight-play, 70-yard drive that ended with Crouch无毛视频檚 spectacular touchdown. On fourth and 7 from the Ambridge 38, Centofanti lofted a deep pass down the left sideline that Crouch and Priest both jumped for at the 9-yard line with the LH receiver not only coming down with the ball but then battling his way into the end zone for the go-ahead score with 7:56 remaining in the third quarter.
The extra-point attempt hit the crossbar, leaving the Mustangs up by five, 12-7, but the defense would make the lead stand up.
无毛视频淭he way he went up and battled for that ball, it was highly contested and he just did a phenomenal job pulling it down,无毛视频� Raffle said of Crouch无毛视频檚 TD. 无毛视频淎nd then to keep moving after he secured it and getting into the end zone, just an outstanding effort.无毛视频�
Laurel Highlands无毛视频� defense forced a three-and-out and Centofanti then led his team on another lengthy drive from the LH 17 to the Ambridge 27 that ate up 6:10 off the clock. Centofanti completed third-down passes of 9 yards to Josh Reed and 26 yards to Crouch to keep the march going before the Mustangs turned the ball over on downs early in the fourth quarter.
Laurel Highlands controlled the ball for all but 1:49 of the third quarter.
Needing a touchdown to win, the Bridgers put together their best drive of the game when they got the ball back, moving 63 yards in 11 plays to the LH 36. The Mustangs defense rose up again on third and 17 as Reed hit Gavin Kolder just as Cain无毛视频檚 pass arrived at the LH 23 and the deflected ball was intercepted by a leaping Jonah Coleman at the 20 and returned 66 yards to the Ambridge 14.
无毛视频淚t was well timed,无毛视频� Raffle said of Reed无毛视频檚 hit, 无毛视频渁nd then it was a tip drill and a great job by Jonah.
无毛视频淛onah has been working really hard with us and getting the schemes down, being disciplined and getting his footwork right and his hips right and taking those little things that we teach everyday and applying them to the game.无毛视频�
LH took over with 3:15 left and three runs and Centofanti无毛视频檚 fourth-down interception by Priest in the end zone for a touchback took the clock down to 2:07 as Ambridge used its final two timeouts. Raffle chose not to risk a blocked kick on a potential game-clinching 34-yard field goal.
The Mustangs defense made one final impressive stop as the Bridgers took over at their own 20, forcing four consecutive incomplete passes to seal the win. Crouch and Zi无毛视频橫iere Green deflected the second- and third-down throws and a furious rush by Crouch and Payton Sigler led to a fourth-down toss that fell harmlessly to the ground near the line of scrimmage.
Cain finished the night completing just 1 of 10 passes for 13 yards and two interceptions.
Crouch led LH with four receptions for 82 yards, Reed also had four catches for 22 yards and McClay reeled in a trio of throws for 30 yards.
Laurel Highlands无毛视频� defense, which threw a shutout in a win at Uniontown last week, has yet to allow a score this season.
The Mustangs travel to Southmoreland, also 2-0, for another non-conference game in Week Two.