Council Rock North defeats Wissahickon 27-6

Tagged under: District 1, Gameday Hub, News

Alex Gelman | August 30, 2019

It was a very odd night at Trojan Stadium. From the first snap, the Wissahickon offense struggled. Council Rock North defeated Wissahickon 27-6. Before the game, Coach Fleming informed the media that Aiden DeFeo would get the start at quarterback, and Nick Santo would only be used in an “emergency”. That was due to Santo having a shoulder injury, which he suffered on the first drive of the game last week against Penncrest.

DeFeo, sophomore, was starting for the first time in his career. Late into the second quarter, the game tied at zero, DeFeo bobbled the snap and it was picked up by CR North, into the end zone for a touchdown. On the following drive, DeFeo looked to go deep but it was intercepted by CR North DB Gavin Papp and returned into Wissahickon territory.

Following a spectacular 24-yard catch by RB Tim Gibson, Evan Mancinelli ran it into the end zone for a 9-yard run with just 18 seconds left in the half. Giving the Indians a 13-0 lead. 

The kickoff following the TD run was fumbled by the Trojan return man, and recovered by CR North. With just five seconds remaining in the half, Mancinelli caught a 3-yard touchdown pass, extending the lead to 20-0 heading into the locker rooms for half.

“It hurt, turnovers always hurt, especially when it’s close to the end of the half and you want to keep the score close” said Coach Fleming. 

The start of the second half was when it got interesting. Nick Santo trotted out to the field on the Trojans first drive, despite being listed as the “emergency” quarterback. 

“I was trying to give us a little spark to start the half,” said Coach Fleming.

Coach Fleming got that spark on the first play of the half when Freshman RB Kyle Lehman ran for a 60-yard touchdown, his first career touchdown, his first career carry. That spark didn’t last long. After forcing a three and out, the Trojans got the ball back and Santo was heading out for his second drive of the game but on his first pass attempt, Santo threw out his shoulder. He was done for the game and DeFeo was back in. 

When asked about all the injuries suffered tonight, Coach Fleming said “injuries happen and that’s apart of the football season, but it’s one of those things where we are giving our young guys reps and hoping that they are ready to go.”

Injuries and turnovers are what hurt Wissahickon tonight, resulting in their second loss of the season. Starting 0-2 is not ideal but Coach Fleming said “as long as we’re all on the same page, we will keep moving in the right direction.”

Follow PA Football News on Twitter @PaFootballNews