Meadville’s Ground Game Dominates — Pounds Fairview 55-17
Tagged under: District 10, Gameday Hub, News
TC Jones | September 8, 2023
Meadville head coach Ray Collins was happy with how his Bulldogs responded after a late-game loss to Butler last week.
“The loss last week was painful,” Coach Collins said. “So to come back tonight and put it together and get back on the track we need to be on, I was really happy with the effort from our kids.”
And respond they did. Five Bulldog players scored on the ground, highlighted by Bradyn Miller’s three-touchdown effort.
While Meadville’s ground game churned out big yardage plays, Fairview ruled the air early. Tiger quarterback Vincent Campoli was connecting with his receivers for big plays on seam routes and kept the game tied at 14-14 early in the second quarter.
But give Meadville credit for making defensive adjustments.
“It wasn’t a scheme issue,” Coach Collins said. “Our secondary has been shuffled around due to injuries, so there was some inexperience. But that sort of thing is fixable as they learned to trust the guys out there with them.”
As the Bulldog defensive backs got more in sync and the defensive line’s pass rush improved, the Meadville secondary came up with two huge interceptions in the second quarter, both turning into points on the ensuing offensive drives. That defensive effort and the continued push by Meadville’s offensive line led the Bulldogs into the locker room with a 34-14 halftime lead.
In fact, Meadville’s offensive line got a boost with the return of Justice Esser, who had been sidelined with a two-game suspension from a post-game scuffle after the loss to Allentown Central Catholic in the playoffs last season.
“It’s a different dynamic with him out there, “Coach Collins explained. “He’s a dominant lineman. He blows open holes. Our offensive line played excellent tonight.”
As the Bulldogs wore Fairview down in the trenches in the second half, Meadville continued to put points on the scoreboard, highlighted by an 80-yard kickoff return by Bradyn Miller on the way to the 55-17 victory.
Fairview’s only second-half points came via the leg of Michael Gennuso, who connected with a 46-yard field goal that easily had the distance to connect at 55 yards.
Fairview kicker hits a field goal from 46 yards. Would have been good from 55. Meadville still leads 41-17 @PaFootballNews pic.twitter.com/C8w9siEDx5
— T.C. Jones (@tcjones2007) September 9, 2023
Meadville improves to 2-1 on the season, and Fairview falls to 1-2.
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