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Saegertown Holds on to Beat Union City in Region Clash // @SaegertownF

Tagged under: District 10, Gameday Hub, News

| September 25, 2021

The 35-28 final score made the Saegertown Panther’s victory seem more in doubt than it actually was. Leading 35-14 in the fourth quarter, Saegertown (1-1) gave up two late touchdowns to Union City (0-4).

In front of a large homecoming crowd at Canon Memorial Stadium in Saegertown, both teams traded scores on the first four possessions of the game — knotting the scoreboard at 14-14 early in the second quarter. And with both times offenses firing early, it seemed like the game was destined to be a shoot-out.

“The game started as a shootout,” head coach James Wolfgang said. ”But our kids settled down and began to control the line of scrimmage.”

Momentum shifted in Saegertown’s favor when junior quarterback Henry Shaffer scrambled for a rushing touchdown with the help of a huge pancake block by wide receiver Sully Zirkle. The 55-yard score put the Panthers up 21-14 going into the half.

“The play sort of broke down, so I scrambled and saw Sully absolutely pancake the defender, so I was able to go left for the touchdown,” Shaffer explained. “That play set the tempo for the rest of the game.”

The play sparked something in the Panther linemen. From that point forward, both the offensive and defensive line for Saegertown dominated. Wearing Union City down, the O-line opened up huge holes for senior running back Keenen Schaaf who scored three touchdowns in the game. 

“We had struggled a bit this year on the line of scrimmage with blocking,” Schaaf said. “But tonight showed the possibilities of what our line can do.”

Down by 21 points in the 4th quarter, Union City didn’t roll over and give up. In fact, quarterback Kyler Shaffer showed why he was one of the best players on the field, orchestrating the Bear’s late comeback. With four rushing touchdowns in the game, Shaffer notched two late in the fourth quarter to put Union City within one score with a minute left in the game. 

But Saegertown buckled down when it had to, running out the clock for the victory. 

“I’m proud of our kids and the way they played,” Coach Wolfgang said.

Final score:  

Saegertown 35

Union City 28

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