Easton Rallies from Down 14 to Stun Emmaus in OT
Tagged under: District 11, Gameday Hub, News
Cody Brady | September 21, 2024
The Easton Red Rovers had surely been defeated, and the body language said as much on the sideline. As time wound down to just seven seconds left in regulation, Emmaus had navigated from midfield down to the Easton 5 and was poised to send the Hornets crowd home happy with a Will Buck game winner. The snap came back high but was placed down in time. But then Buck’s kick sailed just wide right of the post and Easton had new life.
The entire game called upon Easton to be resilient and overcome adversity. Emmaus took a 7-0 lead with 6:19 to go in the first quarter when quarterback Jerek Cooper raced 74 yards to the house. That play capped a quick three play drive for the Green Hornets.
Cole Ordway did not want to be outdone. On Easton’s ensuing drive, he rolled left, then scrambled all the way back across the field for a 17 yard gain on 3rd & 7, He also completed a 17 yard pass to JC Wilson. Coupled with an Emmaus defensive penalty, the Rovers were in prime scoring position at the Hornets 10. On his next attempt, though, Tyler Durrette snagged an interception in the end zone.
Emmaus was forced to punt. And did Will Buck ever give it a boot. The kick went 70 yards and was downed at the Red Rovers three yard line. Conversely, the ensuing punt by Easton was shanked and Emmaus took over in Easton territory at the 46. Jerek Cooper completed an 18 yard pass to TE Sam Stephan and then hooked up with Jah’Khi Daves for twelve more. Cooper finished the drive with a one yard sneak on 3rd & Goal, extending the Emmaus lead to 14-0 with 5:42 to play in the first half.
To this point, the running back tandem of Will Day and Dorian Thomas had been mostly contained, amassing just 63 yards through the opening quarter. That all changed in one drive, as Will Day ran eight times for 62 yards, finishing on a 2 yard trip into the end zone. The extra point was wide left, but Easton was on the board and trailed 14-6.
This marked a huge turning point in the game for Easton, as they would hold Emmaus to just 28 total yards over their next four possessions, spanning the final drive of the first half through the entire third quarter. The first score also marked the beginning of a 21-0 run.
After forcing a quick three-and-out, Easton started its first possession of the second half on its own 43. Three plays later, Will Day broke off a 28 yard gain. He then finished the drive off on an 11 yard reception to bring his team within a point at 14-13.
Emmaus got a first down on their ensuing drive, as Kai Jefferson-Rushing caught a 15 yard pass from Cooper. The drive stalled, however, as another Cooper throw was batted down at the line on 3rd and long. Forced to punt, Will Day boomed another one 55 yards to the Red Rovers four.
Easton didn’t mind the challenge of being backed up again. Dorian Thomas ran up the middle for 68 yards, flipping the field position. Just two plays later, Jasir Frutchey torched the defense and found the end zone on a 33 yard catch. The two point conversion was successful, with Matt Stout making the reception, and Easton had its first lead of the night at 21-14 with 3:41 to go in the third.
Jasir Frutchey wasn’t done making plays. On Emmaus’ second play of their next drive, Frutchey intercepted Cooper on a ball near midfield. Easton was right back in business on the Emmaus 43 and looking to pad their lead. The drive came up short on a missed field goal and fans geared up for what would be an entertaining fourth quarter and then some.
Mason Fleming put a damper on the Green Hornets’ next drive, sacking Jerek Cooper for a loss of eight, setting up a 3rd & 20 situation. Cooper had Daniel Dugan deep over the middle behind the secondary, but the ball went just off his outstretched hands, forcing Emmaus to punt.
Dorian Thomas navigated the far sideline for a 21 yard gain on the next Easton drive, but an offensive pass interference call blew the possession up. Ordway’s fourth down pass went in and out of the end zone, giving the Green Hornets the ball on their own 30 with 6:48 to play in regulation.
Reilly Bechtel burst through the middle of the line on 3rd & 5, picking up 64 and nearly going into the end zone. He was ruled down on the one and Emmaus made the possession all the more drama filled by being penalized for an illegal procedure on a Neo Michel one yard touchdown run. It would take them until fourth down to score, when Jerek Cooper found Sam Stephan all alone in the back of the end zone for a dazzling over-the-shoulder touchdown catch. Buck’s extra point tied the game at 21 with 3:54 to play.
Penalties wiped away a promising drive for Easton, calling back a catch near midfield and ultimately forcing a punt from their own 25. The Hornets took over with 1:59 left from midfield and Reilly Bechtel quickly broke one for 25 yards, followed by Cooper gaining ten on a scramble. With a first down on the Red Rovers’ five, Emmaus ran the clock down and called timeout. With the game in the balance, Will Buck missed wide right and after Easton kneeled on the ball, we headed for overtime.
Dorian Thomas opened overtime with a two yard touchdown run, putting Easton up 28-21. Emmaus quickly responded with a Bechtel ten yard touchdown, but holding brought the play back and the Green Hornets were on their own 20 with four plays to try and score. In fitting fashion for Easton, Will Day picked off Jerek Cooper in the end zone to seal the victory.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to Easton head coach Matt Senneca, who was taken off the field in an ambulance. He released a statement on social media late Friday night, “I’ve gotten a lot calls and texts asking how I am. I am home and resting comfortably with my family. Thank you! It means a lot. On another note I just want to say how proud I am of our entire coaching staff and players for pulling out an extremely hard win!”
Emmaus head coach Harold Fairclough said after the game, “We knew it was going to be a war. We talked about that through the whole game. We just had a hard time stopping the run. We shot ourselves in the foot, We had opportunities and took points off the board. You can’t do that.”
On the message to his team moving forward: “There’s still things we need to clean up. I told them it’s going to be a long process to get where you want to in the end. We’re going to work and fix things–we don’t have a choice, we have a bigger[game] next week.”
In the victory, Easton racked up 311 rushing yards and Ordway threw for 110 on nine completions. Ordway tossed two touchdowns, while Will day ran for a score and caught a touchdown pass. Dorian Thomas amassed 127 yards and had the lone touchdown in overtime.
In the loss, Emmaus’ Jerek Cooper ran twelve times for 105 yards and two scores. He threw for 83 yards, a score, and was picked off twice. Reilly Bechtel rushed 12 times for 79 yards, held mostly in check by a powerful Easton defense.
Easton will host Stroudsburg next Friday night, while Emmaus will be in action on the road at J Birney Crum Stadium against Central Catholic.
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