Two Quarterback Look Spells Double Trouble for PM East in Central Catholic Victory
Tagged under: District 11, Gameday Hub, News
Billy Splain | September 15, 2024
Guest Contributor: lsvsports.com
Nothing sets the tone for a game quite like fumbling the opening kickoff return. Unfortunately for the Panthers, that was the first in a series of mistakes that kept them from what could have been a much closer game and possible upset at J. Birney Crum Stadium Saturday night.
After Justin Williams coughed up the opening kickoff, the Vikings needed just two plays to reach pay dirt. Maximum Godbolt caught a 12 yard touchdown pass from Patrick Cahill and with 11:11 left in the opening quarter, Central Catholic took a 7-0 lead.
The Cardinals benefited from a defensive pass interference on the first play of their ensuing drive, moving the ball out to their own 41. Quarterback Rocco Delgiudice had impressive runs all night, and picked up 13 on his first designed rushing play. With a nine yard gain by Stephon Bethea, the Cardinals were in prime position to respond. PM East converted on a 4th & 5, but flags fell and holding was the call. On 4th and long, Manny Rosario planted Delguidice in the backfield for the sack and turnover on downs.
The Vikings then went to the bag of tricks. The halfback pass went from Cahill to Kyle Fleshman, who tossed one down the field to Aidan Sorrentino. Sorrentino ran for the end zone and it initially looked like he had crossed the goal line. However, he was ruled down at the one and a penalty on the Vikings pushed the ball back to the 11. After an offsides on the Cardinals, Nate Young took it in from six yards out. With only six minutes played, Allentown Central Catholic increased their lead to 14-0.
Delgiudice again led his team down the field on the next drive, with gains of 14 and 11 , eventually reaching the Vikings 17. After a great pass breakup by Sorrentino, the Cardinals were faced with fourth and long. In an effort to gain momentum, they settled for the 35-yard field goal, and it went through, cutting the deficit to 14-3.
Justin Williams intercepted Cahill on the next drive, setting up the Panthers for another chance to cut into the Vikings lead. However, a fourth and short incompletion resulted in another turnover on downs, putting Central Catholic near midfield to begin another drive. The Vikings took advantage and put together a nine play 57 yard drive. Cahill used his legs along the way, picking up eight on a scramble. A facemask penalty on the same play moved the Vikings near the red zone. Tate Shoemaker put the exclamation point on this one, scoring from 11 yards out to increase the lead to 21-3.
Justin Williams came up big again for the Cardinals, as he took the ensuing kickoff down the sideline to the Vikings 36. Bethea also responded on a 25 yard run straight up the middle of the field. The team did shoot itself in the foot again with a false start, but Jesse Judd got behind the defense and caught an 8-yard touchdown pass with 1:48 left in the first half to pull the Cardinals within 11.
Aidan Sorrentino did his best to match the efforts of Williams, rumbling down the near sideline for a kickoff return that put Central Catholic on the PME 35. Clock awareness sunk the drive, though, as the Vikings saw the time hit zeroes nine yards short of the end zone.
Dean McCarthy led the Cardinals charge to open the second half, recording a tackle in the backfield that contributed to a quick three and out by the Vikings. From midfield, it appeared the Cardinals were going to cut further into the 21-10 deficit. Penalties remained a big killer for the team, though, as a 4th & 5 completion down to the Central Catholic 20 was wiped out on a hold, forcing the team to punt instead. On their next drive, a defensive pass interference moved them near midfield. Two plays later, Aidan Sorrentino picked off Delgiudice deep over the middle on a pass thrown into double coverage.
The Vikings took just four plays to go 91 yards for a backbreaking touchdown drive. Tate Shoemaker ripped off a 17 yard gain on the first play, followed by 30-yard completion to Tommy Roth on a swing pass to the right. Two plays later, Central Catholic ran the exact same trick play as the they did in the first half. Kyle Fleshman took the pass and heaved one across to the other side, where he found Grayson Schmell for the 34 yard touchdown.
Trailing 28-10 with 3:27 left in the third quarter, Pocono Mountain East needed something in a hurry. Delgiudice kept a play alive and scrambled to his left, picking up 21 yards to the Vikings 45. He then completed a pass to Connor Triano for another 21 yards. Delgiudice took the ball four yards over the left side for a touchdown to open the fourth quarter. Maximum Godbolt blocked the extra point. keeping the score at 28-16.
To put the game away for good, ACC needed a time consuming scoring drive. They got just that, covering 69 yards on 12 plays and consuming nearly seven minutes of the fourth quarter. Dean Johnson saw some of the work on this drive, and he pounded ahead for key yardage. On an early 4th & 1 call at their own 40, the Vikings went for it and Nate Young gained four yards. Cahill provided runs of eight and nine yards, setting up Rosario for a two yard touchdown run. The Cardinals had one last gasp, but their 12 play drive took far too much time and stalled on the Vikings 25 after a 4th & 12 pass fell incomplete.
In defeat, Rocco Delgiudice was an impressive dual threat. He ran 19 times for 117 yards and a score, while throwing for 67 yards and a touchdown. Stephon Bethea finished his night with 94 yards on 14 carries. Unfortunately for PM East, the penalties added up in a hurry. The Panthers were flagged ten times for 65 yards.
The dual attack of Kyle Fleshman and Patrick Cahill worked out in Rob Melosky’s favor. Fleshman passed for 114 yards and a touchdown on just four completions, while Cahill completed seven balls for 64 yards and a touchdown. Cahill added 95 yards on the ground. Along with his defensive plays, Sorrentino had a nice night on offense, catching six passes for 77 yards.
The Vikings will now look to get over the .500 mark when they travel to BASD Stadium next Saturday night for the Holy War against Bethlehem Catholic. Pocono Mountain East will be on the road at Stroudsburg next Friday night.
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