MCA Ends 14-Game Losing Streak To SCA
Tagged under: District 4, Gameday Hub, News
Dave Fegley | October 15, 2022
Red Tornadoes beat rival Tigers 35-21
Fans across District 4 can say what they want, but the Southern Columbia vs Mount Carmel Area game has become the most intriguing rivalry since the two teams first met in 1996.
Entering Friday’s week eight matchup between the two historic programs, the Tigers had won the previous 14 meetings. They didn’t make it to 15 though as the Red Tornadoes won at Tiger Stadium 35-21 to remain unbeaten.
“This has to be the biggest win in my coaching career for sure. We haven’t had success against them for a while, but this group has been determined since the offseason started,” said MCA head coach John Darrah who entered 0-11 against Southern since taking over in 2015 including the four playoff meetings.
Mount Carmel (8-0) remains as the top-seed in the District 4 Class 2A standings, and they should stay there now as they will be heavy favorites in their final two regular season games.
The Tigers knew coming in that they needed to keep the mistakes to a minimum and try to match the physicality of the Tornado line. They weren’t able to achieve either of those keys in the game.
“When we needed to comeback and execute, we weren’t able to do that. The turnovers were killers for us, and we couldn’t stop their running game. They controlled us up front,” said Southern head coach Jim Roth who is the state’s all-time winningest coach while also winning a record 12 state championships.
Mount Carmel’s strength coming in was their experience and size on both the offensive and defensive lines. On the other side, Southern has struggled in the trenches in their losses.
Speaking of losses, both sides have dealt with unfortunate injuries this year. The Tigers have lost record-breaking linebacker Garrett Garcia and three-year starting fullback Wes Barnes. The Red Tornadoes lost Cole Spears at QB, and now are on their third stringer.
Matt Balichik, who had filled in nicely as the backup, left in the ambulance on Friday after a run where he landed awkwardly on his elbow in the second quarter.
“When we saw that ambulance come out, we trusted Gavin (Marshalek) to come in and do good. The seniors wanted to finally be able to beat Southern after never doing it before,” said Tornado senior lineman Nick Nestico. “I couldn’t be prouder of the guys on our team. The first week of the season, we beat North Schuylkill for the first time in our careers. We keep pushing through and continue to improve each week.”
All five of the Tornado touchdowns came on the ground with sophomore Luke Blessing scoring three of them and junior Xavier Diaz reaching pay dirt twice.
Blessing fumbled on the opening possession just a yard out from scoring, but he was able to rebound with the help of his teammates. With less than a minute left in the third quarter after the Tigers held a 21-20 lead, he scored on a three-yard run to give the Tornadoes the lead for good.
“I have to give it up for my linemen. They do the work for us. After my opening fumble I was able to rebound and score three touchdowns and Xavier did his thing. I wasn’t happy with the turnover I made, but I am really happy with the rest of the game,” Blessing said.
The longest touchdown of the night was the first one when Diaz ran 67 yards after the visitors forced a three-and-out after a dropped pass by a Tiger receiver.
“We have a lot of great players on this team. It all starts up front. I need to give a shoutout to my line for the way they block and also our defense for playing strong,” said Diaz who finished with 151 rushing yards.
Junior halfback Louden Murphy scored on a 12-yard run to tie the game at 7-7 with 11:29 left in the first half. On Marshalek’s second play after entering, the freshman connected with junior Jacob Shultz for a 42-yard completion and Blessing finished the drive with a two-yard TD.
“After Cole (Spears) suffered his injury, Matt (Balichik) came in and was doing a great job for us the past couple of weeks. It was unfortunate to see him get hurt, but you have to give Gavin (Marshalek) credit for coming in and doing great,” Darrah said.
In the final minute of the first half, SCA junior Carter Madden tied the game at 14-14, and the Tigers entered the locker room with the momentum.
Southern got the ball to start the third quarter, but senior Garrett Varano gave Mount Carmel the ball back quickly with an interception. In total, Tiger junior Blake Wise threw five interceptions as Diaz, senior Michael Farronato, Shultz, and Chase Balichik, Matt’s twin brother, each picked off passes.
“We knew they had turned the ball over a lot in their losses, so we wanted to force them into turnovers. Once we shut down their run, they couldn’t pass. We were able to make those interceptions to get our offense back on the field,” said Shultz.
After Varano’s interception, Blessing gave his squad a 20-14 advantage on a 15-yard carry with 8:53 left in the third quarter. The extra point was blocked.
Southern took the lead a couple of minutes later as Isaac Carter kicked a long extra point due to a penalty after Madden scored a second time on a one-yard leap. The score was 21-20 in favor of the host with just over six minutes remaining in the third.
With 43 seconds left in the quarter, Blessing scored from a yard out and finished the drive with a two-point conversion to give MCA the lead for good at 28-21. Then, the Tornadoes got the ball back off Shultz’s interception.
Following a 42-yard run by Farronato, Diaz scored the final touchdown of the night with 9:07 left in the game. He took it in from 15 yards out behind his line that dominated the entirety of the second half.
“I am really happy for our kids. This game is always one that you look forward to playing with the successful histories of each program. With two good teams, I can definitely see there being a rematch down the road in the playoffs,” said Darrah.
On a last-ditch effort, Wise was intercepted for the final time with 3:48 left and the Tornadoes were able to run the clock out to secure their 9th overall win in 31 meetings between the two foes.
Mount Carmel will play at the Silver Bowl next week against Shikellamy. They will then close out the regular season as they host Shamokin Area in the annual Coal Bucket game. A game in which the Tornadoes have dominated for over two decades against the Indians.
“We need to continue to use this momentum to close out the next two games of the regular season undefeated,” Darrah said. “To get that top seed in districts and home field advantage in the playoffs is something that everyone in our program wants to see happen.”
For Southern Columbia (5-3), the rarity continues for Pennsylvania’s most successful program of the last four decades. This is the earliest that the Tigers have suffered three losses in a season since 2009, and just the second time since the turn of the century that Southern has lost three games during the regular season.
The five interceptions were the most in a game thrown by the Tigers since a loss at Loyalsock when SCA threw five interceptions in a 14-7 defeat during that 2009 season.
“It is very difficult to beat a team when you can’t stop their running game. We didn’t physically match their level of play up front and that was the concern coming in. When we got behind and needed to throw the ball, it didn’t go the way we had hoped,” Roth said.
Southern will host Wyoming Area next week. In last year’s game in Exeter, the Tigers won in dramatic fashion by scoring the winning touchdown on a final 99-yard drive after the Warriors had built a 17-point lead in the second half.
“We need to rebound and get ready for Wyoming Area. This game ultimately doesn’t matter in terms of looking ahead to the postseason,” said Roth. “Mount Carmel is a very good team, and if we want a chance to play them again, we need to improve these next couple of weeks to get to that point.”
The Tigers will then close out the regular season at Shikellamy. With two wins to close out, the Tigers would be assured to have a home playoff game in the District 4 quarterfinals.
Mount Carmel Area 35, Southern Columbia 21
MCA — SCA
First downs 16 — 12
Rushing-yds. 51-369 — 35-214
Passing 4-7-0 — 3-14-5
Passing yds. 113 — 81
Total yds. 482 — 295
Fumbles-lost 1-1 — 1-0
Penalties-yds. 4-30 — 3-25
Mount Carmel Area (8-0): 7-7-14-7 — 35
Southern Columbia (5-3): 0-14-7-0 — 21
SCORING
First Quarter
M—Xavier Davis 67 run (Drew Yagodzinskie kick), 2:00.
Second Quarter
S—Louden Murphy 12 run (Isaac Carter kick), 11:29.
M—Luke Blessing 2 run (Yagodzinskie kick), 8:15
S—Carter Madden 2 run (Carter kick), 0:23.
Third Quarter
M—Blessing 15 run (kick blocked), 8:53.
S—Madden 1 run (Carter kick), 6:13.
M—Blessing 3 run (Blessing two-point conversion), 0:43.
Fourth Quarter
M—Diaz 15 run (Yagodzinskie kick), 9:07.
STATS
Rushing: Mount Carmel — Xavier Diaz 20-151, 2 TD’s; Michael Farronato 6-89; Luke Blessing 16-77, 3 TD’s; Matt Balichik 3-25; Garrett Varano 5-22; Ryan Weidner 1-5. Southern Columbia — Braeden Wisloski 15-74; Louden Murphy 5-59, TD; Jack Biermass 7-56; Carter Madden 6-10, 2 TD’s; Blake Wise 2-15.
Passing: Mount Carmel — Gavin Marshalek 3-5-0, 82 yds; Matt Balichik 1-2-0, 31 yds. Southern Columbia — Blake Wise 3-14-5, 81 yds.
Receiving: Mount Carmel — Jacob Shultz 1-42; Michael Farronato 2-40; Garrett Varano 1-31. Southern Columbia — Carter Madden 1-47; Jake Hoy 1-18; Jake Toczylousky 1-16.
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