Seals cruise over Juniata 38-8.

Tagged under: District 4, District 6, Gameday Hub, News

Quincy Piper | September 2, 2023

“You’ve gotta trust in your coaches, trust in yourselves and  most importantly trust in the guy next to you” was the message from Coach Condo coming into week two of non-conference play.

I caught up with Tucker Teats, the Selinsgrove RB  in the pregame, and he had this to say when asked about personal success. “My stats are irrelevant if the team doesn’t get a W”.

Coach Hicks also had this to say when asked how he felt about the potential trap game he faced, “Honestly, I feel like I did a good job of keeping my guys focused on the task at hand, but time will tell”.

These were two teams that were reeling from very different week ones,  that’s for sure. Selinsgrove, still riding high after a goal line stand final against Delaware Valley. Juniata, a team who made a 2 1/2 hour trek north and lost heftily at the hands of district four power Troy. 

Nonetheless, both teams came out of the gate  swinging and exchanging brutal blows on the defensive side of the football. That led to both teams exchanging the football on a failed 4th down conversion. The ensuing Selinsgrove Drive was capped off with what would be the first of three Tucker Teats touchdowns. The extra point would miss wide right, however, keeping the score at six to nothing. Teats would get in a few drives later for his second touchdown of the first quarter and  the extra point was good, leaving it 13-0 at the end of the first stanza. Wyatt Ehrenzeller refused to take no for an answer, however, as he barreled his team down the field using a mixture of his legs and his arm. He put the Indians on the board around the seven minute mark of quarter number two. Gage Harlan was able to make it in on the two-point conversion attempt, cutting the Seal lead to 5.

Mark Pastore would lead his team back down the field before all-state kicker Carter Young would convert from 33 yds as they went to the half. Following a twenty-two yard return on the opening kick of quarter number three, disaster quickly struck.

The opening snap of the second half went over the head of Wyatt Ehrenzeller before fans had found their way back to their seats. The ensuing Juniata free kick took a very favorable Selinsgrove bounce. Setting up a short field and a Selinsgrove touchdown three plays later. After an Indian punt and a good return, Teats was able to fight off a whole tribe of Indians in route to a 40 yard touchdown scamper. Juniata was finally starting to make some progress, finding Jasper Shepps for multiple drive extending catches.  Wyatt Ehrenzeller would try to thread the needle a little too tight and get picked off at around the  Selinsgrove 30. The Seals continued to pound the rock before a Mark Pastore play-action pass that found Selinsgrove receiver Caleb Hicks for a 40 yard score. That would prove to be the proverbial nail In the coffin as the Indian JVs came in on the next drive.

Looking ahead, both of these teams have very tough games. Selinsgrove has a clash on their home turf with Jersey Shore. In a battle of top 10 ranked unbeatens next Friday.

And the Indians head to Elliottsburg, for a date with Marcus “Spark” Quaker next Friday, before the Indians enter league play.

@quincy_pfn on IG and Twitter Quincypiper_

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