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Tagged under: District 5, District 6, Gameday Hub, News

| October 28, 2019


Berlin Brothersvalley’s senior linebacker Jacob Fisher attempts to tackle junior running back Joshua Syster while senior linebacker Cullen Goncher tries to block for his teammate. TAMMY SCHMITTLE PHOTO

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Playing a double-A school for the Western Pennsylvania Athletic Conference was not taken lightly for the Purchase Line Red Dragons. All week, they were preparing and making sure they knew what they were going into Friday, October 25. Although they may have been prepared, it was not enough to come out with a win against Berlin Brothersvalley, leaving the Mountaineers with a victory of 14-7. Senior running back Kyle Day said, “We couldn’t get our offense rolling but our defense played well, although we let up too many big plays. We just have to get ready for Blairsville this Saturday and try to get rolling again.”

Only seven plays into the game, Berlin’s junior quarterback Will Spochart threw a pass to his receiver Cole Blubaugh who ran it in for a 37-yard touchdown. The Mountaineers gained the early lead of 7-0. The defense of Berlin was swarming the Dragons offense and put them in a passing situation.  When senior quarterback Jacob Barnett threw a pass intended for sophomore wide receiver Jayce Brooks, it was tipped by two other Mountaineers, and the ball landed in the hands of junior cornerback Isaac Etris. A few dropped passes and two sacks later, the Dragons got the ball back, but when it became their turn to pass the three receivers were jammed too short, so the ball was once again intercepted by the Mountaineers, who were forced to punt soon after. The score at the end of the first quarter was 7-0.

The second quarter was a crucial one for the Dragons because they were still down by a touchdown and were not even on the board. Day was the powerhouse of this drive, making big breaks and getting most of the first downs, though some were called back due to numerous penalties. Purchase Line kept driving down the field and ended up at the 1-yard line after senior fullback Cullen Goncher forced the ball up the middle. From there, Barnett took the snap and then pushed it in for a Purchase Line touchdown, and what would be the only touchdown for the Dragons. With the half coming to a close shortly, the Mountaineers needed to capitalize if they wanted a halftime lead. The Dragons were having none of that. Day was there to intercept a pass and run it back a few yards. Purchase Line almost had a touchdown but their position on the field worsened because of more penalties, meaning the score at the end of the half was all tied up, 7-7.

The beginning of the third quarter was long. Both teams executed on defense held each other’s offense to punting or failed fourth down attempts. It wasn’t until close to the end of the third quarter that Blubaugh escaped from the linebackers for a 44-yard touchdown. For the rest of the quarter the score remained 14-7.

The Dragons needed to score soon to tie it up, but the Mountaineers would not let any sign of a touchdown anywhere close to their endzone. Barnett gave the ball to Syster, who launched a bomb to Brooks who was at the 20-yard line. The cornerbacks of Berlin were waiting right with him and the ball was intercepted. However, Berlin had to punt back to Purchase Line. The Dragons ended up pretty far back into their own territory, but a first down was not out of reach. Penalty yards were hurting Purchase Line a lot and they forced them even farther back. It was fourth down and the Dragons were close to the first down marker. Barnett passed the ball to Day, which got them the first down, but Berlin’s linebackers closed in and ripped the ball right out of Day’s hands.  The next few plays consisted of the Mountaineers running out the clock and assuming a 14-7 victory over the Red Dragons.

Senior defensive tackle Giovanni Scott said, “We didn’t play our game. We had too many mistakes. We have to get back to playing the way that we can for next week.”

The Dragons look forward to redeeming themselves against the Blairsville Bobcats, who will be looking for revenge after Purchase Line took a win from them in regular season, during their faceoff in round one of the District 6 playoffs.

Senior defensive end Charles Schmittle said, “We gave up too many big plays and penalties on defense. Our offense just wasn’t clicking. We just need to forget about that game and get ready for Blairsville this week.”

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