Dragons control Trojans in second half burst

Tagged under: District 6, Gameday Hub, News

Avery Falisec | October 4, 2020

Purchase Line’s junior Jayce Brooks puts the ball into the end zone for one of the Dragon’s touchdowns.

The Saltsburg Trojans, just coming off of a big win over the Blairsville Bobcats, and the Purchase Line Red Dragons, who were still looking for their first win of the season, took each other on, Friday October 2. When it came to Purchase Line and Saltsburg, the Red Dragons had the advantage, defeating them in high scoring games for the past three years. Purchase Line lived up to this reputation, conquering the Trojans, 39-6.

Purchase Line Head Coach Matthew Falisec said, “I was very happy with our performance tonight. The kids played their tails off on both sides of the ball and they were rewarded. It feels great to see them get their first win of the season.”

Despite the 39 points that the Dragons put on the board, only six of those were scored by halftime, due to a slow first half for both teams.

It all started with a kick from the Purchase Line Red Dragons that was returned to the Saltsburg 30-yard line. The Dragons began quick with aggressive defense, holding Saltsburg to only a two yard gain, followed by a three-and-out. Facing fourth and two, senior running back Joshua Syster connected with senior Isaac Huey on a 16-yard pass to give the Dragons a fresh set of downs. However, the next pass was intercepted by a Saltsburg defender, who was able to get the ball five yards back to their own 20-yard line. The Dragons gave the Trojans a taste of their own medicine when junior Mello Sanchez picked off a pass from Saltsburg’s quarterback. A few plays of Purchase Line offense put the Dragons at their own 33-yard line, a decent position to start the second quarter.

Syster attempted to run the ball for on a third and six, but the Dragons were stopped, and forced to punt. The punt rolled to the 11-yard line, putting Saltsburg deep in their own territory. The Purchase Line defense was firing on all cylinders, and once again, caused a three-and-out, with a fourth and six. It was the Red Dragon offense’s turn to show their skill this time, as they continued to drive down the field, unable to be stopped.

Their formation had Purchase Line’s John Elick at quarterback, a freshman who wasted no time getting things done. Elick threw a 31-yard pass to Syster, and two plays later, junior Jayce Brooks took it in for a 10-yard rushing touchdown with four minutes and seven seconds left in the half. Saltsburg was unable to get through their opposing defense, or escape its speed.

Senior Clayton Patrick, with the help of Senior Logan McCracken, breached the Trojan offensive line and took down their quarterback, causing the Trojans to be faced with third down and 20 yards to go. Patrick was joined by junior Vincenzo Scott and Brooks on the next play to make Saltsburg punt on fourth down. Saltsburg’s defensive skill showed during Purchase Line’s next offensive series, barely allowing the Dragons to move. The Trojans needed to execute and score to tie the game before the half ended. Purchase Line had something different in mind. Brooks intercepted Saltsburg’s next attempt at a pass and ran it down the field. This was called back due to a block in the back penalty, but it hardly mattered. The clock was winding down and the only touchdown that was scored was that of Brooks, 6-0.

The Dragons came out in the second half with the ball, and used it for the rushing bursts of Brooks and Syster. Purchase Line kicked it in gear and drove down the field. The offensive line blocked perfectly for a rush through the middle from Syster to the 19-yard line. After being stopped by the Trojans, Syster followed up with a touchdown of nine yards, increasing the Dragons lead, 12-0.

Saltsburg needed to get this game under control before things got out of their reach, but once again, the plan of Purchase Line strayed far from that. After a few plays of Trojan offense, they fumbled the ball and it was recovered by the Red Dragons at the Saltsburg 30-yard line. They proceeded by running a reverse on a toss to Brooks, who handed it off to Syster, which got them to the 15-yard line. This set Brooks up for the touchdown. Saltsburg fumbled again on their next drive and it was recovered by Scott. Syster fired through only minutes after their last touchdown. This put the Dragons in the lead with four touchdowns at the end of the third quarter, as the Trojans were forcing their way down the field.

The Trojans gained some much-needed yardage at the beginning of the fourth quarter, even scoring a touchdown 62 seconds in, with senior quarterback Gino Bartolini for nine yards. Then, they were successful in their onside kick attempt, but were called for intentional grounding on the next play. Saltsburg was faced with yet another fourth down and this time it was 12 yards that stood between the Trojans and a first down.

Saltsburg’s passing offense could not catch a break, when Sanchez intercepted the next pass, his second of the game. The Dragons were penalized on the return due to a block in back, so Purchase Line would have to start at the spot of the foul. They ran a toss to the outside to Brooks for 18-yards and then again to junior Brady Syster, who found a seam through the line, taking it to the house for 52-yards. On the conversion play, Elick tossed through the Trojan defense to sophomore Andrew Beer. Beer made a diving catch to score two more points for the Red Dragons.

Angelo and Gino Bartolini began working together to get down the field, but were stopped on fourth down by the Purchase Line defense. The high score of 32-6 enabled Purchase Line to sub in some junior varsity players, along with the Trojans. With a little less than three minutes left, Purchase Line popped the ball free from Saltsburg, and freshman Austin Chambers ran it back for a 33-yard touchdown. With the completed kick from Brock Lloyd, the final score was set at 39-6.

Purchase Line finally received the big win that they have been waiting for since the beginning of the season. Josh Syster led the Dragons in rushing yards with 157, Brooks and Brady Syster following him with 76 and 56. Angelo and Gino Bartolini took the Trojans’ top spot with 90 and 40 rushing yards. Purchase Line’s defense forced six turnovers and their offense amassed 360 total yards, while Saltsburg was held to 186.

Elick said, “It felt great to get the win. We all played a huge part in achieving that, and it was great to know that I could help out. We played our hardest and it showed out there.”

Junior lineman Thomas Batten, who recovered one fumble from Saltsburg, said, “As a team, we have been aware of the talent that we have on the field, but we just haven’t 100% clicked yet, and Friday, it felt right to be able to finally get the win that we deserved.”

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