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Dragons fall to undefeated Panthers @PLRedDragons

Tagged under: District 6, Gameday Hub, News

| October 3, 2021


Purchase Line’s senior running back Brady Syster escapes from a River Valley defender (above).

The River Valley Panthers and the Purchase Line Red Dragons both came into October 1’s game with their intentions set on making a statement. Only one team came out of the brawl with another win under their belt and that team was the River Valley Panthers, defeating their opponents 43-18, a score that neither side saw coming after the first half.

Purchase Line’s senior lineman Ashton Weaver said, “In the second half, we just started making little mistakes one after another. Next week, we have to stay focused and practice on fixing those mistakes.”

River Valley and Purchase Line started off the game strong. On the first play of Panther offense, senior quarterback Braden Staats threw a pass to fellow senior Rocco Bartolini, who took it to the house for a 60-yard touchdown. Along with the extra point kick, the score became an early 7-0 with over 11 minutes left to play in the first quarter.

Purchase Line’s sophomore quarterback John Elick and senior running back Brady Syster combined for a first down. These two followed up with a connection that Syster took to his own 42. After a 3-yard burst from senior fullback Jayce Brooks, Elick made a last second throw to Sanchez from the right sideline for about a 30-yard gain. The Panthers held the Dragons on the next three plays, but on fourth down, Elick hit Sanchez right in the chest, advancing Purchase Line to the 7-yard line. Brooks powered his way through the middle to the 3, setting up Elick’s 1-yard touchdown, two plays later. The score was now 7-6, with less than four minutes left in the first quarter.

The first big play of River Valley’s next series was a 20-yard pass from Staats to Bartolini for more than a first down. However, the Red Dragon defense held for the next three plays, forcing a punt from the team in black to open the second quarter.

Elick and Syster connected for 9-yards to open this series. The duo struck again for the next ten yards, but River Valley’s wall held strong for the next set of plays, leading to a Purchase Line punt. Syster’s punt rolled to the 6-yard line, where the River Valley offense would take back the field.

On the second play of the series, the ball was stripped from the Panthers and scooped up by Purchase Line’s senior lineman Brock Lloyd for a 9-yard touchdown, giving the Dragons their first lead of the game, 12-7.

River Valley’s senior running back Angelo Bartolini forced the ball up the field a few yards. This was followed by a senior wide receiver Cage Kinney and Staats connection. Angelo and Rocco Bartolini got the Panther’s run game going on the next two plays to the 21-yard line. This drive was capped by a 21-yard touchdown pass from Staats to senior Hank Skirboll, which closed out the second quarter scoring with a halftime score of 14-12.

Although Purchase Line started the second half with the ball, it was River Valley that was the first to strike. After a big run by senior Sincere McFarlin to the Red Dragon’s side of the field, McFarlin scored a 19-yard touchdown only a couple of plays later. This increased the Panther’s lead to 21-12.

The two teams exchanged the ball back and forth for most of the quarter, until River Valley’s star running back hit the Dragons with a 12-yard touchdown run. Following his touchdown, Angelo Bartolini also struck for the conversion, making the score 29-12. This closed out the scoring for the third quarter, with the River Valley Panthers in the lead, 29-12.

Angelo Bartolini ended another stretch of ball exchanges with a 35-yard touchdown, after maneuvering straight through the Purchase Line defense, creating a score of 36-12. At this point, the Red Dragon junior varsity players were subbing in. Purchase Line was backed into their own endzone and their attempt to escape ended in a fumble recovery by River Valley for a touchdown by Jake McKnight, their last of the game.

McKight’s touchdown was answered by Sanchez with an 85-yard kick return touchdown. This made the final score of this game 43-18, allowing the River Valley Panthers to advance to 6-0 and keep their undefeated title.

Purchase Line’s senior lineman Vincenzo Scott concluded, “I don’t think we came out of halftime as strong as we needed to. We thought that they would fold before we did, and we were wrong. We need to fight harder during tight games. Fighting harder to get on top will help us stay on top.”

Purchase Line will battle back against the Curwensville Golden Tide this week, while River Valley will play the Homer Center Wildcats.

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