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Penn-Trafford dominates over Armstrong 35-14

Tagged under: District 7, Gameday Hub, News

| October 19, 2024

The Penn-Trafford Warriors started out strong against the Armstrong River Hawks this Friday, incorporating a mix of deep passes to get down the field, then finishing off the drive with rushes.

A kickoff to P-T’s Ben Grabowski to start the game gave the Warriors possession on the 34-yard line. This was Grabowski’s first game of the season after injuring his leg in the preseason. The Warriors moved quickly down the field; a long pass from QB Jonny Lovre to Dom Smith set P-T up on the 27-yard line. After running for a first down, RB Tasso Whipple ran into the endzone with 9:43 left in the first. Freshman Jack Miller kicked the extra point, putting the Warriors up 7-0 over Armstrong.

Penn-Trafford’s Tasso Whipple lines up against Armstrong.

Armstrong’s Rex Harmon returned the kickoff, but the River Hawks couldn’t get past the 50. Defensive efforts, led by P-T lineman Jamison Yurt halted Armstrong’s attempts to run down the middle.

When P-T regained possession, Lovre made another deep pass to Smith. Derek Carr, who switched back-and-forth with Lovre as QB, ran in for the Warrior’s second touchdown of the night. Miller’s extra point increased P-T’s lead to 14-0 with 3:44 left in the first. 

In their next possession, Armstrong rushed with RB Costa Couknas and QB Jaydon Oliver. After a first down, Oliver threw an interception to Tyler Boss with 1:35 left in the first. Boss ran to the 43, where the Warriors continued their rush downfield. In a trick play, Lovre pitched the ball back to Jesse Lisbon, who threw to Jack Weishaar at the 13-yard line. Short rushes by Lovre and Grabowski left Penn-Trafford at 3rd and 4 to end the first quarter.

First play of the second quarter, Whipple took the snap and rushed into the endzone. P-T led 21-0 after a successful extra point only three seconds into the second quarter.

Oliver took over for the River Hawks, utilizing QB sneaks to get down the field. Despite his efforts, Armstrong was forced to turnover on downs.

Carr stepped in the next set of plays as QB, handing off to Colton Tyburski multiple times. Smith then caught yet another long pass from Carr and ran for a 77-yard touchdown play. Miller kicked another successful extra point with 4:06 left in the second, putting the Warriors up 28-0.

Armstrong was stalled again around the 50-yard line. After a huge tackle from P-T’s Lucah Butler, Armstrong’s Oliver ran for a first down. The River Hawks couldn’t make another first down though, and P-T regained the ball on a turnover on downs at the 42-yard line with 37 seconds left. 

The Warriors quickly rushed down the field. A long catch from Whipple, and a rush from Lovre as QB set them up at the 35 with 6 seconds left before half. Lovre threw the ball down into the endzone where Ponko jumped over his defender for the catch. Alexis Brown made the extra point and the Warriors ended the half up 35-0.

In the third quarter, Penn-Trafford began to cycle through their lineup, giving the River Hawks an opportunity to put points on the board. 

P-T’s Logan Hunter began the second half by kicking off to Kayden Lewis who took the ball to Armstrong’s own 24-yard line. Quinn Olsen then caught a pass and ran down to the 44. Joe Bartolowits, Kyan Kline, and Couknas all took turns running the ball for yards until Kline caught a touchdown pass from Oliver. Dan Pearson kicked the extra point, putting the River Hawks on the board: 35-7 with 5:48 left in the third.

Armstrong’s Jaydon Oliver rushes the ball.

The Warriors were quickly stopped on their next drive. After a series of incomplete passes and negative yards, the Warriors had to punt off from their own 20 yard-line. 

Armstrong took off again the next set of plays; Couknas caught the ball for a first down on the 45, then rushed for a 9-yard gain to end the 3rd quarter. Kline caught another touchdown pass from Oliver with 11:19 left in the fourth. Pearson kicked the extra point again, and Armstrong decreased the deficit to 35-14.

Whipple was put back in the game and rushed from the Warrior 38 to River Hawk’s 31 yard-line. After a few more short plays from P-T, Armstrong’s Theron Cupec intercepted the ball in the endzone with 7:03 left in the game. The River Hawks couldn’t convert the momentum shift though; they were forced to punt off.

P-T couldn’t make much more progress to end the game. They took a timeout with 29 seconds left in the game on 4th and 7, before passing to Weishaar for a quick catch and run to end the game.

Penn-Trafford will play away at Latrobe next Friday and Armstrong will play away at Franklin. Both games are the last regular season games and will begin at 7 p.m.

Follow PA Football News on Twitter @PaFootballNews

 
 
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