Woodland Hills defeats Penn-Trafford 35-21

Tagged under: District 7, Gameday Hub, News

Annabelle Aquino | September 14, 2024

The Woodland Hills Wolverines overtook the Penn-Trafford Warriors this Friday, Sept. 13, at Warrior Stadium. While the Warriors battled injuries, were unsuccessful in their running game, and were indecisive with QBs, the Wolverines confidently incorporated both a passing and rushing game to speed past Penn-Trafford’s defense.

The Warriors started on offense, with Jonny Lovre as QB, and a 34-yard catch and run by P-T’s Jacob Briggs set them up at the 30-yard line during their first possession of the game. Two back-to-back flags slowed down the Warriors, and a big tackle by Woodland Hills’ Jaden Prince turned the ball over to the Wolverines. 

Scoop Smith runs past QB Cam Walter.

Scoop Smith proved his ability to get down the field early on. He had a few catch-and-runs to get the Wolverines down to the 7-yard line. A personal foul and failed pass pushed Woodland Hills back to 2nd and 30, but Smith ran the ball back up. Cam Walter, the Wolverine’s QB, made a running throw to Malik McCloud, who scored the night’s first touchdown.

Jacob Mroz kicked the extra point to put Woodland Hills up 7-0 with 5:24 left in the first quarter. 

The Warriors answered through a series of runs to get down the field. Derek Carr came in as QB, and had back-to-back runs, along with help from Tasso Whipple and Colton Tyburski. Carr made one last push into the endzone with 28 seconds left in the first.

Logan Hunter made the extra point, which tied the Warriors 7-7 going into the second quarter.

P-T had a shaky start to the second quarter. While Carr is usually put in for running plays, and Lovre is used for passing, they were swapped out every other play. Carr fumbled the ball (he recovered his fumble), so Lovre went in. Lovre was stopped on his run, so Carr went in but threw an incomplete pass the next play.

This unsteady rhythm led to a fourth down turnover with 7:01 left

Penn-Trafford’s Derek Carr throws as QB.

in the second. A catch by McCloud and a rush to the 9-yard line from Smith set the Wolverines up for an easy touchdown.

Walter made another touchdown pass to Smith, and Mroz kicked another extra point with 5:39 left in the half, putting Woodland Hills up 14-7.

The Warriors had another unsuccessful drive following the Wolverine’s score. Carr and Lovre switched out as QBs again, but neither could get past the Wolverine’s defense. Mikail Conner swatted down Lovre’s attempted pass on third down, forcing the Warriors to punt on fourth down.

On Woodland Hill’s next possession, Elijah Nesby had two consecutive long runs, one to the 16-yard line, the other to the 5-yard line. Nesby finished the job with a rushing touchdown and Mroz’s extra point made the score 21-7 with 38 seconds left in the half.

The Wolverines were on a roll following the touchdown. With only 29 seconds left, George Hill caught an interception thrown by the Warriors, shifting the momentum to Woodland Hills. 

P-T came into the second half looking stronger than the first. Carr retrieved a fumble from Woodland Hills, so the Warriors started on the 29 less than a minute into the half. Tasso and Carr had alternating successful runs, but a big tackle from Cymeon McCoy led to a turnover on downs. 

Malik McCloud catches touchdown pass from Cam Walter.

Woodland Hills slowly made their way down the field with a series of short runs from Walter, Nesby, and Conner. Eventually, McCloud scored his second touchdown of the night (pass by Walter), and made the score 28-7 with 2:45 left in the third.

Carr was taken out earlier in the 3rd quarter due to an injury, but later returned to play. In the meantime, Lovre took control as the sole QB. He passed to Jack Weishaar, who became the main receiver for the Warriors near the end of the game. Dom Smith also had a catch at the 20-yard line to end the 3rd quarter.

The Warriors lost their momentum at the start of the fourth after Conner intercepted a pass just 30 seconds into the final quarter. The Wolverines couldn’t convert to any more points though, and a huge sack by Jacob Briggs put the ball back in the hands of Lovre. 

Another interception, this time by McCloud with 9:19 left, gave Woodland Hills’ Tayor Reid opportunities for short rushes, but not long enough to get a first down.

The Warriors had another late-game push. Passes to Owen Gisi and Whipple worked P-T down the field, eventually allowing Weishaar to catch Lovre’s pass in the enzdone with 4:57 left in the game. Hunter kicked the extra point, making the score 28-14, Wolverines still in control.

P-T picked up some momentum from the touchdown. Hunter had a successful onside kick, which Carr recovered on the 46-yard line. Lovre stayed in the quarterback position, making a pass to Gisi before Conner intercepted yet another pass.

Smith made another dash for the Wolverines to the 25-yard line, where Reid scored a touchdown with 1:49 left in the game, and a score of 35-14.

P-T had a final attempt to score, started by a catch from Gisi and Blake Branthoover. Lovre threw a pass to Weishaar with 44 seconds left, and Weishaar scored, increasing the Warrior score to 21 points.

Woodland Hills sat on the ball for the remaining time, solidifying their dominant win with a score of 35-21.

Penn-Trafford’s next game will be at Kiski on Friday. Woodland Hills will play at Shaler next Saturday.

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