Dragons upend Brashear in City League Playoff @DiceSports @Brashear_Fball @PGHCityLeague

Tagged under: District 8, Gameday Hub, News

Alex Fydryszewski | October 22, 2021

Robert Brown, Allderdice (File photo Sykotyk)

In a reversal from last weekend, Allderdice booked its trip to the City League final by defeating Brashear 22-8 on Thursday evening at Cupples Stadium.

The first quarter was a cagey battle between two teams that played a week ago, where Brashear came out the victor. Brashear fumbled its first snap, which was recovered by Dice. On the play, quarterback Daquan Griffin went down injured, the third Brashear QB to go down this year, as Brandon Pazzelle went down with injury earlier in the year and Ta’Mere Robinson, one of the most electric recruits in Pennsylvania, went down last week. The teams traded field position throughout the first quarter, which ended 0-0.

Allderdice switched up their QB situation in the second, as junior Jaerone Parker replaced Azerick Jetter. He made an immediate impact by driving the Dragons down the field, including a 50+ yard completion to Eugene Hall. ‘Dice would score two plays later as senior running back Robert Brown found paydirt from two yards. Molly Virtue’s PAT was blocked after a high snap and the score stood at 6-0 with 9:24 to go in the first half.

After a 3 and out and bad snap on the punt, ‘Dice would take over in prime field position. They’d score on their second play from scrimmage as Parker plowed through a host of Bulls. The carry for a conversion made it 14-0 with 7:20 to go in the half.

Brashear had another three and out and punted, giving ‘Dice more prime position, starting a drive at the Bulls 30. On fourth down, Noah Johnston took a screen pass for 14 yards and a fresh set of downs inside the 20. Parker found paydirt from 9 and the 2PC pushed it to 22-0, which is where the score stood at the break.

Coming out in the third quarter, Parker carried three times for a first down, but fumbled at the 34. Brashear’s highly recruited defensive end Kameron Cheatom recovered. The Brashear drive that ensued took up 8 minutes but found no result. Nelson punted and the kick was downed at the 1 yard line.

Azerick Jetter was hit hard, fumbled in the endzone and Emmanuel Myers recovered for the Brashear TD. Nelson added a carry for two points and it stood 22-8 with 3:20 to go in the third.

On their next drive, Parker hit Noah Johnston for a big pass gain of nearly 30 yards to get the Dragons in good position. After a penalty, ‘Dice was in the red zone, starting with a fresh set at the 10 yard line of Breashear. ‘Dice was able to drive to the Brashear 1, but neglected to send Molly Virtue on to kick an easy FG. Brown was hit and tackled by Kameron Cheatom at the line and ‘Dice came up empty handed to start the fourth quarter.

Brashear was unable to move the ball from their precarious position and Nelson’s pass on 3rd down was picked off at the 42 by sophomore Brandon Massie.

Allderdice went into “clock management mode” from there and went on to win 22-8.

Allderdice coach Jerry Haslett threw multiple looks on offense at Brashear, who struggled to keep up without Ta’mere Robinson, Brandon Pazzelle and then had Griffin go down on the first play—All three were two way stars. Haslett felt comfortable enough to throw the sophomore,Jetter, and then run out of a wildcat formation with multiple players, including Parker, who also showed he can throw the ball.

For Brashear, the injury to Robinson was massive, but losing Griffin on the very first play from scrimmage proved to be the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back. To lose a third QB in a shortened season would test even the national powerhouses like Mater Dei of Santa Ana, Saint Thomas Aquinas of Fort Lauderdale or any Texas 5A power…In the City League, its crippling. Their offense struggled as they looked to turn to a host of running backs to try and make a play without the ability to air the ball out. Without a passing game to fear, ‘Dice could cheat up as many players as they wanted to towards the line of scrimmage to hold the usually dangerous Brashear running game at bay and away from the edges.

‘Dice was missing a few players tonight but could have them back for the City League final next week. If they’re at full strength and know they can utilize these multiple looks again against Westinghouse or University, they’ve got a shot…and if it comes down to winning the game by an extra point…Jerry’s got Molly on his team and they don’t. Having a reliable kicker in the City League is a luxury and Allderdice has one. Molly even nailed an onside kick last week that ‘Dice recovered—She also played soccer through 9th grade, so she’s got a little bit of an edge on the rest of the City kickers right now, but she’s definitely a player to cheer for out there!

On a personal note: It has been wonderful to get to know coaches like Andrew Moore and Jerry Haslett this year—The City League has some really good guys involved right now and I look forward to getting to know the other coaches better in the off-season and next year.

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