The Funding Zone
 
SAFR: Safer Through Science
 

Berlin Brothersvalley Blanks Laurel

Tagged under: District 5, District 7, Gameday Hub, News, pfn

| September 15, 2023


New Castle – Berlin Brothersvalley limited Laurel to 184 yards of offense en route to a 27-0 victory Friday night.

They say “D” is for dominant – that’s exactly what the Mountaineers used to push their record to 4-0 on the season.

“Coach Dante Paul does a great job getting these guys prepared with tendencies and formations and has these guys in a great place, which takes the weight of the world off of me,” said Berlin head coach Doug Paul. “That allows me to focus on the offensive side. The kids executed the game plan and got after it tonight.”

Berlin held the leading rusher, Jackson Saunders, to 54 yards on 20 carries while holding Laurel to only 105 yards rushing on 39 attempts. The Spartans’ passing game didn’t fair any better as Sauders and Luca Santini combined to complete 8-of-17 passes for 79 yards with an interception to Zander Ritenour.

The Mountaineers took the football and drove 59 yards, opening the scoring on Connor Montgomery’s 24-yard field goal.

Immediately succeeding a blocked punt, Pace Prosser connected with Aidan Ream for a 4-yard touchdown as Berlin jumped out to a 10-0 lead at the 6:05 mark of the first quarter.

 

“This game’s all about momentum”, Paul said. “We talk about that every week. You have to have momentum plays. Even when our drives stall, Montgomery is automatic with the kicks. We can trust him anywhere from 25 to 30-yard field goals. The block punt was big, giving us great position; we got a quick score – that took the wind out of their sails a little bit. We knew they liked to run the ball, and when you get a team in the hole like that, it makes it harder to run.”

Pace Prosser led Berlin, going 7-for-19 passing for 115 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. He more than made up for what he may have lacked in the air with his legs, rushing for a game-high 96 yards on ten carries. Prosser also deflected away a fourth down halfback-option pass from Laurel that looked like a sure touchdown late in the contest. 

“Pace is Pace, and there’s a reason he’s an all-state safety,” said Paul. “They should’ve had seven at the end of the game. He came out of nowhere and batted it down. On the offensive side of the ball, our passing game has been money all year. Tonight, it wasn’t. We told our receivers they weren’t attacking the ball; their hands were low, but we’ll get after that next week. Having Pace out there, he makes you look good as a coach.”

The special teams continued to be special for the Mountaineers in the second stanza as Montgomery booted his second field goal of the night from 25 yards, capping a 12-play 73-yard drive.

Padding their lead, Cooper Huston broke free after appearing to be stopped at the line scrimmage and raced down the near sideline 36 yards for a touchdown as Berlin grabbed a 20-0 lead they would take into the locker room. 

 

Cooper Huston gained 142 yards of total offense with 67 yards rushing on seven carries while adding two receptions for 75 yards.

Laurel put together their best drive of the night to begin the second half, marching into the red zone for the lone time in the game. But the Mountaineers turned them away on downs at their 12-yard line.

Berlin then closed the scoring late in the third quarter when Ream scored on a 3-yard run with 39 seconds to play in the third following a 5-play 50-yard drive. 

From there, the Mountaineers battered and bruised the Spartans to the finish line. 

“Tonight feels good. I want to thank Laurel’s football and Athletic Director for playing us,” Paul said. “We just wanted a game. We didn’t want to be sitting around this week. Especially with a big game next week against Northern Bedford. We would’ve got on a bus and traveled four hours if we had to – we were reaching out to teams in West Virginia, so we just wanted to play ball tonight.”

Berlin will now have a key Inter-County South matchup with Northern Bedford. The Panthers are ranked fourth in the state in Class A by PaFootballNews.com.

“We’ve been watching Northern Bedford all season, Paul concluded. “They’re a senior-heavy team. Last year, they gave Windber a run for their money in the district championship. We know we have our work cut out for us. We know we’re the new kids in the conference, but at the same time, we know we’re the ones everyone wants to beat. So we’re excited for that game.”

Laurel now falls to 1-3 on the season and will look to return to their winning ways when they host Union Area. 

Game Highlights

Berlin-Brothersvalley 27 Laurel 0

Score by Quarters

Berlin-Brothersvalley – 10 10 7 0 – 27
Laurel – 0 0 0 0 – 0

Scoring Summary

First Quarter

B – Connor Montgomery 24 yd field goal, 8:29 – 8-59

B – Aidan Ream 4 yd pass from Pace Prosser, (Montgomery pat), 6:05 – 1-4

Second Quarter

B – Montgomery 25 yd field goal, 6:32 – 12-73

B – Cooper Huston 36 yd run, (Montgomery pat), 2:19 – 6-46

Third Quarter

B – Ream 3 yd run, (Montgomery pat), 0:39 – 5-50

Individual Stats

Rushing: B – Prosser 10-96, Huston 7-67, Ream 7-31, Moriek Jones 5-10. Totals: 32-204. L – Jackson Sauders 20-54, Luca Santini 11-37, Nathan Hill 4-10, Tyler Shearer 3-2, Kolton Carlson 1-2. Totals: 39-105.

Receiving: B – Ream 3-17, Huston 2-75, Zander Ritenour 1-6, Hayden Hutzell 1-17. L – Brayden Smith 1-9, Shearer 2-7, Xander Johnson 1-17, Jack Miles 1-5, Carlson 3-41.

Passing: B – Prosser 7-for-19, 115 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT. L – Sauders 1-for-3, 9 yards, Santini 7-for-14, 70 yards, 1 INT.

Interceptions: B – Ritenour. L – Shearer, Santini.

Follow PA Football News on Twitter @PaFootballNews

 
 
QwikCut
 
GoRout
 
Rainbow Lettering
 
x