The Funding Zone
 
SAFR: Safer Through Science
 

Delaware Valley wins a come-from-behind thriller over Abington Heights

Tagged under: District 2, Gameday Hub, News, pfn

| September 28, 2024

CALRKS SUMMIT — We had heard talk all week about how this might be the last game ever at “The Pit”, also known as Comets Stadium.  The Delaware Valley Warriors came in at 1-4, finally notching their first win of the season last week against Wallenpaupack.  Abington Heights came in at 3-2, fresh off a win over North Pocono.  These 2 Class 5A teams have played many games over the years, and this one had some extra hype because…well, “The Pit” and all.

This one may have turned out to be one of the best games ever played on that turf.

The Warriors and Comets had a slugfest of a game, with multiple lead changes and the ending in doubt into the final seconds when Delaware Valley came from behind to defeat Abington Heights 35-28 in an instant classic.  Warrior RB Mike Iuzzolino had 4 TD’s in the game while Comet QB Nick Bradley threw for 3 scores of his own.

Delaware Valley won the toss and deferred, so Abington Heights took the opening kickoff. Starting at their own 31, QB Nick Bradley went to work. He ran it for a yard, then threw a nice pass to WR Shane Brower for 7 yards. Unfortunately the 3rd down pass fell incomplete and it was a 3-and-out for the Comets.

Delaware Valley began their first drive at their own 25, and it was RB Mike Iuzzolino setting the tone early on a strong 8-yard run. A false start negated 5 yards of that gain, but RB Justin Estevez gained it all back on the next play with a nice run. QB Logan Olsommer also mixed things up on the drive with short passes to Estevez and 6 yards and a short inside connection to WR Trey Newton for 3 yards. Iuzzolino then had 3 straight runs down inside the Comet 40 yard line but an illegal formation penalty was costly and pushed the Warriors back to their own 46. Iuzzolino got all of that back and more on the next play, a 54-yard TD run that gave Delaware Valley a 7-0 lead with 6:41 left in the 1st quarter.

Abington Heights was not to be outdone however. RB Thatcher Loss got a nice 8-yard gain on 1st-and-10 from the Comet 22. RB Dominic Vergnetti was up next, with a nice run that was aided by a facemask penalty. On the very next play, a 1st-and-10 at the Abington 42, Bradley tossed a beautiful pass down the right sideline to Brower who then outran the Warrior defense for a 58-yard score to tie the game at 7 with 5:23 left in the 1st quarter.

We then knew we were in for a wild one at the Pit.

The Warriors started the next drive at their own 17. Olsommer hit Newton for a nice 12-yard gain out to the 29, but a fumbled snap for a 1-yard loss followed by a holding penalty pushed the Warriors back to the 22. On a 3rd-and-17 there, Olsommer hit WR Colin McGarvey for a big 35-yard gain to the Comet 43. When the Comets loaded the box and stopped Iuzzolino for no gain on the next play, Olsommer switched things up and threw it to Newton for 8 yards. Iuzzolino then gained 3 yards and a 1st down at the Abington 32. Olsommer then went back to Newton for 14 yards and then again for another 3 yards down to the 15. Iuzzolino then broke free on a strong run but was tripped up at the 2 for a 13-yard gain. On the very next play, Iuzzolino ran it to paydirt for a 2-yard TD and the Warriors retook the lead 14-7 with 1:09 left in the 1st quarter.

Keeping with the same pattern we had seen so far, Abington Heights moved quickly their next drive. Starting at their own 30, a false start moved them back to the 25. Loss had a nice 6-yard run, and on the next play Bradley hit WR Shawn Theodore for a 69-yard TD strike that tied it at 14 with 17 seconds left in the 1st quarter.

The wild game continued, to the surprise of nobody who was on hand to see it.

Delaware Valley started their next drive at their own 20, and Iuzzolino hit for a nice 10-yard run to end the 1st quarter. Starting the 2nd quarter, Olsommer threw it to Estevez for 3 yards and then RB Luke Brazanskas entered the game to give Iuzzolino a breather. The first run from Brazanskas went for no gain, then Estevez ran it for 6. Needing 1 yard on 4th down at the 39, Brazanskas got 2 yards and the 1st down. His next run was read perfectly by Comet DL Cayd Sespico as he nailed Brazanskas in the backfield for a 1-yard loss. Brazanskas ran it again for 2 yards and on a 3rd-and-9 at the 42 it was Sespico again making a great individual play as he sacked Olsommer and forced a fumble that was recovered by Abington Heights at the Warrior 26.

The Comets took over on offense, and with the short field decided to go for it all. Bradley threw it down the middle into the endzone toward Brower and Theodore but an incredible effort by Iuzzolino enabled him to get back downfield and make a play on the ball, knocking it incomplete. The Comets then shifted gear slightly and went for shorter plays, and a short pass to Theodore on 3rd-and-11 at the 27 ended up being a 20-yard gain down to the 7. The Comets got down to the 1 but a false start pushed them back to the 6, and Bradley then found an open Theodore for a 6-yard TD. With 6:14 left in the half, Abington Heights had taken a 21-14 lead.

With time still on the clock, Delaware Valley stayed mainly with the running game. After RB Chris Devaney had a nice return out to the 39, Iuzzolino ripped off a nice 9-yard run. Several plays later, Olsommer then used the play action and threw it to Estevez for 9 yards down to the Comet 33. Unfortunately, the Comet defense stiffened and the Warriors only made it to 24. On 3rd-and-1 at the 24, Iuzzolino was stopped for no gain on 2 consecutive plays to force a turnover on downs. As the Comets took over at the 24, Bradley hit Theodore for 22 yards out to the 46 and then Loss had a strong 12-yard run to the Warrior 42. Unfortunately, the Comets gained only 2 more yards as the drive stalled and they punted it away.

Delaware Valley had just enough time for one more drive before the half. On 1st-and-10 from their own 9, Olsommer threw it to Newton for 9 yards and he fumbled but fortunately the Warriors recovered it. With 49 seconds to go, Olsommer threw a screen pass to Newton who had a nice gain aided by a personal foul on the Comets that moved the ball to the 45. Olsommer then threw it to Newton again, who eluded numerous defenders on a crazy back and forth run after the catch for 39 yards and a 1st down at the Comet 21. Olsommer went right back to Newton again for 5 more yards to the 16. With the final seconds ticking off the clock, Olsommer took the snap and scrambled away from the rush and threw it into the endzone where it was picked off by Theodore to stop the drive and end the half with the Comets up 21-14.

Delaware Valley took the second half kickoff as the rain began and continued steadily throughout the entire 3rd quarter. Starting at the 23, the Warriors were hit immediately by a holding penalty which moved them back to the 12. Iuzzolino had a tough 4-yard run up the middle but the 2nd down pass was deflected by DB Gavin Anders. On 3rd down Olsommer was forced out of the pocket and scrambled for 9 yards but was well short of the line to gain and the Warriors punted it away.

Abington Heights took over at their own 35 and decided to try to establish the running game. RB Dominic Vergnetti was hit for a loss of 1 yard and then a fumbled snap caused a 5-yard loss. On 3rd-and-16 from the 29, Bradley threw it to Brower for a big 34-yard gain to the Warrior 37. On 2nd-and-8 from the 35, Bradley threw it to Theodore for 10-yards but the drive stalled there as 3 straight passes went incomplete to force a turnover on downs.

Still down a touchdown, Delaware Valley began an inspired drive at their own 28 and it was a whole lot of Iuzzolino, who ran it 8 times on the drive for a total of 51 yards. Olsommer did hit Newton twice for a total of 13 yards on the drive, but it was Iuzzolino who capped it with a 3-yard run with 3:29 left in the 3rd quarter to the tie the game at 21.

The Comets started their next drive at their own 30, but 2 penalties in their first 4 plays hurt them and they were forced to punt when the drive stalled at the 37. The Warriors took over at their own 28, and as the 3rd quarter gave way to the 4th it was a 3-and-out as the Comet defense stepped it up. Abington started their next drive at their own 34. Vergnetti ran it for 5 yards, then Bradley hit Brower for 11 yards to midfield. A holding penalty pushed the Comets back to their 40, but on the next play Bradley scrambled down the left sideline and was aided by a Delaware Valley facemask penalty that made it 1st-and-10 at the Warrior 39. On the very next play, Loss ran the counter to the left and broke through the line and ran it all the way for a 39-yard score. With 10:13 left in the game, Abington Heights retook the lead 28-21.

Iuzzolino had a really nice kick return to the Warrior 45 on the ensuing kickoff. On the next 2 plays Comet DL Cayd Sespico again made his presence known, hitting Iuzzolino in the backfield for a 3-yard loss and then hit him again on the next play for no gain, igniting the Comet bench and the crowd. An incomplete pass on 3rd down forced a punt. On the punt attempt, Olsommer was hit and a roughing the kicker penalty was assessed which gave Delaware Valley new life and a 1st-and-10 at the Comet 43. Olsommer hit back immediately on a play-fake stretch play keeper around the left side for a 23-yard gain. Iuzzolino then ran it for 9, and on the next play it was Iuzzolino again stopped for a short gain but a facemask penalty made it 1st-and-goal at the 7. Iuzzolino capped the drive on the next play with a 7-yard TD run that tied the game at 28 with 7:33 to go.

The Comets held their destiny in their hands and began their next drive at the 22. A mix of passes and runs was very effective on this drive. On 1st-and-10 from the Warrior 47 it was Bradley on the keeper for a nice gain that was aided by a personal foul on the Warriors that made it 1st-and-10 at the Delaware Valley 26. Unfortunately, the Comets gained only 2 yards on the next 3 plays and a delay of game penalty made it 4th-and-13 from the 29. On the play, Bradley was pressured and scrambled out of the pocket and turned around to run the other way and was hit for a loss of 7 and a turnover on downs.

The Warriors saw that they had enough time on the clock and decide to go back to the ground on their next drive. Iuzzolino was the workhorse on the drive as he ran it 6 times for a total of 48 yards. Estevez chipped in 2 runs for 6 yards as well but it was Olsommer with the 2 biggest plays on the drive. On 2nd-and-5 from the Comet 40, Olsommer again hit on the left stretch play keeper for 14 yards. Finally, on 2nd-and-8 from the 10 Olsommer went to the right on the stretch play keeper for the go-ahead score that made it 35-28 with only 16 seconds left.

Abington Heights had an opportunity to tie the game but with the clock running out they were only able to gain yardage out to the 40, and the Warriors triumphed with a come-from-behind 35-28 win.

After the game I had the chance to speak to Warrior RB Mike Iuzzolino and Warrior QB Logan Olsommer. You can watch those interviews below.

Check out the photo gallery from the game, courtesy of Sherryl Samuel:  PHOTO GALLERY

Follow PA Football News on Twitter @PaFootballNews

 
 
QwikCut
 
GoRout
 
Sports Paradise
 
 
x