The Funding Zone
 
SAFR: Safer Through Science
 

Dunmore outlasts Riverside in a tight one, 20-16

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

| September 16, 2023

Dunmore was an early pick to do well in Class 2A this year, but a loss against Mount Carmel left many wondering if the Bucks could get it done. Riverside also had a lot of confidence on the table to start the season, but an injury-filled narrow loss to Mid Valley clouded their future as well. Early in the summer there were many people who had this game penciled in on their calendars, and it turned out to be everything everyone hoped to see.

Nobody left this game disappointed in the effort displayed on the field.

In a thrilling game still undecided with under 30 seconds left, it was the Bucks who got the win 20-16 in a packed house at Taylor Veterans Memorial Stadium.

Riverside took the first possession and immediately got Dunmore on a pass interference penalty that put the Vikings at their own 34 yard line. But 3 plays later it was the Vikings punting the ball back to Dunmore who took over with good field position at their own 48 yard line. The Bucks took full advantage of the situation, and the trio of RB Domenick DeSando, WR Danny Pigga and QB Thomas Bowen drove Dunmore downfield. DeSando capped the 6-play drive with a 2-yard dive into the end zone for the score that made it 7-0 for Dunmore with 6:00 to go in the 1st quarter.

Riverside took their 2nd possession in great field position at their own 45 yard line, and methodically moved the ball down the field mostly on the legs of WR Reese Gaughan and QB Chase Taddonio. Helped by 2 offside penalties on the Bucks defense, the Vikings ended the 1st quarter facing a 3rd down at the Dunmore 8 yard line but could get no further as Dunmore stopped Gaughan for a loss on a 4th-and-2 at the 6 and took over on downs. Deep in their own territory, Dunmore faced a tough challenge and drove only out to their own 29 and were forced to punt. Viking WR JJ Rogers then took the punt and got a huge return to the Dunmore 14 yard line. 3 plays later and no yards gained for Riverside, it was Rogers again who took the pitch and ran it in from the Dunmore 14 to tie the game at 7 with 6:43 left in the half.

Dunmore drove on their next possession down to the Riverside 44 where their drive stalled and a well-aimed punt pinned the Vikings back at their own 7. The Buck defense then stood tall and only gave up 9 yards and forced a punt. But on the punt attempt, the ball touched a Dunmore player and was recovered by Riverside at their own 45. The Vikings drive then ended abruptly on a great individual effort by Pigga who intercepted a pass from Taddonio inside the Dunmore 20 yard line. As the half ended, the score was deadlocked at 7.

Dunmore took the 2nd half kickoff at their own 20 and drove to the 50 on 2 runs each from Pigga and Desando. An unsportsmanlike penalty on Dunmore after another nice run by Pigga pushed the Bucks back to their own 47 yard line, but more runs by Bowen, Pigga and RB Jacob Hickey pushed Dunmore down to the Riverside 7. DeSando then ran for 2 yards and then ran it into the end zone again from 5 yards out for his 2nd TD of the game. This made the score 14-7 for Dunmore with 2:47 left in the 3rd quarter.

Riverside would not be outdone though, and got a nice punt return by Rogers out to their own 40 yard line. 3 straight runs by Gaughan gained 19 yards for the Vikings, and when they went back to him for his 4th straight run it was another unsportsmanlike penalty on Dunmore that put the Vikings at the Bucks 28 yard line to end the 3rd quarter. On the 2nd play of the 4th quarter it was a lateral from Taddonio to Gaughan, who then threw it downfield to TE Richie Kostoff for an incredible 28-yard TD catch that electrified the crowd. With 11:46 to go in the 4th quarter, the score was knotted at 14 and it was anyone’s game.

Dunmore went 3-and-out on their next possession, and it was the Vikings who took over at their own 34. A penalty by the Vikings pushed them back to the 29 and immediately thereafter an unsportsmanlike penalty also on Riverside pushed them further out to their own 14. The Vikings then had a very determined 10-play drive that stalled at the Dunmore 15. As the Bucks took over, they again went 3-and-out and were forced to punt. On the punt attempt, a bad snap was fumbled into the end zone, and Dunmore P Sean Gallagher was tackled in the end zone for a Viking safety that made it 16-14 for Riverside with only 4:10 to go in the game.

A gutsy call by Dunmore on the kickoff to Riverside changed the game completely however, as the onside kick was recovered by Pigga at the Bucks 32. Dunmore then used runs by Hickey, Pigga, Bowen and Desando to drive to the Vikings 17-yard line with less than a minute left in the game. Bowen then hit Pigga for a beautiful 17-yard TD catch in the front left corner of the end zone for the go-ahead score. With only 39 seconds left, the 2-point conversion failed and Dunmore had the lead 20-16.

Riverside took over on their own 39, and Taddonio immediately hit Gaughan for a huge 29 yard catch to the Dunmore 32. After 2 incomplete passes, Taddonio hit Gaughan again for 8 yards to Dunmore 24. On the next play, a 4th-and-2, Gaughan was stopped in the backfield for a loss that sealed the win for the Bucks.

After the game, I spoke with WR Danny Pigga about how he felt about the game-winning TD catch: “I feel great definitely, and the team felt great today. We put in a lot of work in the off-season…this is where it really pays off in a great game like that.”

Dunmore improved to 3-1 and will head home next Friday for a big test against Lackawanna Trail. Riverside fell to 2-2 and will try to get things going again at home next Friday when they square off against Mahanoy Area.

Be sure to check out our full game photo gallery, courtesy of Sherryl Samuel:  https://pafootballnews.com/pfn/dunmore-bucks-at-riverside-vikings-photo-gallery/

Follow PA Football News on Twitter @PaFootballNews

 
 
QwikCut
 
GoRout
 
Rainbow Lettering
 
x