Penn Hills defeats Gateway in thriller @phqbclub @GatewayGatorsFB

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Andrew Schaffer | November 13, 2021

Penn Hills TD run late 4th quarter

Earlier in the season it was Gateway that dominated in the first matchup but this time around it was far different. In this game it was looking like a blowout but it turned into an absolute thriller in the fourth quarter. Penn Hills relied on their run game in the 23-20 victory over Gateway. “We had a couple guys out in the first game and we had guys in the defensive backfield that were 2 games into varsity football, so they got a lot of experience over the last 7 or 8 weeks, the guys matured” said Coach LeDonne.

Gateway got the ball to start the game but very quickly went three and out and punted it away. Penn Hills started their first drive with great field position starting at the Gateway 48 yard line. But on third down the drive ended on an interception.

Gateway’s second drive started at midfield but penalties ultimately killed that drive. Penn Hills started their second drive at their own 45 yard line. It was a long drive that featured a lot of runs as Penn Hills slowly marched down the field. After a run by Julian Dugger down to the Gateway 15 yard line a couple plays after that he ran it in from 1 yard out making the score 7-0 Penn Hills with 11:56 in the second quarter.

Gateway got the ball once again but once again went three and out. Gateway struggled basically the entire first half on offense. Gateway’s first, first down didn’t come until the 5 minute mark in the second quarter. “We had their number in the first half” said Coach LeDonne.

Penn Hills put together yet another good looking long drive. It started at their own 40 yard line. Gateway appeared to have stopped Penn Hills but an unsportsmanlike penalty gave Penn Hills a first down at the Gateway 30 yard line. The drive didn’t end with a touchdown but it did end on a successful 30 yard field goal by Charlie Rosemeyer.

Later in the second quarter Gateway had the ball in their own territory and took a big risk going for it on fourth down and didn’t convert. Penn Hills got the ball at the Gateway 35 and on the very first play Julian Dugger was off to the races for a 35 yard touchdown run. That made the score 17-0 with 2:58 left before half.

Gateway’s last drive of the half was looking like a good one when the offense finally started to move the ball, they got inside the Penn Hills 25 yard line but after that the ball was fumbled and recovered by Penn Hills and the drive resulted in zero points.

Penn Hills got the ball to start the second half, but they went three and out and punted it away to Gateway. That drive started at the Penn Hills 49 yard line. Once again they couldn’t get anything going and went three and out.

Gateway finally got on the scoreboard late in the third quarter when Brad Birch completed a pass to Patrick Body for a 78 yard touchdown pass. That made it 17-7 Penn Hills with 2:44 in the third quarter. That was the score at the end of the third quarter.

It was in the fourth quarter where the game got wild! Gateway’s second scoring drive started at their own 21. They marched down the field and made the score 17-14 when Brad Birch completed it to Anez Jordan for a 11 yard touchdown. At that point 5:31 remained in the game.

On the following Penn Hills drive they went three and out it punted it back to Gateway. That drive started at their own 42 yard line. On third down Brad Birch completed a pass to Jaquon Reynolds and then after a penalty they were at the Penn Hills 18 yard line. On second down Brad Birch completed it to Patrick Body for an 19 yard touchdown. That touchdown gave Gateway a 20-17 lead with 2:54 left in the game. “Just back and forth, that’s just what Western PA Football is, Penn Hills Gateway game old quad east type stuff” said Coach LeDonne. Despite a slow start in the first half, Brad Birch had a monster night passing, he had 321 yards passing.

Penn Hills got the ball on their own 41 yard line. On second down Julian Dugger took off on a run down to the Gateway 41 yard line. Worth noting Dugger was dealing with cramps the majority of the second half. He had a major role in the win rushing for 118 yards on 19 carries.

On the very next play he completed a pass Chase Barney down to the 3 yard line. “He’s that type of player, when he got back in there, he knew he had to make play and he did just that” said Coach LeDonne. On third down Penn Hills regained the lead on a 1 yard run by Amir Key. “Everyone on our sideline was holding their breath that’s for sure” said Coach LeDonne. That made the score 23-20 Penn Hills with 40 seconds left.

Gateway wasn’t done just yet. After 2 completed passes they were at the Penn Hills 23 yard line. After another completed pass and penalty Gateway attempted a game tying 30 yard field goal which was no good and Penn Hills held on for the 23-20 win. “Hats off to Gateway they made adjustments at halftime and came out to play in the second half, that’s why you play 48 minutes of football” said Coach LeDonne.

Next week Penn Hills will take on the number one seeded and unbeaten Moon Tigers at a location to be determined. “We’re happy to be moving on to the next round after a game like this” said Coach LeDonne.