The Funding Zone
 
SAFR: Safer Through Science
 

Second Half Explosion Carries Erie High Past Fort LeBoeuf

Tagged under: District 10, Gameday Hub, News, pfn

| October 13, 2023

Waterford: Erie scored 36 unanswered second-half points and rolled to a 50-13 victory over Fort LeBoeuf Thursday night at Cam Bonito Stadium. 

The Erie Royals exploded for 44 points in the second half, including 28 in the third quarter, to erase a 7-6 halftime deficit en route to victory. 

“First off, I want to take the time to congratulate Coach Blose and the team they have here at Fort LeBoeuf,” said Erie head coach Andre Henderson. “They came into the game at 6-1, and I want to give them the respect they deserve. Secondly, we wanted to earn our respect. We’re a 6A football team and play tough competition week in and week out. Somehow, we still don’t get the respect. So tonight was all about executing our best and taking our respect back.” 

Royals star Adrian Tate proved too much for Fort LeBoeuf to handle – scoring four touchdowns, including three in the third quarter. 

For Erie, big plays were the game’s name in the second half, as the Royals scored four times in plays over 50+ yards. 

“The kids are starting to buy into what we’ve been preaching all year,” Henderson said. “The thing about our offense has been that we’ve been struggling on the line with injuries. We’ve been plugging in some new guys, but we always say it’s about consistency and doing your job. We told the kids in the second half to go out and do your job, fight for each other, and that’s what they did.” 

It all started when Erie faced a 4th-and-16 at their 23-yard line early in the third quarter; Tate lined up in punt formation, only to run untouched down the far sideline for a 77-yard score.

“I trust Adrian, so on fourth down, I’m always asking my coaches in the booth how tight their defensive ends and outside guys are,” said Henderson. “Adrian is a legit Division 1 talent, so you trust those kind of kids. You put the ball in their hands and trust them to make a play. That’s what Adrian did, and that play changed the outcome of this game. They were stifling us up to that point, but I always tell the guys that big-time players make big-time plays when the team needs it the most.”

Succeeding Tate’s touchdown, the game looked to be anything but a blowout as Fort LeBoeuf’s Aiden Lesik raced for a 49-yard touchdown, pulling the Bison to within a point at 14-13 with 9:17 to play in the third stanza. 

 

Erie seized control on the ensuing kickoff when Taijae Thomas returned it 79 yards for a touchdown. 

“We talk all three phases with this team, and special teams has been one of our best phases this season,” Henderson said. “We’ve had some injuries, but we have some exceptional players touching the ball that can make plays. 

Following a fumble recovery at the Bison’s 19-yard line, Tate scored on a 3-yard run five plays later – Adrian Tate would complete the third-quarter hat trick when he caught a 74-yard touchdown from Marqwan Darnell with 1:40 to play in third.

Adrian Tate rushed for a game-high 136 yards on 14 carries while adding one reception for 74 yards and scoring four times.

The Royals continued to pour it on in the fourth quarter when Thomas caught a 17-yard touchdown from Darnell, and Aridah Pacley scored on a 50-yard run with 1:53 to play.

Both teams scored second-quarter touchdowns following a scoreless opening stanza. 

Erie opened the scoring in the second quarter when Tate scored on a 9-yard run following an 8-play 50-yard drive.

 

The Bison responded on quarterback Conner McChesney’s 25-yard run with 1:26 to play in the first half.

Aiden Lesik led Fort LeBoeuf with 95 yards on 15 carries, while McChesney chipped in with 61 yards on 16 carries and completed 3-of-8 passes for 30 yards with a pair of interceptions. 

Fort LeBoeuf drops to 6-2 on the season and will look for a rebound when they travel to Corry next Friday night. 

Erie High improves to 4-4 on the season and will look to keep their momentum going when they make the short trip to Cathedral Prep on Friday night. 

“We’re going to come out and compete and play the way we’ve been playing,” concluded Henderson. “Every team we’ve played, we have been in the game. There have been many self-inflicted wounds; it all comes back to doing our jobs. We’re very familiar with Cathedral Prep. We know they’re a great team with a lot of talent, but we’ll come out and give them our best shot. Hopefully, by the end of the game, we get a victory.” 

Game Highlights:

Erie 50 Fort LeBoeuf 13

Score by Quarters

Erie – 0 6 28 16 – 50
Fort LeBoeuf – 0 7 6 0 – 13

Scoring Summary

Second Quarter

E – Adrian Tate 9 yd run, (rush failed), 4:47 – 8-50

FL – Conner McChesney 25 yd run, (Xavier Blose pat), 1:26 – 7-75

Third Quarter

E – Tate 77 yd run, (Nyciere Smith rush), 10:52 – 4-61

FL – Aiden Lesik 49 yd run, (kick failed), 9:17 – 4-70

E – Taijae Thomas 79 yd kickoff return, (rush failed), 9:04

E – Tate 3 yd run, (Amari Farmer rush), 3:34 – 5-19

E – Tate 74 yd pass from Marqwan Darnell, (rush failed), 1:40 – 1-74

Fourth Quarter

E – Thomas 17 yd pass from Darnell, (Farmer rush), 9:19 – 5-33

E – Aridah Pacley 50 yd run, (Chris Thomas rush), 1:53 – 2-59

Individual Stats

Rushing: E – Darnell 8-27, Tate 14-136, Thomas 4-33, Amari Farmer 2-9, Christian Hamilton 1-9, Pacley 1-50, Cameron Barnes 3-8, Smith 2-10, Keon Sommerville 1-(-7), Team 1-(-12). Totals: 37-263. FL – McChesney 16-61, Aiden Lesik 15-95, Damian Blose 4-16, Xavier Blose 1-(-2), Team 3-0. Totals: 39-170.

Receiving: E – Hamilton 1-9, Barnes 1-18, Tate 1-74, Thomas 1-17, Sommerville 1-28. FL – Damian Blose 3-30, Xavier Blose 1-8.

Passing: E – Darnell 5-for-13, 146 yards, 2 TD. FL – McChesney 3-for-8, 30 yards, 2 INT. Lesik 1-for-1, 8 yards.

Interceptions: E – Hamilton, Farmer.

Follow PA Football News on Twitter @PaFootballNews

 
 
QwikCut
 
GoRout
 
Rainbow Lettering
 
x