Farrell Wins State Single A Title in Convincing Fashion @farrellfootball

Tagged under: pfn

Phil Myers | December 7, 2018

2018 1A Champion Farrell Football…..FOR FULL GALLERY CLICK PICTURE

The Farrell Steelers hit a speed bump to open the game, but recovered quickly and ended up defeating the Lakawanna Trail Lions 55-20.  Farrell’s Christian Lewis scored five touchdowns and rushed for 249 yards in leading his team to their third Class A state championship, but first since 1996 completing their 15-0 season.  Lewis said his offensive line asked him before the game if he wanted it and he told them jokingly, “yeah, I’m going to get five touchdowns.”

That aforementioned speed bump occurred when Farrell fumbled the opening kickoff and the Lions recovered at the Steeler 26.  Two plays later, Ray Melnikoff took the hand off and went eleven yards for the score.  Thirty-five seconds into the game Trail led 7-0 after Nathan Rolka’s PAT.  The Steelers answered thirty-three seconds after that when Lewis raced 40 yards for his initial TD.  Brian Hilton, Jr. tacked on the extra point and the game was tied at 7 with only a minute and eight seconds gone.

Lackawanna drove deep into Farrell territory on its next possession, but missed a 33-yard field goal.  From there until midway through the fourth quarter, it was all Farrell.  Lewis capped a ninety-eight yard drive with a 20-yard score.  After the opening quarter Farrell led 14-7, but Lackawanna Trail had a nine minute to three time of possession advantage.

That all changed in quarter two when Farrell scored four touchdowns and went up 42-7 at halftime, invoking the Mercy Rule  of a continuously running clock for the second half.  Lewis broke off a brilliant 52-yard run to get the second quarter ball rolling.  Jourdan Townsend took a short pass 18 yards to the house increasing the margin to 27-7.  At the five minute mark, QB Kyi Wright turned on the after  burners down the sideline for a 56-yard TD scamper, followed by a three-yard run with 38 ticks remaining in the half.

The only touchdown in the third quarter was Lewis’s 7-yard run which put Farrell up 48-7.  In the fourth quarter, Lewis gave the Steelers a 55-7 lead with a nice 29-yard run.  Lackawanna got on the board twice against Farrell’s second team defense.  Melnikoff rumbled in from nine yards out and Jordan Edwards closed the scoring with a four yard dash.

Notes and Quotes: Farrell out-gained Lackawanna Trail  500 yards to 194.  The 14-2 Lions were led by Melnikoff, who ran for 92 yards and the two scores.  For Farrell, in addition to Lewis’s 249 yards rushing and five touchdowns, Wright had 129 yards, scoring twice.  He also threw for 111, completing all four of his passes with one being a TD toss.  The Steelers ran only 39 plays, so they averaged 13.9 yards per play!  Farrell’s offensive line averages 6’3″ 289 pounds!  Wright said, “our offensive line put it all together this year, they played great, it was fun running behind them.”  Coach Jarrett Samuels stated, “our play makers got us here (Wright, Lewis, and Townsend), but up front still had to do their job for us to win the state championship.”  The Steeler seniors dedicated this year to Coach Samuels, whose mother had passed away.  “God Bless, this is for you, momma,” Samuels added at the end of his interview.

Follow PA Football News on Twitter @PaFootballNews