By Matt Corbett
MIFFLINBURG -- On a chilly night, Shikellamy coach Sam Stroh received an ice-water bath near the end of Friday night's Heartland Athletic Conference Division I game against Mifflinburg.
Stroh didn't seem to mind, though. The dousing signified a big step forward for the Braves program: Shikellamy will host a playoff game next week.
Quarterback Garrett Pope accounted for 302 yards rushing and passing, and the Braves racked up a whopping 526 yards in total offense as they defeated Mifflinburg 55-26 in the regular-season finale at Wildcats Stadium on Friday night.
With the win, Shikellamy (6-4) qualified for the District 4 Class AAA playoffs for the first time since 2004, and reached six wins in a season for the first time since 2003. The Braves will host a D-4 AAA game next Friday against either East Juniata or Columbia-Montour Vo-Tech.
"This means an awful lot. This was a big goal for us to get qualified (for districts)," Stroh said. "We're trying to turn things around here. I'm not saying we're there yet, but this is a good start. We want to prove it's possible."
Pope set the tone on the second play from scrimmage, when he sprinted 68 yards around the left side to give Shikellamy a quick 7-0 lead. Pope had 122 rushing yards by halftime and finished with 169 yards on just 14 carries, including a 10-yard TD run in the third quarter that gave the Braves a 48-12 lead over Mifflinburg (3-7).
Pope also connected with wideout Tyler Pratt on touchdown passes of 23 and 53 yards and Tyson Bly on a 34-yard scoring toss as the Braves, who won their first four games, then lost four in a row, pulled away for their second big win to close the regular season.
"This is two weeks in a row that (Pope) has had a huge game for us," Stroh said. "He's starting to come into his own. He's playing very well right now."
For a while, it seemed like neither offense could be stopped. The Wildcats answered Shikellamy's first TD with their own when Anthony Wagner broke off a 47-yard touchdown run. Later in the first quarter, after the Braves went up 21-6 on TJ Hertzog's nine-yard scoring burst, Wagner hauled in a pass from Alex Vidunas and rambled the rest of the way for a 39-yard touchdown that cut the deficit to 21-12 with 1:41 left in the quarter.
But Pope connected with Pratt for the 53-yard TD pass on the first play of the second quarter, and the Braves continued to amass yards and points after that.
"We're starting to put things together (on offense)," Stroh said. "When we're throwing the ball, teams can't put everybody in the box to stop the run. Our receivers are starting to come around, and our offensive line did a great job tonight."
Wagner, who later scored on a 35-yard run, accounted for three of Mifflinburg's four TDs on the night. But the Shikellamy defense -- which had not produced an interception through nine games -- picked off Mifflinburg quarterbacks three times Friday. Pratt collected two and Bly had the other as the turnovers set up the Braves' offense with good field position.
"(The interceptions) were a positive, but we have to tackle better," Stroh said. "We're giving up too many big plays. Give credit to Mifflinburg, but we have to get away from giving up so many big plays."
Wagner's big night included 97 yards on just eight carries and 49 yards on two catches. But Mifflinburg managed just three first downs after halftime as the Braves converted turnovers into time-consuming drives.
