ALMEDIA —
Carmen DeFrancesco walked off the field Friday night at Blue Jays Stadium and proudly proclaimed, “Defense wins championships and this is the championship season.”
The Mount Carmel head coach had good reason to be proud after the Red Tornadoes delivered their best defensive game of the year in blanking Central Columbia, 17-0, in District 4 Class AA quarterfinal at Blue Jays Stadium.
“All the credit goes to my defensive coaches Gary Howanec and Bobby Schiccatano for putting the scheme together and getting the players into the positions where they are most comfortable,” DeFrancesco said. “I knew that once we got our defense straightened out we were going to be a tough team to deal with.”
All the Red Tornadoes (7-4) did in their shutout victory was hold the Blue Jays (7-4) to a paltry five yards rushing on 10 carries and contain quarterback Jordan Thivierge to just seven completions in 19 attempts and just 112 yards. The victory puts Mount Carmel into next week’s semifinal against the winner of tonight’s Lewisburg-Montoursville game.
Central had its best opportunity on its first possession when Thivierge connected with Dylan Hine for a 58-yard completion down to the 15. The Blue Jays self-destructed with two penalties and ended up punting the ball away.
Early in the third, Bobby Beierschmitt went over the left side of the line and bolted 34 yards down to the 23. Luke Klingerman, who paced Mount Carmel with 145 yards on 33 carries, carried own to the 1. Zach Wasilewski took it in from there, and Rob Varano’s PAT made it 7-0 late in the third quarter.
Unable to move against the revitalized “Red Death” defense, the Blue Jays punted following their initial possession of the quarter giving the Red Tornadoes excellent field position at the 38. Klingerman carried five times for 37 yards before Central’s defense stiffened and Varano booted a 22-yard field goal for a 10-0 lead.
Any hopes for getting back in the contest were dashed on the next Blue Jays’ possession when Thivierge’s pass was tipped at the line of scrimmage and Danny Lesko picked off the ball and returned it to the 21. Wasilewski was able to burrow through the line for his second one-yard TD of the game to give the Red Tornadoes a 17-0 lead.
“Our offensive line really took over in the second half and we just went right at them,” DeFrancesco said. “We moved Joraskie into the backfield and although he was primarily used as a blocker he did give us some big yards when he carried the ball.”
Game Night Online
Red Death returns for Mount Carmel
- Football News Wire
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High School Football Scoreboard
PIAA Playoffs
Friday
PIAA Class AAA Quarterfinal
at Bethlehem
Allentown Central Catholic 41, Selinsgrove 13 FINALSaturday
Continued ...
PIAA Class AA Quarterfinal
at HersheyPark Stadium
Wyomissing 52, Danville 0, FINAL
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Lewisburg's Brandon Smith will walk on at Penn State as a linebacker
LEWISBURG - Some may question Lewisburg Brandon Smith's decision to walk on at Penn State despite getting two offers from Ivy League schools at both Penn and Princeton. For the Lewisburg senior though, it all came down to his faith and believing in it.
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Brandon Smith sweeps 2012 high school football honors
LEWISBURG - When he was playing football at Lewisburg High, Nathaniel Brown once joked in a film session after watching himself throw a block that if he could block for himself, he would have a lot more yards.
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Daily Item names 2012 high school football all-stars
SELINSGROVE - If the 2012 edition of The Daily Item All-Stars were not a fictional team, the quarterback would find a familiar downfield target. But Bloomsburg quarterback Ricky Klingerman, while knowing he could make big plays with teammate and cousin wide receiver John Klingerman, the Panthers’ junior first-year starter might be just as content to hand the ball off to one of his elite running backs.
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Jim Keiser and Dave Hess are 2012 Coaches of the Year
Two of the pleasant surprises among Valley football teams this season were the turnaround by Selinsgrove and the solid season by a young Danville team.
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Nine local football stars earn all-state nods
LEWISBURG - For the third consecutive season Lewisburg linebacker Brandon Smith headlines the Valley’s contingent on the Pennsylvania Sports Writers All-State Football team.
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High school football: Eagles place five on All-Star team
Following a hotly-contested 2012 season, Line Mountain placed a combined five players on the 2012 Tri-Valley League All-Star Team, as selected by the league's head coaches.
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HAC champions dominate all-star teams
In addition to claiming its first District 4 Class AA title since 1999, Danville also put the most players onto the 2012 Heartland Athletic Conference All-Star team, as selected recently by the league’s head coaches.
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High School Football Scoreboard
- Box Scores
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- Wyomissing 52, Danville 0
- Allentown Central Catholic 41, Selinsgrove 13
- Danville 28, Mount Carmel 21
- Dunmore 35, Southern Columbia 29
- Southern Columbia 47, South Williamsport 12
- Mount Carmel 48, Montoursville 20
- Danville 14, Athens 13
- Selinsgrove 31, Milton 0
- Montoursville 37, Lewisburg 33
- Southern Columbia 28, Line Mountain 21
