SELINSGROVE —
Just a year removed from one of its worst seasons, Selinsgrove is back in the title hunt.
The Seals are only a win away from claiming their 12th District 4 Class AAA title as they trounced Shamokin 41-0 in Friday’s semifinal game at Harold L. Bolig Memorial Field.
Next up for the Seals are the Milton Black Panthers, a 13-7 winner over Shikellamy in the other semi. The district final will be played at Selinsgrove on Friday.
“It couldn’t feel better. It’s a great feeling. It gives me faith in knowing the good guys can win in the end. I’m very proud of the kids,” said Selinsgrove coach Dave Hess. “We knew we had a solid program, and we knew we would be back eventually. I’m just happy we bounced back this quickly.”
After needing a late score to pull out a 20-13 victory over the Indians in week four, Hess and his coaching staff were a bit nervous entering Friday’s game. But any anxiety over the rematch with Shamokin (2-9) began to disappear for Selinsgrove (8-3) by the time the second quarter came to a close.
The Seals scored three times in the quarter. Freshman Juvan Batts scored twice — on runs of four and 10 yards — and Zach Adams scored on a 13-yard pass from Isaiah Rapp to give the No. 1 seed a 21-0 halftime lead.
Batts finished with 104 yards on 18 carries.
“I was real happy with Juvan, and obviously I’m happy with Zach, too,” Hess said. “The offensive line did a great job, and they did a great job communicating what was there. It was a good offensive effort.”
“We were actually pretty nervous coming into this game because we knew Shamokin has some athletes, and it was a pretty tough game the last time around. It was a test to see how far we’ve come around since then, and I think the guys passed the test. They played well.”
Adams scored on a 60-yard run midway through the third quarter to put Selinsgrove up by four scores. He finished with 116 yards on 10 carries.
And with a big lead, the Seals were able to experiment a little.
Harley Stahl, a center/nose guard, ran the ball in on the conversion following Adams’ run. Then early in the fourth quarter, defensive tackle Billy Parks scored on a two-yard touchdown run to put Selinsgrove up 35-0.
“That was real big. We needed to get that score in,” said Hess. “We needed to seal the game up, and we were able to experiment with some stuff we were looking at.”
Defensively, not only did the Seals shut out the Indians, but they also got six turnovers — including an interception by Mason Pope that he returned 30 yards for a touchdown.
“We wanted to have a strong defensive game tonight. Obviously, you want one every time,” Hess said. “But it’s time now for us to start peaking and getting better. We’re into the playoffs now, and it came at the right time.”
Shamokin coach Dan Foor said: “(Turnovers) have hurt us all year. You can’t do that, especially in a playoff game. Selinsgrove was on a mission this year after the lack of success they had last year. They really turned it around. They had a great season, while our season didn’t go as expected.”
Selinsgrove’s season has gone better than expected following last year’s 1-9 campaign. But the Seals will need another performance like Friday’s if they want to beat Milton and capture their first district title since their state title run in 2009.
The previous matchup between Selinsgrove and Milton was also close, with the Seals taking a 14-12 victory five weeks ago.
“Once again, we’re in a situation where we played with Milton the last time and it came right down to the end, so this is going to be another big one for us,” Hess said.
Shamokin News Wire
Selinsgrove storms into district title game
- Shamokin News Wire
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Heartland Division I
Team W L PF PA Danville (11-3) 6 0 301 196* Selinsgrove (10-4) 5 1 324 212 Milton (7-5) 4 2 267 211 Shikellamy (5-6) 3 3 223 250 Shamokin (2-9) 2 4 143 289 Mifflinburg (2-8) 1 5 136 234 Jersey Shore (0-10) 0 6 143 383 *-denotes division champion
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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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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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Listen as Daily Item Sports Editor Bill Bowman and Assistant Sports Editor Harold Raker break down every high school football playoff game set for this weekend.
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PIAA Playoffs
Friday
PIAA Class AAA Quarterfinal
at Bethlehem
Allentown Central Catholic 41, Selinsgrove 13 FINALSaturday
PIAA Class AA Quarterfinal
at HersheyPark Stadium
Wyomissing 52, Danville 0, FINAL
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Selinsgrove storms into district title game
Just a year removed from one of its worst seasons, Selinsgrove is back in the title hunt.
The Seals are only a win away from claiming their 12th District 4 Class AAA title as they trounced Shamokin 41-0 in Friday’s semifinal game at Harold L. Bolig Memorial Field. -
Selinsgrove 41, Shamokin 0
Statistics from Friday's game
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Defense lifts Mount Carmel to Coal Bucket
Shamokin decided to try some trickery on third-and-10 from its own 32. Tucker Yost snapped the ball and handed it off to Preston Burns who started to run before stopping and looking back at Yost to try and throw it back to him.
Burns let the pass go but could only cringe as Mount Carmel’s Mike Gilger read the play perfectly and made an interception he returned 36 yards down the far sideline for a Red Tornado touchdown. -
Mount Carmel 21, Shamokin 7
Statistics from Friday's game
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Heartland Division I
