Wyatt Snyder, Pine Grove. (Photo by First Class School Photography)

SHENANDOAH — Pine Grove coach Dave Shiffer preached one message all week: “Seventy-five percent of winning is believing you have what it takes to win.”

That belief carried the Cardinals to their first victory of the season Friday night, a 28-26 win over Shenandoah Valley at Veterans Memorial Stadium. Quarterback Wyatt Snyder led the way with a passing touchdown and a rushing score.

On Pine Grove’s first possession, Snyder broke free on a 26-yard keeper for a touchdown. The Blue Devils answered quickly when quarterback Ethan Bench connected with wide receiver Gene Sinkus for a 47-yard touchdown pass.

Snyder responded with a 32-yard scoring strike to Teagan Schneck-Haines to put the Cardinals back in front. Moments later, Pine Grove’s defense swung the momentum for good. Defensive back Wyatt Dixon intercepted Bench and returned it 69 yards for a touchdown, giving the Cardinals a 20-6 lead they carried into halftime.

Shenandoah Valley roared back in the third quarter. Running back Mike Elchisak scored on a 67-yard run to pull the Blue Devils within one score. He later added a 17-yard touchdown run, part of his 153-yard night on the ground, to tie the game.

With momentum slipping, Pine Grove regained control. Running back Logan Troup ripped off several big runs, setting up Snyder for another touchdown and a successful two-point conversion that made it 28-20 late in the fourth quarter.

The Blue Devils mounted one last push. With 40 seconds remaining, Bench hit Joel Nunez for a 32-yard touchdown to make it 28-26. But Shenandoah’s two-point conversion attempt failed, sealing the Cardinals’ win.

The victory moved Pine Grove to 1-4 overall and 1-3 in the Blue Division. The Cardinals return home next week to face winless Mahanoy Area (0-5, 0-4).

The loss was the 21st straight for Shenandoah Valley (0-5, 0-4), which will host Nativity (2-3, 1-3) next Friday.

Game Summary

Pine Grove 28, Shenandoah Valley 26

PG (1-4, 1-3)         14          6          0          8  —    28

SV (0-5, 0-4)          6          0          8          12  —    26

PG — Snyder 26 run (run failed)

SV — Sinkus 47 pass from Bench (kick failed)

PG — Schneck-Haines pass from Snyder (Snyder run)

PG — Dixon 69 interception return (run failed)

SV — Elchisak 67 run  (Nunez pass from Bench)

SV — Elchisak 17 run (pass failed)

PG — Snyder 1 run (Snyder run)

SV — Nunez 32 pass from Bench (run failed)

Team Statistics

PG-SV

First Downs — 6      6

Rushes-Yards — 34-198      30-158

Passes — 3-7-1      7-15-1

Passing Yards — 54     161

Total Yards — 252    319

Fumbles/Lost — 2-1      3-1

Penalties —   5-30    6-55

Individual Statistics

RUSHING: Pine Grove— Troup 18-148, Snyder 6-36, Kurtz 5-12, Ballard 3-4, Ditzler 2-0. Shenandoah Valley — Elchisak 22-153, Nunez 5-9, Bench 2-(-2).

PASSING: Pine Grove — Snyder 3-7-1, 54. Shenandoah Valley — Bench 7-15-1, 161.

RECEIVING: Pine Grove — Schneck-Haines 1-38, Troup 1-9, Dixon 1-7 . Shenandoah Valley — Sinkus 2-103, Nunez 2-48, Getz 1-5, Burrous 1-5.

INTERCEPTIONS: Pine Grove — Dixon.