HS Football: Tri-Valley rebounds, blanks Pine Grove
Tri-Valley’s offense lines up across from the Pine Grove defense during the Dawgs’ 24-0 victory over the Cardinals in Friday’s Schuylkill-Colonial football game at Bulldog Stadium (Photo by Mike Carnahan).
HEGINS — Tri-Valley’s offense struggled a week ago.
The Bulldogs, thanks in large part to sophomore Parker Hatter, turned in an improved performance Friday.
Hatter ran for a season-high 159 yards, while Tri-Valley’s defense was stout all evening during a 24-0 shutout of Pine Grove in a Schuylkill-Colonial Blue Division game at Bulldog Stadium.
Cole Gemberling and Jimmy Fetterhoff finished off long Tri-Valley scoring drives with short touchdown runs. Nathan Hillard kicked a 29-yard field goal for the Bulldogs (2-1,1-1 Blue), while Doyle Flory returned a punt 49 yards for a touchdown to round out the scoring.
Tri-Valley had just 30 yards rushing and 72 yards of total offense during a 17-14 loss to Marian last week.
The Bulldogs finished Friday with 243 yards of total offense, including 194 on the ground. Most of that output came courtesy of Hatter, who had 28 carries. He ran for 85 yards in the first half, 74 in the second, and now has 315 yards rushing on the season.
“Probably staying on blocks a little longer,” Tri-Valley coach Jeff Sampson said on the difference offensively Friday. “We moved some people around on the offensive line. I just think they wanted it a little bit more. Pine Grove is big up front. They challenged us with their strength. We played better this week.”
The Bulldogs’ defense, meanwhile, was stingy all evening.
Tri-Valley held Pine Grove (0-3, 0-2) to three first downs and 50 yards of total offense, while forcing three turnovers. Fetterhoff had an interception and a fumble recovery, while Trey Porter also picked off a pass. The Cardinals crossed into Tri-Valley territory only twice the entire game.
“Our defense is stout,” Sampson said. “We had three turnovers and goose egg. I am very proud of them and the defensive coaches. I look forward to more out of them.”
The Bulldogs surpassed their offensive output of a week ago on their first two possessions of the game as the drives went for a combined 107 yards.
The first drive covered 60 yards on 10 plays and resulted in a 2-yard touchdown run by Gemberling. The second went for 47 yards on nine plays but stalled when the Cardinals’ defense stopped Hatter two yards short of the goal line during a sweep around left end on a fourth-and-goal on the first play of the second quarter.
Pine Grove’s defense kept the Cardinals in the game during the first half, coming up with another four-down stop on Tri-Valley’s next possession, but Pine Grove was unable to get anything going offensively.
A roughing the punter penalty kept Pine Grove’s next possession alive, but it ended with a Fetterhoff interception as he dove for a tipped pass and came up with the ball at the Cardinals’ 47-yard line.
An illegal block wiped out a 47-yard touchdown run by Tri-Valley’s Max Masser on the next play as the drive eventually stalled. Pine Grove fumbled on its next offensive possession and Hillard kicked a 29-yard field goal with 14 seconds left in the half.
“I told them 10 points wasn’t going to win the football game,” Sampson said about his halftime message to his team. “If you give them a glimmer of light, they are going to try and go. That maybe got them to where they needed to be a little bit. I wasn’t overly pleased with our performance offensively in the first half.”
Tri-Valley’s offense responded the first time it got the ball in the third quarter.
Hatter danced and weaved his way for a 25-yard run on the Bulldogs’ first play of the possession. It started a nine-play, 78-yard march that ended with a short burst by Fetterhoff.
After the Cardinals went three-and-out on their next possession, Flory took a punt at the 49, headed left, managed to stay inbounds along the sideline, and then cut back at around at 10 to score. It was all the points Tri-Valley needed.
