HS Football: Blue Mountain outguns Lehighton in Red Division shootout
Blue Mountain's Reese Miller breaks free for a 55-yard touchdown run during the Eagles' 49-34 win over Lehighton on Friday at the Eagles' Nest (Photo by Brook Koch-Guers).
ORWIGSBURG — Football analysts often talk about the importance of controlling the last four minutes of the first half and the first four minutes of the second half.
Blue Mountain accomplished that feat Friday night and it helped the Eagles outgun Lehighton in a back-and-forth Schuylkill-Colonial Red Division shootout.
Brody Foose rushed for 104 yards and three touchdowns and Josh Hoover caught a key touchdown pass right before halftime as Blue Mountain downed Lehighton 49-34 on Homecoming Night at the Eagles’ Nest.
The victory, Blue Mountain’s third straight, puts the Eagles at 4-3 overall heading into a key Thursday night showdown at North Schuylkill.
“We knew before we went into halftime that we had to stop them and score because we were getting the ball (first) in the second half,” Foose said. “It was huge.”
Added Blue Mountain coach Chuck Kutz: “In the early first half we were chasing them. In the second half, they were chasing us. I was pleased with the way we came back. We showed a lot of resilience.”
Blue Mountain took control after the teams went back-and-forth through the game’s first 22 minutes.
Lucas Croizier got Lehighton (3-4, 2-3 Red) off to a hot start when he returned the opening kickoff 73 yards to the Blue Mountain 13. The Indians scored on the next play as Jayse Lawrence hit Caden Meek for the first of his three touchdowns.
Eighteen seconds into the game, Lehighton led 7-0.
Reese Miller tied it up for Blue Mountain on the Eagles’ second possession, breaking through the line for a 55-yard touchdown.
Miller was everywhere defensively from his linebacker spot, teaming with William Shaner, Dylan Foose and Vaughn Helverson to stuff Lehighton’s running game. The Indians were held to just 106 yards on the ground, with Croizier gaining just 6 yards on 13 carries.
“We couldn’t establish the line of scrimmage,” Lehighton coach Tom McCarroll said. “That allows you to keep momentum and helps you sustain drives. But I think we did some really nice things in the pass game.”
The Eagles’ ability to rush the football was a big key to their victory. Blue Mountain rushed for 290 yards on 34 carries, with Carter Smith (13-107) and Brody Foose (12-104) both going over 100 yards.
Kutz gave a lot of credit to his offensive line, a group that consists of Ryan Clemas, Helverson, Dylan Foose, Hunter Reichert, Kurt Krammes and Jesse Strouse.
“I thought up front, we won the battle up front all night,” Kutz said. “We talked all week about how (Lehighton) was thick and strong. They very much paralleled us, but I thought we got the push up front all night. Those guys take pride in getting that push.
“We learned some lessons early in the season. We played very difficult teams, good teams and I thought we learned a lot from that. They realized that every play you have to play and then come at them the next play and keep coming. They’re really doing that. They’re really taking pride in their offensive line play.”
Lehighton, meanwhile, excelled through the air. Lawrence finished 14-of-22 for 205 yards and four touchdowns. His 10-yard strike to Meek made it 14-7. After Blue Mountain tied it on a 20-yard TD pass from Cohen Kirby to Chase Guers, Lawrence put Lehighton back in front at 21-14 with a 6-yard run with 3:02 left in the first half.
That’s where Blue Mountain took control.
First, Lehighton tried an onside kick and was unsuccessful, with Duke Renninger returning it to the Indians’ 31. Three plays later, Brody Foose scored on a 15-yard run to make it 21-21 with 2:01 left in the half.
Lehighton opened its next possession with two procedure penalties, a problem all night for the Indians as they had eight offensive infractions. A key 10-yard sack by Brody Foose forced a punt and the Eagles got the ball back with 54.1 seconds left.
“That’s the flow of the game,” McCarroll said. “We had some crucial mistakes in a couple different phases of the game and it put us behind the sticks. Against a good team like this in a game like this, that’s the difference.”
Kirby, who showed great poise throughout the contest, then made two great passes, a 26-yarder to Smith over the middle and a 25-yard TD pass to Hoover with 20.6 seconds left that gave Blue Mountain a 28-21 halftime lead.
“That’s where the more reps you get, the game slows down for you, you’re not panicking,” Kutz said of his sophomore signal-caller, who was 11-for-16 for 151 yards and two TDs. “He looked for the open man, motions to somebody. He’s showing that maturity. We are in Week 7. He’s doing exceptionally well.”
Blue Mountain opened the second half with an eight-play, 67-yard drive that was capped by a 7-yard run by Brody Foose. Smith had three chunk runs of double-digit yards in the drive as Blue Mountain’s line took over.
Lehighton would answer with a scoring drive of its own, going 63 yards in 10 plays. Lawrence’s 31-yard pass to Blake Roberts made it 35-27 with 4:43 left in the third.
Unfortunately for the Indians, Sonny Amato took the kickoff and went 77 yards to the 2-yard line. Miller powered in on the next play to put Blue Mountain up again by two scores at 42-27.
The teams then traded scores — Lehighton scored on a 32-yard pass to Meek, Blue Mountain on a 22-yard run by Brody Foose — before a scoreless fourth quarter ended it.
Meek finished with six catches for 101 yards and the three touchdowns.
“I’m so proud of the way our kids fought. We didn’t give up,” McCarroll said of his squad. “That’s a good football team. They’re physical and I thought we matched them in a lot of ways. We just came up a little short tonight.”
COMMUNITY SUPPORT: Blue Mountain donated the profits from Friday’s 50-50 drawing to the victims of a tragic fire last week in Franklin Township that claimed the lives of four people, including a Lehighton cheerleader. In a great gesture, the winner donated the $1,100 prize to the fire victims.
KEY COMEBACK: Brody Foose’s performance came after he didn’t have a carry in last week’s win over Palisades but played defensively. Both Foose and Kutz said he was battling an illness.
His first carry Friday didn’t come until the Eagles’ fourth offensive possession. He was a key factor after that as his tough running and burst provided a jolt to the Blue Mountain offense.
“He’s had great leverage as a runner. He doesn’t go down very easy,” Kutz said. “He slides well, he has great vision and good balance and he’s a punishing runner. He has a lot of attributes that you’d like to have in a running back.”
BATTLE OF THE BANDS: Lehighton and Blue Mountain each field talented marching bands and both units put on excellent field shows that rocked the Eagles’ Nest.
