HS Football: Big plays spark Tri-Valley over Mahanoy Area
Tri-Valley head coach Jeff Sampson addresses his team after the Bulldogs defeated Mahanoy Area 42-7 on Friday night at Bulldog Stadium. (Photo by Bob Lipsky)
HEGINS — Mahanoy Area was making a game of it.
The Golden Bears, heavy underdogs to Tri-Valley on Senior Night Friday at Bulldog Stadium, pulled within a touchdown late in the first half. The Bulldogs responded with four unanswered TDs to wrestle away control and defeat Mahanoy Area 42-7 in a Schuylkill-Colonial Blue Division game.
“I thought we were flat in the first half,” Tri-Valley coach Jeff Sampson said. “I wasn’t pleased with the way we were playing. We didn’t take advantage of some situations, but we talked to them at halftime and stressed the importance of not underestimating your opponent.
“I thought they came out in the second half and played very well,” Sampson added. “I thought they all stepped up. It just wasn’t one or two kids. We passed the ball well, we ran the ball well, our receivers caught the ball, and our defense stiffened up a little bit. So I thought it was a broad spectrum of plays.”
Those “spectrum of plays” included four rushes and three pass plays of more than 20 yards, a defense that intercepted two passes and special teams units that won the field position battle by returning punts and covering kickoffs well.
Tri-Valley (6-2, 5-2 Blue) never looked like it was in danger of losing the game, but Mahanoy Area (1-7, 1-6) put up a battle and made the Dawgs earn it.
Quarterback and defensive back Trey Porter scored three different ways for Tri-Valley. In the first quarter, he returned an interception 40 yards for the first touchdown of the game. Early in the second quarter, he rushed six yards for a TD and a 14-0 lead.
Mahanoy Area then put together its best drive of the game, marching 65 yards in 11 plays and taking 6:31 off the clock. Kyler Quick, who finished with 21 carries for 100 yards, capped the drive with a 4-yard TD run. The Bears trailed just 14-7 with 2:21 left in the first half.
Tri-Valley got the wake-up call and needed just over a minute to answer that touchdown and take a 21-7 lead to the locker room. Cole Gemberling broke off a 29-yard run to get the Dawgs close, and three plays later, Gemberling blasted the final three yards into the end zone.
The Dawgs came out fired up for the second half and needed just 27 seconds to score another touchdown to extend their lead to 28-7. Porter lofted a 37-yard pass to Cooper Carl on the first play from scrimmage, then zipped a 5-yard TD pass to Max Masser.
Midway through the third quarter, Porter found Carl open again for a 29-yard TD toss. And in the fourth quarter, Porter connected with Lucas Schwartz on a 15-yard pass. Schwartz did the rest, making two sharp cuts to avoid Mahanoy Area tacklers and racing 59 yards for the score.
Porter finished 7-of-9 passing for 169 yards and three touchdowns.
With fellow running back Parker Hatter on the sidelines in street clothes, Gemberling picked up the slack in the running game. He carried 13 times for 133 yards, breaking off runs of 11, 47 and 29 on consecutive carries in the first half. The senior also intercepted a pass.
In the post-game huddle, Tri-Valley’s coaches told the team the road gets much harder from here, with trips to Minersville in Week 9 and to Schuylkill Haven in Week 10 before the District 2/11 Class A subregional playoffs begin. Mahanoy Area hosts Panther Valley and visits Shenandoah Valley to wrap up the regular season.
