SOUTH CENTRE TWP.-The Loyalsock duo of Tyler Gee and Jaylen Andrews inflicted plenty of damage on their opponents throughout the 2023 season, on their way to an appearance in the district final. Friday night, that chemistry was put on display one last time in the District 4 All-Star Game at Central Columbia High School. Gee and Andrews connected for three first-half touchdowns, as the North team rolled to a 30-3 win over the South, in a game that was called with 10:49 left in the fourth quarter due to lightning, and impending weather.
Gee, who will attend Robert Morris in the fall, threw for 183 yards on 10-of-13 passing, which was good enough to earn Offensive Player of the Game honors for his team. Andrews will play his college football at East Stroudsburg, and he was a factor right from the outset. He hauled in five receptions for 95 yards and two scores in the first quarter alone. Making the choice for MVP an easy one, Andrews racked up seven catches for 152 yards, while soaking in every last minute with his long-time quarterback.
“It feels great,” Andrews. “We came a long way from middle school playing together and finally graduating. It’s kind of hitting me now that it was our last game together, and we went out with a bang.”
The North scored on its first two drives. Gee hit Andrews for a 16-yard touchdown pass that completed an eight-play, 62-yard march to open the game. Following a quick three-and-out on defense, Gee and his offense went right back to work. South Williamsport’s Ryan Casella, another one of the offensive stars for the North, broke loose on an 18-yard run. Andrews was called for offensive pass interference that negated a touchdown, but it wouldn’t take long for him to find the end zone again. Just four plays later, Gee found Andrews down the middle on a 33-yard scoring strike that gave the North a 14-0 lead with 11 seconds left in the opening quarter.
“Really, it was our coaches being understanding,” Andrews said. “South (Williamsport) is more a of a run team, so our coaches were understanding whenever I let them know that I saw something,. They trusted me. We went out there, did it, and executed well.”
Thanks to Aiden Barlett of Hughesville returning the ensuing kickoff 67 yards, the South was able to get on the scoreboard. Although a drive quickly stalled, Selinsgrove’s Carter Young drilled a 43-yard field goal early in the second quarter. Northwest’s Adam Chonko intercepted a pass on the next possession, which represented the only mistake Gee made all night. The interception helped Chonko walk away with the Defensive Player of the Game Award for his team.
“The quarterback was looking to the left side of field, he looked back, and I was just in the right spot at the right time,” Chonko said. “It was a good time. It was definitely hot, but I got to know a lot of new people, and I enjoyed it.”
Nine points in a span of 17 seconds helped extend the North’s lead to 23-3. A bad shotgun snap went out of the end zone for a safety, and on the first play after the free kick, the tandem of Gee and Andrews was at it again. This time, it was Gee connecting with Andrews down the left side on a 45-yard touchdown pass. The North outgained the South 253-42 in the first half.
“It was neat, because the challenge is, you never get everyone there every day,” South Williamsport and North coach Chris Eiswerth said. “Guys work, some guys don’t travel well, so you’re in this massive crunch in getting things implemented. But, I’ll tell you, they really did a great job executing. Defensively, they did extremely well. Offensively, great players make coaches look good, and that was the case tonight.”
As a heavy rain started later in the third quarter, Casella capped off his big night in style with a 44-yard touchdown run. Casella led all rushers with 129 yards on 12 carries. It looked like the North would score one more time following Nate Fisher of Montoursville breaking off a 42-yard run to set up a first-and-goal, but lightning flashed, and shortly after, the game was abruptly called.
“It was super fun, if only it didn’t lightning,” Andrews said. “We could have played in the rain a little bit more, that probably would have topped it, but other than that, it was fun coming out here with these guys and making good memories.”
