Braves’ Trio of Tilford, Folk, and Mitchell shine in shutout victory
As longtime Mount Carmel Area statistician Jose Gonzalo was rattling off his all-time favorite games this week while being honored for attending 600 consecutive Red Tornado games, the Big Red’s win over Loyalsock last Friday ranked among the most memorable. The one the Tornadoes played against Todd Tilford’s Braves will rank as one to forget. Shikellamy showcased its team speed and coasted to a 35-0 win over Mount Carmel Area.
Fresh off of a heartbreaking 25-20 loss at Mountoursville, Shik needed to establish itself early in order to get momentum against MCA. They wasted no time as sophomore running back Joe Folk, who undoubtedly is one of the fastest backs in District IV, took it the distance on the Braves first drive for a 70 yard touchdown run. Senior Dylan Snyder added the PAT and Shikellamy was leading Mount Carmel Area 7-0 1:50 into the game.
The Red Tornadoes could not establish a drive on their next possession, while the Braves kept their foot on the gas. On Shik’s next drive junior running back Gabe Tilford raced 65 yards to pay dirt for the score. Snyder would add his second PAT and the Braves would lead 14-0 with 6:58 left in the first period. On the ensuing possession, MCA sophomore QB John Ayres, who was flushed out of the pocket constantly by Shik defenders all night, was stripped of the ball. It was picked up by Shikellamy senior defensive back Chris Tasker who trucked down the visitors’ sideline of the field for 32 yards to make it 20-0. Snyder would add his 3rd PAT and, just like that, the Braves increased their lead to 21-0 with 6:09 left in the quarter.
Mount Carmel Area showed signs of life on their next offensive series with a sustained 16 play drive. However, the Tornadoes turned it over on downs when John Ayres was brought down for a loss on 4th down. On Shik’s next drive they showcased the running of another speedy back in their arsenal, senior Lemier Mitchell, who gained 73 yards in the game. Mitchell and Braves would drive into Tornado territory, but the drive ended on a Shikellamy missed field goal by Dylan Snyder.
Mount Carmel QB John Ayres, the lynchpin of last week’s dramatic comeback against Loyalsock, tried to cause a spark on Big Red’s next possession. Ayres would connect on a pass to junior receiver CJ Reichard to midfield, but the Tornadoes drive would stall once again. The Braves would take over as time was winding down in the second quarter. Up 21-0, Shik found themselves calling a timeout before the half’s final play. It was at this time Shikellamy head coach Todd Tilford decided to call his team’s first pass of the game. Much like everything else for Shik on the evening, it connected. Junior quarterback Tate Krankoskie hit senior Trey Cunningham 29 yards for the score. Snyder would add the PAT and at halftime the Braves would 28-0.
Shikellamy would get the ball to start the second half, with the drive ending on a second missed field goal by the Braves Dylan Snyder. The Red Tornadoes would take over, but this week there would be no second half surge to victory for Mount Carmel Area. The Big Red held their own the rest of the way against Shik, starting with Tornado senior Zach Zarkowski recovering a fumble on the Braves next possession. The Tornadoes would drive, highlighted by a screen pass from Ayres to Reichard, but lost possession when a 4th down pass to senior Lane Tanney fell incomplete. The third quarter would end 28-0.
In the 4th quarter, with Shikellamy now with possession, Red Tornado senior cornerback Tommy McDonald intercepted Krankoskie along the visitor sideline, but the pick was nullified by a roughing the passer penalty. The Braves capitalized with junior Gabe Tilford rumbling 30 yards for Shik’s final score of the game. Snyder would add his 5th PAT, making it 35-0, which would be the final score. “I’m so proud of our kids the way they bounced back from last week,” said head coach Todd Tilford. “We had some balls bounce our way, but it seems like we’ve had an awful lot of things go against us before tonight, so I’ll take it.” Red Tornado head coach John Darrah added, “Give them a lot of credit . They wanted it more than we did. We got outplayed on both sides of the ball tonight.”
Next week Shikellamy (1-1) travels to Central Mountain. Mount Carmel Area (1-1) will host Southern Columbia (2-0) at the Silver Bowl. Prior to this rivalry matchup, the Red Tornadoes will be honoring the memory and achievements of longtime PA Announcer and Sports Information Director Phil Gergen who passed away this spring and the numerical game achievement of statistician Jose Gonzalo during pregame ceremonies.
MCA: 0-0-0-0 = 0
SHIK: 21-7-0-7= 35
MOUNT CARMEL (1-1)
RUSHING:
John Ayres 16-56; Lane Tanney 5-27; Zach Zarkowski 6-28; CJ Reichard 3-15; Tanner Karycki 3-4; Shane Weidner 6-19; Bruce Carl 2-2.
PASSING:
John Ayres 6-14-0,51 yds
RECEIVING:
Manus McCracken 2-12; CJ Reichard 1-16; Tanner Karycki 1-12; Logan Wills 1-6; Wes Shurock 1-3.
Mount Carmel Area Statistics compiled by Jose Gonzalo
SHIKELLAMY (1-1)
RUSHING:
Gabe Tilford 14-164 2 TDS; Joe Folk 7-99 TD; Lemier Mitchell 8-73; Pierson White 3-20; Evan Bingaman 1-6; Tate Krankoskie 3 (-8).
PASSING:
Tate Krankoskie 1-1-0, 29 yds TD
RECEIVING:
Trey Cunningham 1-29 TD.
