Ironmen Edge Red Tornadoes in Defensive Duel 13-9

Written by: Aaron Domanski on Saturday, September 30th, 2017. Follow Aaron Domanski on Twitter.

After suffering close losses last Friday, both Jim Keiser’s Danville Ironmen and John Darrah’s Mount Carmel Red Tornadoes were each looking for a rebound victory at the Silver Bowl on Friday night. This coupled with the fact that the last two games in this series were not decided until late in the game had fans on both sides expecting a close matchup. Jim Keiser’s and John Darrah’s squads provided exactly that, with the Ironmen edging the Red Tornadoes,13-9 in a defensive slugfest. “I thought tonight they played fantastic,” said Keiser of his team. “Played with a lot of heart.”

Danville would get on the scoreboard first early in the second quarter with a 46-yard touchdown from running back Austin Millar. The Red Tornadoes would block the extra point attempt and the Ironmen would hold a 6-0 lead.

Mount Carmel Area would respond on their next possession when junior running back John Ayres found a seam in the defense and accelerated 67 yards to the end zone for the score. Senior kicker Rosolino Mangiapane would add the extra point for the Red Tornadoes who would lead 7-6.

Mount Carmel’s defense, which played exceptional all evening, forced Danville to punt on their next possession. With their backs to the end zone, the ball was snapped over the head of senior punter Jared Mowry, resulting in a safety and the Red Tornadoes would increase their lead to 9-6, which is where the score would remain as the teams headed into the locker rooms at the half.

Halftime brought much fanfare as Mount Carmel Area celebrated its homecoming, but perhaps the biggest celebration of the night happened on the second half opening kickoff. Danville senior Peyton Persing showcased his remarkable speed and returned the kick 87 yards for the go-ahead score. Senior Peyton Riley would add the extra point and Danville would now lead 13-9 just seconds into the second half.

Persing’s kickoff would prove to be the difference maker as neither team could mount an offensive threat for the remainder of the game. This can be attributed primarily to the lights-out play of both defensive units, with senior linebacker Manus McCracken leading the charge for Mount Carmel Area with 20 tackles and 1 sack. Sophomore linebacker Jack Chapman also notched 8 tackles and junior defensive tackle Billy Anderson finished with 7 tackles and a sack.

On the Danville side, the Ironmen defense was lead by junior defensive lineman Preston Fausnaught, who notched multiple tackles and senior safety Ryan Palm who notched two interceptions, including the game clincher, with seconds remaining. Danville would benefit from 4 interceptions on the evening as sloppy conditions erupted in the second half. Mother Nature brought a sudden downpour and both teams and fans had to endure the heavy rain at the Silver Bowl.

Danville improved to (5-1) on the season and will host Lewisburg (3-3) while Mount Carmel Area will look to get back on track as they travel to Milton (0-6) next Friday night.

Statistics:

RUSHING:

Danville:

Austin Millar 11-62 TD; Gannon Feldman 9-45; Peyton Riley 7-33; Ryan Palm 6-10; Peyton Persing 1- (-2).

Mount Carmel:

John Ayres 19-149 TD; Shane Weidner 6-9; Tommy Reisinger 5-2; CJ Reinhard 3-3.

PASSING:

Danville:

Riley 4-4, 33 yards; Feldman 1-5, 4 yards.

Mount Carmel:

Reisinger 8-27, 86 yards, 4 INT.

RECEIVING: