Two first-half touchdown passes and then a late defensive stand helped Bangor beat Northern Lehigh 28-21 in a Colonial League contest on Friday night at a chilly and wet Bangor Memorial Park Stadium. The loss is the first for the Bulldogs this season.
The two teams nearly went through the first quarter scoreless until Bangor (2-1) struck for a score. Joe Genteel heaved up a 37-yard pass to Nick Davanzo, who managed to stay in bounds and scamper a few yards for the game’s first touchdown. The Slaters led 7-0 after a quick first quarter of play.
In the second quarter, Bangor broke through again with the same connection in the same fashion. Genteel tossed up a 52-yard pass to Davanzo, who beat a defender and strolled in for the score. Bangor led 14-0 with 10:03 left in the first half.
Then the Bulldogs’ defense decided to take matters into their own hands. Zach Moyer intercepted a Bangor pass and ran it back 15 yards to the end zone to get Northern Lehigh on the scoreboard. Moyer followed that up by running in a touchdown a few minutes later to tie the game at 14 at the half.
Then in the third quarter, the rain began to fall in the Slate Belt and persisted for the remainder of the game. As the teams battled Mother Nature, Genteel broke through the Bulldog defense line in the third quarter to break the tie and give the hosts a 21-14 advantage.
That lead did not last long, however, as the Bulldogs answered. Moyer rolled out a tossed a 15-yard touchdown pass to Chase Misera in the end zone to tie the game once again, this time at 21.
With the game knotted up heading into the fourth quarter and the rain falling harder, neither team could move the football with ease. Then with just 64 seconds left on the clock, Kael Godshalk pushed through at the goal line to put Bangor up 28-21.
On the ensuing kick-off, Northern Lehigh ran a reverse to perfection and pushed deep into Bangor territory. Then a dead-ball penalty on the Slaters pushed the ball into the red zone. The Bulldogs advanced as far as the seven-yard line, where they had a third down, but took a sack. Then on fourth down, Moyer was hit hard and the ball jostled loose, which sealed the victory for the Slaters.
The team of Genteel and Davanzo helped pilot Bangor to the win. Genteel went 9-10 passing for 186 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Davanzo hauled in seven passes for 157 yards and two touchdowns.
Next week Bangor hosts the league-leading Southern Lehigh squad on Friday night. Northern Lehigh visits Pen Argyl on Saturday.
