Capers Scores Four Touchdowns In East Stroudsburg South’s 47-7 Win Over Pleasant Valley

EAST STROUDSBURG – Charles Capers was the star of the show Thursday night. The Senior running back rushed for four touchdowns to lead the Cavaliers to a 47-7 win last night at Edward H. Christian Jr. Memorial Stadium.

“He’s an animal back there. When you call 24 number you get excited,” said Head Coach Matt Walters, “He can break it at any point. You also have to give our line credit, opening big holes tonight for him.” 

With the win, they face Whitehall in the District 11 Class 5A final next weekend. Back in September, South won 38-7.

“I go back to that night and I know it’s going to be a different Whitehall team,” said Walters. “They had a lot of injuries that night and they are playing good football right now. We got our hands full next weekend and they are a well coached team.”

Thursday night, It was a spooky night for some teams on Halloween. The home fans were wondering would they would get a treat or a trick tonight. They got both. 

East Stroudsburg South started the game with a trick. The onside kick worked. Justin Mauro fell on the ball and the Cavaliers took over on the Pleasant Valley 49.

“That is something we believe in at East Stroudsburg,” said Walters. “We want to try and find extra possessions in a ball game.”

It took two plays for South to get on the scoreboard. Capers took the handoff and dashed 42 yards down the sidelines for the score. Harrison’s kick was good and they led 7-0 with 11:11 left in the first quarter. 

It was the defense’s turn to make a statement. They get the fourth down stop and took over on their 13 with 8:26 remaining in the first quarter. The Cavaliers marched right down the field. The combination of quarterback Ivan Laubach to Xzavier Pusateri was lethal all night. The two combined for three straight plays setting up a Laubach to Yael Fernandez five-yard touchdown pass. 

The first quarter wound down and East Stroudsburg South led 14-0.

Capers would dominate the second quarter. He scored on runs of 15 and 3 as South increased their lead to 27-0.

The Cavaliers added one more score before halftime. Xzavier Pusateri caught a 37-yard pass from Ivan Laubach for a touchdown. South went into halftime leading 33-0. 

Early in the second half, Xzavier caught a pass that set the all-time single season record. He’s now over 1,100 yards receiving this season. He broke Dan Cason 2009 record of 1,095 yards. 

“He broke my best friend Dan Cason’s receiving record back from 2009,” said Walters. “That record was here for a long time. Xavier is a special player and one of the best receivers in the EPC.”

Capers capped off the opening drive of the second half with a seven-yard run with 9:38 left in the third quarter. South led 40-0 and had a running clock the remaining second half. 

Pleasant Valley got on the scoreboard on a Jacob George 40-yard run with 7:11 left in the third quarter. South’s Bryce Moskovitz got the last score of the game. He stepped in front of the pass and took it 75 yard for the score. 

As impressive as the offense was last night, the defense had five, fourth down stops in the game. 

“The way our defense has played the last couple of weeks, we are starting to find that rhythm,” said Walters. “Our kids have really been locked in and focus on the job in front of them.”

NOTE: ESS Stats provided by Samuel Davidge
Charles Capers rushed for 135 yards on 12 carries and 4 touchdowns
Ivan Laubach was 11 of 12 for 161 yards and 2 touchdowns
Xzavier Pusateri caught 7 passes for 129 yards and 1 touchdown

Scoring Summary:

1st Quarter:
ESS – Charles Capers 42 yard run 11:11 7-0 (Harrison Aillet kick good)
ESS – Yael Fernandez 5 yard pass from Ivan Laubach 4:24 14-0 (Harrison Aillet kick good)

2nd Quarter:
ESS – Charles Capers 15 yard run 11:52 21-0 (Harrison Aillet kick good)
ESS – Charles Capers 3 yard run 5:36 27-0 (Harrison Aillet kick no good)
ESS – Xzavier Pusateri 37 yard pass from Ivan Laubach 3:26 33-0 (2-point conversion no good)

3rd Quarter:
ESS – Charles Capers 7 yard run 9:38 40-0 (Harrison Aillet kick good)
PV – Jacob George 40 yard run 7:11 40-7
ESS – Bryce Moskovitz 75 yard interception return 5:55 47-7 (Harrison Aillet kick good)