by Chris Kucharski, NPF Network
Go for the kill. That was the only thought on Old Forge coach Mike Schuback’s mind when he faced a fourth down late in the game leading by 5 points.
Not only did the play call result in a first down, but a score that would book the Blue Devils’ ticket to Hershey.
Jake Manetti connected with Joey Gutowski in the end zone and Old Forge defeated Steelton-Highspire 26-7 to advance to the PIAA Class A championship game for the first time in school history.
They will play Pittsburgh North Catholic (15-0) who defeated Clarion on Saturday to win the western side of the bracket. The game will be at 1 p.m. on Friday at Hersheypark Stadium.
“We went hard play-action to the left and had two verticals with Shane (Schuback) and Joey (Gutowski). Our line gave a good push, the d-back bit and Jake (Manetti) made the throw.”
“Joey told me before the play to look backside if I felt Shane wasn’t open,” said Manetti. “He felt his coverage was cheating up on the run.”
After Gutowski secured the catch, the Old Forge sidelines felt things falling from the sky and it wasn’t snow or ice. It was Hershey kisses being hurled on the field by the raucous Old Forge crowd, signifying the road to Hershey was now complete.
“Our community has been amazing,” said running back Brandon Yescavage, who ran for 150 yards on 40 carries. “To see the crowd that came up here tonight to support us is awesome”.
The Gutowski touchdown was much needed as penalties and turnovers by the Blue Devils allowed the Rollers to stay in the game. It was reminiscent of the only loss of the season (Dunmore) in which Old Forge moved the ball and limited the opponent, but the mistakes cost the Devils.
Not this time.
Old Forge’s defense kept the Rollers in check all night with versatile quarterback James Warren only breaking for one long run, a 55-yard touchdown which was Steel-High’s only score of the game. The Rollers had been averaging 253 rushing yards per game, but were held to 105 yards by the Blue Devils.
Old Forge got on the board first in the second quarter with Yescavage 2-yard touchdown run. But it was the defense that would make a play before half to secure a 12-0 halftime lead.
Brandon Vahey intercepted a Warren pass and returned it 40 yards for his second return for a score in as many weeks. He returned a punt for touchdown against Schuylkill Haven in the quarterfinals.
The second half saw the Old Forge defense come up big on numerous occasions on fourth down situations and after the Blue Devils had turned the ball over. They never let the mistakes hurt them.
Corey Souryavong would intercept Warren and return it 18 yards for the final score of the game. That elicited another round of kisses being thrown by the Blue Devils crowd and cheerleaders.
It also led to hugs and pats on the back for the first time on the sidelines as Old Forge players and coaches realized what they had accomplished.
“Our kids played a great team effort,” said Schuback who now has 103 career win as the Blue Devils head coach. “We understood what we needed to do coming in. I was really impressed with our effort, tonight.”
That effort has Old Forge playing for a football state championship for the first time in school history.
4 Responses
Go get ’em Old Forge! Bring home a State Championship!
Did you watch the game Brian? Final score is misleading. The game was 12-7 with less than 5 minutes to go and Old Forge converted a 4th down for a TD and then on the next series they got a pick 6 to make the final score 26-7. Had the Rollers made the stop on that 4th down anything could’ve happened. Both teams didn’t look very good. The Steel High QB had receivers open at least 4 or 5 times that if he makes a good throw the Rollers probably would’ve won by 2 or 3 scores. Old Forge fumbled the ball away on one drive at the 2 yd line and looked sloppy. Give credit to Old Forge because every time they needed to make a stop, they did. Hopefully next week the Blue Devils play better. Every team has their bad game and that was this week for Old Forge and they were able to still win. Best of luck next week Old Forge
Should have could have would have. The score board tells the story. The devils steam rolled the rollers. Thats the bottom line.
hey chris kucharski don’t be such a homer. if steel qb could throw steel would have scored 3 other td’s. the receiver’s were wide open behind the devil’s defense. that is part of the game that should be acknowledged. on the other hand old forge fumbled away a certain td that would have sealed there win earlier and put the game out of reach for the roller’s considering they were getting beat by a great old forge defense on the line. in regard’s to old forge losing to dunmore, stop crying, i was at that game and you conveniently forget that #1 d. buckley fumbled deep in old forge territory earlier in the game. also old forge had 8 chances from inside the 15 yard line at the end of the game and did not score. you lost fair an d square, just as now you have won the same way.