York Catholic’s coaching staff didn’t need analytics or charts in their decision-making process Friday night. In fact, there was only one step to this process: trusting the defense.
The Irish defensive unit, which was shorthanded thanks to the tenacious efforts of its Biglerville counterpart, staged a shutout in the second half and allowed just 72 yards of offense to propel York Catholic to a 13-7 win over the Canners in the YAIAA Season 3 Final at the Stadium Musselman.
The Irish never allowed the Canners to advance further than the York Catholic 47-yard line after York Catholic took the lead on a Manny Lucena touchdown in the second quarter. That made the Irish’s job a lot easier, even though Biglerville’s defense kept making stops.
“They stepped up,” York Catholic coach Brad Hayek said. “We challenged those guys every week to come out and make plays. We don’t create the opportunities we want. Offensively, we’re learning and still adjusting to guys at different positions. We just need the support of the defense to know they can come out and get the ball back.”
All of the night’s points came in an 11:28 span in the first half, with field position playing a role in all three scoring drives. The Irish struck first, going 55 yards on their second possession in seven games. The drive nearly stalled at the Biglerville 30-yard line, but on fourth-and-six, Evan Kiple passed to Jack Lawrence for a 30-yard touchdown to give York Catholic a 7-0 lead with 3:27 left. the first quarter.
Biglerville’s offense, which was held to three and one outs in the first two snaps, was able to turn the field over on its next possession but was unable to produce any points. However, the defense ensured the payoff would come soon enough as it forced the Irish three times; a 24-yard punt return by Seth Lady, then put the Conners at the York 21-yard line. Five plays later, Joe Nye hit Tavian McAuliffe on a slant for six yards. That tied the game at 7-7 with 8:08 left in the half.
“Our defense was a lot better tonight,” Biglerville coach Brett Smyers said. “We stopped runs, we built up, we filled holes and we made tackles. I can’t speak for them tonight. They played light gas. It was a defense that we saw at the beginning of the year that we kind of lost halfway through. It was good to see them come back and perform well.”
The Irish then turned the field over. The next drive reached the Biglerville 43-yard line before ending with a punt that pinned the Conners hard. A three-and-out led to a punt that Levan McFadden returned 33 yards to the Biglerville five-yard line, and Lucena scored on the next play. A blocked extra point kept the score at 13-7.
It would remain so. Biglerville had a great opportunity for a trick play on the next drive, but a touchdown eluded the Conners when the quarterback’s pass went just over the receiver’s fingertips. That would be Biglerville’s last best chance to pick up points.
“I think that would be huge,” Smyers said. “Maybe we can go into the half with an advantage. We practiced it all year and did it in a few games. It’s just one of those situations where it’s a couple of feet shorter and we launch it and score it.”
The Irish never extended their lead in the second half, but controlled the clock. The Gunners had just three possessions in the second half, none of which advanced into York Catholic territory.
York Catholic 7 6 0 0 — 13
Biglerville 0 7 0 0 — 7
YC—Jack Lawrence 30 pass from Evan Kiple (John Watson kick), 3:27
B—Tavian McAuliffe, 6 pass from Joe Ney (Levi Roberts kick), 8:08
YC—Manny Lucena, 5 run (kick blocked), 3:59
Rashi-dwari 39-174 28-33
Penalty yards 6-30 5-20
Punting yards 5-27.0 5-28.2
In a hurry: YC-Manny Lucena 20-121, Levan McFadden 8-43, Nick Kreischer 5-13, Evan Kiple 4-4, Quinn Brennan 1-6, Team 1-(-13). B-Set Lady 14-39, Juan Morales 5-2, Joe Ney 4-(-2), Aiden Hoffman 1-(-4), Noah Fulton 2-3, Kaden Althoff 2-(-5).
Walkthrough: YC-Kipple 4-15-1-51. Bee-Nay 6-16-1-39, Morales 0-1-0-0.
Getting: YC-Jack Lawrence 2-41, Bryce Hissong 1-8, Kreischer 1-2. B-Tavian McAuliffe 4-29, Hoffman 2-10.
https://www.gettysburgtimes.com/sports/article_50a30f3f-8959-5944-aee2-49ffd5d4055c.html