Eagles can’t slow Central’s Runk

Pat Rothdeutsch For the CDT

WINGATE — It may have been 33 degrees and snowing at Alumni Field when Bald Eagle Area hosted undefeated Central on Friday, but for Lucas Runk and the Scarlet Dragon spread offense, it was 75 and sunny.

Led by the do-everything Runk, Central scored on its first possession of the game, three of the first five times it had the ball, and despite three turnovers, rolled up 35 points and almost 250 yards of total offense by the end of the first half en route to a 38-13 win over the Eagles.

BEA showed some first-half offensive spark itself, scoring on an 11-yard pass from Justin Taylor to Dillon Schall and an 11-yard reverse by Brock Bathurst, but the onslaught by Central was too much to overcome in conditions that could be called less than ideal.

Runk, a 5-foot-10, 180-pound junior, ran 17 times for 102 yards and four touchdowns and completed 7 of 14 passes for 90 yards and another touchdown. He scored on runs of 5, 1, 7, and 25 yards, all in the first half, and hooked up with fullback Lucas Blattenburger for a seven-yard touchdown pass. In the game, Runk accounted for 192 yards of total offense and all five of Central’s touchdowns.

“Offensively, they are tough,” Bald Eagle head coach Jack Tobias said. “Runk can make plays from quarterback, tailback, or anywhere in the backfield. He is a heck of an athlete.”

After Central’s opening drive, a seven-play, 61-yard march that culminated with a five-yard Runk sweep for a touchdown, BEA settled down on defense and it looked like the miserable conditions could play in its favor.

Down by seven points, BEA defensive lineman Derrin Shreffler tipped and intercepted a Runk pass at the Central 43 yard line. The Eagle drive failed to produce any points, however, but Dillon Schall intercepted Runk’s next pass, returning it to the Central 16.

This time BEA converted when Taylor found Schall in the end zone for a touchdown and tied the score at seven.

Runk and the Scarlet Dragons, however, had answers for all of BEA’s challenges. They took the subsequent kickoff and mounted a 69-yard, six-play drive that ended with Runk going in from the one and gave Central a 14-7 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Four plays later, on what looked like a promising drive for the Eagles, Runk intercepted a Taylor pass at his own 30 and returned it 60 yards to the BEA 10. Two plays later, Runk took it in from the seven and Central was ahead 21-7.

“We have to get the ball in key situations,” Tobias said, “and we have to learn to put points on the board. These guys have come a long way in the last two weeks and have stepped up and played well. We had guys who were playing out of position tonight, and other guys had to step up, but the kids keep working and we have guys with great attitudes.”

Central kept up the pressure into the second quarter, with Runk scoring from 25 yards out with 6:31 to play to make the score 28-7. BEA cut that lead to 28-13, however, after a Runk fumble was recovered by Brice Beals and returned to the Central 9-yard line. Two plays later, Bathurst scored on a nice 11-yard reverse and the Central lead was cut to 28-13.

Central responded again, though, going 70 yards on eight plays to take a 35-13 lead into the locker room. Runk ran the ball three times on the drive and completed three passes, including the touchdown pass of seven yards to Blattenberger.

“They have some players, and they have good size,” Central coach A.J. Hoenstine said of BEA, “and we were concerned about that. They have been in every game they have played this year and I think our kids realized that. We came out and played well, especially in the first half. We put 35 points on the board in the first half. We’ll take that.”

The second half saw far less offense, partially due to the worsening conditions. Central managed to convert on a 32-yard field goal by kicker Yannik Hollar, and BEA drove to the Central 6 at the end of the third quarter. The drive stalled and Kyle Kinley’s field goal attempt sailed wide. Neither team threatened after that.

“We’ve got three games left,” Tobias said, “these guys know that. Huntingdon is next. We have people coming out playing in different places. We have got to be physical with guys in their new roles.

“We have a good football team, and we can end up playing more than three games if these players come out and play the football they are capable of playing.”