Kicking game an asset for Bearcats

Guy Cipriano

HUNTINGDON — Anybody stubborn enough to assert a strong leg can’t dominate a football game hasn’t watched Huntingdon’s Andrew Cerrett.

The 6-foot-5, 255-pound senior who is headed to Temple doesn’t just move opponents backwards with crafty punts and kicks.

He places teams in demoralizing pickles.

Just ask Bald Eagle Area. Cerrett dropped four 40-yard punts inside the 20-yard line and catapulted four kickoffs into the end zone as the Bearcats routed the Eagles 30-0 Friday at War Vets Field.

Because of Cerrett, BEA (1-7, 1-6 MAFC-Nittany) didn’t enter Huntingdon territory until the 7:30 mark of the fourth quarter. The Eagles’ average starting field position on their six first-half possessions was their own 16.

“Mentally it’s tough for your kids,” BEA coach Jack Tobias said. “You stop them and then they kick and the next thing you know you’re on your 4-or 5-yard line.”

Cerrett’s first punt led to a Huntingdon (6-2, 4-2) touchdown as a 51-yard boot forced BEA to start its second drive from the 3. The Eagles’ drive lasted just three plays and went six yards, but a nice 41-yard punt from Kyle Womer resulted in Huntingdon taking over at its own 47. Three plays later, quarterback Nathan Betts threw a 27-yard touchdown pass to tight end Jake Reid.

Cerrett averaged 42.3 yards per punt, a deceiving total because of two successful pooch punts during the final two minutes of the first half. The first one netted just 24 yards, but pinned BEA at the 12. The second one netted 35, but forced the Eagles to take over from the 18.

Cerrett finally received a chance to unleash a mega-boot in the fourth quarter. The ball soared into the lights and landed well over returner Cody Ripka’s head before rolling to the 15.

The distance? A season-long 61 yards.

“An 80-yard drive is tough in normal conditions,” Huntingdon coach Jim Zauzig said. “It’s next to impossible in these conditions. Andy and our cover team did a great job of creating a long field.”

These conditions are the nasty elements greet central Pennsylvania players weekly. The night marked the fourth straight soggy Friday, a frustrating fact for a player whose success depends on sturdy footing.

“It’s terrible,” Cerrett said. “It makes it harder for all of us. But we are all on the same field.”

The Eagles never found their footing. They were held to 124 yards and six first downs. BEA’s best drive was its final one as it went 55 yards in 12 plays against Huntingdons’ second-team defense. Kicker Kyle Kinley was the Eagles’ leading rusher, gaining 34 yards on six carries during the drive.

BEA turned the ball over three times and quarterback Justin Taylor completed 2 of 11 passes for 27 yards. The Eagles compiled just 41 yards on 18 first-half plays. Cerrett, a defensive lineman, also flustered BEA’s offense by compiling three tackles-for-losses.

“We just couldn’t move people up front,” Tobias said. “Their defensive line did a good job and their backers were flowing well.”

Huntingdon’s offense developed a rhythm it never relinquished. Betts also tossed a 37-yard touchdown pass to Matt Bennett in the second quarter while running backs Houston Riley, Nathan Mykut and Scott Minor combined for 216 yards on 24 carries. Mykut, a shifty 5-foot-10, 145-pound senior who also wrestles, swerved around two BEA defenders on his way to a 38-yard touchdown run with 9:37 remaining.

The 30 points marked a season-high for Huntingdon, which entered Friday averaging 16.5 per game.

“We have been hanging our six wins on defense and special teams,” said Zauzig, whose team allows 10.1 points per game. “The offense is a work in progress. Hopefully it will be there by the time we get to the playoffs.”