HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL: WEEK 3

Fumbling it away

Penns Valley's miscues turn into Huntingdon's fortune

Vinny Pezzimenti

SPRING MILLS — The frustration was clearly evident in Tibben Zerby's eyes.

Craig Houtz

Penns Valley's Kody Bjalme (29) eludes the tackle of Huntingdon's Scott Minor (22) on a13 yard touchdown run in the 1st quarter on Friday, Sept. 18, 2009.

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They told the tale of the Penns Valley quarterback’s evening of extreme highs and baffling lows. And they told the story of the Rams’ 21-15 loss to Huntingdon on Friday night in a MAC Nittany Division contest.

Outside the locker room afterward, Penns Valley coach Martin Tobias patted Zerby on the back and offered a few quick words of encouragement.

“We’re trying to keep our heads up,” Zerby said.

Zerby rushed for 95 yards — a well-executed 54-yard touchdown to give the Rams a 15-7 lead in the third quarter included — but Penns Valley (1-2) fumbled the ball away three times in the second half, leading to 18 points for the Bearcats.

Scott Minor ran for 115 yards and a touchdown on 28 carries, and Andrew Hallahan connected on a pair of fourth-quarter field goals to seal the win for Huntingdon (2-1).

“It’s a case where we can’t let up,” Tobias said. “I think we did. I think we let off the gas a little bit.”

The deceleration came in the form of the turnover bug, which bit the Rams on the first play of the second half and didn’t let up. Zerby fumbled twice on runs and Kody Bjalme couldn’t handle one of his option pitches.

Penns Valley fumbled five times total and lost four.

“That hasn’t been an issue for us this year as a whole,” Tobias said. “We usually are much better at taking care of the football. This is the worst we’ve had the problem. It’s the only time we’ve had the problem. Whatever you want to say, we don’t turn the ball over.”

The Rams led 7-0 at halftime, but it was a tenuous lead at best.

The Bearcats drove inside Penns Valley’s 5 on consecutive possessions in the second quarter only to come up empty. A fourth-down incompletion into the end zone ended the first drive. Minutes later, quarterback Nathan Betts appeared en route to a scoring run when he fumbled at the goal line and Zerby recovered in the end zone.

“My blood pressure went up at that point, Huntingdon coach Jim Zauzig said.

It had to be at all-time high when Huntingdon fumbled on the first play from scrimmage. Penns Valley recovered at the Bearcat 20 and Bjalme (77 yards on 18 carries) ran for a 13-yard score three plays later.

“In the first half, we played with no emotion at all, and it showed,” Zauzig said. “In the second half, we played with a lot more emotion, and good things happened.”

Like when Zerby fumbled to start the third quarter. Huntingdon capitalized when Betts quickly hit Sean Houck for a 15-yard touchdown to tie the score.

But Huntingdon also had four turnovers. Two came on Drew Zettle interceptions. The second set up Zerby’s scoring run.

Out of the shotgun, Zerby faked a hand-off to Bjalme to the right and took off left. The Bearcats bit on the fake and Zerby ran untouched for the touchdown.

“We were feeling good at that moment,” Zerby said. “We just had to make all the little plays. That’s what we didn’t do.”

Bjalme bobbled Zerby’s pitch on the next possession. Huntingdon recovered at the Rams’ 25 and Minor went in from seven yards two plays later. Houck caught a deflected pass from Betts on the conversion to tie the score.

A 27-yard punt return by Minor to the Rams’ 21 led to Hallahan’s 22-yard field goal and the kicker booted a 25- yarder after the Bearcats recovered a Zerby fumbled on Penns Valley’s 37.

“We just didn’t have good ball security,” Zerby said. “We’re taught to keep it high and tight, and I know a couple of mine were down, and they just popped it out.”

Penns Valley had one last chance, but a Zerby fourth-down pass slid through the hands of Ashton Koval at midfield with under two minutes remaining.

Vinny Pezzimenti can be reached at 231-4629.