Finishing in style

North team lays solid hits on South to end two-game losing skid

By Guy Cipriano

WINGATE — Members of the North football team started hitting each other during the early stages of their preparation for the 25th annual Lezzer Lumber Football Classic.

CDT photo/Christopher Weddle

State College’s Chance Gaines, left, and Bald Eagle Area’s A.J. Robinson, right, both of the North team, tackle Bellwood-Antis’ Adam Kovac during the first half of the Lezzer Lumber Football Classic on Saturday at BEA’s Alumni Stadium. The North won 26-7.

View larger

By Saturday night, they were more than ready to hit somebody else.

An eager, intense and aggressive North defense held the South’s offense to 144 yards en route to a 26-7 victory at Bald Eagle Area’s Alumni Stadium. The victory snapped the South’s two-year winning streak and brought the ideal closure to the high school careers of 10 athletes from Centre County who played for the North.

“I don‚t know what broke the ice,” Bald Eagle Area linebacker A.J. Robinson said. “But it seemed like we played together all year.”

The North displayed its cohesion early as its defense held the South to only eight first-half yards.

The South scored its only touchdown during the third quarter, and needed a backfield consisting of three players — Altoona’s Nick Soto, Huntingdon’s Andrew Sarra and Tyrone’s Matt Murray — who combined to weigh 785 pounds to push the ball through the North’s defensive line. Soto, a lineman, followed Murray and Sarra to score on a 1-yard plunge. A play earlier, Soto checked into the backfield and was tackled low by Clearfield’s Nick Redden, a Big 33 participant who played on the offensive and defensive lines Saturday.

Meager gains were the norm against the North’s defense. The South rushed for just 60 yards on 28 carries. The North held the South to its lowest point total since 2000, when the team squad won 20-6 using the force of current Oakland Raiders long snapper Jon Condo.

This year’s North team showed its strength on both sides of the line. The North didn’t punt until the fourth quarter as its offense compiled 17 first downs, including 11 during the first half.

“We had some really talented kids in the backfield and receivers,” North coach Steve Turchetta said. “But that line was pretty good. That’s probably one of the more solid lines I have coached in this game.”

A lineman Turchetta coached at Central Mountain was involved in one of the game’s biggest plays. The North took a 20-0 lead when a hit by Central Mountain’s Matt Bower caused a fumble that DuBois’ Andrew Gordon returned 14 yards for a touchdown.

The play gave the North a comfortable cushion, something a 225-8 first-half advantage in offensive yards failed to yield. The North’s only first-half touchdown came on Clearfield quarterback Jarrin Campman’s 11-yard run with 3:51 remaining in the first quarter.

Central Mountain’s Nathan Conway missed a 27-yard field goal, Mount Union’s Jimmy Smith intercepted a pass in the end zone and Campman was stuffed on a fourth-and-goal from the 1 as the South entered halftime trailing just 7-0. “We got it to the red zone three times and we should have gotten it in,”

Philipsburg-Osceola guard Andy Hanes said. “There was a little bit of a nervous feeling, but with the way our defense was playing and offense was driving the ball we had a feeling we were going to make it.”

The North helped itself by forcing four turnovers, including three during the second half. Central Mountain’s Corey Bartholomew intercepted two passes while Robinson intercepted a pass in the second quarter.

Bellefonte’s Kode Plank threw the game’s only touchdown pass, connecting on a 19-yarder to Central Mountain’s Matt Overdorf with 6:43 remaining in the third quarter. Campman, an all-state selection who rushed and passed for more than 1,000 yards as a senior, scored the North’s final touchdown on a 19-yard run during the fourth quarter. Campman gained a game-high 96 yards on 16 carries to earn offensive MVP honors for the North. Gordon was named the team’s defensive MVP.

Plank went 3 of 6 passing for 50 yards and rushed for 27 yards. He completed a 28-yard pass to Bellefonte teammate David Radziak during the first half. Bellefonte’s Chris Irwin caught two Campman pass for 14 yards.