tool name
closeMILL HALL — On the doorstep of completing a losing season and playing a bigger, faster, stronger opponent, Penns Valley football coach Martin Tobias decided to throw caution out the bus window en route to Clinton County.
“We didn’t have anything to lose at this point,” Tobias said. “You’re sitting 2-7 on the season, you may as well take some chances.”
So, with the Rams already trailing by a touchdown early and facing a fourth down with more than a yard to go on their side of the field, punting wasn’t an option. Instead, the ball was stuffed into the gut of Kody Bjalme, who broke a tackle at the line of scrimmage and coasted to a 57-yard touchdown. Good call.
But it didn’t matter. Central Mountain rode the crisp running of a Scott Zuback and a backbreaking interception to a 42-14 victory over Penns Valley on Friday night at Don Malinak Stadium.
The Wildcats (6-4) clinched the No. 3 seed in the District 6-8-9-10 Class AAAA playoffs. The Class AA Rams finish their season at 2-8.
“We’re playing a schedule that we’re overmatched,” Tobias said. “That’s difficult for the kids, but there’s no excuses here. We’re going to go out and give the best we have week in and week out. Tonight they had a little bit more than we had.”
Zuback rushed for 145 yards and three touchdowns on 20 carries and Logan Houtz effectively ended thoughts of an upset by returning an interception 81 yards at the end of the first half to give Central Mountain a 28-7 lead.
“It was a good punch,” Houtz said. “We were playing hard the whole game. Getting that built our confidence.”
Bjalme cruised for 213 yards on 25 carries, but Penns Valley threw three interceptions and notched just seven first downs.
The Rams also couldn’t stop Zuback. The 1,000-yard rusher scored from 40 yards out on the Wildcats’ first play from scrimmage and added touchdowns of 18 and 31 yards in the first half.
“We faced a team that plays at a different speed than we do,” Tobias said. “They came out of the gates real strong and fast. One play, they’re on the board. That puts us behind the eight ball.”
Central Mountain allowed Penns Valley to stay close by losing two fumbles in the first half. The second one came inside the Rams’ 10-yard line after a long march.
On the ensuing drive, Bjalme, also the Rams’ punter, ran for 16 yards and a first down after he couldn’t get a kick away to keep the possession alive. A few plays later, Matt Helm passed to Ashton Koval for 27 yards, moving Penns Valley to the Wildcat 34.
But on the next snap, Helm was hit as he threw and Houtz grabbed the wobbly pass, stiff-armed a tackler to the ground, took off down the sideline and dove into the end zone over another tackler with no time left on the clock.
“I started getting tired at the 30-yard line,” Houtz said. “Thank God blocking was good for me because I wouldn’t have made it.”
The solid stiff arm also helped. “All my friends on the team were like, ‘That was Heisman material,’ Houtz joked.
No matter what it was, it deflated the Rams.
“That really took a lot of the wind out of their sails going into halftime,” Central Mountain coach Steve Turchetta said. “I think our kids picked up a lot of emotion from that.”
Zach Corl and Rocco Vuocolo added scoring runs for the Wildcats in the second half.
Bjalme, who needed 93 yards to go over 1,000 for the season, set up Penns Valley’s fourth-quarter touchdown with a 75-yard run. Bryan Lee rushed in from a yard.
“He can score from anywhere on the field and tonight he just ran tough,” Turchetta said of Bjalme. “We had some problems. He gave our defense some fits.”
Bjalme is one of 24 seniors who played their final game for Penns Valley.
“I’m disappointed for the kids because of the effort they put into it,” Tobias said. “I feel that maybe they aren’t going to get their just due. Obviously, we didn’t get the wins that we needed to or should have in some spots. That makes it hard.”
In Print
@Nyx.CommentBody@