EAST MARLBOROUGH — If you looked at time of possession, you’d have been convinced that visiting Conrad Weiser had total control of the nonleague contest against Unionville on Friday. In just the first half, the Scouts ran off 47 plays and picked up 11 first downs, while the Longhorns totaled a mere 17 plays from scrimmage.
But those 17 plays were all they needed. Despite not having a single drive take more than four plays, the Longhorns scored 28 first-half points. By game’s end, Unionville had scored on seven of nine possessions, punting just twice, to win by a convincing 49-14 margin.
“It was nice to be healthy and have all our weapons back on offense,” said Unionville coach Tim Murphy. “The guys have a great understanding of what we want to do in offense, and executed it really well. This time of year is when you want to be playing your best football, and we did a lot of things really well tonight. It definitely gives you confidence headed into the playoffs where everyone is 0-0.”
The Longhorns (6-4) wasted no time getting on the board. Unionville recovered an onside kick to begin the game at midfield. They needed just two plays to go the distance. Brody McLaughlin broke loose for a 39-yard touchdown run on his first carry of the night. McLaughlin also reached the 1,000-yard mark for the season with the run, despite missing a couple of games.
“It’s a nice personal accomplishment, but it is not even remotely just about me,” McLaughlin said of reaching the milestone. “It’s really a testament to the offensive line, who have busted open huge holes all season. It’s really about them.
McLaughlin finished the night with 139 yards on just 7 carries, good for a whopping 19.9 average per carry, and two touchdowns. The Columbia-bound senior also added 58 yards on two catches, including a 31-yard TD reception.
“Brody is just a special kid,” said Murphy. Not only is he a good football player, he’s just a really good kid. He makes it look easy. It’s great to see someone like him put together back-to-back 1000 yard seasons.”
Unionville collected 273 yards rushing, with McLaughlin, Shane Gilday and freshman Nicholas Scattolino all finding the end zone.
The Longhorns were also getting it done through the air, quarterback Tommy McGinnis completed 6 of 10 passes for 108 yards and three scores.
The defense got in on the act as well, coming up with big stops when they needed them, and forcing a pair of turnovers.
“This was a total team effort tonight,” said McGinnis. “We all got it done tonight. We got everyone touches and we all took advantage. We played a complete game tonight and we feel good headed into districts.”
Unionville 49 Conrad Weiser 14Conrad Weiser 3 11 0 0 – 14Unionville 21 7 7 14 – 49ScoringUnionville – McLaughlin 39 run (Keaveney kick)Unionville – McLaughlin 31 pass from McGinnis (Keaveney kick)Conrad Weiser – Spang 32 FGUnionville – Puleo 14 pass from McGinnis (Keaveney kick)Conrad Weiser – Spang 38 FGUnionville – Wenturine 9 pass from McGinnis (Keaveney kick)Conrad Weiser – Leonard 9 pass from Sellars (Leonard pass)Unionville – McLaughlin 8 run (Keaveney kick)Unionville – Gilday 9 run (Keaveney kick)Unionville – Scattolino 4 run (Keaveney kick)Team TotalsCW UFirst downs 16 11Yards rushing 43-106 24-273Yards passing 53 106Total yards 159 379Passing 8-20-0 6-10-0Punts-avg. 2-31.5 2-33.0Fumbles-lost 3-3 0-0Penalties 5-65 3-35Individual statisticsRushing – Conrad Weiser – Rivera 15-48; Deprince 8-30; Sellars 20-28. Unionville – McLaughlin 7-139 2TD; McGinnis 5-64; Gilday 3-42 TD; Scattolino 6-24 TD; Puleo 1-6; Faber 1-2; Johnson 1-(-4).Passing — Conrad Weiser – Sellars 8-20-0 53 yards TD. Unionville – McGinnis 6-10-0 106 yards 3TD.Receiving – Conrad Weiser – Leonard 5-43 TD; Giffing 1-5; Erdman 1-7; Rivera 1-(-2). Unionville – McLaughlin 2-58 TD; Puleo 2-23 TD; Wenturine 2-25 TDSacks – Unionville – Brookes.
Source: Berkshire mont