Schuylkill Valley continued its winning ways in Section 5 of the Lancaster-Lebanon League as the Panthers defeated Columbia 35-6 at Leesport Friday night.
Dominic Giuffre ran for four touchdowns to lead Schuylkill Valley to its fifth straight win and fourth consecutive victory in league play. Giuffre ran 24 times for a team-high 204 yards and also caught two passes for 24 yards.
“I’m feeling great,” Giuffre said. “I couldn’t do anything without the O-line. Our defense came up and we stopped them multiple times. First half was a little bit rough and we just started picking everything up right after the half.
“We just played really great. We came out here, we did what he had to do. We got the win and we’re gonna have a good night.”
After leading 14-6 at the half, the Panthers (4-0, 5-2) scored 21 unanswered points to close out the win. Schuylkill Valley forced three turnovers (two interceptions, one fumble recovery), and limited the Crimson Tide (0-4, 2-5) to 111 yards of total offense (57 rushing, 54 passing) in what Panthers coach Bruce Harbach described as a total-team effort.
“Get after the quarterback,” Harbach said when asked about his team’s defensive game plan. “We had to put pressure on. I thought the defensive front played pretty well. Our linebackers played pretty well, the secondary played pretty well. It’s a great sport of 11 men (playing) together. And this was an 11-person win. Actually it was a 57-person win for us; a team win.
“I’m really proud of these kids. I’m proud of our coaches. This is a win for the community. This program is all about community; all about the school. And these kids are just playing for Schuylkill Valley.”
While the Schuylkill Valley effort was surely holistic, Giuffre’s efforts propelled Schuylkill Valley in the second half.
Giuffre scored a 51-yard rushing touchdown with 3:30 remaining in the third quarter, and quarterback Logan Nawrocki scored on an 11-yard run on the next Panthers’ possession to give Schuylkill Valley a 28-6 lead after three quarters.
Giuffre picked up his final rushing touchdown of the night with 4:24 left in the game on an 11-yard run. He had 125 rushing yards on 10 carries in the second half.
“I think he’s coming into his own,” Harbach said. “We told him when he starts running, ‘Just be patient, be patient, be patient and find a hole’. So he’s really come on in the past two weeks.”
Giuffre got going early, capping off a 60-yard opening drive by scoring a 2-yard rushing touchdown. Giuffre scored once more from the Crimson Tide’ 2-yard line with 1:24 left in the first half to give the Panthers a 14-6 halftime lead.
Columbia scored its lone touchdown with 2:45 left in the first when Qunicy Stewart intercepted Panthers quarterback Michael Goad and returned the pick 55 yards for a touchdown. The Crimson Tide failed to convert a two-point conversion.
Giuffre leads Schuylkill Valley with 17 rushing touchdowns and is closing in on 1,000 rushing yards for the season as the junior has 960.
“Just follow the linemen,” Giuffre said on the key to his success. “The blocks, the holes are wide open all the time, and just nothing can get done without them.”
On defense, Cooper Hohenadel and Nathan Kier each had an interception for the Panthers. Ethan Swoyer recovered a fumble and had two sacks.
“We decided to make some arrangements for our defense,” Giuffre said. “And it definitely made us get to where we wanted to get tonight.”
The Panthers will look to continue their undefeated run in league play when they travel to Hamburg (3-1, 6-1) next Friday for the Frost Bowl.
“It’s gonna be tough,” Harbach said. “Hamburg is a good football team, they’re well coached and we’re in for a battle. We’re in for a battle, but you know, our kids won’t back down.”
Source: Berkshire mont
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