EBENSBURG - Central Cambria's sophomore quarterback Will Seymour came up big in crunch time for the Red Devils as he threw for two fourth-quarter touchdowns and ran for another to help his squad blow open a tight game and earn their initial win of the season and snap a four-game losing skid with a 26-6 victory over Bishop Carroll.
"We stuck together as a team," Seymour said. "Everybody stepped up. Our line gave me time to throw and opened up huge holes for the backs."
Seymour completed 7 of 16 passes for 80 yards and rushed for a team-leading 50 yards.
The Red Devil defense also held the winless Huskies (0-5) without an offensive touchdown. "Our defense was stout," Central Cambria coach Sam Shutty said. "You can't ask much more from them than to pitch a shutout."
CC's defense turned away repeated red zone opportunities for the Huskies. "We didn't finish," said Bishop Carroll head coach Greg Snyder. "We fell apart when we needed to make a big play." "We didn't do the little things well, and Central Cambria just wanted it more than we did."
The Red Devils took the lead early in the second quarter following a 14-play, 83-yard drive. Seymour completed three passes for 33 yards, but the series appeared to be stalled after a Red Devil personal foul penalty had Central Cambria facing a fourth-and-15 at the Huskies' 26.
Zach Mazzarella then took the handoff on a draw play and went the distance to put Central Cambria on the board, and John Branick's extra point made it 7-0.
Central Cambria subsequently turned the ball over on three consecutive possessions, but the Huskies could only capitalize on one of them. After Dane Woo's interception of Seymour, the Huskies were stopped on downs at the 26.
A fumble in the backfield on the ensuing series was scooped up by Brody Shuty and returned 32 yards for Bishop Carroll's lone touchdown at the 3:10 mark, but Central Cambria stayed on top as Mazzarella blocked Michael Pyo's tying extra point attempt.
The Devils coughed up another fumble on the next possession, and Dan Dunchack recovered for BC at the 35. However, the Devil defense again turned back the threat by stopping the Huskies on fourth down at the 20 with less than a minute left in the half.
Central Cambria controlled the third quarter, running 21 plays compared to just five for the Huskies, and the Devils capped off an 11-play drive when Seymour tossed a 5-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Gironda on the first play of the fourth period that made it 13-6.
Bishop Carroll proceeded to engineer a potential tying or go-ahead drive as a 12-yard David Maruca scramble and a subsequent Devil personal foul penalty helped move the ball deep into Central Cambria territory. However, the Huskies were again stopped on downs in the red zone when Maruca was stuffed for a loss at the Devil 19.
Central Cambria subsequently put the contest firmly in its control with a pair of late scores.
SCORE BY QUARTERS
Bishop Carroll0 6 0 0 - 6
Central Cambria0 7 0 19 - 26
Second Quarter
CC-Mazzarella 26 run (Branick kick) 11:47
BC-Shuty 32 fumble return (kick failed) 3:10
Fourth Quarter
CC-Gironda 5 pass from Seymour (run failed) 11:53
CC-Seymour 5 run (kick failed) 2:26
CC-Matthew Leary 21 pass from Seymour (Branick kick) 1:05
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING: Bishop Carroll-Lesney 12-59, Repko 2-0, Lessard 7-44, Maruca 8-34, Shuty 5-13. Central Cambria-Myers 10-37, Gironda 8-16, Seymour 7-50, Leary 3-11, Mazzarella 3-28, Papuga 11-50, Long 1-20
PASSING: Bishop Carroll-Maruca 3-16-1-6. Central Cambria-Seymour 7-16-1-80
RECEIVING: Bishop Carroll-Lesney 2-4, Repko 1-2. Central Cambria-Gironda 3-33, Leary 2-27, Long 2-20
INTERCEPTIONS: Bishop Carroll-Woo 1-15. Central Cambria-Long 1-19.
Team StatsBCCC
First downs1218
Rushing34-15043-212
Passing3-16-17-16-1
Passing yds680
Total Yards156292
Fumbles-lost1-12-2
Penalties6-457-70
Punts3-211-34
