SOMERSET - Somerset had its passing game going Friday night - particularly the Tanner Stull-to-Bryce Mostoller connection - but it wasn't enough to overcome a stout Cambria Heights line and the hard running of senior Tyler Crawford as the Highlanders handed the Golden Eagles a 33-15 loss in a Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference matchup.
Crawford churned out 168 yards rushing on 30 carries while scoring a pair of touchdowns.
Both head coaches credited Heights' O-line as the main factor in the outcome.
"Hats off to our offensive line," said Cambria Heights coach Jarrod Lewis, whose team improved to 7-2. "I thought they did a really good job of controlling the line of scrimmage. Tyler was the beneficiary of that.
"I don't think we thought we could exploit anything against Somerset. We just went after them with our power running game. They're a fast team, a quick team. Luckily, we were able to open up some holes, and Crawford ran very hard tonight."
Added Somerset coach Bob Landis: "Their offensive line is very good, and I think that showed throughout the game. They were able to move the ball up and down the field on us. ... [Crawford] ran great, but the game was won in the trenches as most football games are."
Mostoller, a sophomore, hauled in a career-high nine catches for 147 yards. As a team, Somerset passed for 250 yards while being held to a mere 17 yards on the ground.
"We were able to throw the ball pretty well," Landis said. "We found some things that they were giving us, and we took advantage of it. Stull and Mostoller, they're both underclassmen, and they both had fantastic games tonight."
Cambria Heights led 7-0 after the opening quarter following a 39-yard TD run from quarterback Nathan Bearer and Tristin Irwin's extra point.
The Highlanders quickly increased their lead to 21-0 thanks a pair of touchdown passes from Bearer. The first covered 54 yards to Andrew Brawley, while the second went for 22 yards to Donnie Contorchick. Irwin booted both PAT kicks.
Somerset finally got on the board as time expired in the second quarter when Sam Hayward kicked a 34-yard field goal to make it 21-3.
Crawford provided a pair of TD runs in the second half to help preserve the victory. On the initial scoring drive, Crawford carried the ball 11 straight times for 60 yards, which culminated with a 4-yard plunge into the end zone.
"That's the type of back he is. He gets better as the game goes on," Lewis said. "He gets better the more carries he gets. That's been his M.O. all season. That's what great backs do."
Mostoller caught two TD passes for Somerset. Stull tossed both TD strikes, which covered 9 and 29 yards.
The loss dropped Somerset's record to 5-4 with one week remaining in the regular season. The Eagles play at Penn Cambria next Friday night with a potential berth in the District 5-6-8-9 Class AAA playoffs on the line.
"We have some work to do," Landis said. "We had some injuries in our linebacking corps and played some guys tonight who don't have a lot of experience."
Cambria Heights has already qualified for the playoffs.
SCORE BY QUARTERS
Cambria Heights7 14 7 6 - 33
Somerset0 3 6 6 - 15
First quarter
CH-Bearer 39 run (Irwin kick), 8:33.
Second quarter
CH-Brawley 54 pass from Bearer (Irwin kick), 10:23.
CH-Contorchick 22 pass from Bearer (Irwin kick), 5:11.
S-Hayward 34 FG, 0:00.
Third quarter
CH-Crawford 4 run (kick failed), 5:01.
S-Mostoller 9 pass from Stull (pass failed), 1:05.
Fourth quarter
CH-Crawford 5 run (kick failed), 10:48.
S-Mostoller 29 pass from Stull (pass failed), 9:43.
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING: Cambria Heights-Crawford 30-168, Bearer 7-74, Contorchick 4-8, Fees 2-8. Somerset-Stull 15-(-1), Shafer 1-4, Faulkner 2-1, Beeman 3-1, Sarver 2-11, Boyer 2-1.
PASSING: Cambria Heights-Bearer 3-4-83. Somerset-Stull 13-25-177, Beeman 2-3-1-43, VanLenten 2-2-30.
RECEIVING: Cambria Heights-Contorchick 2-29, Brawley 1-54. Somerset-Mostoller 9-147, Wilkow 3-38, Faulkner 2-18, Sarver 2-11, VanLenten 1-13, Baker 1-0, Baker 1-23.
INTERCEPTIONS: Cambria Heights-Crawford. Somerset-None.
TEAM STATISTICSCHS
First downs1111
Rushes-yards43-25825-17
Passing (comp-att-int.)3-4-8317-30-1-250
Total yards341267
Fumbles-lost1-12-0
Penalties-yards3-152-10
Punts-avg.1-392-31.5
