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BG earns bye for 1st round

JOHNSTOWN — After suffering an uncharacteristic two-game losing streak earlier this month, the Bishop Guilfoyle Marauders will head into the bye week of the District 6 Class 1A playoffs on a positive note after defeating Bishop McCort, 28-13, Friday night at Johnstown’s Sargent’s Stadium.

The fourth-seeded Marauders (7-3) pounded the rock in the rainy conditions against the Crimson Crushers (3-7), as Bishop Guilfoyle picked up 296 of its 331 total yards on the ground. Sophomore running back Keegan Myrick powered his way through the Bishop McCort defense for 207 yards and four touchdowns on 31 carries.

“We played a good football team tonight,” Marauders coach Justin Wheeler said. “Give the credit to our offensive line, we were able to dominate up front and control the ball.”

Quarterback Will Miller helped keep the Crushers within striking distance as he rushed for 120 of Bishop McCort’s 169 total yards and both of his team’s scores.

“They controlled the line of scrimmage,” Crimson Crushers coach Brian Basile said. “We battled but had a hard time stopping them. It’s hard to win giving up 300 rushing yards.”

The Marauders set the tone for the contest in the first quarter. After forcing a McCort punt on the opening series, Bishop Guilfoyle proceeded to control the ball for over 6 minutes on a 14-play drive that covered 77 yards.

The Marauders notched five first downs on the ground before Myrick’s 2-yard touchdown and the first of four Kolton McGhee extra points made it 7-0 at the 4:01 mark.

After the teams traded punts, Bishop Guilfoyle increased its lead after a five-play drive keyed by the lone Marauder pass completion of the night. Konner Kiesewetter hit Dominic Pulcinello for a 35-yard gain to the Bishop McCort 29, and after runs of 11 and 13 yards by Myrick, he capped off the series with a 5-yard score with just under 8 minutes left in the half.

A pooch kick attempt on the ensuing kickoff was recovered by the Crimson Crushers to set them in prime field position at the Marauder 48, and after Miller converted a fourth down with an 18-yard run, he subsequently put Bishop McCort on the board with a 7-yard touchdown dash in the final minute of the half. Will Haslett’s extra point closed the gap to 14-7 at the break.

Bishop Guilfoyle regained the momentum by taking the second-half kickoff and possessing the ball for nearly half of the third quarter. The 63-yard, 11-play drive was highlighted by runs of 16 and 11 yards by Danny Carrieri, and Myrick punched it in from the 3 to make it 21-7 at the 6:30 mark.

The Crimson Crushers answered by marching 75 yards in 10 plays, aided by a Marauder pass interference penalty and a 26-yard bolt by Miller. Bishop Guilfoyle was in good position to make a red-zone stop after a McCort delay of game penalty on fourth-and-goal at the 2, but Miller found room around the left side for a 7-yard touchdown run. The extra point try was blocked, keeping the margin at 21-13 heading into the fourth quarter.

That’s where Bishop Guilfoyle effectively put the contest away with another lengthy drive. The Marauders moved 80 yards in nine plays, as runs of 18 and 17 yards by Myrick and a 22-yard run by Carrieri led to Myrick’s 3-yard touchdown run that set the eventual final.

“They made some plays, but we answered the call every time they challenged us,” Wheeler said.

SCORE BY QUARTERS

Bishop Guilfoyle 7 7 7 7 — 28

Bishop McCort 0 7 6 0 — 13

First Quarter

BG–Myrick 2 run (McGhee kick), 4:01.

Second Quarter

BG–Myrick 5 run (McGhee kick), 7:50.

BM–Miller 7 run (Haslett kick), 1:15.

Third Quarter

BG–Myrick 3 run (McGhee kick), 6:30.

BM–Miller 7 run (kick blocked), 0:12.

Fourth Quarter

BG–Myrick 3 run (McGhee kick), 8:15.

TEAM STATISTICS BG BM

First downs 19 8

Total yards 331 169

Rushes-yards 48-296 35-162

Yards passing 35 7

Passing (comp.-att.-int.) 1-1-0 2-3-0

Punts-avg. 1-47 4-40

Fumbles-lost 0-0 0-0

Penalties-yards 6-47 3-15

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING– Bishop Guilfoyle, Myrick 31-207, Carrieri 4-50, Liebal 4-20, Crawford 1-9, Potopa 4-9, Kiesewetter 3-2, TEAM 1-(minus 1). Bishop McCort, Miller 19-120, Marcozzi 9-22, Andrews 5-21, Bair 2-minus 1.

PASSING– Bishop Guilfoyle, Kiesewetter 1-1-0-35. Bishop McCort, Miller 2-3-0-7.

RECEIVING– Bishop Guilfoyle, Pulcinello 1-35. Bishop McCort, Page 1-6, Bair 1-1.

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