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JOHNSTOWN -- Conemaugh Valley's explosive rushing attack overpowered Claysburg-Kimmel in Saturday afternoon's District 6 Class 1A first-round playoff game as the Blue Jays rolled up nearly 500 yards of total offense in a 42-13 win.
Logan Kent and Nick Heltzel each rushed for three touchdowns for Conemaugh Valley. The Blue Jays scored on each of their first four possessions to take a commanding lead, and the Bulldogs committed three costly red-zone turnovers, which hampered their chances to keep pace.
Play of the game: After Claysburg-Kimmel picked up three straight first downs on the game's opening drive and looked poised to grab an early lead, the Bulldogs lost a fumble at the Blue Jay 20. Kent then took it the distance for a touchdown on Conemaugh Valley's first snap of the contest, and the Blue Jays never trailed.
Players of the game: Kent rushed for a game-high 256 yards and three scores on 12 carries, while Heltzel picked up 186 yards and three touchdowns on 15 carries.
"Knowing we haven't won a playoff game since 1992 gave us extra energy,'' Kent said. "We worked hard on offense and defense and did what it takes to win."
Unsung heroes: Claysburg-Kimmel's Cole Claycomb caught two passes for 77 yards and a touchdown, while rushing for 49 yards on five carries. The Bulldogs' Anthony McGeary ran for an 86-yard touchdown and led his team with 106 yards.
Most vital statistic: Conemaugh Valley picked up 460 of 490 total yards on the ground and had five scoring plays of 40 yards or more.
Conemaugh Valley coach Matt Kent: "Our line did a phenomenal job out there. They're not the biggest kids, but they're really fundamentally sound. We haven't won a playoff game since my senior year, and it's very special to me and to our program."
Claysburg-Kimmel coach Matt Bilchak: "We knew we were going to have to steal some possessions, but unfortunately we gave possessions away. If we get points on those drives, we're probably toe-to-toe in a shootout. We didn't make plays when we needed to, but Conemaugh Valley did."
Notable: Logan Kent established a new single-season rushing yardage record for Conemaugh Valley. … Heltzel went over the 1,000-yard mark for the season.
Records: Conemaugh Valley (6-4), Claysburg-Kimmel (4-7)
Next week: Conemaugh Valley travels to top-seeded Juniata Valley in the quarterfinals of the District 6 Class 1A playoffs. Claysburg-Kimmel's season is over.
SCORE BY QUARTERS
Claysburg-Kimmel 0 6 0 7--13
Conemaugh Valley 15 14 6 7--42
First Quarter
CV--Kent 80 run (No. Heltzel kick), 6:45.
CV--Kent 41 run (No. Heltzel run), 2:37.
Second Quarter
CV--Ni. Heltzel 3 run (Hendershot pass from No. Heltzel), 6:48.
CK--Claycomb 51 pass from Oakes (pass failed), 5:47.
CV--Ni. Heltzel 52 run (run failed), 5:34.
Third Quarter
CV--Kent 40 run (kick blocked), 9:40.
Fourth Quarter
CV--Ni. Heltzel 75 run (Henlein kick), 11:07.
CK--McGeary 86 run (Buell kick), 1:32.
TEAM STATISTICS CK CV
First downs 8 17
Total Net Yards 319 490
Rushes-yards 30-242 40-460
Passing 77 30
Comp-Att-Int 2-12-0 3-9-0
Punts 1-41.0 0-0.0
Fumbles-Lost 3-3 4-2
Penalties-Yards 7-35 4-50
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING--Claysburg-Kimmel, Oakes 6-49, Imler 13-38, McGeary 6-106, Claycomb 5-49. Conemaugh Valley, Kent 12-256, Ni. Heltzel 15-186, Bell 2-5, No. Heltzel 2-minus 7, Chontas 1-6, Stiffler 5-9, McNulty 1-4, George 1-5, Jasper 1-minus 4.
PASSING--Claysburg-Kimmel, Oakes 2-11-0-77, Imler 0-1-0-0. Conemaugh Valley, No. Heltzel 2-7-0-21, Jasper 1-2-0-9.
RECEIVING--Claysburg-Kimmel, Claycomb 2-77. Conemaugh Valley, Kent 1-16, Ni. Heltzel 1-5, Stiffler 1-9.