BGCHSvsPENNCAMBRIA_2 BGCHS 8 Daniel Potopa scores a TD after a catch as PCHS 13 Nick Marinak dives to try to tackle him. Bishop Guilfoyle vs Penn Cambria varsity football, 09 28 2018 .Photo by Ed Lee

CRESSON — Muddy conditions and a stout Penn Cambria defense made scoring difficult for Bishop Guilfoyle Catholic Friday night at Cresson Field.

Clinging to a one-score lead, the Marauders’ Jack Donoughe blocked a Panthers’ punt, and in one motion, snagged it out of the air, maintained his balance and rumbled 35 yards for a touchdown. Penn Cambria never recovered in a 24-0 Bishop Guilfoyle victory.

“It was incredible,” Bishop Guilfoyle coach Justin Wheeler said. “He made a great play. That’s the kind of stuff you see on highlights all over the country. You wonder how someone does that — block it, catch it and return it. Just an incredible play that gave us the momentum we needed.”

The play was still in the mind of Penn Cambria coach John Franco after the game.

“What really upset me was that we got a punt blocked,” Franco said. “I can’t remember the last time we had a punt blocked, any of my teams whether it was here, Altoona or Tyrone, we never get our punts blocked. That was really the turning point in the game.”

Neither team did much offensively until Marauders quarterback Danny Carrieri connected with Daniel Potopa on a 35-yard touchdown pass on a post route after Penn Cambria’s defender slipped in the mud.

“I thought our defense played a heck of a game,” Franco said. “We had one bad play, which was the post that they got their touchdown on. Our corner was there, but the kid made a great post move. Our kid turned and went down, because it was a great move, and that put us in the hole.”

With halftime approaching, Donoughe made the play of the game after Penn Cambria had moved the ball near midfield. Falling behind 14-0 was especially hard for the Panthers, who mainly depend on their running game.

“It’s huge,” Franco said. “Now we have to throw, and we’re not a throwing team. We have a lot of trouble throwing, and it’s a huge problem. We can’t put ourselves in that situation. We need to have the game close.”

The Marauders got plenty of pressure on sophomore quarterback Jacob Tsikalas. His first seven passes fell incomplete, and then three of his next four passes were intercepted. Zach McCloskey intercepted Tsikalas on the final play of the game for the Marauders’ fourth pick of the contest.

On the other side of the field, Bishop Guilfoyle found the majority of its offense through the air. Potopa finished with five catches for 98 yards, including a second touchdown catch from Carrieri in the fourth quarter.

“Those two guys grew up playing together,” Wheeler said. “I think their chemistry throughout the summer was really good. We have two or three other receivers that are really good. It is nice to see different guys, but Daniel has been the consistent one every week.”

Still, Wheeler made it a point that his Marauders will have to do better than 27 rushes for 54 yards to reach their goals this season.

“We have played through November and December, and we know the conditions are going to get pretty bad,” Wheeler said. “Even a night tonight, where the field deteriorated pretty quickly, we need to be able to run the ball. We haven’t had an experienced line. They are still coming together, and there’s still time to grow, but I like where we’re at right now.”

Bishop Guilfoyle improved to 5-1, while Penn Cambria lost its third straight to slip to 3-3.

“We have competed in every game,” Franco said. “Even though we’re 3-3, we have seen a lot of progress. I like how hard our team is playing. We played tough defense, but you can’t be one dimensional against a team like this.”

Wheeler said the progress the Panthers have made is obvious.

“Penn Cambria is a really improved team. John is doing a great job,” Wheeler said. “These guys believe they can win every week.”

While the Panthers may believe they can win, Franco said Bishop Guilfoyle is a little farther along in that process.

“Their kids walk out on the field and believe they are going to win,” Franco said. “They believe they are going to make plays, and that’s half the battle right there. We’re still in those beginning stages with that.”

SCORE BY QUARTERS

Bishop Guilfoyle 7 7 2 8 — 24

Penn Cambria 0 0 0 0 — 0

First Quarter

BG–Potopa 35 pass from Carrieri (McGhee kick), 4:41.

Second Quarter

BG–Donoughe 35 blocked punt return (McGhee kick), 6:14.

Third Quarter

BG–Bad snap out of end zone, 8:40.

Fourth Quarter

BG–Potopa 20 pass from Carrieri (Yanoshak pass from McCall), 7:11.

TEAM STATISTICS BG PC

First downs 10 11

Total yards 192 138

Rushes-yards 27-54 37-94

Yards passing 138 44

Passing (comp.-att.-int.) 9-13-1 3-15-4

Punts-avg. 3-36.3 3-21

Fumbles-lost 2-0 1-1

Penalties-yards 7-73 3-20

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING–Bishop Guilfoyle, Myrick 9-33, Carrieri 5-13, Crawford 6-9, Potopa 1-5, McCall 3-2, TEAM 3-(-8). Penn Cambria, Brown 26-74, Marinak 8-12, Perrone 3-8.

PASSING–Bishop Guilfoyle, Carrieri 9-13-1-138. Penn Cambria, Tsikalas 3-15-4-44.

RECEIVING–Bishop Guilfoyle, Potopa 5-98, Yanoshak 2-14, Pulcinello 1-19, Crawford 1-7. Penn Cambria, Marinak 2-26, Sanders 1-18.