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BLAIRSVILLE -- River Valley forced four turnovers in the first half and made Portage pay dearly as the Panthers rolled to a 56-14 victory in a Heritage Conference game on Friday night at the newly christened Panthers Stadium.
The Panthers recovered three fumbles in the second quarter and took advantage of the short field to score touchdowns on each such possession. River Valley took a 29-0 lead into the intermission. Sam Yanits' 63-yard scoring run on the second play of the third quarter prompted enactment of the mercy rule.
Play of the game: Gavin Burkhart ran 61 yards for the first touchdown at the Panthers' new facility. He also ran for the stadium's first two-point conversion.
Players of the game: Sam Yanits and Burkhart combined to rush for 263 yards. Yanits rushed for 148 yards and three touchdowns.
Unsung hero: River Valley junior Michael Wano recovered two of the second-quarter fumbles Portage lost.
Most vital statistics: Portage lost four of seven fumbles, and was outgained, 328-188.
Portage coach Marty Slanoc: "We honestly felt, coming in here, we were going to come in here and beat (them). We really did. I still believe that we have the guys who can do that. And they have to realize that. They have to understand that when things go wrong, what are you going to do? Are you going to grab them by the horns or are you going to fall apart? I think we have some guys who panic and do that. That's what it is. That's when you find out about a team. If things get tough, what are you going to do? I think we still have some growing to do. I think our best football is ahead of us. But tonight was not a good night."
More from Slanoc: "It's only Week 3 of the season. We are still trying to find our identity, and I know I'm going to keep working. And I believe the kids will, too."
River Valley coach Jess Houser: "It was a great win. (It was) an all-round team win; special teams, offense, defense, we got turnovers. The line blocked well. We did a fantastic job tonight."
Notable: River Valley senior Gavin Burkhart scored the first touchdown in Panthers Stadium history, a 61-yard run in the first period. He also fired the first touchdown pass in the new stadium's history, a 25-yard scoring pass to Caden Vresilovic early in the second period. ... Portage junior Easton Slanoc had not thrown an interception among his first 24 pass attempts. An interception by River Valley senior Merreck Smith on the final play of the first half brought that promising skein to a halt. ... Portage senior Bode Layo returned a kickoff 52 yards for a touchdown. Noah Willinsky tacked on a 5-yard scoring run with 2:54 to go in the final period. ... Owen Gouse led the Mustangs with 52 rushing yards, followed by Brendan Smithro (47 yards) and Isaac Willinsky (45). Portage rushed for 143 yards. ... Each of the Panthers' second-quarter touchdown drives started inside the Portage 40. ... River Valley punted only once. ... River Valley played its 2024 season opener at Memorial Field, the home of the Blairsville football program from 1953 to 2021, on Aug. 23. The Panthers played their 2022 home games at Memorial Field and spent the 2023 season at the former Saltsburg High School.
Records: Portage (1-2), River Valley (2-1).
Next week: Portage plays host to Penns Manor on Friday. River Valley plays host to United Valley on Friday.
SCORE BY QUARTERS
Portage 0 0 6 8 -- 14
River Valley 8 21 20 7 -- 56
First Quarter
RV--Burkhart 61 run (Burkhart run), 3:48
Second Quarter
RV--Vreslovic 25 pass from Burkhart (Heckathorn kick), 11:53.
RV--Yanits 28 run (Heckathorn kick), 11:13.
RV--Burkhart 21 run (Heckathorn kick), 4:55.
Third Quarter
RV--Yanits 63 run (Heckathorn kick), 10:58.
RV--Smith 26 pass from Persichetti (kick failed), 10:33.
P--Layo 52 kickoff return (run failed).
RV--Yanits 32 run (Heckatorn kick), 2:36.
Fourth Quarter
P--N. Willinsky 5 run (Koban run), 2:54.
RV--Ewing 78 kickoff return (Heckathorn kick)
TEAM STATS P RV
First downs 12 12
Total yards 188 328
Rushes-yards 43-143 35-267
Yards passing 45 61
Passes-comp.-int. 4-10-1 3-5-0
Punts-avg. 2-29.5 1-41.0
Fumbles-lost 7-4 1-1
Penalties-yards 2-10 4-20
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing--Portage, Gouse 5-52, Smithro 8-47, I. Willinsky 14-45, N. Willinsky 4-17, Gouse 1-8, Gathers 3-4, Slanic 3-(-1), Team 5-(-31). River Valley, Yanits 11-148, Burkhart 10-115, Persichetti 3-3, Team 1-(-5).
Passing--Portage, Slanoc 4-10-1-45. River Valley, Persichetti 2-4-0-51, Burkhart 1-1-0-25.
Receiving--Portage, Layo 3-19, Boblosky 1-26, River Valley, Vreslovic 3-51.