Trending
NEWPORT -- Newport rallied late to knockoff Juniata Valley 24-19 at Katchmer Field on Friday as the Buffaloes start their season 1-0 for the first time since 2021. Costly penalties and turnovers stung the Hornets as they let a 19-10 fourth quarter lead slip away.
Play of the game: Newport receiver Justin Still hauled in a 37-yard scoring strike for the game winner with just 31 seconds remaining, willing himself to end zone while dragging several would-be Hornet tacklers along with him. Teammate Johnny Mayeresky then intercepted Juniata Valley QB Jett Rand on the final play to seal the Buffaloes thilling victory.
Player of the game: Hornet junior back Andrew Clark delivered a powerful sting–rushing for 115 yards on 13 totes including a 58-yard touchdown. Both quarterbacks -- Newport's Trevin Arnold and JV's Jett Rand -- each threw for a pair of TDs.
Unsung hero: Newport linebacker Dylan Vadasz made nine tackles, four for loss, blocked a pair of extra points and recovered a fumble. Juniata Valley's Logan Harpster was a major disruptor, recording 3 tackles-for-loss.
Most vital statistic: The Hornets turned the ball over three times and were a meager 1 for 10 on third downs.
Juniata Valley coach Bill Musser: "You can't complain about the effort from either side, Newport just made the plays at the end to win it. Our turnovers were a turning point and (a late ineligible receiver) penalty (which wiped out a big play that could have salted the game) was huge. Mentally we need to get sharper."
Newport coach Todd Rothermel: "If that display (by Still) to get the ball in the end zone, doesn't say desire, I don't know what does. He had a will to win, and nobody was going to stop him. Champions find a way to win."
Juniata Valley quarterback Jett Rand: "We worked as hard as we possibly could, but sometimes things don't go your way, that's part of football."
Notable: This was Rothermel's 100th career win (33 at Line Mountain and 67 at Newport).
Records: Juniata Valley 0-1; Newport 1-0
Next week: Juniata Valley plays North Star while Newport travels to Line Mountain.
SCORE BY QUARTERS
Juniata Valley 6 7 6 0--19
Newport 3 0 7 14--24
First Quarter
N -- Zach Bates 27 FG, 7:44
JV -- Gavin Smith 39 pass from Rand (kick failed), 4:27
Second Quarter
JV -- Elah Glenny 15 pass from Rand (Rodkey kick), 4:13
Third Quarter
N -- Jordan Weyant 34 pass from Trevin Arnold (Bates kick), 9:05
JV -- Andrew Clark 58 run (kick failed), 6:31
Fourth Quarter
N -- Dalton Kratzer 3 run (Bates kick), 4:31
N -- Justin Still 37 pass from Arnold (Bates kick), 0:31
Team statistics JV N
First downs 12 14
Rush-yards 25-138 40-148
Yards Passing 131 162
Passing (Comp-Att-Int) 12-23-1 9-18-1
Total Yards 269 310
Punts/Avg 4-34 4-27.5
Fumbles-Lost 3-1 0-0
Penalty-Yards 6-46 6-45
3rd downs Cons 1-10 4-12
4th downs Cons 1-2 1-3
RUSHING -- Juniata Valley, Andrew Clark 13-115, Jett Rand 3-21, Adrian Prough 8-11, Elah Glenny 3-0, Bobby Hess 1-(-9), Team 1-0. Newport, Dalton Kratzer 23-99, Landon Cigic 3-18, Trevin Arnold 7-6, Zach Bates 5-28, Justin Still 2-(-3).
PASSING -- Juniata Valley, Jett Rand 12-23-131-1. Newport, --Trevin Arnold 9-18-62-1.
RECEIVING -- Juniata Valley, Dalton Weirich 6-59, Gavin Smith 3-54, Trenton Norris 2-20, Adrian Prough 1-(-2); Newport, Jordan Weyant 3-93, Zach Bates 3-8, Justin Still 1-37, Landon Cigic 1-21, Dalton Kratzer 1-3.