Juniata Valley Hornets overcome miscues vs. Moshannon Valley
H.S. football extra
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ALEXANDRIA -- Rarely does a team that turns the ball over six times and has a punt blocked win, let alone by three scores, but that's exactly what Juniata Valley did Friday night.
The Hornets' defense overcame the miscues, smothering Moshannon Valley's offense in a 28-6 victory at A.R. Simkins Memorial Field.
Play of the game: Clinging to a 15-0 third-quarter lead, Juniata Valley lost its fifth fumble of the game, giving the Knights the ball at the JV 40. MV stalled at the 10 and lined up for a field goal attempt. Gavin Smith blew through the line and blocked the kick just as it left the kicker's foot. Andrew Clark scooped it up and raced 81 yards for the touchdown.
"There was a little miscommunication about which side of the ball we were coming off, but I think that helped us. It caught 'em off guard," Clark said.
Player of the game: In addition to the special teams score, Clark ran for 118 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries plus scooped up another blocked punt early in the game and returned it the MV 3, setting up Elah Glenny's 1-yard TD run.
"He did a little bit of everything. I say this week in and week out, and he'd be the first to tell you that he's able to do what he does because of the other players working hard and being where they're supposed to be. The trust factor is certainly there right now with this team," JV coach Bill Musser said.
Unsung heroes: Linemen Matt Dick and Logan Harpster dominated the middle, shutting down the run game and putting constant pressure on the quarterback. Each had a sack, and Harpster was the one who blocked the first quarter punt.
"Whenever you can force a team like Mo Valley to throw the ball that says about your defensive line," Clark said.
Most vital statistic: Juniata Valley lost five fumbles.
"Not overstate the obvious, we're not going to make excuses. We just have to work harder to make sure we don't make those mistakes moving forward, but I'm certainly proud of the effort our kids put forth," Musser said.
Notable: The Juniata Valley offense turned the ball over three times in the first quarter and did not get a first down until early in the second quarter. The defense held Moshannon Valley to 30 yards and just two first downs in the first half.
MV coach Chris Davidson: "Two weeks ago, we lost our starting tight end and a starting offensive lineman. We lost a guard (Friday). We were thin to begin with. We're still piecing some things together. We have kids that are capable."
Records: Moshannon Valley (2-4); Juniata Valley (5-1).
Next week: Mo Valley hosts Curwensville. Juniata Valley visits Mount Union.
SCORE BY QUARTERS
Moshannon Valley 0 0 0 6 -- 6
Juniata Valley 8 7 6 7 -- 28
First Quarter
JV--Glenny 1 run (Harker from Weirich), 9:42.
Second Quarter
JV--Clark 24 run (Rodkey kick), 9:07.
Third Quarter
JV--Clark 81 blocked field goal return, 7:02.
Fourth Quarter
JV--Clark 3 run (Rodkey kick), 11:16.
MV--Kephart 5 run (run failed), 9:45.
TEAM STATISTICS MV JV
First downs 8 11
Total yards 207 204
Rushes-yards 31-27 40-124
Yards passing 180 80
Passing (comp.-att.-int.) 11-33-0 5-13-1
Punts-avg. 2-19.5 6-29.0
Fumbles-lost 0-0 5-5
Penalties-yards 8-54 2-10
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING--Moshannon Valley, Reifer 21-60, Mihalko 6-(-27), Abernethy 1-5, Kephart 2-5, TEAM 1-(-16). Juniata Valley, Clark 18-118, Rand 7-(-9), Glenny 3-7, Smith 1-0, Norris 1-8, Harker 2-4, Harpster 2-5, Prough 3-7, Hess 2-(-5), O 1-(-3), TEAM 2-(-4).
PASSING--Moshannon Valley, Mihalko 11-33-0-180. Juniata Valley, Rand 5-13-1-80.
RECEIVING--Moshannon Valley, Mital 4-3, Abernethy 4-124, Moore 3-54. Juniata Valley, Weirich 1-7, Norris 2-24, Glenny 1-38, Smith 1-11.