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Hollidaysburg Golden Tigers answer wakeup call after allowing touchdown

By Nate Powles 4 min read

HOLLIDAYSBURG -- It didn't start out the best for the Golden Tigers, but they quickly found their footing against Allegany Friday night at Tiger Stadium.

The defense was stifling after getting run over in the Cumberland, Md., squad's first drive and the offense had enough explosive plays to wear out Allegany's defense on the way to a 31-9 victory.

"I think we left a lot of points out there offensively, but it's a growing process," Hollidaysburg coach Homer DeLattre said. "As we progress the offense, I think we'll be more consistent."

Allegany (0-1) moved the ball consistently on the ground but was unable to convert a couple key downs, giving the ball back to Hollidaysburg (2-0) on some promising drives.

"I thought the first drive, we dictated (the tempo). Then he (DeLattre) started to dictate to us," Allegany coach Bryan Hansel. "No excuses. I think Hollidaysburg is a good football team."

Play of the game: Facing a fourth down in Allegany territory in the middle of the second quarter, Hollidaysburg quarterback Vincent Albarano found wide receiver Ethan Coke down the middle of the field for a 32-yard completion down to the goal line. Running back Grayson Snyder punched it in to give the Golden Tigers the lead for good at 14-7. The completion to Coke was one of several long connections between the two on pivotal downs.

Players of the game: The Hollidaysburg defensive line. After giving up over 50 yards on the first drive of the game, the big guys up front allowed only four carries of 10 yards or more the rest of the game. The formidable Allegany duo of Khiante Bible and Maddox Hensel finished with fewer than 200 yards combined. The last time Allegany came to Tiger Stadium -- in 2022 -- the Campers finished with more than 400 yards on the ground.

Unsung hero: Coke always seemed to show up when Hollidaysburg needed him the most. Often splitting the Allegany secondary, Coke found small holes in the defense and gave Albarano enough space to find him in critical moments. He finished with 134 yards on five receptions, including a 46-yard touchdown.

Most vital statistic: Zero turnovers. On the first play of the game, Hollidaysburg running back Isaac Vent fumbled the ball and Allegany recovered, but officials ruled Vent was down before losing the ball. Albarano also had a couple passes that were in the hands of Allegany defenders, but they were unable to secure the interceptions.

"I think you could point to a couple plays in that first half -- jump an outroute, have a chance for a pick-six, could be 14-0," Hansel said.

"We have mistakes, so we need to focus on those mistakes," DeLattre said. "Some of the mistakes are the same. We need to make sure we're more detailed."

Notable: In the second half, fatigue and cramping took its toll on the Campers, as multiple players fell to the turf repeatedly after plays on both offense and defense. Pauses in play became frequent as trainers came on the field to check on Allegany players.

"We knew it was going to be a tough battle with cramps, but we didn't think it would be this bad," Hansel said. "We thought we were prepared."

Records: Hollidaysburg (0-2); Allegany, Md. (1-0).

Next week: Allegany will have its home opener against Frankfort, while Hollidaysburg travel sto take on Susquehanna Township.

SCORE BY QUARTERS

Allegany, Md. 7 14 10 0 -- 31

Hollidaysburg 7 0 0 2 -- 9

First Quarter

A -- Hensel 9 run (Biser kick), 5:56.

H--Vent 10 run (Walters kick), 3:16.

Second Quarter

H--Snyder 1 run (Walters kick), 8:13.

H--Coke 46 pass from Albarano (Walters kick), 1:16.

Third Quarter

H--Walters 31 FG, 6:51.

H--Richardson 2 run (Jones kick), 0:49.

Fourth Quarter

A--Safety, 3:38.

TEAM STATISTICS A H

First downs 15 16

Total yards 273 311

Rushes-yards 47-223 28-112

Yards passing 50 199

Passing (comp.-att.-int.) 4-9-0 11-29-0

Fumbles-lost 0-0 0-0

Penalties-yards 4-39 6-37

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING--Allegany, Hensel 14-99, Bible 22-97, Allen 3-19, Spriggs 3-4, Blank 5-4. Hollidaysburg, Vent 12-74, Snyder 6-24, Richardson 3-12, Consiglio 2-4, Albarano 5-(-2).

PASSING--Allegany, Blank 4-9-0-50. Hollidaysburg, Albarano 11-29-0-199.

RECEIVING--Allegany, Spriggs 2-22, Ellsworth 1-18, Hensel 1-10. Hollidaysburg, Coke 5-134, Padamonsky 2-30, Wallace 1-14, Vent 1-11, Stultz 1-10.

Starting at /week.