Long drive in second half boosts Central Scarlet Dragons
Central keeps it on ground after halftime
Trending
ROARING SPRING -- Central coach Jerry Albright said after Friday's game with Penns Valley that his team needed to establish its run game in the second half with a struggling passing game and holding just a 7-0 lead at halftime.
His team responded with a coach's dream on the first drive out of halftime with grinding out a 16-play drive that went 69 yards and a touchdown. The Dragons also chewed up the first eight minutes on the clock in the series.
In fact, Central only threw the ball four times in the second half as it melted the clock away in a 21-7 win over the Rams on homecoming.
"We thought we were the better team up front," Albright said. "We didn't need to throw it. We just kept it on the ground and kept pounding it at them.
"We didn't play our best, that's for sure. Our pass game has been sluggish all year. We need to become a more balanced team."
Central running back Semaj Musei got the ball 10 times on that opening drive of the second half and banged out 53 of the 69 yards on the drive. The Dragons capped the drive on a Carter Schenk 2-yard touchdown.
The Dragons also had another methodical offensive series of 10 plays for 73 yards on their next possession. That one ended on an 18-yard touchdown pass from Jesse Muthler to Bentley Dickson to go up 21-7.
Musei had 107 yards on 22 carries for the night, while Schenk added 75 yards on 13 totes.
Play of the game: Dickson hauled in two passes from Muthler in the second half, with the second coming on a jump ball for an 18-yard touchdown to put the Dragons up 21-7.
Players of the game: The Central duo of Musei and Schenk combined for 182 of their 185 rushing yards. Schenk also scored a touchdown to open the second half.
Unsung heroes: Central's defense was the definition of "bend, but don't break.'' Penns Valley's offense moved the ball most of the game, but it was only able to finish off one drive early in the fourth quarter. Ram quarterback Cael Smith hit Rylan Allegretto for a 10-yard TD pass. Otherwise, the Dragon defense buckled down when it needed to.
Most vital statistic: Out of Central's 32 plays on offense in the second half, the Dragons ran the ball on 28 of them and gained 126 yards. The Dragons had just 59 rushing yards at halftime.
Albright: "We have the potential to put up huge numbers. In practice, we hardly ever drop a ball. We do things so crisp and so perfect. It's really hard to accept that we don't do well on Friday nights. But if we're going to come out with the victory at the end of the night, I'll take that every time."
Penns Valley coach Martin Tobias: "They certainly enforced their will on us, and put us in a situation where we were down and we were going to have to dig ourselves out of a hole. They definitely came out and showed why they are such a good football team. Nothing against my guys. I'm proud of my guys. I'm proud of their effort. We went out there and competed from start to finish."
Schenk: "Last year, we weren't 6-1 at this time, so it's great to be on this side of the spectrum. But we're definitely looking to improve, and we've got a big one next week (against Central Cambria)."
Notable: Ellie Fisher and Kyle Gach were named Central's homecoming queen and king before the game. ... Smith went 10-of-22 passing for 71 yards and a touchdown for Penns Valley, and was also a threat to scramble with 73 rushing yards on 14 carries. ... Scarlet Dragon quarterback Jesse Muthler was 9 for 16 with 91 yards and a touchdown.
Records: Penns Valley (1-6); Central (6-1).
Next week: Penns Valley hosts Johnstown, while Central will host its third game in a row with a big Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference matchup with Central Cambria, which is also 6-1.
SCORE BY QUARTERS
Penns Valley 0 0 0 7 -- 7
Central 7 0 7 7 -- 21
First Quarter
C--Marks 1 run (Marks kick), 6:26
Third Quarter
C--Schenk 2 run (Marks kick), 4:09
Fourth Quarter
PV–Allegretto 10 pass from Smith (Althouse kick), 10:18
C--Dickson 18 pass from Muthler (Marks kick), 4:25
TEAM STATISTICS PV C
First downs 10 19
Total yards 174 276
Rushes-yards 27-103 43-185
Yards passing 71 91
Passing (comp.-att.-int.) 10-22-0 9-16-0
Punts-avg. 4-30.5 1-43
Fumbles-lost 1-1 0-0
Penalties-yards 4-30 5-55
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING--Penns Valley, Smith 14-73, Stover 9-17, Watson 2-8, Harpster 2-5. Central, Musei 22-107, Schenk 13-75, Muthler 5-4, Marks 1-1, Team 2-(-2).
PASSING--Penns Valley, Smith 10-22-71-1-0. Central, Muthler 9-16-91-1-0.
RECEIVING--Penns Valley, Althouse 5-35, Allegretto 2-18, Reed 1-8, Boob 1-7, Stover 1-2. Central, Dickson 5-61, Decker 2-13, Moushlian 1-9, Marks 1-8.