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MORRISDALE -- Sitting in fourth place in the District 6 Class 1A playoff standings, Juniata Valley was looking to strengthen its chance when it faced West Branch on Friday night.
That's exactly what the Green Hornets did at West Branch's L.T. Drivas Memorial Field.
Juniata Valley got 2 touchdown runs of 61 and 44 yards from running back Andrew Clark and a 58-yard touchdown run by quarterback Liam Lightner in the first half and never looked back in a 49-0 mercy rule win on a wet military appreciation night.
"We talked about (a home playoff game) going in against Mo Valley," Clark said. "We said if we want to have a home playoff game we've got to win this game. We won it and we're just fighting for that. We're trying to be as good as we can leading up to it."
"Juniata Valley is a very good program, and we knew coming into tonight that we were going to have our hands full," West Branch coach Kenn Vandevander said. "We know they run the ball very well. We tried to stuff the running game, but their big plays capitalized on us. In the second half, it just totally got away from us."
Play of the game: When West Branch's opening possession of the second half stalled, Emory Esposti attempted a punt, but Clark darted through and blocked it. Teammate Elah Glenny picked up the loose ball and returned it 15 yards for a touchdown to give the Green Hornets a 28-0 lead. JV scored two more times in the quarter.
"That was amazing," Clark said. "The line opened up and I ran right through right where I was supposed to go and it all worked out. I got my hands on it and my teammate Elah was able to pick it up and put it in the end zone."
"That was really nice," Juniata Valley coach Bill Musser said. "That's something we've been working on. We saw an opportunity and we took advantage of it."
Player of the game: Clark, who was out of the game midway through the third quarter, not only blocked the punt but he also ran for 168 yards on 15 carries and scored three touchdowns. He scored on a 61-run on the second play of the game, a 44-yard run in the second quarter and a 4-yard run in the third quarter.
"It always feels good getting in the open field," Clark said. "It feels amazing. I want to thank my line up front and the position the coaches put me in. It's a team effort. It's not just me out there."
"We can't depend on the big play, but we like big plays," Musser said. "We have to make sure we're taking care of the little things."
Unsung heroes: The Juniata Valley defense held the Warriors, wearing camouflage jerseys, to 32 yards rushing, 17 passing and
49 total yards. Four of West Branch's six first downs came via penalty.
Most vital statistic: The Green Hornets amassed 314 yards on only 39 plays.
Finishing it off: Dalton Weirich added a 3-yard touchdown run in the third quarter and Ty Grager returned an interception 40 yards for a touchdown with 11 seconds left in the game.
Next week: Juniata Valley hosts Curwensville. West Branch visits Glendale.
Records: Juniata Valley (5-3). West Branch (2-6).
SCORE BY QUARTERS
Juniata Valley 14 7 21 7 -- 49
West Branch 0 0 0 0 -- 0
First Quarter
JV--Clark 61 run (Rodkey kick), 11:11
JV--Lightner 58 run (Rodkey kick), 6:46
Second Quarter
JV--Clark 44 run (Rodkey kick). 3:26
Third Quarter
JV--Glenny 15 blocked punt return (Rodkey kick), 10:11
JV--Clark 4 run (Rodkey kick), 7:48
JV--Weirich 3 run (Rodkey kick), 1:41
Fourth Quarter
JV--Grager 40 interception return (Rodkey kick), :11
TEAM STATISTICS JV WB
First downs 10 6
Total yards 314 49
Rushes-yards 33-297 28-32
Yards passing 17 17
Passing (comp.-att.-int) 3-6-1 9-18-1
Punts-avg. 1-(-16) 2-9.5
Fumbles-lost 4-2 3-1
Penalties-yards 7-75 3-12
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING--Juniata Valley, Clark 15-168, Lightner 4-45, Weirich 2-34, Miller 5-28, Smith 1-9, Neri 1-8, Harker 1-7, McCall 1-1, Snyder 2-1, Kirksey 1-(-4). West Branch, Panebianco 9-29, Danko 14-9, Myers 3-8, Leskovansky 1-(-4), Smolko 1 (-10).
PASSING--Juniata Valley, Lightner 3-6-1-17. West Branch, Danko 9-17-0-17, Smolko 0-1-1-0.
RECEIVING--Juniata Valley, Smith 2-11, Norris 1-6. West Branch, Williamson 3-6, E. Esposti 1-6, Gibson 2-4, J. Esposti 2-0, Leskovansky 1-1.