High School Football

Hollidaysburg turns it up defensively in second half

Tigers turn it up defensively in second half

HOLLIDAYSBURG -- It was the story of two halves.

Hollidaysburg and Williamsport were locked in a neck-and-neck shootout the first half, trading touchdowns and turnovers, and neither were able to find sustained success on defense.

But on a chilly Friday night at Tigers Stadium, coach Homer DeLattre and the Golden Tigers (6-2) were able to make adjustments at the half and came out looking more focused on defense, holding the Millionaires (6-3) to one touchdown the entire second half to come out with a 41-34 victory.

"I thought we did a good job of getting them in long down and distance," DeLattre said. "To hold that team down the way we did in the second half is a very impressive effort by our defense."

Both quarterbacks filled the stat sheet, as Hollidaysburg's Vincent Albarano finished with 244 yards passing with three touchdowns. He added 107 yards rushing and one score. He also had an interception on defense.

Meanwhile, Williamsport quarterback Tevin Williams returned from injury and gave the Golden Tigers fits through the air and on the ground, constantly finding his way out of pressure and either scrambling past multiple defenders or finding an open receiver downfield for a big gain. He had 252 yards passing and four touchdowns to go with 97 yards on the ground and a score.

"We were OK (on offense). I guess we scored 34," Williamsport coach Kevin Brown said. "We had a chance to win, we just didn't."

The action was nonstop from kickoff. On the second play from scrimmage, Hollidaysburg running back Isaac Vent fumbled the ball and Williamsport recovered. A couple plays later, Williams found running back Zion Hughes for 48 yards and the opening touchdown.

Hollidaysburg responded immediately, as Albarano connected with receiver Tyler Rodgers for 75 yards and the score.

After the Millionaires scored to take the lead, Albarano again threw a deep ball over the Williamsport defense, finding Ethan Coke for a 76-yard touchdown.

"That's been a recurring problem for the season," Brown said.

Plays of the game: It has to be the two long touchdowns from Albarano in the first quarter. Both came right after the Millionaires scored touchdowns of their own to take the lead and the momentum. The passes were pinpoint accurate and kept his receivers running in stride all the way to the end zone. They also kept the Tigers in the game when things could have gotten out of hand otherwise.

Player of the game: Albarano was a force on both sides of the ball, lighting up the secondary and then playing solid defense of his own. He was a sure tackler and had solid hands when the tipped pass fell to him in the first half.

Unsung hero: Although he had an early fumble, Vent was pivotal to Hollidaysburg's success on offense in the second half, as DeLattre turned to the run game to chew clock and wear down the Williamsport defense. He finished with 114 yards on 25 carries with two second half touchdowns.

Most vital statistic: As the game went on, Williamsport made more and more mistakes. The Millionaires finished with 13 penalties for 120 yards compared to Hollidaysburg's eight for 58 yards. They kept multiple Golden Tiger drives alive instead of forcing punts with a late hit out of bounds or holding.

DeLattre: "Going into the playoffs, you want to be playing your best and that was a really really good football team. I think they're going to do well in the playoffs now that they got their full complement of guys back. That was a really good win against a really good team."

Brown: "We really have to -- as a whole team -- start believing more in us. There were times today that we kind of got outside of ourselves, especially in the second half. We just have to learn to be able to play each play for that play."

Albarano: "It was an uphill battle. Coming out (the second half), they changed their defense up, so we had to run the ball. All credit to the offensive line."

Notable: Williamsport did not punt in the first half. Hollidaysburg's only stop on defense came on the interception by Albarano. Hollidaysburg only punted once in the first half, but also fumbled twice.

Records: Hollidaysburg (6-2); Williamsport (6-3).

Next week: Hollidaysburg travels to take on DuBois, while Williamsport travels to Wilkes-Barre.

SCORE BY QUARTERS

Williamsport 13 14 0 7 -- 34

Hollidaysburg 13 13 7 8 -- 41

First Quarter

W -- Hughes 48 pass from Williams (Ungard miss), 9:27.

H -- Rodgers 75 pass from Albarano (Walters kick), 9:09.

W -- Williams 1 run (Ungard kick), 2:43.

H -- Coke 76 pass from Albarano (Walters miss), 2:06

Second Quarter

W -- Lilly 27 pass from Williams (Ungard kick), 11:11.

H -- Padamonsky 23 pass from Albarano (Walters kick), 8:55.

W -- Damschroder 13 pass from Williams (Ungard kick), 3:45.

H -- Albarano 5 run (Walters miss), 0:26.

Third Quarter

H -- Vent 7 run (Jones kick), 4:59.

Fourth Quarter

W -- Damschroder 3 pass from Williams (Ungard kick), 10:24.

H -- Vent 2 run (Rodgers pass from Albarano), 6:14.

TEAM STATISTICS W H

First downs 16 19

Total yards 417 465

Rushes-yards 38-165 40-221

Yards passing 252 244

Passing (comp.-att.-int.) 17-23-1 11-17-0

Fumbles-lost 0-0 2-2

Penalties-yards 13-120 8-58

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING--Williamsport, Williams 20-97, Hughes 18-68. Hollidaysburg, Vent 25-114, Albarano 15-107.

PASSING--Williamsport, Williams 17-23-252-1. Hollidaysburg, Albarano 11-17-244-0.

RECEIVING--Williamsport, Damschroder 5-70, Ulmer 5-62, Hughes 2-53, Lilly 2-52, Haberstroh-Stotts 3-15. Hollidaysburg, Coke 2-86, Rodgers 1-75, Padamonsky 2-37, Wallace 3-24, Stultz 2-14, Vent 1-8.