Wyoming Area vs Holy Redeemer

Friday, October 4, 2013, 7 PM

Anthony "Jake" Sobeski Stadium

Times Leader

Citizens Voice

TIMES LEADER BOX SCORE

Summary:

Summary: After one half of football, the Warriors were staring at a 12-0 deficit--the second straight week they were shut out in the first half. A new team came out the locker room in the second half and scored 42 points. With Kyle Borton at quarterback, and Jeff Skursky at halfback behind the blocking of Rob Wargo-the Warriors ran down hill for the rest of the game. Mix in a little Marty Michaels, some outstanding blocking by the offensive line--and for the first time this year, the Warriors generated some big time offense.

It started out like another bad night for the Warriors. Holy Redeemer's Eric Kerr took the opening kickoff 80 yards -- virtually untouched, to give the Royals a 6-0 lead. On their only possession of the first quarter, the Warriors moved the ball downfield, but stalled at the Royal 10 yard line. This was looking like a replay of the Nanticoke Area game, where the Warriors moved the ball up and down the field in the first half, but could not score. Meanwhile, the Royals showed they had a running game--drove the ball 90 yards and QB Jimmy Strickland hit Eric Kerr with a 12 yard TD pass in the second quarter, making the score 12-0. The Warrior offense sputtered the remainder of the second quarter -- making the halftime score 12-0.

There was absolutely no basis for even the most optimistic Warrior true-believer to accurately predict what would happen in the second half. The Warriors took the second half kickoff and executed a power running game of the likes Warrior fans have not seen in years. With Kyle Borton at quarterback, Rob Wargo at fullback, and Jeff Skursky operating at tailback out of the "I", the Warriors ran--and ran and ran. Skursky was not only running over people--his nifty footwork was making Royal tacklers miss. Rob Wargo was leading the way with some wicked blocks. The Warriors scored 21 points in the third quarter, and added another 21 in the fourth quarter.

Besides Skursky's explosion in the second half (finishing the game with 284 yards), Marty Michaels made some nifty runs adding 31 yards for the game. The entire offensive line asserted themselves in the second half, giving Skursky and the others some gaping holes to run through. You can't say enough about the performance of Kyle Borton at quarterback. He went 4 for 6 for 88 yards--hitting Jeremy Seabridge, Ben Steve, and Ryan Murray with long passes in clutch situations. While Borton was sacked twice, he did not throw an interception.

For most of the second half, the Warrior defense smothered the Holy Redeemer offense. Danielle Stillarty did an nice job of kicking off--and the kickoff team regained their balance by consistently holding the Redeemer kickoff returns inside the Royals own 30 yardline. The defense gave up very little yardage in the third quarter--making the Royals punt deep in their own territory, giving the Warriors superior field position. The Warriors easily punched the ball in when faced with a short field.

For the first time this year, the Warriors showed they could generate some offense consistently. Skursky, running downhill from the halfback position with a full head of steam, and some superior blocking seems to be the recipe. The Warriors should now have confidence going into the teeth of their schedule. -- Nick Perugini