HUGHESVILLE - Whether it was the 37 and 25-yard runs where Andy Laychur and Taylor Falk consistently broke tackles, or whether it was Jonathan Hoot making a big interception or Bryce Pardoe making a drive-stopping sack, this much became evident early Friday.
After recording an emotional, last-minute win over Loyalsock last week, Hughesville would suffer no letdown.
Hughesville dominated all aspects Friday, building a 38-point halftime lead and cruising to a 38-6 win over visiting Warrior Run. Laychur scored three touchdowns, Pardoe had two sacks and Hoot snuffed ball carriers as Hughesville improved to 3-0 for the first time since 2005 and built momentum entering next week's big game against undefeated Lewisburg.
"You don't want to have the emotion of a big win like that and come into the next week and take a deep breath and let down," Hughesville coach Rick Reichner said. "We really focused on playing to our ability. If we play to our ability and take care of the things we need to take care of we like our chances and the kids really responded to that. That's a good football team we played and any letdown on our part certainly would have put our backs to the wall."
Instead, Hughesville kept Warrior Run pinned back, stuffing the run and never letting talented quarterback Bryson Brooke settle into a rhythm. Hughesville held Warrior Run (1-2) to minus-18 yards and one first down on its first seven possessions.
Following Laychur's two-yard touchdown run, Hoot started paving the way for a blowout when he stepped in front of Brooke's slant pass at the Defender 36-yard line. Two plays later, Laychur ran in from three yards out, extending the lead to 16-0. The junior linebacker had five first-half tackles and half a sack as Hughesville opened a 38-0 lead.
"He's been doing good. He stepped in and did a great job," Pardoe said. "He sparked our defense and he comes in and does a heck of a job for a first-time starter."
And Pardoe does an impressive job as a second-year starter.
Moments after Laychur scored his third touchdown, Warrior Run took over at its 11. Brooke rolled out and Pardoe quickly blew past the line, chasing him into the end zone and sacking him for a safety that made it 25-0. A few minutes later, Pardoe again snuffed out Warrior Run's comeback hopes when he sacked Brooke for an eight-yard loss on fourth-and-three from the Hughesville 37-yard line.
"We knew if we could stop the pass we had a good chance so it worked out for the best," Pardoe said. "This is a big game for us. We came off a real emotional win and we were just trying not to let down at all. Everybody came out and played well. It was a real team effort."
Warrior Run has reached the postseason the last three years, but suffered heavy graduation losses and is one of the area's youngest teams. Still, the Defenders showed promise in the second half, outscoring Hughesville, 6-0 and mounting an impressive 13-play, 68-yard fourth-quarter scoring drive capped by Guiseppi Balsamo's 1-yard touchdown run.
"They're filled with character and they're filled with guts and there's no quit in this group, I'll tell you that," first-year Warrior Run coach Chris Eiswerth said. "The leadership by the seniors was awesome. It enabled us to have some success in the second half. We're going to keep working and I know we can get there."
Hughesville controlled both lines of scrimmage and a host of running backs took advantage as four different players ran for more than 45 yards in the first half. Complicating things for Warrior Run was how tough Hughesville's backs ran. Laychur, Falk, Robert Hodgson and Ethan Showers rarely went down upon initial contact and frequently turned short gains into big plays.
Stubbs even showcased his ability to break tackles one one of his rare passes. After being flushed out of the pocket, Stubbs shook free of a sack and threw a seven-yard touchdown pass to Mike Hanner, extending the lead to 32-0.
"Right from the opening kickoff, offensively and defensively everyone played well," Reichner said. "It's a credit to the kids. They responded after that big week last week and played a great game."
