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MONTOURSVILLE- It was hard to imagine things could have been scripted any better for Montoursville in the first quarter of its District 4 Class AAA quarterfinal game against Athens. The Warriors got an unexpected boost from their special teams when Matt Conklin returned the opening kickoff 79 yards for a touchdown. Combine that with a nine-play drive that was finished off by Kayden Frame, and 34-yard interception return by Marco Polizzi that set up Frame for the second of his three scoring runs, and it turned into a very easy night.
Montoursville cruised to a 48-14 victory, and will take on Milton in the semifinals next weekend.
“The kids came out and played in all three phases of the game,” Montoursville coach Mike Boughton said. “A kickoff return with Matt Conklin, who has been a little bit banged up throughout the year. They kick it short, he takes it to the house. He’s a kid that’s been itching to get back into the swing of things. We’ve tried to keep him involved, and after that (return), I told him, that’s what I mean. It’s every little play that counts, and that was huge.”
After Maddix Dalena hit Nick Reeder on a slant pass for a 6-yard touchdown, the lead was 28-0 early in the second quarter, and the Montoursville defense would face a bevy of trick plays from an Athens team desperate to get back into the game. Quarterback Mason Lister ended up passing for 246 yards and a couple of scores, but he earned it in the face of some stiff pressure that produced four sacks. A hook-and-lateral play went for 69 yards to put the Wildcats in the red zone, but Brayden Brown fell on the first of his two fumble recoveries to halt the threat. Despite allowing some big plays, the Warriors bent more than broke defensively.
“I think our defense is getting better and better each week,” Boughton said. “I’m really proud of them. Kids like Brayden Brown stepped up. We knew they had a pretty good offense. The quarterback chucks the ball around, and does a really good job. Our kids stepped up tonight and played well.”
With a 28-point halftime lead, the defensive would produce two more turnovers to start the third quarter. Following a fumble on a botched fake punt, Montoursville would need just one play to cash in the turnover for points. Dylan Blackwell broke loose on a 32-yard touchdown run to get his big second half started. Four of the five turnovers forced by the Warriors resulted in 27 points on the scoreboard.
“The kids got after it tonight,” Boughton said. “We had a decent week of practice. I’m proud of these guys. We have seniors starting to step up in certain positions. Even though we’ve been a little banged up throughout the year, we’re kind of coming together right now. We’ve struggled with the offensive line, but I give kudos to them at this point. They’ve done a good job, and played really well tonight, too.”
Speaking of stepping up, that’s exactly what multiple running backs did for Montoursville. Without workhorse Rocco Pulizzi who missed the game due to injury, guys like Frame and Blackwell were adequate fill-ins. Frame ended the game with touchdowns on exactly half of his six carries, and Blackwell led all rushers with 96 yards and a pair of scores on 13 attempts.
“Dylan Blackwell, I’ve always said has been a gamer,” Boughton said. “He’s always been that number two guy, but every time we’ve lost Rocco, Dylan Blackwell has stepped up. He runs hard.”
To earn a potential rematch with Danville or Loyalsock in the district championship, Montoursville must get by a Milton team that is having a turnaround season. Milton easily disposed of North Penn-Mansfield with a 35-0 shutout. All three quarterfinal games were decided via mercy rule on Friday night.
“We’ve watched a little bit of film on them already,” Boughton said. “We’ll see what they have, and get after it again. The kids are excited just to live another week.”