Breaking News
Local Sports

Millionaires fall to Selinsgrove in heartbreaker, endure first loss of season

By HENRY HUBER 5 min read

Though a 21-yard touchdown connection from Zion Hughes to Trey Damschroder put the Millionaires up 17-7 deep in the third, those in attendance at Millionaire Stadium knew the game was far from over.

Selinsgrove's rushing attack had steadily begun covering more ground, starting at the tail end of the first half. And through the final 15 minutes of game time, it gathered enough steam to turn the tide.

With Williamsport doing all it could to protect its undefeated record, the Seals did just enough to come out on top, outscoring the Millionaires 14-3 in the fourth quarter and sealing the 21-20 win with a forced fumble near midfield. It was a heartbreaking loss for a team on the cusp of its third 5-0 start in two decades, but coach Michael Pearson was still proud of his team for leaving it all out on the field and gave Selinsgrove credit for an incredible effort.

"I'm proud of both teams. That was a tough, hard football game," said Pearson on the battle. "I'm really proud of our class, our grit and our determination to fight all night. I thought our kids were very classy and did a good job with penalties. We did come up short, but I know that this team gave it their very best tonight, so I'm proud of them."

Despite having zero receptions on the night in a game where the Seals passed the ball just five times, standout Selinsgrove receiver Gavin Bastian still left a clear mark on the game, receiving his first touch midway through the second quarter on a four-yard rush and never looking back.

On the night, the senior rushed for 170 yards and two touchdowns on 14 attempts, playing a crucial role in the team's success on the ground through crunch time.

After Williamsport upped its lead to 20-14 early in the fourth quarter, Bastian rattled off two outside runs to the right for 21 and 48 yards respectively, reversing field on that second run to pick up an additional 20.

With the help of the offensive line, he helped set the Seals up inside the redzone and they'd capitalize a few plays later, with Bastian taking in the go-ahead score from two yards out for his second touchdown tote of the outing.

"The one thing that I worried about in preparation was if we would ever see Gavin Bastian as a Wildcat quarterback or as their quarterback," said Pearson when discussing Bastian's impact. "When they rolled him out as the quarterback, I thought that was a difference maker. He did a fantastic job."

He'd also add runs of 22 and 15 yards on the preceding drive, with Devon Mitchell (12 carries, 80 yards) waltzing in untouched from eight yards out to cut the deficit to 17-14 on the first play of the fourth quarter. Power back Ethan Miller added another 57 yards on the ground, 52 of which came in the first half, as the Seals finished the game with 300 rushing yards.

"They have a lot of really good, blue-collar kids and I give their linemen all the credit in the world," said Pearson when discussing Selinsgrove's proficiency on the ground. "Their linemen were the difference in this game. They did a wonderful job."

It was a tough loss for the Millionaires, but it didn't come without a vast array of positives.

Though he had issues with fumbles throughout the game, putting the ball on the ground five times and seeing three of those go Selinsgrove's way, sophomore quarterback Zion Hughes (14-of-21, 142 yards) showed flashes of what the team can expect from him moving forward.

On the team's lone touchdown drive, he connected with Trey Damschroder and Aiden Everett for passes of 11 and 17 yards respectively. Then, on the outskirts of the red zone, he avoided the pass rush with his feet before finding Damschroder on a short crossing route past the marker, with Damschroder doing the rest on the 21-yard score. On the team's ensuing field goal drive, he and Everett connected for two first downs to set Parker Johnson up with a chip shot to make it 20-14.

"I'm proud of him," said Pearson on Hughes. "Was he perfect? Absolutely not. But there were a lot of plays that he gave us a chance on, and he did a lot to give us the lead most of the night."

Special teams was arguably the biggest positive to come out of the loss.

With the first half closing, Selinsgrove set up for a long field goal and Williamsport got a hand on it, and Aiden Everett took it 70 yards back for a touchdown to give the Millionaires a 10-7 lead heading into half time.

And Parker Johnson went 2-for-2 on field goals of 23 and 27 yards and set Selinsgrove up inside its own five-yard line twice with well-placed punts and the help of his fielding team, most notably Giovanni White.

"(Those punts) gave us a chance. Parker gave us a chance and our special teams play gave us a chance," said Pearson. "I'm really proud of the blocked field goal and the return by Aiden Everett. I thought he made a fantastic play."

The going doesn't get easier as the Millionaires delve deeper into HAC-I play, with matchups against Shamokin (5-0) and Jersey Shore on the horizon. They'll face the Bulldogs on the road next Friday, hoping to build on what's been a successful first half of the regular season.

"I thought this was a fantastic football game and we're looking forward to just continuing to play," said Pearson. "We have some very serious goals and we're on our way to those goals. This three-week stretch will only make us a better team as long as we continue to work on fight."

Starting at /week.