Spartans come up short against New Brighton
Laurel (20) vs. New Brighton (27)
Written: Aug 30, 2014
 By John D’Abruzzo
New Castle News
NEW BRIGHTON — Just when it looked like Laurel High’s football team was out of the game, the Spartans started to rally.
That rally, however, didn’t last long enough.
After trailing New Brighton by 13 points in the first quarter in last night’s season opener at Oak Hill Field, visiting Laurel rebounded with a big second quarter and tied the game at halftime. The Lions, though, scored late in the third quarter and hung on to capture a 27-20 Midwestern Athletic Conference victory.
“Obviously, our kids fought hard the entire game and refused to quit,” first-year Laurel coach Brian Cooper said. “It never feels good when you lose, but at the same time these kids were battling. They had the right attitude and worked hard.
“I’m proud of them.”
New Brighton quarterback Payton Fath put the Lions on the board with an 11-yard run four minutes into the game before running back Scott Florence followed up with a 10-yard touchdown run late in the quarter.
“We did a real good job in the first quarter,” New Brighton coach Joe Greco said. “We jumped on them, but they responded in the second quarter. They have some tough kids and are strong up front.”
Early in the game, Laurel struggled to gain any ground with its Wing-T offense before it slowly gained momentum toward the closing minutes of the first quarter. Running back Chris Peluso got the Spartans back in the game with a 2-yard touchdown run at the start of the second quarter.
New Brighton found the end zone for a third time midway through the second quarter when Fath completed a 39-yard touchdown pass to Blaine Williams that gave the Lions a 20-7 advantage.
Laurel took control of the clock on its next possession and used a 13-play set that was highlighted by running back Clayton Sharek’s 11-yard touchdown run with 46 seconds remaining in the half.
“Our kids had a great attitude,” Cooper said. “I’m proud of how they kept in the game and didn’t give up.”
Instead of trying to run out the clock, New Brighton pushed for another score before the half, but was stopped when Peluso picked off a Fath pass attempt and run it back along New Brighton’s sideline for 70-yard interception return with just six seconds left in the half.
“That play and the way we ended it in the second quarter was the ugliest play I’ve ever seen to end a half,” Greco said. “For us to respond the way we did in the second half was huge.
“Our defense stepped up and made sure they didn’t run the ball all over us. Our offense took control and did a good job.”
New Brighton took the wind right out of the Spartans’ sails late in the third quarter with a game-deciding 4-yard touchdown run by Florence, who finished the game with 175 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries.
Fath completed 9 of 14 passes for 127 yards and one touchdown.
“Payton’s a playmaker and we have some guys on the outside who can make some plays, too,” Greco said. “We feel that we can run the ball and throw the ball. We just can’t turn the ball over. From here, we have to get better.”
New Brighton, however, gave Laurel a handful of opportunities in the second half. The Lions were flagged four times late in the game and allowed a total of 82 yards in penalties.
“We have a lot to work on still, but we saw a great team effort,” Greco said. “We had a lot of kids step in and play well.”
Laurel, which ran the ball 19 consecutive times during the first half, didn’t attempt a pass until late in the second quarter. The Spartans gained a total of 170 yards on the ground but attempted only four passes the entire game.
Peluso finished the game with 67 yards rushing on 13 carries and scored two touchdowns. Matty Conway rushed for 50 yards on 16 carries.
“We’re a good football team,” Cooper said. “We just have to fix a couple of things. A couple plays our way and we would have won that game. It went their way tonight, but it wasn’t because of effort because our guys left it all out there tonight.”
(Email: ncsports@ncnewsonline.com)
LAUREL N. BRIGHTON
13 First downs 23
203 Yards Rushing 318
33 Yards Lost 7
170 Net Rushing 311
4 Passes Attempted 14
1 Passes Completed 9
0 Passes Intercepted 1
16 Yards Passing 127
186 Total Yards 438
0-0 Fumbles-Lost 0-0
3-41.7 Punts-Average 1-35
4-25 Penalties-Yards 10-82
LAUREL 0 20 0 0 — 20
NEW BRIGHTON 13 7 7 0 —27
Scoring plays
NEW BRIGHTON — Payton Fath, 11-yard run (kick failed).
NEW BRIGHTON — Scott Florence, 10-yard run (Gavin Pritchard kick).
LAUREL — Chris Peluso, 2-yard run (Noah Wertz kick).
NEW BRIGHTON — Blair Williams, 39-yard pass from Fath (Pritchard kick).
LAUREL — Clayton Sharek, 11-yard run (kick blocked).
LAUREL — Peluso, 70-yard interception return (Wertz kick).
NEW BRIGHTON — Florence, 4-yard run (Pritchard kick).
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