’Canes clinch playoff berth with dramatic comeback win
New Castle (29) vs. Chartiers Valley (28)
Written: Oct 18, 2014
By Andrew Koob
New Castle News
Two quick touchdowns at the end of the first half should have dazed the New Castle High football team.
The Red Hurricane could have packed it in and let Parkway Conference foe Chartiers Valley take over the second half as well. But it didn’t.
The ’Canes scored 23 unanswered points behind a strong running game and a re-energized defense to stun the Colts at Taggart Stadium, 29-28.
New Castle rushed for 173 second half yards and three touchdowns, all from tailback Daylyn Glenel, while the defense held the Colts’ ground game to 18 yards in the final 24 minutes.
Glenel finished the night with 129 yards and three touchdowns on 24 carries.
The victory, coupled with Blackhawk’s 41-7 loss to Ambridge, punched a postseason ticket for the ’Canes.
“The resolve that they showed tonight was just a mirror image of our season,” New Castle coach Joe Cowart said. “We stumbled our way to a big hole and we fought like dogs to get out if it. I’m so proud, especially for the 13 seniors on senior night. They’ve been with me for three years and I like to think that they’ve taken the personality out of their coach. I like to think if my back was against the wall, how would I fight? And they certainly showed so much fight tonight.”
Chartiers Valley running back Mike Roper opened the scoring with a 1-yard run on fourth down. After Pat Minenok responded with a 1-yard score of his own, it was all Colts the rest of the first half.
New Castle seemed to take a lead when Glenel rushed for a 10-yard score, but it was called back on a holding penalty. The ’Canes ended up turning the ball over on downs and Chartiers Valley marched 76 yards for Roper’s second touchdown, this one from 3 yards out.
The ’Canes tried to respond with a quick score to close the first half, but cornerback Delmar King intercepted Minenok and raced 64 yards for the score.
A second turnover ensued after Glenel fumbled and the Colts capitalized immediately, as quarterback Jake Collins connected with Jared Nelson for a 37-yard touchdown pass to take a 22-point lead into the half.
Chartiers Valley rushed for 148 first half yards, 68 coming from the legs of Collins.
“We had a bad start in the first half,” Glenel said. “Coach talked to us, told us to get into the game, it’s not over. Just keep fighting.”
The disappointing first half performance was not the showing that Cowart and staff wanted to see following last week’s win against Ambridge. Some inspired words among the team put the players’ minds to the task at hand.
“There aren’t any magic words you can tell a group of guys but they, as well as our coaching staff, were disappointed in our effort in the first half,” Cowart said. “You have to tip your cap to Chartiers Valley, they’re an excellent and young football team.
“To our guys, we told them ‘listen, this is what we’re going to do. We’re going to do everything in our ability to fight our way out of this hole and when the opportunities present themselves, take advantage.’ And that’s what our kids did.”
The ’Canes stuck to their ground game in Glenel and Nick Treloar out of the gate. The duo carried the ball 18 times for 141 yards in the third quarter, with Glenel scoring his first two touchdowns from 45 and 7 yards out.
Glenel converted the two-point conversion on the first score and D’Marcus Blanchard knocked home the PAT to put New Castle back within one possession.
Both sides struggled to move the ball, accounting for three turnover on downs between the end of the third quarter and opening of the fourth. New Castle had the ball and was driving, but, with third and 14 looming on the Colts’ 33, the ’Canes tried some trickery with a halfback pass.
It didn’t work. The ball was intercepted at the 5 and, with less than six minutes in the game, Chartiers Valley was in a position to leave Taggart with a victory.
Then New Castle caught the biggest break of the game. Collins fumbled the snap and the ’Canes’ defense recovered it on the Colts’ 4. Glenel rushed in from 4 yards out and scored the two-point conversion to give New Castle the lead for good.
“It was definitely meant to be,” Glenel said. “Coach told us stick together. We played with our hearts.”
The Colts had one last opportunity to respond, but a strong defensive stand, led by Blanchard and a 3-yard tackle for loss on first down, forced another turnover on downs. The New Castle offense forced Chartiers Valley to use its remaining timeouts and, on fourth down, drew the defense offsides for a first down to end the game.
“It was just a will to win and playing better technique and playing faster and more physical and having a ticked-off attitude,” Cowart said of his defense. “Our kids didn’t want to have it any more. Their personalities changed in the second half and they had the success we had. The defense was fantastic in the second half.
“D’Marcus Blanchard and Steven Wethli, our senior defensive ends, they were the guys that stopped Roper from getting rolling in the second half. They run that option offense and your ends have to take the fullback and that’s what they did in the second half. I thought Geno Stone played really well and Tyler Mosley was all over the field in the second half. Collectively, those 11 guys just played fast and furious and did a great job.”
(Email: A_Koob@ncnewsonline.com)
CHAR. VALLEY NEW CASTLE
10 First downs 14
181 Yards Rushing 243
19 Yards Lost 23
162 Net Rushing 220
10 Passes Attempted 14
6 Passes Completed 8
0 Passes Intercepted 2
57 Yards Passing 77
219 Total Yards 332
2-1 Fumbles-Lost 5-1
3-18.3 Punts-Average 1-27
6-39 Penalties-Yards 10-104
CHAR VALLEY 7 21 0 0 — 28
NEW CASTLE 6 0 15 8 — 29
Scoring plays
CHARTIERS VALLEY — Mike Roper, 1-yard run (Austin Fisher kick).
NEW CASTLE — Pat Minenok, 1-yard run (kick failed).
CHARTIERS VALLEY — Roper, 3-yard run (Fisher kick).
CHARTIERS VALLEY — Delmar King, 64-yard interception return (Fisher kick).
CHARTIERS VALLEY — Jared Nelson, 37-yard pass from Jake Collins (Fisher kick).
NEW CASTLE — Daylyn Glenel, 45-yard run (Glenel run).
NEW CASTLE — Glenel, 7-yard run (D’Marcus Blanchard kick).
NEW CASTLE —Glenel, 4-yard run (Glenel run).
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