Laurel keeps it close before falling to Quaker Valley
Laurel (20) vs. Quaker Valley (47)
Written: Oct 31, 2015
By John D'Abruzzo
New Castle News
LEETSDALE — A competitive, close football game at halftime ended up going in a different direction.
Despite trailing Quaker Valley by a touchdown at the half, Laurel High ended up losing its regular-season finale, 47-20, Friday night at Chuck Knox Stadium.
The WPIAL Class AA Midwestern Athletic Conference contest, which featured a pair of teams eliminated from postseason play, was overshadowed by an onslaught of penalties during the second half, most of which were by the home team.
Quaker Valley (4-4 conference, 5-4 overall) was flagged 22 times and penalized for a total of 201 yards. Half of those penalties were for unsportsmanlike conduct. Laurel, in comparison, drew eight flags for 85 yards.
“Our kids played hard and I thought we played within the rules,” Laurel coach Brian Cooper said. “It’s a shame that it went that way at the end, but I don’t think that had anything to do from our standpoint.
“Throughout the course of the game, you saw how it kept getting worse (with penalties) and I don’t think that I’ve ever seen that many unsportsmanlike fouls and trash talking. And it was all one way; it really was.”
Laurel (2-6, 3-6) jumped out to a 7-0 lead late in the first quarter when Isici Layne caught a four-yard pass from quarterback Jake McDougal during the Spartans’ second series of the game. The Quakers, however, rallied back with a pair of touchdowns in the second quarter to take a 14-7 lead at the half.
“I thought we controlled the football and controlled them defensively,” Cooper said. “Then you go into halftime and you’re still trailing, 14-7. It was one play here and there, but it’s kind of been our mark of the season. We still battled. It’s a tough conference.”
Quaker Valley, which uses players from Cornell thanks to a cooperative sponsorship program between the two schools, took control of the scoreboard with 14 more points in the third quarter to go ahead, 28-7.
“There were highs and lows,” McDougal said. “We were doing a great job in the first quarter, but a couple things don’t go our way and we found ourselves down.”
McDougal finished the game completing 14 of 38 passes for 196 yards. He also threw three touchdowns and four interceptions. McDougal hit Jordan Dantico with a 22-yard touchdown with a little more than six minutes remaining in the fourth quarter before connecting with Layne again on a 17-yard score in the closing seconds of the game.
Layne finished with five catches for 91 yards and two touchdowns. McDougal also rushed for 77 yards on 14 carries, while Spencer Jones paced the Spartans’ backfield with 87 rushing yards on 15 carries.
“At times it can be tough to get everyone back on board following a tipped pass or an interception because spirits are down,” McDougal said. “We tried to get back into the game in the second half, but it just didn’t go our way.”
Quaker Valley’s senior quarterback Amos Luptak led the Quakers with 188 yards of total offense. He completed 7 of 16 passes for 133 yards with a touchdown and an interception, while rushing for 55 yards and another score. Zacchaeus Humphrey scored a pair of touchdowns, one on a 14-yard run in the third quarter and the other on a 26-yard pass from Luptak. Humphrey rushed for 94 yards and caught three receptions for another 94 yards.
“I’m proud of the way our kids played,” Cooper said. “We battled, but we still blew a lot of opportunities during the first half that could have made a difference in the football game. It is what it is. We’re battling against bigger schools with a lot more personnel.
“Still, our kids don’t quit. They played hard and they played the game the right way.”
(Email: ncsports@ncnewsonline.com)
LAUREL QUAKER VALLEY
22 First downs 20
218 Yards Rushing 311
35 Yards Lost 4
183 Net Rushing 307
38 Passes Attempted 16
14 Passes Completed 8
4 Passes Intercepted 1
196 Yards Passing 159
379 Total Yards 466
1-1 Fumbles-Lost 1-1
4-36.7 Punts-Average 4-39.7
8-85 Penalties-Yards 22-201
LAUREL 7 0 0 13 — 20
QUAKER VALLEY 0 14 14 19 — 47
Scoring plays
LAUREL — Isici Layne, 4-yard pass from Jake McDougal (Zachary Morrison kick).
QUAKER VALLEY — Amos Luptak, 1-yard run (Owen Harkins kick).
QUAKER VALLEY — Zacchaeus Humphrey, 14-yard run (Harkins kick).
QUAKER VALLEY — Humphrey, 26-yard pass from Luptak (Harkins kick).
QUAKER VALLEY — Chris Gordon, 26-yard run (Harkins kick).
QUAKER VALLEY — Jordan Martin, 48-yard interception return (Harkins kick).
LAUREL — Jordan Dantico, 22-yard pass from McDougal (kick failed).
QUAKER VALLEY — Ethan Moore, 6-yard run (kick failed).
QUAKER VALLEY — Austin Wigley, 26-yard pass from Moore (run failed).
LAUREL — Layne, 17-yard pass from McDougal (Morrison kick).
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