By MIKE MASTOVICH
The Tribune-Democrat
ALTOONA
September 28, 2008 12:13 am
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Bishop Guilfoyle scored 21 second-half points in a 23-12 comeback victory over Penn Cambria on Saturday night at Mansion Park.
The Marauders trailed by a baseball-like 6-2 score at intermission but finished strong.
Bishop Guilfoyle limited Penn Cambria’s rushing attack to 135 yards on 31 carries. The Panthers (3-2, 2-1 LHAC Section I) had averaged more than 250 yards a game on the ground.
“We didn’t come out and play with heart that second half,” Penn Cambria coach Ernie Fetzer said. “I don’t know what to tell you. You tell kids you can’t come out and play flat. You’ve got to come out and play with some excitement. We didn’t do it.”
Bishop Guilfoyle (3-2, 2-1) rushed for 231 yards and was led by Eugene Ehredt’s 138-yard night on 21 carries. Quarterback Chris Brown threw for 110 yards and a touchdown, and he ran for 29 yards and two scores.
“We needed to come up with a big performance (on defense), and that’s what we did,” Bishop Guilfoyle coach Marty Georgiana said. “We needed to step up. They proved something to themselves.”
The Marauders methodically moved to the Panthers’ 32-yard-line on their opening drive, but turned over the ball on downs.
After advancing to the Penn Cambria 31 on its next possession, Bishop Guilfoyle’s Brown threw an interception to Matt Glenn at the 1.
The Marauders defense tackled Newton in the end zone for a safety with 1:29 left in the first.
Bishop Guilfoyle moved down the field again and was poised to punch in a touchdown early in the second quarter. Chris Damiano was headed to the end zone when the Panthers converged on him, forcing a fumble that Penn Cambria recovered at the 3.
The Panthers, who had been held without a first down on their first three series, put together an 18-play, 97-yard scoring drive that included six first downs and chewed up 8:06 of clock.
“We executed everything we were doing,” Fetzer said. “You might get one of those a game, maybe two of those.”
Newton capped the drive with a 1-yard run 1:28 before the half.
Bishop Guilfoyle moved 64 yards in 11 plays, a drive that finished with Brown’s 5-yard run at 6:47 of the third. Amanda James’ extra point gave the Marauders a 9-6 lead.
The Panthers answered with a 66-yard march in which Newton gained 37 yards, including a 12-yard scoring run to make it 12-9 with 2:37 left in the third.
The see-saw battle continued as Brown hit Kitt for a 7-yard scoring strike with 7:59 left as Bishop Guilfoyle regained the lead, 16-12.
A 23-yard Penn Cambria gain to the Panthers 43 was negated by an unsportsmanlike call, and Guilfoyle recovered a fumble at the 26 on the next play. That led to Brown’s 1-yard keeper that extended the lead to 23-12.
“We knew Brown was good coming in, and he just performed at the level we thought he could,” Fetzer said.
Bishop Guilfoyle managed to use 4:48 of clock to move 26 yards and leave Penn Cambria only 2:42.
“We only have ourselves to blame, and our hat’s are off to Bishop Guilfoyle,” Fetzer said. “They played a nice ballgame.”
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