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Mounties beat Saltsburg to improve to 4 - 2Posted Thursday, October 15, 2009 by Dustin Filloy Mounties put streak togetherBy DUSTIN FILLOY , dfilloy@indianagazette.netSALTSBURG - Ligonier Valley satisfied its hunger to start its first winning streak of the year by manhandling Saltsburg in a Heritage Conference football game Friday night. The Mounties racked up 278 rushing yards and held Saltsburg to just 96 total yards in a 42-6 rout. ``There were some scary moments tonight,'' said Ligonier Valley coach Roger Beitel. ``But ultimately we were able to use our athleticism to put up big yards on the ground and to create some turnovers on the defensive side of the ball. ... Our goal tonight was to start our first winning streak. It feels good to know that we were able to finish and accomplish that.'' Ligonier Valley stole the game's early momentum by driving 95 yards on 12 plays to take a 6-0 lead. Junior quarterback John Jones sparked the long march when he rumbled 16 yards on a quarterback sweep on a third-and-4 from the Mounties' 11-yard line. Jones capped the drive by plowing his way into the end zone on a quarterback sneak from the 1-yard line on second-and-goal. ``Our O-line was opening up big holes for us,'' said Jones, who finished with 54 yards on six carries. ``Everything started with that push up front. The backs ran hard, but the line deserves credit for our success.'' ``They have some tremendous weapons on that team,'' said Saltsburg coach Tim Frassenei. ``We had our hands full defensively, but I'm very happy with the way my kids played. They sold out all night long for me, and that's all that I can ask.'' Saltsburg answered with 4:43 left in the first half by driving 55 yards on 12 plays to tie the game at 6. Quarterback Derek Reese finished the drive when he faked a dive off of left guard and ran a quarterback sweep down the sideline for a 16-yard touchdown. ``I was definitely concerned in the first half,'' said Beitel. ``They were doing a good job defensively of using their size to stop our inside run, and offensively they started to click in the second quarter. Fortunately we kept our composure and responded to their pressure.'' Four plays later wingback Curtis Markosky took a reverse handoff and bolted 25 yards for a touchdown. The extra point gave the Mounties a 14-6 advantage. Tyler Vatter fumbled on the first play of Saltsburg's ensuing possession, giving Ligonier Valley possession on the Trojans' 21-yard line with 1:36 left in the first half. Jones made Saltsburg pay five plays later by rumbling into the end zone on a quarterback keeper with 27 seconds to go in the second quarter. ``You just can't put the ball on the ground against a team like Ligonier Valley,'' said Frassenei. ``Despite the conditions we needed to play smarter football. Turnovers and mistakes were the difference in this game, and that's exactly what we didn't want.'' Ligonier Valley scored three unanswered touchdowns in the second half to pull away. Corcoran scored on a 29-yard run 1:52 into the second half, and Russell Markosky added a 2-yard run about four minutes later. Brandon Campbell finished the scoring by throwing a 21-yard touchdown pass to Nolan Turcheck. NOTES: Saltsburg didn't attempt any passes while Ligonier Valley attempted just two. Saltsburg fumbled four times, with two resulting in turnovers.  |
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