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WILKES-BARRE — GAR took control in the second half, shutting down Mid Valley’s running game and rallying for a 34-20 victory in a non-conference game at Wilkes-Barre Memorial Stadium on Saturday night.
GAR improved to 3-2 while Mid Valley fell to 1-4.
GAR had no answer for Mid Valley’s backfield of Zach Fiume and Cody Pitcavage in the first half. Fiume had 127 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries in the first half. Pitcavage added 63 more and two TDs on seven carries as the Spartans took a 20-13 lead into the locker room.
“Offensively, we were excellent the first half,” Mid Valley coach Dave Rebar said, “but we stopped blocking in the second half. They went to a 50 (front) and we know how to block a 50. We struggled there. But the guys played hard, they wanted it.”
So did GAR, which allowed just 100 more yards on the ground in the second half against run-oriented Mid Valley.
“We tried a new scheme,” GAR coach Paul Wiedlich Jr. said. “We had some guys banged up. We tried some new things, but then we got back to basics. We challenged the kids at halftime. We wanted to win the second half. We threw a shutout in the second half.”
The Grenadiers tied the score 20-20 on their first possession of the third quarter, needing two plays to cover 71 yards. Quarterback Garry Kroll picked up the first 17 when he ran an option left and kept the ball. GAR went back to the option on the next play, with Kroll pitching to running back Anthony Maurent on the right side. Maurent sliced across the field to complete his 54-yard touchdown run.
The defense then played a big part in gaining the lead and securing the victory.
With the running game slowed, Mid Valley was forced to throw on a third-and-13. GAR defensive back Dajon Rush picked off the pass and returned it 35 yards to the Mid Valley 32-yard line.
Four plays later, running back Josh Goodwin, who was in while Maurent was battling a leg cramp, bolted up the middle to give the Grenadiers a 27-20 lead at 1:53 of the third quarter.
Mid Valley threatened to tie the score midway through the fourth quarter, moving to the Grenadiers 22. But Tashawn Qualls intercepted a pass to end the threat.
Defensive end Emmanuel Solomon then sealed the victory by intercepting a fourth-down pass and returning it 23 yards for a touchdown with 2:06 to play. It marked the third time a Grenadier returned an interception for a touchdown this season.
GAR 34, Mid Valley 20
Mid Valley`6`14`0`0`—`20
GAR`6`7`14`7`—`34
First quarter
MV — Zach Fiume 4 run (kick blocked), 7:20
GAR — Anthony Maurent 36 run (pass failed), 6:46
Second quarter
MV — Cody Pitcavage 32 run (Colin Munley kick), 11:07
GAR — Maurent 23 pass from Garry Kroll (Muhaideen Tajuddin kick), 8:29
MV — Pitcavage 9 run (Munley kick), 6:29
Third quarter
GAR — Maurent 54 run (Tajuddin kick), 7:30
GAR — Josh Goodwin 28 run (Tajuddin kick), 1:53
Fourth quarter
GAR — Emmanuel Solomon 23 interception return (Tajuddin kick), 2:06
Team statistics`MV`GAR
First downs`14`12
Rushes-yards`55-290`23-232
Passing yards`29`83
Total yards`319`315
Passing`3-9-3`5-15-0
Sacked-yards lost`2-12`2-15
Punts-avg.`4-33.5`4-31.3
Fumbles-lost`1-1`5-3
Penalties-yards`6-40`7-58
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING — Mid Valley, Fiume 26-200, Pitcavage 14-90, Munley 11-15, Ethan Hasenzahl 4-(minus-15). GAR, Maurent 9-113, Mike Drozda 6-18, Kroll 6-77, Goodwin 1-28, team 1-(minus-4).
PASSING — Mid Valley, Munley 3-9-3-29. GAR, Kroll 5-15-0-83.
RECEIVING — Mid Valley, Fiume 2-28, Pitcavage 1-1. GAR, Nate Luckey 1-16, Maurent 4-67.
INTERCEPTIONS — GAR, Dajon Rush 1-35, Tashawn Qualls 1-14, Solomon 1-23.
MISSED FGs — none.
