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SHAMOKIN – Bishop Guilfoyle got long completions from three different passers while running off the final 40 points Friday night to eliminate Old Forge with a 43-13 victory in the PIAA Class 1A football semifinals.
Josh Trybus, who took most of the snaps at quarterback, and Evan Chadbourn, who the took others in wildcat formation, each showed their versatility with big efforts.
Trybus passed for three touchdowns, ran for another and intercepted two passes.
Chadbourn, a 2,000-yard rusher on the season, ran for 142 yards, but did even more damage in the passing game. He caught a 73-yard touchdown pass from Trybus to start the comeback with 4:47 left in the first half and hit a 93-yarder to Sam Keating to put the Marauders ahead 3:34 into the second half.
The comeback ended Old Forge’s season at 13-2. The Blue Devils won the Lackawanna Football Conference Division 3 and District 2 Class 1A titles. They reached the state semifinals for the second time, both in the last three years.
The Blue Devils threatened to end the defending state champions’ winning streak at 30 games and return to Hershey for the first time since 2013.
Old Forge scored before running its first offensive play for a six-point lead in the first quarter and on its first possession for a 10-point lead in the second.
When the Blue Devils forced a three-and-out to begin the game, Jaret Horn went up the middle for a 79-yard punt return and 6-0 lead after just 1:37.
The teams then matched long scoring drives.
Freshman Kolton McGhee kicked a 39-yard field goal for Bishop Guilfoyle.
Old Forge then went 58 yards in 11 plays, converting three third-down situations. Joey Gutowski hit passes for the first two, then Cooper Califano ran 5 yards for a touchdown on the third. The score made it 13-3 with 11:16 left in the half.
After Brendan Mozeleski forced a fumble that Trevor Brown recovered on the next drive, scored six straight touchdowns – five of which came on the first five possessions of the second half.
Chadbourn’s 93-yard touchdown pass came on the first offensive play by the Marauders in the second half. Aaron Yasulitis threw a 41-yard pass to Keating on a reverse to set up the third touchdown of the third quarter.
Bishop Guilfoyle 43, Old Forge 13
Bishop Guilfoyle`3`7`21`12`—`43
Old Forge`6`7`0`0`—`13
First quarter
OF – Jaret Horn 79 punt return (bad snap), 10:23
BG – Kolton McGhee 39 FG, 5:10
Second quarter
OF – Cooper Califano 5 run (Horn kick), 11:16
BG – Evan Chadbourn 73 pass from Josh Trybus (McGhee kick), 4:47
Third quarter
BG – Sam Keating 93 pass from Chadbourn (McGhee kick), 8:26
BG – Luke Frederick 4 pass from Trybus (McGhee kick), 3:43
BG – Frederick 9 pass from Trybus (McGhee kick), 1:46
Fourth quarter
BG – Trybus 1 run (bad snap), 9:01
BG – Andrew Irwin 48 run (kick blocked), 8:41
Team statistics`BG`OF
First downs`17`7
Rushes-yards`36-232`39-81
Passing yards`251`77
Total yards`483`158
Passing`8-12-0`8-16-2
Punts-avg.`2-34.0`6-30.5
Fumbles-lost`2-2`0-0
Penalties-yards`0-0`3-15
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING — BG, Chadbourn 20-142, Irwin 1-48, Michael Berish 2-31, Joshua Yasulitis 4-15, Trybus 5-2, Luke Wills 1-minus 3, Team 3-minus 3. OF, Califano 26-76, Ian Hook 3-6, Brendan Mozeleski 2-5, Horn 4-5, Paul Cariati 1-4, Lorenzo Febbo 1-minus 6, Joey Gutowski 2-minus 9.
PASSING — BG, Trybus 6-9-0-117, Chadbourn 1-1-0-93, Yasulitis 1-1-0-41, Mark Conrad 0-1-0-0. OF-Gutowski 8-14-2-77, Cariati 0-2-0-0.
RECEIVING — BG, Frederick 3-19, Keating 2-134, Chadbourn 1-73, Yasulitis 1-14, Hagg 1-11. OF, Jerry Hobbs 3-8, Horn 2-29, Mando Sallavanti 2-19, Califano 1-21.
INTERCEPTIONS — BG, Trybus 2-19. OF, None.
MISSED FGs — None.