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WRIGHT TWP. — The all-game rain falling at Crestwood High School only ensured that James Barrett and his Comets teammates had a blast.
For Berwick, it simply stung.
Barrett slithered for a game-high 148 rushing yards and scored on a 44-yard touchdown run as Crestwood survived the Bulldogs 33-27 in an entertaining but sloppy high school football game that moved the Comets closer to a home game in the District 2 Class 4A playoffs.
“I like playing in the rain, I’m not going to lie,” Barrett said. “I was having fun out there.”
That fun nearly turned to frowns when the game came down to this:
With Crestwood trying to run out the clock, Berwick defensive lineman Harrison Snyder stripped the ballcarrier at Berwick’s 6-yard line and his brother Everett Snyder picked up the fumble and returned it 52 yards to Crestwood’s 28-yard line with more than two minutes remaining.
But facing a fourth-and-4, Berwick’s upset hopes ended when a fourth-down shotgun snap sailed high and quarterback Ethan Lear was swallowed up by Crestwood’s defensive line chasing it down.
“It was all set,” Berwick acting coach Bo Orlando said, “we were down by six, returned the ball to their 28. Then we had a high snap.”
It was a problem that plagued Berwick all night, as a few high snaps with a wet ball — and a backup center playing the position for the first time — thwarted some stellar opportunities for the Bulldogs.
“Things happen,” Orlando said. “It was a great game, went back and forth. We’re more of a throwing team than they are, but there’s no excuses.
“A loss is a loss.”
Crestwood narrowly avoided that fate and kept hold on it’s current No. 4 seeding for the District 2 Class 4A playoffs entering next week’s regular-season finale at North Pocono.
Berwick struck first when Lear scored the first of his three touchdowns, but Crestwood bounced right back when Colin Lazo broke loose for a 52-yard touchdown run and Jason Swank scored on an 8-yard run to give the Comets the lead for good at 13-6. Barrett’s breakaway 44-yard scoring burst seemed to have the Comets pulling away late in the opening quarter, but Berwick hung around with Tyler Winter’s 8-yard touchdown run.
Matt Sklarosky snagged a 27-yard scoring pass in the second quarter and Logan Rolles rolled in for a 2-yard touchdown burst in the third as Crestwood opened a 33-14 advantage.
But Lear scored on touchdown runs of 1 and 9 yards to get Berwick within six points midway through the fourth quarter.
That’s the way it stayed.
Barely.
“They shouldn’t have gotten that close,” Barrett said. “But we were able to hold it together.”
Crestwood 33, Berwick 27
Berwick`7`7`0`13 — 27
Crestwood`20`7`6`0 — 33
First quarter
BER — Ethan Lear 1 run (Luke Peters kick), 7:27
CRE — Colin Lazo 52 run (Kick blocked), 5:33
CRE — Jayson Swank 8 run (Ethan Zabrosky kick), 5:01
CRE — James Barrett 44 run (Zabrosky kick), 2:20
Second quarter
BER — Tyler Winter 8 run (Peters kick), 10:41
CRE — Matt Sklarosky 27 pass from Jack Rogers (Zabrosky kick), 6:37
Third quarter
CRE — Logan Rolles 2 run (Kick failed), 0:39
Fourth quarter
BER — Lear 1 run (Conversion failed), 9:46
BER — Lear 9 run (Peters kick), 6:43
Team statistics`BER`CRE
First downs`15`7
Rushes-yards`49-216`42-300
Passing yards`81`27
Total yards`297`327
Passing`6-16-1`1-2-1
Sacked-yards lost`3-12`0-0
Punts-avg.`1-45`3-30
Fumbles-lost`5-1`3-2
Penalties-yards`2-20`7-43
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING — BER, Tyler Winter 20-124, Ethan Lear 25-104, Braylon Hawkins 1-3, Josh Kishbaugh 1-0, TEAM 2- (minus 35). CRE, James Barrett 16-148, Logan Rolles 9-73, Colin Lazo 3-60, Jason Swank 8-28, Matt Sklarosky 2-5, Grigas Osten 1-2, TEAM 3- (minus 16).
PASSING — BER, Lear 6-16-1-81. CRE, Jack Rogers 1-2-1-27.
RECEIVING — BER, Billy Hanson 4-29, Kishbaugh 1-33, Harrison Snyder 1-19. CRE, Sklarosky 1-27.
INTERCEPTIONS — BER, Hanson 1-0. CRE, Lazo 1-0.
MISSED FGs — None.