Danville shut out in state quarterfinals

Nov. 27—LEHIGHTON — What Danville's players couldn't have known as they met with family members and well-wishers after Friday's 28-0 loss to Neumann-Goretti was that across the football field Albie Crosby was relieved his Saints had contained the Ironmen playmakers.

That seemed counter-intuitive, given his own talent-laden roster, but Crosby wanted to avoid a shootout at frigid Lehighton High School. So he focused on disarming the Ironmen's two biggest weapons: 1,500-yard rusher Ty Stauffer and 1,000-yard receiver Carson Persing.

"You watch (Stauffer) focus his will when running ... we felt we had to get him stopped before he got started. If he did get started, we felt we were going to be in trouble," said Crosby. "We also had to figure out how to stop (Persing). The first couple drives he was moving the sticks on us."

Neumann-Goretti wrecked the Danville rushing attack by dominating at the line of scrimmage, and pushed the Ironmen into difficult down-and-distance situaitons throughout the PIAA Class 3A quarterfinal.

Danville was in the black after its first carry but never again, finishing with minus-4 yards on 27 rush attempts, and the pass couldn't move the ball beyond the the Saints' 18.

"Offensively, we struggled all night for everything we had," said Ironmen coach Mike Brennan. "The speed and size difference (turned the game)."

Neumann-Goretti (12-1), which beat South Philadelphia 54-0 in the 81st edition of their Thanksgiving Day rivalry a day earlier, advanced to the Class 3A semifinals. The District 12 champion Saints will face either District 2 winner Scranton Prep or District 3 champ Wyomissing, who play today.

Danville, which repeated as District 4 champion, finished 8-5.

"They've got great players," said Stauffer. "They've got guys committed to Division I schools, and we knew that. They're a good team all-around; they're coached well. We just got beat out."

"You tip your cap," Persing added, "but it's definitely disappointing when you don't get the opportunities you think you're going to get."

The Ironmen won the toss and elected to receive, and quickly moved the ball into Saints territory.

Danville junior quarterback Zach Gordon, who returned to the starting lineup after missing the district final with an illness, found Persing for a 13-yard gain and a first down near midfield. Danville then lost 5 yards on a QB run and 11 more on a sack by 6-foot-2, 230-pound senior middle linebacker Anthony Johnson.

Though Gordon and Persing hooked up for 23 yards on third down, Neumann-Goretti's penetration resulted in a 5-yard loss on fourth down from the Saints' 44. The trouble at the point of attack led to Danville needing an average of 9.2 yards on its nine second-down plays in the first half.

"They had a distinct size advantage, especially against our guards, where we're smallish; we're young at the center spot; and we're very inexperienced — only two-year players, a one-year starter — at the tackle spots," Brennan said. "When you face a team with movement and linebackers that ran like they did, the physicality of Johnson, and the closing speed of the secondary ...

"Even when we had things, it was taken away very quickly."

Stauffer, who entered the game with 1,492 yards and 18 touchdowns on the ground this season, gained positive yardage on just four of his 13 rushes, with a long of 9 yards.

"They dominated us up front," he said. "We tried to run the ball. We couldn't. Their line dominated ours."

After its initial turnover on downs, Danville fumbled away the ball on two of its next three series, and the Saints went up 14-0 just 46 seconds into the second quarter.

Neumann-Goretti broke through with 2:32 to play in the first following a fumble recovery by West Virginia commit Raleigh Collins, one of the Saints' eight Philadelphia Catholic League Blue Division first-team all-stars. The recovery near midfield and a 47-yard pass from Marqui Adams to Jasir Jefferson set up Jayden Sumpter's 2-yard TD run.

Following the Ironmen's second punt of the opening quarter, the Saints marched 65 yards, and scored on a Wildcat run by Shawn Battle, who raced 17 yards to the left pylon on fourth down.

Neumann-Goretti's other scores came 10 minutes apart in the third quarter. Sumpter broke a 42-yard scoring run on the second snap after halftime, and his 36-yard bolt set up a 7-yard TD by Jayden Styles.

Sumpter finished with 152 yards on 17 carries, while Styles went for 62 on 12 runs.

"We've been blessed to have some talented athletes," said Crosby, "and whenever you're able to get them the ball in a one-on-one matchup, it usually works in our favor."

The Saints' fourth touchdown capped a drive that was extended by an impromptu fake punt. After Danville held on third down from the Saints' 23, Styles jumped for a high punt snap and broke several tackles while juking his way to 6-yards and a first down. The Saints made it 28-0 five plays later.

"It's definitely frustrating," Persing said, "knowing you play a solid set of downs on defense and they just make a play."

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PIAA CLASS 3A QUARTERFINAL

At Lehighton High School

NEUMANN-GORETTI 28, DANVILLE 0

Neumann-Goretti (12-1);6;8;14;0 — 28

Danville (8-5);0;0;0;0 — 0

SCORE BY QUARTERS

First quarter

NG-Jayden Sumpter 6 run (run failed), 2:32

Second quarter

NG-Shawn Battle 17 run (Jayden Styles pass from Marqui Adams), 11:14

Third quarter

NG-Sumpter 42 run (Styles run), 11:27

NG-Styles 7 run (run failed), 1:12

TEAM STATISTICS

;NG;D

First downs;16;8

Rushes-yards;40-266;27-(-4)

Passing yards;110;99

Passing;7-15-1;10-21-1

Fumbles-lost;4-2;3-2

Penalties-yards;12-115;3-11

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING — Neumann-Goretti: Jayden Sumpter 17-152, 2 TDs; Jayden Styles 12-62, TD; Marqui Adams 3-27; Shawn Battle 2-20, TD; Raleigh Collins 1-4; Jasir Jefferson 5-1. Danville: Aaron Johnson 1-7; Madden Patrick 5-4; Carson Persing 1-1; Ty Stauffer 13-(-5); Zach Gordon 7-(-11).

PASSING — Neumann-Goretti: Adams 7-15-1, 110 yards. Danville: Gordon 5-11-1, 72 yards; Patrick 5-10-0, 27 yards.

RECEIVING — Neumann-Goretti: Kevin Thomas 3-35; Jefferson 2-53; Colton Callueng 2-22. Danville: Persing 8-77; Mason Raup 1-13; Hayden Winn 1-9.