HS FOOTBALL: Holzman, Sobol, Spindler turn in big afternoons against Susquehanna

Oct. 9—SUSQUEHANNA — Casey Holzman spent the first half making plays and offering the leadership his teammates have come to expect from him.

He's been in important games and played at a championship level throughout his four seasons at Old Forge and understands what it takes to get there again.

On Saturday afternoon, the spirited Holzman hauled in eight passes for 176 yards and a pair of touchdowns as the eighth-ranked Blue Devils defeated Susquehanna, 42-13, in a Lackawanna Football Conference Division III game at William Emminger Memorial Field.

It is the second straight dominant effort by Old Forge (4-3 overall, 2-0 in Division III), which lost three of its first five games after starting the season among the top Class 1A teams in the state according to a poll by Pennlive.com.

"We knew they were a scrappy team," said Holzman, who recorded the second-best receiving day in program history. "I just like to keep everyone up, especially the young guys, because we have had some tough games."

Old Forge unleashed an efficient and big-play passing attack, building a 42-0 lead in the first half.

James Sobol completed

12 of 18 passes for 239 yards and four touchdowns in the first and second quarters. The burly, 6-foot, 230-pound senior hit five receivers, which included finding Holzman twice, Josh Spindler, and tight end Joe Granko for touchdowns.

"It's been great," said Sobol, who has 969 yards and 12 touchdowns passing this season. "We came into the season hoping that our passing game would work, and at the start of the season it went a little slow. In the last few weeks, we really have picked things up. To see my guys come out and make big plays and get the yards they want is a great thing to see."

Spindler did damage on the ground and through the air.

He caught a middle screen pass and sprinted 40 yards for the first score of the game, added a 45-yard run for a touchdown and finished with 100 yards rushing on nine carries.

"We are just working to get better every week," Spindler said. "On my touchdown run, it was an outside zone play and I had to hit it slowly. I just appreciate all of my linemen blocking for me.

"We just have to keep going and get ready for next week."

Old Forge's defense also dominated. Connor Oshinski forced and recovered a fumble on Susquehanna's first play of the game. That led to a 42-yard completion from Sobol to Holzman that set up a 3-yard touchdown reception by Granko.

A heavy pass rush by Santino Krappa and Cyllel Rose forced an illegal touch on a third-down pass by Susquehanna (3-4, 1-1) that led to a punt. Then, Sobol stayed sharp, hitting a 32-yard pass, a 12-yard pass, and a 1-yard pass for a touchdown, all to Holzman, on the ensuing drive for a 21-0 lead with 8:36 left in the second.

"I just think those big gash plays are so huge," Holzman said. "You get on a team with a few big plays early; that is big. Connor Oshinski had a fumble recovery that bailed us out, and it was all business from there."

Old Forge pulled away as Spindler raced 45 yards for a score at 6:39, and Sobol launched a deep pass to Holzman, who brought it in and sprinted in for a 76-yard touchdown and a 35-0 advantage with 2:54 left in the half.

Nico Killino recovered a fumble that Rose forced on a sack and returned it to the Susquehanna 15. Four plays later, Sobol powered in from

1 yard out on a quarterback sneak for a 42-0 lead with 28 seconds left in the half.

"This is great for us," Sobol said. "This is my senior year, and with us starting off slow, we are starting to get things going. You can see the happiness on the guys' faces when we win and the energy at practice.

"These are memories I am never going to forget."

Old Forge limited Susquehanna to 55 total yards in the first half, with 38 coming on a run by William Marcy.

Susquehanna avoided the shutout when Marcy scored on a 14-yard run to start the fourth quarter. He also had a 38-yard run in the drive and finished with 91 yards on eight carries.

Parker Overbaugh recovered a fumble and took it to the end zone for the Sabers' final score.

Contact the writer: jbfawcett@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9125; @sportsTT on Twitter