Blue Mountain cruises past Bangor
The Blue Mountain All-Sports Hall of Fame inducted eight new members during halftime of Friday's win over Bangor at the Eagles' Nest. This year's inductees include, from left: Amanda Bedway Adams, Abigail Fanellli, James Laubenstein, Joshua Miller, James Moore Jr., Stephanie Shaner, Scott Thomas and Larry Borden (Photo by Leroy Boyer).
ORWIGSBURG — Blue Mountain head coach Tom Gallagher was disappointed in himself the way his team performed last week in their loss to Northwestern Lehigh.
This week’s message to his team at practice was better energy and better execution.
Message received.
The Eagles scored on their first three possessions and dominated in all facets of the game en route to a 49-7 victory over Bangor in a Schuylkill/Colonial Red Division game at the Eagles’ Nest.
Blue Mountain (4-1, 3-1 Red) received the opening kickoff and wasted no time in putting points on the board. The eight-play, 60-yard drive ended when Tyler Stahley plunged in from 1 yard out.
The Eagles’ defense gave the ball right back to the offense on Bangor’s second play from scrimmage when Gaige Guers picked off a Jaxson Kreider pass at the Slaters’ 38-yard line. The drive ended the same way as the first, this time with a 4-yard Lukas Kaufman touchdown run.
After a Slater punt, Blue Mountain quickly extended its lead. On the first play, quarterback Brady Strause found tight end Bradley Renninger wide open over the middle for a 53-yard touchdown strike. Aidan Grace, who was 7-for-7 on extra points on the night, gave Blue Mountain a 21-0 lead after one quarter.
Strause started off hot for the Eagles. The junior completed nine of his first 12 passes on the night for 164 yards and the score.
“He got back on track tonight and that’s the kind of performance we expect out of him,” Gallagher said. “We want to see him to continue to get better each week. That’s what we need and that’s what we expect.”
After Kauffman scored his second touchdown of the night, this time from 2 yards out, Bangor (0-5, 0-4 Red) went to the air for its only score. Kreider found a wide open Tyler Pelicocci for a 71-yard touchdown strike.
That was the only time the Slaters mounted any kind of offense on the night as the Eagles defense controlled the line of scrimmage. Bangor’s longest rush on the night was 6 yards and the Slaters ended the night with zero yards in the rushing category.
“Every time we come out here we want to get a shut out,” Gallagher said. “I thought we did a really good job tonight with our preparation, intensity and our overall execution.”
After the Bangor score, the Eagles and Strause went right back to work on the offensive side of the ball. Strause found Cole Swick for a 14-yard completion. Then he hit Renninger for a 19-yard strike. Strause used his legs for an 11-yard scamper. Then back to Swick for another 15 yards. The drive ended ended with a Hunter Blankenhorn 2-yard touchdown plunge that gave the Eagles a 35-7 halftime lead.
The Eagles induced the mercy rule with their first drive of the third quarter. Stahley scored his second touchdown of the night, this time from 15 yards out, and gave the Eagles a 42-7 lead. Stahley carried the ball 15 timed for 127 yards and the two scores.
Brody Foose capped the scoring on the night later in the third quarter when he broke free for a 54-yard touchdown run. With the win the Eagles improved to 4-1 at the halfway point of the regular season.
“I like where we are at considering the obstacles that came our way,’’ Gallagher said. “Now that those things are behind us our main focus is to get better every week. Hopefully the team that you see now will only be a better football team at the end of Week 10.”
