PIAA Class AA Football: Williams Valley falls to Riverside in state quarterfinal
Williams Valley's Kian Krzyzanowski (10) and Brayden Crisswell (89) tackle Riverside's Jared Jackson (11) during a PIAA Class AA state football quarterfinal Saturday at Berwick's Crispin Field. (Photo by Fred James)
BERWICK — What might have been …
For the next nine months, Williams Valley will wonder what might have been after its 28-21 loss to Riverside in a PIAA Class AA quarterfinal Saturday afternoon at Crispin Field.
The Vikings will wonder:
**What might have been had they not turned the ball over six times on five fumbles and an interception.
**What might have been had they not had a 74-yard touchdown pass from Brady Shomper to Evan Achenbach in the first quarter called back due to a holding penalty.
**What might have been had they not allowed two Riverside touchdowns in the final 34 seconds of the first half.
**And what might have been had Riverside’s Jared Jackson not made a touchdown-saving, shoestring tackle as Kian Krzyzanowski raced toward the end zone on a 49-yard reception of a Shomper pass late in the fourth quarter.
Despite all that, the District 11 champion Vikings (12-2) had a chance to tie or win the game in the final seconds.
Trailing by seven with 1:41 to play, Williams Valley took over first-and-10 from its 32-yard line. On the first snap, Shomper lofted a perfect pass to Krzyzanowski down the left sideline. He appeared headed to the end zone before Jackson just clipped Krzyzanowski’s feet at the Riverside 19.
An intentional grounding penalty on the next play pushed Williams Valley back to the 34. After an incomplete pass, Riverside’s Graydon Dupree sacked Shomper for a 6-yard loss. On fourth-and-31 from the 40, Williams Valley tried a trick play, Krzyzanowski hitting Brayden Crisswell on a double pass for 19 yards, but that was well short of the first down.
One kneel-down later, Riverside advanced to the state semifinals and ended Williams Valley’s season. District 2 champion Riverside (13-1) will take on District 4 champ Troy (14-0), a 42-16 winner over District 5 winner Bedford on Friday night. The semifinal game will be Nov. 29 or 30 at a site and time to be announced.
“I’m really proud of our kids, the way they battled,’’ Williams Valley coach Stephen Sedesse said. “They played hard and gave us everything they had in the second half, and we were that close.’’
Williams Valley started well, driving to the Riverside 29 in eight plays to open the game. On the ninth, the Vikes fumbled, and Riverside’s Angel Grande recovered.
That was a recurring theme for Williams Valley in the first half, fumbling four times and losing all four of them. In the second half, the Vikes lost another fumble and threw an interception.
Often, Riverside took advantage of those turnovers.
Senior quarterback Chase Taddonio accounted for all four of Riverside’s touchdowns. He connected with Bucknell recruit Richie Kostoff for a 36-yard touchdown to open the scoring, then ripped off a 46-yard touchdown scamper for a 14-0 Riverside lead after the first quarter.
Williams Valley got back in the game by marching 80 yards in nine plays to cut the deficit in half. Receptions of 18 and 20 yards by Blazer Lords got the Vikings close, and Shomper whipped a fastball to Achenbach in the back of the end zone for a 10-yard touchdown.
Williams Valley lost fumbles on its next two possessions, and Riverside made the Vikings pay.
Taddonio threw two TD passes, a 12-yarder to Carmello Barnett and a 9-yarder to J.J. Rogers with seven seconds left in the second quarter for a 28-7 lead at halftime.
“Turnovers, you can’t win with turnovers,’’ Sedesse said.
Williams Valley lost its fifth fumble on its first play of the second half but kept battling.
The next time the Vikings got the ball back, they drove 80 yards on 19 plays to cut the deficit to 28-14 with nine seconds left in the third quarter. Shomper darted and weaved 12 yards for the score.
On its first offensive play of the fourth quarter, freshman running back Fletcher Thompson swept left and raced 66 yards for a touchdown that got Williams Valley within 28-21 with 10:49 left in the game. A Riverside defensive back had the angle on Thompson, but he simply outran the geometry.
Williams Valley had the ball three more times in the fourth quarter but couldn’t scoring the tying touchdown. In the end, the turnovers and missed opportunities proved too much to overcome.
“They showed grit, heart and toughness, and we expected nothing less than that,’’ Riverside coach Harry Armstrong said of Williams Valley. “It’s no surprise whatsoever that they put themselves in this position two years in a row. Their coaching staff has done a great job with their program, giving their players the opportunity to show what kind of guys they are.
“They’re incredibly resilient,’’ Armstrong added. “They really battled their tails off to give themselves a chance to win the game. Far and away the best overall team we played all year, hands down. A lot of credit to those Vikings.
“Hopefully we get a chance to play these guys again next year,’’ he continued. “I think they have a lot of good returning players, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re back again.’’
