Blue Mountain rallies past Schuylkill Haven
Schuylkill Haven's Colton Reber is tackled during Friday's game against Blue Mountain at Rotary Field (Photo by Brook Koch-Guers)
SCHUYLKILL HAVEN — Schuylkill Haven had all the momentum.
Tyler Stahley quickly gave it back to Blue Mountain moments later.
Stahley’s 38-yard kickoff return in the fourth quarter set up the game-winning score as Blue Mountain rallied past Schuylkill Haven 19-14 in the Backyard Brawl on Friday night at Rotary Field.
Brady Stause’s 1-yard quarterback keeper with 6:15 proved to be the difference as the Eagles outlasted the Hurricanes in the season opener for both teams.
“We talk about it all the time. Adversity is going to come in different forms and fashion, find a way to respond,” Blue Mountain coach Tom Gallagher said. “Each play has a life of its own. The kids did that tonight and (the kickoff return) was one of those plays.”
Stahley’s kickoff return came after Schuylkill Haven had seized a 14-13 lead with 9:06 remaining on a 23-yard touchdown run by Colton Reber and a two-point conversion pass from Brayden Fasnacht to Reber.
Stahley fielded the kickoff at his own 11, shed a would-be tackler and then burst up the sideline to the Eagles’ 49. A pair of passes, one from Strause to Bradley Renninger for 18 yards and another from Strause to Stahley for 11 yards, quickly moved Blue Mountain deep into Schuylkill Haven territory.
“I saw the outside was free. I knew we had to get there,” Stahley said of the kickoff return. “We had to score. We couldn’t lose this game. The outside was free and I busted over there.”
After runs of 7, 11 and 3 yards by Stahley, Strause followed his offensive line into the end zone to put Blue Mountain up for good.
“Everything on that drive, it wasn’t clean, but it was the football that we can play,” Strause said. “We can show that on a more dominant level as the year goes on.”
Blue Mountain’s defense then rose to the occasion, forcing a three-and-out. The Eagles then salted the final 4:23 off the clock with a nine-play drive that was capped by a gutsy fake-punt call with 23 seconds left on fourth-and-6 from the Haven 44.
Reese Miller took the direct snap and galloped 30 yards down the middle of the field before being tackled, clinching the victory for Blue Mountain.
Blue Mountain dominated the stat sheet, with Stahley rushing 21 times for 68 yards and the Eagles collecting 139 yards rushing to Schuylkill Haven’s 105.
Strause, a junior making his first start under center, completed 13-of-17 passes for 215 yards and a touchdown.
“I thought he did a great job,” Gallagher said of Strause. “He remained composed. He made big plays. He wasn’t afraid to make mistakes. He left it all out there. That’s what we needed him to do.”
A big reason for Blue Mountain’s dominance was the Eagles’ play in the trenches. Despite senior center Nick Beckfield and senior tackle Cole Wargo both being out due to injuries, Blue Mountain’s offensive line of sophomore Hunter Reichart, junior Dylan Foose, sophomore Vaughn Helverson, sophomore Ryan Clemas and sophomore Kurt Krammes created holes for the Eagles’ backs to run through.
Defensively, Blue Mountain’s front four of Jayden Blankenhorn, Renninger, Foose and Helverson clogged holes as the Eagles prevented Haven standout tailback Niko Carestia from breaking off a big run.
Carestia was held to 62 yards on 18 carries. Haven went a stretch from the 5-minute mark of the first quarter (its first drive) to the 11:42 mark of the fourth quarter without gaining a first down.
“We had four sophomores and a junior in there … we have a big, strong offensive line that likes to play football,” Gallagher said. “They embrace being offensive linemen. We leaned on them today and they found a way to help us win the game tonight.”
Despite the Eagles’ statistical dominance, Haven was in the game until the very end.
After a scoreless first half, Blue Mountain grabbed the lead first with a five-play, 73-yard drive that was capped by Hunter Blankenhorn’s 8-yard TD run.
A 54-yard screen pass from Strause to Stahley set things up.
“I caught the ball and saw wide open, no one in sight,” Stahley said of the screen. “I just kept running … easy yards.”
Haven tied the game 6-6 two series later when Carestia stepped in front of a Strause pass and returned it 15 yards for a score.
The Eagles answered right before the end of the third quarter when Strause hit Gaige Guers on a beautifully thrown pass down the middle and the senior split end outran the Haven defense for a 66-yard touchdown.
After three frames, the Eagles led 13-6.
