Pottsville shocks Robinson in 4th

The Pottsville Apaches scored on three of their final four possessions in the fourth quarter, overcoming a 20-point deficit to come away with a 28-27 victory over Pulaski Robinson Friday night.

The Apaches (6-3, 4-2) used their dead-T offense, with two tight ends, to rally past the Senators (7-2, 4-2).

The winning score came when 5-7 senior quarterback Jake Duggar hit a wide open Austin Bell on an 18-yard touchdown pass with 36 seconds remaining. Sophomore Stephen Judkins made the extra point to put the Arrows ahead.

Pottsville had to knock down two passes at the goal line in the closing seconds to preserve the victory.

“We made a lot of mistakes and it really looked lit was going to be going the wrong way but our kids finally stepped up like we have been waiting all year,” Coach Bryan Rust said. “We had some great moments, some great quarters, some great halves and some great three quarters but this is the first time we actually stepped up and played four full quarters.”

The Senators, who led 14-7 at halftime, built a 27-7 lead on a 12-yard pass from Brennen Johnson to Myles Fells and a 1-yard run by Fells with 4:37 left in the third quarter. Hunter Eskola kicked both extra points and was 3 of 3 on the night. The Senators’ trick play after they scored their second TD failed and wound up leaving them a point short.

The Apache drove 65 yards in 11 plays to make it 27-14 with 11:17 left. Dugger scrambled from 14 for the score.

Three plays later, Will Holsomback recovered a Robinson fumble at the Apache 42. An unsportsmanlike call against the Senators, and a 32-yard run by Alec Metz set up a 2-yard scoring run by 235-pound fullback Austin McNeely, who ran for 137 yards in the game and scored twice. That made it 27-21 at the 9-minute mark.

The Apaches’ winning drive came when a scrambling Johnson was intercepted by Josh Dugger with 3:36 left at their 18. It took 12 plays with the big throws being a 16-yarder to Bryce Prince and the winning 18-yarder to Bell.

Pottsville frustrated the big-play, quick-strike Senators with their ball-control offense. The Apaches ran 64 plays to the Senators’ 41 and they shut down T.J. Hammonds running, although he did catch 5 passes for 124 yards and a touchdown. That score gave Robinson a 14-7 halftime lead.