Twin Valley defeats Schuylkill Valley in opener, 39-12
After fielding a bunch of questions, Twin Valley coach Brett Myers had one of his own Friday night: How many yards did we run for?
The answer was 303.
The Raiders, in large part because of that strong rushing game, defeated Schuylkill Valley 39-12 in a season-opening, nonleague game at Leesport.
Senior Jaydon Goebel ran for 95 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries, sophomore Evan Johnson had 72 yards and two TDs on 12 carries, and freshman Drew Engle had 86 yards and a TD on 11 carries.
“If you can play great defense and you can run the ball, usually you can control some things,” said Myers following his first game as the Raiders’ coach. “And that helps you when you’re able to move the line of scrimmage. Our big boys did a nice job today.”
Those big boys — Aris Drake at left tackle, Paul McClune at left guard, Masen Ketner at center, Connor Phillips at right guard and the tandem of Sam Donnellan and Noah Roehm at right tackle — helped Twin Valley score twice in the second quarter to take a 13-0 lead, then opened holes as the Raiders put it away after the Panthers seemed poised to get back in it.
“I think we lost a little gas up front,” Schuylkill Valley coach Bruce Harbach said. “They pounded us a little bit up front.”
Goebel, a 6-2, 210-pound senior who hadn’t played since his freshman year, battered his way into the end zone from 8 yards out to put Twin Valley up 7-0 with 10:31 left in the first half.
The Panthers drove into Raiders’ territory on the ensuing possession, but quarterback Michael Goad lost a fumble at the end of a 9-yard run at the 29yard line — the first of five turnovers by Schuylkill Valley — and Twin Valley capitalized.
Johnson capped the 71-yard drive with a 5-yard run to make it 13-0 with 3:52 left in the half.
The Panthers again threatened to score, reaching the Twin Valley 19, before Kellen Styer made an interception with 4.8 seconds left.
“You know, these kids, they gotta learn to win,” Harbach said. “They gotta learn to finish. A couple of times we were inside the red zone and we couldn’t put it in. I mean mistakes killed us. I mean you can’t fumble the ball, can’t throw interceptions. That will kill any team.”
Schuylkill Valley opened the second half by driving 91 yards and scoring on a 5-yard run by Dominic Giuffre to make it 13-6.
Giuffre, a junior, ran for 53 yards on the drive and finished with 144 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries.
Twin Valley answered in four plays, the big one a 34-yard reception by Jordan Rose that took the ball to 1, from where Goebel scored to make it 20-6.
Schuylkill Valley’s last threat to get back in it ended when Styer and Ethan Ameisen stopped Giuffre for no gain on a fourth-and-3 from the Twin Valley 22 on the next possession.
“High school football is all about some small things, and momentum is not very small, but it’s a small play that started the snowball effect,” Myers said. “And sometimes it gets away from the other team when it happens like that.”
It did quickly get away from the Panthers. The Raiders scored touchdowns on their next three possessions to go up 39-6, helped by a throw-back screen to Ean Winchester for 34 yards on a third-and-19 from the Schuylkill Valley 35, a bad snap on a punt that gave Twin Valley the ball at the Panthers’ 5, and an interception.
Myers was back on the sidelines after not coaching last season following a successful nine-season run at Middletown, where he compiled a 73-22 record and won three straight district titles.
“It’s great for our kids,” he said of the win. “They put in three hard weeks. It’s just great to see our kids working hard over the past couple of weeks and be able to come out and enjoy it in the first game.”
On the other side, Harbach said he thinks his team will be fine down the road. He knows what needs to be corrected. The Panthers did rush for 180 yards and were only outgained 417398.
“I told the kids be upset for 24 hours and then come back on Monday, go to work for next week,” Harbach said. “It’s one game, We’ve still got nine to go.”