Pirates counter bad 1st half with emotionally charged rally for OT win
Palisades called timeout to talk about its decision to kick a field goal or go for on fourth down in overtime, trailing Catasauqua by three points.
But the only real discussion was the play to call.
“I told [assistant coach] Brian [Gilbert] as long as we’re within 5-yard line,” head coach Bobby Smith said, “we’re going for it.
“I wanted to end it and you kind of feel how the kids feel about it. They wanted to go for it, so we did.”
John Haubert’s 3-yard touchdown allowed Palisades to rally from a 14-point halftime deficit to win 20-17 on Friday night to capture the Colonial-Schuylkill League White Division title.
“When we were in the huddle, we ran that counter because it hadn’t been stopped,” Haubert said, “so we ran it.
“We wanted to get the game over, so that’s what we did.”
Palisades took advantage of a blocked punt and fumble recovery on its first two possessions of the third quarter to overcome the 14-0 deficit.
Danny Haubert’s blocked punt led to cousin John Haubert’s 9-yard TD run at the 10:08 mark of the third quarter.
Kai Stiansen then recovered a fumble on Catasauqua’s next offensive play. The Pirates quarterback then finished off the 56-yard drive with a 16-yard touchdown run on third down to tie the game with 6:25 left in the third.
“The two blocked punts and the two fumbles,” Catasauqua coach Travis Brett said, “that was the difference in the game.
Palisades partially blocked Catasauqua’s next punt, but missed the first of two 30-yard field goals in the final minute of the third quarter.
A 40-yard completion from Christian Fye to Wyatt Younes ended with a lost fumble.
The Pirates then ran more than eight minutes off the clock, but missing another 30-yard field goal.
Catasauqua’s last series of regulation ended thanks to a penalty near midfield.
The Rough Riders got the ball first in overtime, but Danny Haubert’s tackle for loss on second down and Kyle Kirsch’s pressure forced a third-down incompletion. Fye then booted a 25-yard field goal for the 20-17 lead.
“That was my first overtime game,” Brett said. “When you’re not in those games, you try to make the right decision. I think we made the right decision to kick the field goal. We just needed to make that stop there, and we didn’t.”
Rough first half
Catasauqua had four penalties on its first drive.
The Rough Riders’ series stalled at the Pirates’ 36 despite a tremendous one-handed 35-yard catch by Ian Juica.
Palisades managed only 36 yards offense on its five drives in the first two quarters, all on the ground.
After missing a field goal on its second possession, Catasauqua broke through when Anthonie Hunsicker broke from a tackle in the middle of the line and outran the defense for a 69-yard touchdown run with 10 minutes, 55 seconds left in the first half.
Hunsicker had 120 rushing yards, his third game of 100 or more this season.
Ezra Garcia’s 4-yard tackle for loss ended the Pirates’ next drive.
Jyzaiah Bonilla and Younes combined to stop Palisades’ Steven Lilly on fourth down on the next Palisades drive.
Three plays later, Fye hit Younes with a 36-yard touchdown pass for a 14-0 lead.
Younes outbattled two Palisades defenders for the catch, then avoided a tackle at the 3-yard line and scooted into the end zone with 1:05 left in the second quarter.
Up next
Catasauqua (5-4) hosts Salisbury (0-9) at 7 p.m. Friday. Palisades (7-2) visits Saucon Valley (3-6) at 7 Friday.