Crusaders finish with tough loss
ND-GP reflective after 49-35 loss in district final
All the little things worked against Notre Dame-Green Pond in its District 11 Class 3A championship loss to North Schuylkill by a score of 49-35. Coach Phil Stambaugh and his seniors reflect on what might have been.
A holding penalty on what would have been a first-down gain and two pass plays that just missed connecting for Notre Dame-Green Pond.
A touchdown run seconds later by North Schuylkill’s Josh Chowansky and the chase was back on.
The Crusaders never found that rhythm or spark on either side of the ball and never led during Wednesday night’s District 11 Class 3A championship game.
That left coach Phil Stambaugh’s club reflective of a great four-year run by the seniors and what could have been in the previous 2 hours, 45 minutes.
“They made the plays in crucial situations and we didn’t,” Stambaugh said. “They were a lot more fluid offensively than we were and their defense came up with key plays.
“That was the difference.” Chowansky ran for 266 yards and three touchdowns, quarterback Jake Hall ran for two scores and threw for two more, and North Schuylkill won its second district title in three years with a 49-35 victory at Northwestern’s Tiger Stadium.
Matt Frauen ran for 226 yards and three touchdowns in his final game for Notre Dame-GP, and Collin Quintano threw for 214 yards and two scores.
But all of the little things worked against the Crusaders (7-1). They lost the battle of field position, they committed penalties at inopportune times and their timing was off more than on in their usually crisp passing game.
And they committed the game’s only turnover, though the Colonial League entry felt it had a fumble recovery late in the third quarter of a one-score game.
“They were a good team,” senior receiver Izzy Rodriguez said of the Spartans. “You have to give it to them. We came out slow, only scored when they scored and couldn’t get momentum ourselves.
“Mistakes happen. I’m not going to blame myteammates. We just fell short. We didn’t do our best.”
North Schuylkill (8-0) controlled the game’s pace by being able to run the ball in all down-and-distance scenarios.
On the game’s opening series, coach Wally Hall’s club rolled through the Notre Dame-GP defense that had allowed 111 points in seven previous games. North Schuylkill needed only six plays and 118 seconds to go 74 yards to take the lead.
After that, the Crusaders struggled to get three-and-outs.
Tied at 7-7, North Schuylkill converted two third downs and used a pass interference to regain the lead in the first minute of the second quarter.
Notre Dame-GP responded with a 77-yard TD pass from Quintano to Rodriguez.
The teams exchanged punts and failed fourth downs on the next four combined series before the Spartans drove 44 yards in 12 plays, all on the ground to grab the lead again.
Coach Wally Hall’s club ran the ball 71 times for 429 yards. Spartans ball carriers ran through arm tackles, found open space and always seemed to fall forward.
“Wewere looking for a spark to score, shut them down,” Stambaugh said. “But things did not go our way. We had opportunities but didn’t cash them in.
“I thought they played well up front on both sides of the ball and felt that was the difference in the game.”
Notre Dame-GP needed only two plays to tie the game at 21-21 just before halftime, with Frauen scoring from 23 yards.
It appeared to be a perfect opportunity for the Crusaders to continue
the momentum into the second half, but a holding call and a pair of incompletions cut short their first series.
The Spartans then got Chowansky’s 56-yard TD run on their first play of the third quarter, and it became apparent little changed after intermission.
Notre Dame-GP again answered immediately, but North Schuylkill countered with another scoring drive in which nine of the 10 plays came on the ground. Jake Hall, the coach’s son, took it in from the 11 to give the Spartans the lead for good.
A questionable pass-interference call sparked the drive.
After Notre Dame-GP came up empty on its next drive, North Schuylkillwentbacktotheground. It ran eight consecutive times before Hall found an open Tanner Walacavage for a 31-yard TDpass.
Then it was time for more reflection.
Frauen’s stellar effort Wednesday completed an outstanding two years at Notre Dame-GP. He rushed for a combined 2,478 yards and 38 touchdowns.
“It’s been the best two years of football in my life,” he said. “I’ve played for 12 years and never felt a brotherhood like these brothers.
“It’s one of the hardest things to leave. I definitely enjoyed it.”
One thing is for sure: North Schuylkill is not going anywhere.
The Spartans return six offensive starters, including Chowansky and Hall, who combined for five rushing scores, and eight on defense, including leading tackler Jaxson Chowansky, a freshmanand Josh’s brother, whowas all over the field Wednesday.
Notre Dame-GP got two tackles for a loss from senior Christian Bell, a sack and two other tackles for a loss from senior William Jordan and two tackles for a loss from senior Joey Rivituso. But the Crusaders could not get off the field they worked so hard to get on in recent weeks because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“[The seniors] have done a lot for the program,” Stambaugh said. “I’m very proud of the kids. They went undefeated in the league this year, won a league title in 2018, [have] been to the [district] finals twice, to the semifinals twice.
“They did not come away with hardware, but there are a lot of good leaders. A lot certainly will be missed out of this group.”
Morning Call reporter Tom Housenick can be reached at 610-820-6651 or at thousenick@mcall.com