Bruce Harbach-Schuylkill Valley

It was fitting that the game ended with an interception by Schuylkill Valley sophomore Grant Vogel in the end zone. The Panthers’ defense was the story of the 51st Frost Bowl. They forced four turnovers, all in the second half, and didn’t allow a point after halftime. “We have a lot of young kids playing and they did a great job,” emphasized head coach Bruce Harbach. Schuylkill Valley defeated Hamburg 31-13 on Friday night in Leesport. The Panthers have won four straight against their rivals from the north. “We treat it like Week 8. We try to calm down the Frost Bowl hype. We let the school and the community handle that stuff,” replied Harbach. The two schools are separated by just eight miles. Schuylkill Valley leads the all-time series (26-24-1).

The offenses took center stage in the first quarter. Brandon Pyle’s 14-yard touchdown run capped the Panthers’ opening 50-yard possession. The Hawks responded by going 59 yards for a score. On fourth-and-6, freshman quarterback Isaac McFadden hit Owen Bentz for a first down to the 42-yard line. A defensive holding penalty on fourth-and-7 kept the drive alive. McFadden finished it off with a 1-yard touchdown run, but the extra point was no good. Pyle, a sprinter on the track & field team, ripped off a 60-yard run down the left sideline on the ensuing series. That set up a 3-yard TD pass from Alex Aletras to sophomore Anthony Batista along the right sideline. Hamburg answered almost immediately. McFadden raced 65 yards down the left sideline for a touchdown with ten seconds left in the first quarter. The Hawks trailed 14-13 after twelve minutes.

Harbach, who was inducted into the PSFCA Hall of Fame this year, had a very clear message to his players at the break. “Let’s play physical football, come out and control the line of scrimmage. Our kids listened at halftime and that’s what we did,” he said. Hamburg recovered an onside kick to begin the third quarter. However, Ervin Ortiz came up with an interception on fourth down at his 16-yard line. Pyle then took a shovel pass from Aletras and sprinted 84 yards down the left sideline for a touchdown. “That play really wasn’t run for about 3-4 weeks,” noted Harbach. The quick strike made it 21-13 with 8:55 remaining in the third quarter.

McFadden was sacked and fumbled at his 14-yard line a few minutes into the fourth quarter. The Panthers turned that takeaway into a 28-yard field goal by Reese Wamsher with 5:13 to go. An interception by Alex Gehret gave Schuylkill Valley the ball back at the Hawks’ 44-yard line. Ortiz went 25 yards up the middle for a 31-13 advantage with 2:15 left. Vogel picked off backup quarterback Isaak Stewart on the final play. The (5-3, 4-1) Panthers were +4 in turnover differential.

Schuylkill Valley outgained Hamburg 404-to-295. Aletras was 13-of-19 for 249 yards and a pair of touchdowns. The 6’, 175-pound junior added 59 yards on 13 carries. “In the past two weeks, we instituted the quarterback run game. He’s done real well with it,” explained Harbach. Pyle ran 13 times for 67 yards. The 5’10, 170-pound senior racked up 145 yards on three catches. Gehret chipped in with six receptions for 86 yards. The Hawks dropped to (2-6, 1-4). McFadden ended up 13-of-21 for 122 yards and 2 INT. The talented freshman ran for 66 yards and 2 TD on ten carries. Bryce Schmeck, a 205-pound sophomore, grinded out 73 yards on 20 touches.

The Panthers have won four of their last five games. They travel to Annville-Cleona next Friday. The Dutchmen and Berks Catholic are tied atop Section 5 of the Lancaster-Lebanon League with (5-0) league records. “It’s been more parity than most years. I call it the fun section. I guess it comes down to how healthy are you at the end of the year,” said Harbach.