Cernuto, Harper lift Southmoreland past Mt. Pleasant

By: Jamie Rankin
Saturday, August 24, 2019 | 12:49 AM

Zach Cernuto passed for 168 yards, and Colt Harper churned out 86 yards on 21 carries, scoring four touchdowns, and hauled in a pair of receptions as the Southmoreland football team recovered from a shaky start Friday to open its season with a 27-14 nonconference win at Mt. Pleasant.

“I’m very happy. The beginning of the season, the first win is always a big one,” Southmoreland coach Dave Keefer said. “We fought through some mistakes early, then we seemed to find our niche.”

The first half was riddled with errors and trick plays — some that worked and some that didn’t — on both sides. In the first quarter alone, there were two interceptions, two fumbles, a blocked punt and six penalty flags.

The Scotties seemed to find their footing first, sticking with the run game after Harper caught Southmoreland’s first interception of the game late in the opening period. The Scotties got short rushes from Cernuto, Brandon Peterson and Bret Huffman, setting up Harper’s 3-yard run into the end zone on the second play of the second quarter. Harper also ran for the 2-point conversion as Southmoreland went ahead 8-0.

The Vikings answered with less than a minute to play in the half after a nine-play drive that saw some nice runs from Jake Johnson, as well as a 27-yard rumble from Donavin Bair. It was Johnson that capped the drive with a 13-yard touchdown run, but a blocked point-after attempt left Mt. Pleasant trailing 8-6 at the half.

The Vikings got the ball to start the second half, but two consecutive penalties put them into a first-and-15 situation at their own 4. It was a hole they couldn’t climb out of, punting from deep in their own territory and giving the Scotties excellent field position.

Southmoreland needed just two plays to complete the 37-yard drive. Cernuto hit Riley Comforti for a 30-yard strike, and Harper cashed in from 7 yards out. This time, it was Mt. Pleasant blocking the kick to leave the Scotties hanging onto a 14-6 lead.

An unsportsmanlike conduct penalty helped to kill the Vikings’ ensuing possession, and Southmoreland mounted a long drive, largely on Harper’s back. Cernuto hit Comforti for an 11-yard pass midway through the drive, but then it was back to Harper, who scored a 3-yard touchdown with 26.9 seconds to go in the third quarter. The conversion pass failed, but the Scotties still led 20-6.

Harper rushed for his final touchdown of the game, a 4-yard run, with 6:43 on the clock in the fourth quarter. Andrew Rodriguez kicked the extra point.

Southmoreland wasn’t so fortunate on its next possession, as Mt. Pleasant forced a punt. Johnson, who’d been running well all game long for the Vikings, went the other route, hauling in a 56-yard touchdown pass from Asher O’Connor.

O’Connor hit Bair for the 2-point conversion, but it wasn’t enough, as the Scotties took home the win.

“First of all, congratulations to them. They played a heck of a game,” Mt. Pleasant coach Jason Fazekas said. “It’s hard to overcome penalties. It’s hard to overcome interceptions. That’s just putting ourselves in bad spots, and that’s not what we want to do.”

Jamie Rankin is a contributing writer for the Tribune-Review.

Tags: Mt. Pleasant, Southmoreland