Deer Lakes routs Southmoreland for 1st playoff victory in school history

By: Michael Love
Friday, November 3, 2023 | 10:45 PM

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Something had to give Friday when Southmoreland and Deer Lakes met in a WPIAL Class 3A first-round game at Lancers Stadium.

Neither team had won a playoff game in its history. The Lancers came in with an 0-3 mark, and the Scotties had lost their first four postseason opportunities.

Deer Lakes made sure its fortunes changed in its second-ever home playoff game.

The Lancers, the third-place team from the Allegheny 6 Conference, exploded for 27 second-quarter points, led by 22 at halftime, and came away with a 48-18 victory in a matchup of the No. 8 and No. 9 seeds.

Deer Lakes coach Tim Burk was filled with emotion during the postgame celebration.

“I couldn’t be any happier for this group,” he said.

“To go from 0-7 three years ago to winning a playoff game for the first time in school history, I am honored to be their coach. They deserve everything that comes to them. I don’t know if the emotions will fully set in, though, because we have to get back to work tomorrow morning. But this is so special.”

Friday’s game was a rematch of a nonconference game at Southmoreland from September won by Deer Lakes, 24-7.

“The guys have never stopped believing in what we do and what we preach,” Burk said.

“Southmoreland is a good football team. They wanted to come in and knock us off and get their first playoff win. But everyone stepped up and made plays.”

Deer Lakes, 8-3 overall, moves into the quarterfinals and will travel to No. 1 Belle Vernon (8-1) next Friday.

“We had goals coming into the season of a conference title and getting a playoff game at home and getting that first playoff win,” senior lineman Nick Rossi said.

“We didn’t get the conference title, but we refocused on this game, and this was such a big win in my eyes. Now, we get to go down to Belle Vernon and show them what we’re made of.”

Southmoreland, the third-place team from the Interstate Conference, caps its season at 6-5.

“I really appreciated the guys this season, especially the seniors who helped build a foundation for the future with getting into the playoffs a couple of times,” Scotties coach Tim Bukowski said.

“Hopefully, the underclassmen will work hard to get to that next level and get that first playoff win.”

Deer Lakes extended its lead to 41-12 with 6 minutes, 24 seconds left in the third quarter on a 2-yard keeper from quarterback Derek Burk.

The Lancers capped their scoring with 7:20 on the fourth-quarter clock as Burk found Zach Grant for an 8-yard touchdown.

The duo connected on three TD passes. Grant finished with seven catches for 74 yards, and Burk completed 10 of his 16 passes for 146 yards.

The final Deer Lakes score and point-after kick from Noah Shurina put the score at 48-12 and put the mercy rule running clock into the affect for the remainder of the game.

Southmoreland capped the scoring as quarterback Kadin Keefer hooked up with wideout Wyatt Richter for 32 yards with 3:19 left.

Deer Lakes got on the board with 2:52 left in the first quarter as quarterback Derek Burk shoveled a pass to Zach Grant who sprinted into the end zone from 5 yards.

The Lancers then created separation early in the second quarter with three touchdowns in a 1:57 span.

Aiden Fletcher capped a three-play drive with a 12-yard run with 10:16 left until halftime.

Nathaniel Moore recovered a Da’sjon Craggette fumble and returned it 24 yards with 10 minutes left on the clock.

The Lancers then took advantage of a Ryan Cochran interception. Running back Zier Williams ran it in from 6 yards with 8:19 left in the second. The point-after kick was no good, but Deer Lakes led 27-0.

Craggette got Southmoreland into the scoring column on a 54-yard scamper with 6:34 to play until the break. He finished the first half with 116 yards on 17 carries.

But Deer Lakes answered with 2:31 on the clock as Grant and Burk hooked up for the second time, this time from 9 yards. Shurina’s point-after kick was good, and the Lancers led 34-6.

The Scotties didn’t go into the half quietly and drove 50 yards on 12 plays. Kadin Keefer threw 6 yards to Ty Keffer for the TD with 6 seconds left. A conversion pass attempt was no good.

“We had those two big turnovers, and they capitalized on them like good teams do,” Bukowski said.

“We couldn’t afford to do those kind of things if we hoped to win this game. They were a little bigger and stronger than us up front both ways, and that was a big difference in the game.”

Craggette and Williams surpassed 100 yards rushing. Craggette, who tallied a school-record 335 yards to go with four touchdowns last week against Mt. Pleasant, finished with 146 yards on 23 carries against Deer Lakes.

Williams, who went over 1,000 yards for the season in last week’s victory over rival Freeport, collected 115 yards on 21 attempts.

“We had to come out fast, and we did as we scored on our first drive,” Williams said

“We opened a big lead, and we stuck with it from there. I think that (second quarter) stunned them, and they weren’t able to recover.

“This win means so much to everyone. But we’re going to keep working. We’re going to celebrate this one, but we’ll get back on the field Monday ready to go.”

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.

Tags: Deer Lakes, Southmoreland