Mt. Pleasant wins high-scoring, OT affair against Greensburg Central Catholic

By: Ted Sarneso
Friday, August 30, 2024 | 11:05 PM

It was another high-scoring affair between Mt. Pleasant and Greensburg Central Catholic, and this year’s iteration took double overtime.

Vikings quarterback Cole Chatfield found sophomore running back Stephen Predajna wide open in the right flat for a touchdown, and Predajna punched in the 2-point conversion for a 36-35 Mt. Pleasant victory Friday.

“I couldn’t believe the pass was going to come my way,” Predajna said. “But I was stoked to catch it and win the game.”

On a hot and humid night that saw a lot of players cramping, Mt. Pleasant (1-1) used six different running backs to great success against GCC.

The Vikings ran RPOs and a bit of the triple option, gaining positive yards on nearly every run and chewing up clock.

“We started off slow and against their type of offense that runs the ball so effectively and efficiently,” said Centurions coach John Thompson.

The success of the running game put a smile on Vikings coach Jason Fazekas.

“We had some mistakes and costly decisions, but I never questioned our game and what we set out to do,” Fazekas said. “We had a throw ready for the 2-point conversion at the end, but we decided to stick with what we know best.”

Fazekas credits his young offensive line for the running games success, and Predajna knows how to repay them.

“I love my offensive line. We’re all really close, and I’ll be taking them out to dinner after this because they fought hard all game,” Predajna said.

Added Fazekas: “They did an outstanding job tonight.”

Mt. Pleasant drove down the field on its opening drive, running the ball 10 out of 11 plays, capped by a 1-yard touchdown run by junior Brody Hutter. Highlighting the drive was a 30-yard run by senior running back Garret Eicher.

Going with what worked on their first drive, the Vikings didn’t throw the ball, executing eight straight running plays with Hutter punching it in from five yards out.

Chatfield finished with 5 completions on 9 attempts for 56 yards, a touchdown and an interception.

Hutter carried the ball 13 times for 87 yards and two touchdowns, and Jarrett Garn totaled 64 yards on seven carries and a touchdown.

Greensburg Central (1-1) finally got on the board with six and a half minutes left in the first half. Senior Samir Crosby used his arm and legs to will the Centurions to the end zone. He connected on passes of 28 and 20 yards and finished the drive with a 3-yard QB sneak.

Defensively, Mt. Pleasant employed packages with more linebackers and defensive backs to try to contain Crosby’s athleticism.

“How could you not?” said Fazekas. “He’s fantastic. I give them a whole lot of credit. They played a heck of a game.”

After another Mt. Pleasant turnover, the Centurions had a short field to work with, driving 19 yards, capped by Crosby’s second sneak of the night.

The Vikings answered on their second drive after the half as Garn ran right, cut back to open field and scored a 41-yard touchdown.

Crosby worked his second-half magic again, driving the Centurions the length of the field for a fourth-quarter score, aided by two Mt. Pleasant penalties, including a pass interference.

Crosby found Landon Honick deep for a 44-yard pass on first down and punched it in to tie the score 21-21.

“There are no more adjectives left to describe what Samir has done for us,” Thompson said. “He just has that ‘it’ factor, things you can’t coach.”

Crosby finished the night going 13 of 28 for 218 yards and two touchdowns through the air and ran for 125 yards on 22 carries and a pair of touchdowns.

After a stalled Mt. Pleasant drive, Greensburg Central missed a 36-yard field goal with a minute to go, and neither team did anything positive on their next two drives and the game went to overtime.

In the extra frame, Predajna scored on a 10-yard run to put the Vikings up 28-21.

The Centurions answered as Crosby found senior wideout Jackson McMullen in the back of the end zone for a score. Gerald Davis made the extra point and the teams went to a second overtime.

“I’m so proud of the grit and fight our team showed again this week,” Thompson said. “We just need to get off to better starts.”

On the Centurions’ final possession, Crosby ran the ball twice, scoring on his third sneak to make it 35-28 in the second overtime.

Next week, Mt. Pleasant hosts Burrell in another nonsection matchup, and Greensburg Central travels to Apollo-Ridge.

Tags: Greensburg C.C., Mt. Pleasant