No. 3 Quaker Valley bounces back with win over No. 2 Seton LaSalle

By: HSSN Staff
Saturday, October 21, 2017 | 12:57 AM

One thing a team can't wait to do after a loss is get back on the field and get rid of the bad taste in their mouths.

Class 3A No. 3 Quaker Valley was in that exact situation Friday after losing to top-ranked Aliquippa last week.

The Quakers' faced a daunting challenge with a nonconference game against Class 3A No. 2 Seton LaSalle, but bounced back in a big way.

Quaker Valley (8-1) traveled to Peters Township Stadium on the Rebels' senior night and got back on track with a 42-7 win over Seton LaSalle.

“Last week, we couldn't celebrate. We were disappointed,” QV coach Jerry Veshio said. “The kids were angry with the loss. Because it was the first loss of the season, I challenged them to respond. You kind of saw what it was tonight.”

The Quakers' defense accomplished a first this season by not allowing Rebels senior running back Lionel Deanes, the WPIAL's leading rusher entering the game, to get more than 100 yards rushing.

Deanes, who entered the game with 1,656 yards rushing and 17 touchdowns, was just held to 22 yards on 17 carries. Last week, Deanes ran for 288 yards in a 21-10 win over Freeport.

“It was our goal to shut him down and make them do things that they aren't wanting to do,” Veshio said.

The Rebels (7-1) mustered only 105 yards of offense, including 87 yards on the ground.

“I don't think we played to the best of our ability. One thing I have been telling the Rebels all year is the only team that truly can beat you guys is yourself,” Seton LaSalle coach Rob Carter said.

“That is a real good team there. They deserve it. They played hard for 48 minutes. I thought we played hard at times, but obviously not all the time.”

After a Rebels' three-and-out to start the game, the Quakers didn't waste anytime getting on the scoreboard, as junior running back Quinn Hill rushed for a 63-yard touchdown on the second play from scrimmage.

On ensuing drive, Seton LaSalle answered with a 27-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Matt Banbury to junior Jamar Shegog. The drive was kept alive after the Rebels recovered a muffed punt by the Quakers deep in QV territory.

As the Quakers defense was suffocating the Rebels run game, the Quaker Valley offense, led by senior quarterback Ricky Guss, started to create some separation on the scoreboard before halftime.

The Quakers collected 411 yards of total offense, including 192 rushing yards.

“It was a whole team effort. They are very cerebral, and we don't make a lot of mistakes. We don't make a lot of mental mistakes,” Veshio said.

“If you play high school football and not make a lot of mental mistakes, you are going to win 75 percent of the time.”

A couple drives after the Rebels tied the game in the first quarter, Guss made a tough fourth-down conversion to keep a drive alive. One play later, Guss found Hill in the back of the end zone for a 20-yard touchdown pass to put the Quakers up 15-7.

In the second quarter, the Quakers defense, with a combination of Rebels penalties, made a stand after a bad punt gave the Rebels the ball at the Quaker Valley 45-yard line.

Right before the half, Guss found senior running back Jordan Taylor on a screen pass for a 41-yard touchdown. The score came a minute after the Rebels made a goal line stand.

The Quakers finished with five unanswered touchdowns, including a 15-yard run by Guss on the first drive of the second half.

Guss completed 8 of 16 passes for 212 yards and three touchdown, while rushing for 81 yards for the Quakers.

Andrew John is freelance writer.

Tags: Quaker Valley