Derry inches closer to Class 3A Big East title, blanks Deer Lakes

By: HSSN Staff
Friday, October 19, 2018 | 10:24 PM

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Derry went 33 years between conference championships when it won a title two seasons ago.

The time gap has closed substantially as the Trojans continue to chase their third title in as many years.

No. 2 Derry established its defensive presence early and plowed its way to a 37-0 victory over Deer Lakes on Friday night for the team’s 18th straight win at Trojan Stadium.

The Trojans (8-1, 6-1) split the Class 2A Interstate Conference with Elizabeth Forward and South Park last season. This year, the Class 3A Big East also could end in a three-way tie for first.

Derry, North Catholic and Elizabeth Forward are locked at 6-1 with a week to go before the playoffs.

The top two teams, which might need to be determined by tiebreaker points, get a home game in the first round.

“We’re just scoring and having fun out there,” Derry running back Onreey Stewart said. “We just go out and try to win every game.”

Derry did all of its scoring before halftime. It smothered the Lancers in the first half as it forced three turnovers, blocked a punt and registered a safety to build a 37-0 lead.

Colton Nemcheck blocked a punt and fell on the ball in the end zone to set the defensive tone early for the Trojans, who stalled on their opening drive because of penalties.

“Any time we can get a blocked punt, let alone one for a touchdown, it’s really important for us to do,” Derry coach Tim Sweeney said. “That set the tone for us. We parlayed that into a nice first half and a good game.”

Sophomore quarterback Paul Koontz ran for a score and threw for another in the first half for Derry.

“Everyone knows we need work on our passing game,” Sweeney said. “People are saying, ‘Why were you passing the ball with a running clock against Yough?’ Sometimes we struggle throwing the ball, so we need to work on it.”

Koontz credited the offensive line, down a starter in Lucas Ciocco, who broke his leg.

“Our line did a great job as always,” Koontz said. “We’re only concerned about us each week — our play, not the other team’s.”

The safety was a result of a bad punt snap that went through the end zone to make it 16-0.

“We’re on our third-string long-snapper,” Deer Lakes coach Tim Burk said. “It’s not his fault, and I’m not blaming him. It’s just a tough spot to be in.”

Injury-riddled Deer Lakes (3-5, 3-4) was hoping to make the playoffs for the first time since its magical 2015 season when it bowled teams over with its mammoth “Jolly Green Giants” front line.

But the Lancers played without four injured starters, including two linemen and a tight end, and had players out of position.

“Derry is a really good football team,” Burk said. “They stick to what they’re good at. Their running backs are dynamic, and they do it well. They were bigger, faster and stronger than us tonight.”

Justin Flack and Stewart ran for touchdowns, and Jason Geary pulled in a tough touchdown catch in the end zone for the Trojans.

Flack scored a school-record eight touchdowns last week against Yough. He has found the end zone 26 times this season.

Stewart finished with a team-high 76 yards rushing. Derry outrushed Deer Lakes, 272-5.

Gavin Adams recovered a fumble, and Pryce Donovan and Matt McDowell had interceptions against the pass-happy Lancers. Quarterback Aris Hasley, who completed 15 of 36 passes for 130 yards, and wideout Colin Kadlick had nine catches for 110 yards for the Lancers.

Bill Beckner is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Bill at bbeckner@tribweb.com or via Twitter @BillBeckner.

Tags: Deer Lakes, Derry Area