Big stop on 4th down helps Southmoreland beat Derry in Interstate Conference

By: Paul Schofield
Friday, September 27, 2024 | 11:08 PM

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Southmoreland linebacker Ethan Shawley knew his team needed a spark, and he provided one.

With the score tied and Derry driving for the lead midway through the second quarter, the Trojans faced fourth-and-3 at the Southmoreland 24.

Shawley had a hunch Derry would attempt a quarterback sweep, and so he changed the defense, which meant he was going to blitz.

“I guessed right,” said Shawley, who shot the gap and tackled Anthony Sacco for a 3-yard loss.

The play ignited the Scotties (5-1, 1-0), and freshman quarterback Anthony Smith tossed three touchdowns in a span of 2 minutes, 33 seconds as the Scotties rolled to a 31-14 victory over Derry (3-3, 0-1) on Friday at Russ Grimm Field in Alverton in the WPIAL Class 3A Interstate Conference opener for both teams.

Smith completed 16 of 25 passes for 296 yards and four touchdowns.

“Honestly, I’m very instinctual when I play,” Shawley said. “So, I felt I saw it and I changed the defense. I’m not going to lie, my coach is a little mad about it, but I saw it. I came through and made the play, and it helped my team out in a big way.”

Southmoreland did a lot of things well, and it also hurt itself with three turnovers and 10 penalties for 105 yards.

It’s something Southmoreland coach Tim Bukowski said his team must clean up if it wants to challenge for the conference title.

“Ethan called for the blitz and made the play, and it ignited the team,” Bukowski said. “It shut them down, and it was a big momentum swing. Then we hit Elliot (Premus) with a little screen, and it changed field position.”

Premus had seven catches for 155 yards and two touchdowns. He caught a 10-yard touchdown in the first quarter and a 30-yard touchdown in the second quarter for a 14-7 lead.

Derry’s Justin Papuga scored on a 1-yard run in between after Ricky Daniels’ interception set up the Trojans at the Southmoreland 17.

The Scotties weren’t done. The defense forced a three-and-out, and the offense struck quickly as Smith connected on a 35-yard score to freshman Jackson Mickens for a 21-7 lead.

The Scotties were back in business seconds later after another three-and-out, and this time Smith connected on a 9-yard score to Stanley Betters for a 28-7 lead.

“I thought we played well in the first half up until the last four or five minutes,” Derry coach Mike Arone said. “Then we give up three quick touchdowns, and we didn’t tackle well during that stretch. Kudos to them, they had great play designs.”

Derry was able to cut the lead to 28-14 when Max Doherty scored on a 5-yard run in the third quarter. The score was set up by a fourth-down conversion, a 31-yard pass from Sacco to Brayden Robinson.

Southmoreland finished the scoring in the fourth quarter when Jake Kaylor booted a 33-yard field goal midway through the quarter.

Derry played without two key starters: sophomore linebacker Brady Brown and running back Damauri Robinson. Both were sidelined with injuries.

“We were limited on offense with Damauri,” Arone said, “He’s our game-breaker on both sides of the ball.”

Shawley wasn’t the only player on the Scotties defense to play well. Others included Premus, Mickens and Dawson Wolfe, who were in on numerous tackles. Premus stuffed Doherty at the goal line in the fourth quarter.

“We stopped ourselves a lot more than they did,” Bukowski said. “We’re making stupid mistakes with the football. We get in our own way. There are things we need to clean up.”

Bukowski said he thought Smith made some big plays. Mickens had three catches for 100 yards.

Arone added: “We knew watching him on film and even in person how good he is. He has a really good arm and a bright future. He was impressive.”

Paul Schofield is a TribLive reporter covering high school and college sports and local golf. He joined the Trib in 1995 after spending 15 years at the Daily Courier in Connellsville, where he served as sports editor for 14 years. He can be reached at pschofield@triblive.com.

Tags: Derry Area, Southmoreland