Defense leads undefeated Burgettstown past Mohawk

By: HSSN Staff
Saturday, October 13, 2018 | 6:45 PM

Burgettstown’s defense came into Week 7 allowing fewer than six points per game. They had not faced a challenge like they did in Saturday’s nonconference clash with Mohawk, who average 31 points per game.

Challenge completed.

The Burgettstown defense forced four turnovers, including a Seth Phillis pick-six, en route to a 14-3 home victory. The win keeps the Blue Devils (7-0) undefeated on the season.

“It shows that if we get behind, we’re not giving up.” Burgettstown coach Mark Druga said. “That’s our signature this year.”

A slugfest of two teams with similar stories became even more interesting when Mother Nature came calling the night before. Heavy rains wrecked havoc on Hill Memorial Stadium’s grass surface, with mud and puddles occupying much of the field between the hashes.

“Obviously, with the rain that came (the night before)…our field is chewed up,” Druga said. “And we knew going into this game, with Mohawk being a big line, us being a big line, we’re going to smash you in the mouth, they’re smashing us in the mouth.”

“It was the same for both teams. And Burgettstown is a great team, so I don’t want to take away from them,” Mohawk coach Tim McCutcheon said, “but (the field) certainly affected our style of football.”

The chopped-up field seemed to favor Mohawk (6-2) in the early going, as they marched 72 yards on 10 plays. However, a personal-foul penalty in the red zone pushed the Warriors back, and they settled for a Dillon Lloyd 25-yard field goal to take the lead late in the first quarter. After a Burgettstown turnover on downs late in the half, Mohawk’s two-minute drill again surged the Warriors into the red zone. However, Braydon Cameron’s halfback pass was intercepted by Cole Shurgi to end the threat.

The Blue Devils drove right down the field on an 11-play drive that took nearly seven minutes off the clock. However, Burgettstown again was stopped on fourth down in Mohawk territory.

Two plays later, Nick Wheeler’s pass sailed just high into Phillis’s arms, and the senior took it 40 yards untouched to the end zone for the first touchdown of the game.

“Seth is an incredible athlete, never say die,” Druga said. “He comes up with those big plays, be it a field goal, be it an interception for a touchdown, or even a big catch.”

After the interception, Mohawk removed Wheeler from the game and shifted Cameron to the quarterback position.

“Our quarterback was dinged up,” McCutcheon said. “We kept him in there to see what he could do, and unfortunately he wasn’t able to do what he could normally do.”

After rushing the ball 13 times for 99 yards in the first half, Cameron managed only 2 yards on 12 second-half carries, mainly due to Burgettstown’s pass rush.

“He is an incredible athlete, first and foremost,” Druga said of Cameron, “and then he has size on top of that. … They’re an incredible offense and an incredible team…Our defense at first had a few hiccups. We fixed a few things, keyed on a few other ideas, and we ratcheted that up. We shut down their big plays, and that was the key to our success.”

Cameron finished with 101 yards on 25 carries, and Jake Stapleton ran nine times for 74 yards. Mohawk outgained Burgettstown, 293-225.

While the game did not have implications on qualifying for playoffs, the seeding will be impacted by the performance of these two teams who sit on top of their respective conference standings.

“This one will sting today, but tomorrow we’ll start gearing up,” McCutcheon said. “The MAC championship is in our grasp. So we need to put this behind us and go win on Friday night at home.”

For Druga, the team’s mindset matches his own. Three weeks ago, he tore his Achilles tendon and had surgery to repair it. The doctors, knowing Druga would be on the sidelines for games, did not give permission for him to remove the cast. Druga continues to coachwith a knee crutch. Much like Druga, his team does not give in.

“We’re not going to stop. We’re going to keep coming at you. It’s almost like the ocean and the tide — we’re going to keep hitting you, and eventually, we’re banking that you’re going to make a mistake.”

James Dotson is a freelance writer.

Tags: Burgettstown, Mohawk