Freeport builds big lead, holds off rival Knoch

By: Michael Love
Friday, September 3, 2021 | 10:44 PM

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Last year’s Freeport and Knoch football game was canceled amid the plethora of schedule changes because of the covid pandemic.

The teams resumed their rivalry Friday at Knoch Knights Stadium, and the Yellowjackets raced to a four-touchdown lead at halftime before holding off a Knights comeback attempt for a 28-14 victory.

“The kids played their hearts out,” Freeport coach John Gaillot said.

“After last week, it could’ve been a totally different story. But the kids changed the dynamic of what this football team is.”

The Yellowjackets bounced back from a Week Zero loss to Armstrong and now turn their attention to Friday’s home matchup with Class 3A power Avonworth.

The win also gave Freeport the inaugural Playing For The Pike Trophy, which is named for Pike Road that connects Saxonburg and Freeport Borough.

Knoch, shut out by Central Valley last week, got on the board for the first time this season with a pair of second-half touchdowns to slice the Freeport advantage to two scores.

Carson Kosecki found JJ Szebalskie in the end zone from 9 yards with 28 seconds left in the third quarter.

Knights lineman Nevin Peart then recovered a Freeport fumble in the end zone early in the fourth.

Brendan Tristani kicked extra points after both scores.

But Freeport answered with a drive that didn’t yield any points but took more than six minutes off the clock. Ben Lane, who finished the game with 103 yards on 18 carries, converted a pair of crucial third downs to keep the drive going.

“That was huge. That was the game-changer right there,” Gaillot said.

“We got the momentum swung back our way. We had lost it there for quite a bit. Ben is Ben. He will make plays no matter where we put him. Our line really played well tonight.”

The Yellowjackets punted when the drive stalled, but their defense didn’t give Knoch’s offense any room to move on its final drive of the night.

Freeport got on the board just 54 seconds into the game. Taking advantage of a Knoch fumble, Lane reversed field on a run to the left and scampered back to the right for a 22-yard touchdown.

The point-after kick from Vinnie Clark was good, and the Yellowjackets were ahead 7-0.

“I got the pitch left, and I saw everyone over there, so I just turned around and ran the other way to try and find some open space,” Lane said.

“I think my first touchdown definitely set the tone for our offense, and our defense as well, coming out with high energy to keep the goose-egg (for Knoch) on the board (in the first half).”

Freeport added to its lead later in the opening quarter as Garrett King found Brady Stivenson in the end zone for a 27-yard touchdown. Clark kicked his second extra point, and the Yellowjackets extended their lead to 14-0.

Special teams for Freeport then got into the scoring act as defensive lineman Logan Jendrejewski blocked a Knoch punt at the Knights 16 early in the second quarter, picked up the ball, and returned it to the end zone.

The point-after kick hit the upright, keeping the score at 20-0.

The final score of the first half came from the feet of Zach Clark, as the junior scored from 7 yards with 3:45 on the clock.

The Yellowjackets went for two, but the conversion pass from King fell to the turf incomplete.

King completed 5 of 7 passes for 115 yards.

Keagan Fraser led Knoch with 17 carries for 92 yards.

“I was proud of the kids in the second half, shutting Freeport out,” Knoch coach Brandon Mowry said.

“I think we did make progress from last week. We came out and turned the ball over on the first series, and the kids have to be mentally tough to flush stuff like that. We talked to them at halftime about what we needed to do the rest of the game, and the guys came out with their hair on fire. I think if we play four full quarters, we can play with anybody.”

Listen to an archived broadcast of this game on Trib HSSN.

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.

Tags: Freeport, Knoch