Freeport shows physicality in victory over Valley

By: HSSN Staff
Saturday, October 28, 2017 | 12:09 AM

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Freeport came within seconds of posting its third shutout of the season.

But a 45-yard scamper for a touchdown by Valley quarterback Alex Ward on the final play of Friday's Allegheny Conference contest got the Vikings on the board.

Before that final play, the Class 3A No. 5 Yellowjackets defense was dominant. It forced four turnovers and limited Valley to minus-7 yards rushing and 96 yards overall in a 34-6 triumph.

“I was very happy with our physicality,” Freeport coach John Gaillot said. “We didn't want to see any drop off from how we had been playing. But the guys went above and beyond against a team that has some good offensive weapons. We played very well tonight.”

The win for the Yellowjackets (7-2, 6-1) solidified a second-place finish in the Allegheny Conference behind champ Seton LaSalle. Freeport now will await its WPIAL Class 3A playoff opponent.

The quarterfinal pairings will be revealed Monday evening.

“The defense gave us good field position all night, and we were able to convert with the run and the pass,” Gaillot said. “We had a lot of options.”

While Freeport will be moving on to the postseason, Valley concluded its campaign at 3-6 overall and 3-4 in conference play. The loss snapped a two-game winning streak.

“It seemed like every time we got something going we would make a mistake. It was frustrating,” Valley coach Muzzy Colosimo said.

“It's been a trying year for us, but we have some great kids who battled all season.”

The Valley run game took a hit early on when Deonte Ross was hurt on his first carry of the game. He walked to the sideline under his own power but didn't return. Colosimo said Ross was held out of the rest of the game as a precaution.

Quarterback Tyler Green left the game in the third quarter after he was hit while making a throw.

Running back Anthony Johnson and wideout Darius Johnson, Colosimo said, were dinged up at separate points in the game.

Freeport racked up 255 yards rushing. Conor Selinger had 105 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries, while quarterback Austin Romanchak added 11 carries for 52 yards.

Freeport led 7-0 after one quarter and 21-0 at halftime. The Yellowjackets got into the end zone again in the fourth quarter as Miles Troup and Ricky Carter each tallied 1-yard rushing scores.

Troup was the workhorse on Freeport's final drive as he carried the ball seven times for 59 yards and ended it with his touchdown.

“We started strong but kind of died out a little bit toward the middle of the game,” Selinger said. “But we got that kick-start again in the second half. It was a nice win for us heading into the playoffs.”

Freeport got on board for the first time late in the first quarter after forcing Valley to punt from deep in its own territory.

The Yellowjackets got the ball at midfield and drove to the 21 before Romanchak tossed a swing pass to Jake Sarver who took it to the end zone.

Sarver's point-after kick made it 7-0.

Valley ran two plays on its ensuing drive, but the Freeport defense forced a fumble at the Vikings 35. The Yellowjackets took advantage of the turnover as Romanchak found Isiah Bauman in the end zone from 10 yards out. The score at 9:42 of the second quarter capped a six-play drive, and a Sarver PAT put the score at 14-0.

Freeport forced a third turnover in the first half as Luke Kennedy picked off Green at the Vikings 42 with 5:33 to play until halftime.

The Yellowjackets, on runs of 15 yards by Romanchak and 19 from Sarver, moved the ball inside the 10. Selinger did the rest. He added to the Freeport lead with a 6-yard run, and Sarver's third PAT kick made it 21-0.

Romanchak finished with 40 yards passing and the two touchdowns. He had thrown four TD passes through eight games and also had two in the win over Burrell on Sept. 29.

Ward's final run put him in positive numbers with 22 yards rushing. He completed 5 of 11 passes for 52 yards.

Before leaving the game, Green was 6 of 11 passing for 51 yards.

Darius Johnson finished with five catches for 63 yards.

Michael Love is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at mlove@tribweb.com or via Twitter @Mlove_Trib.

Tags: Freeport, Valley