McKeesport takes control in 2nd half, runs past Latrobe

By: Liam Belan
Friday, October 20, 2023 | 10:35 PM

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When Latrobe’s Ja’Tawn Williams took McKeesport’s second-half kickoff 95 yards for a game-tying touchdown, it seemed like the game was destined to be decided by a few plays in the final two quarters.

And it was, as Latrobe (6-3, 4-2) proceeded to turn the ball over three times in the third quarter which resulted in 21 points for the opportunistic Tigers (8-1, 5-0) en route to a 42-14 victory on senior night.

“We got the big kickoff to tie it up, and then they earned that next one to make it 21-14,” Latrobe coach Ron Prady said, referring to a McKeesport touchdown prior to the three giveaways. “I think the next play we turned it over for six, and then we got the ball back and turned it over again. It was three straight turnovers, and they scored on all three. That’s what good teams do.”

Prady was correct. Just 18 seconds after Keith Spell gave the Tigers a 21-14 lead, McKeesport’s Anthony Cromerdie scooped up a John Wetzel fumble for a 44-yard touchdown to suddenly double the home team’s advantage.

Wetzel, Latrobe’s quarterback, finished with 26 carries for 112 yards and a 27-yard touchdown run that was the longest offensive play of the game for the Wildcats.

“The guys that turned the ball over, I don’t want to single them out at all,” Prady said. “They’re guys that win games for us week in and week out. Those are our playmakers, so we trust them and we’ll continue to trust them.”

For the Tigers, Keith Spell ran rampant, putting up 131 yards and three scores on just 10 carries. Anthony Boyd was also impressive without finding the end zone, posting 134 rushing yards on 10 attempts. Kemon Spell chipped in with 57 yards on three carries, which included a 39-yard score.

Keith Spell has recently emerged as a serious threat on the ground for a McKeesport team that had several already. At 6-foot-2, 255 pounds, he offers a different look than the 5-8, 175-pound Boyd.

“It’s like thunder and lightning,” McKeesport coach Matt Miller said. “One hits it real quick. The other hits it and punishes you in the process. I think it’s nice because it makes people prepare for two different things. I’m really happy for both of them because they’re both putting up numbers.”

It was Keith Spell who opened the contest’s scoring right away. Less than two minutes in, Boyd ran 54 yards to set Spell up for a 12-yard TD run. Nathan Kendrick, who was a perfect 6 for 6 on extra points, split the uprights to make the score 7-0.

After both teams were stifled offensively for the majority of the first half, Wetzel led the Wildcats on a long touchdown drive that included a defensive encroachment penalty on a fourth-and-1 in their own territory. He and Alex Tatsch, who finished with 39 yards on the ground, marched about 50 yards before the junior quarterback found the end zone from 27 yards out. Ben Bigi’s extra point made the score 7-7.

The Tigers regained the lead before halftime when quarterback Garrett Tarker kept the ball for a 14-yard touchdown run with 1:19 to go. The score remained 14-7 going into the break.

Williams ignited the Wildcats out of the break with his return touchdown to tie it, but it was all Tigers after that. Just two minutes after Latrobe made it 14-14, Keith Spell scored his second touchdown on a 4-yard run. Nineteen seconds later, Cromerdie did his part with the scoop-and-score.

On the ensuing possession, Tatsch fumbled and this time, Kemon Spell was the beneficiary as he scored a 39-yard touchdown just a minute and a half later.

With 2:23 left in the third frame, Wetzel was picked off by Jordan Benjamin, but Latrobe’s defense stood tall for the most part. However, on fourth-and-2 from McKeesport’s own 38, Keith Spell bounced off a few defenders and rumbled down the left sideline for a 62-yard touchdown that capped off the scoring at 42-14.

Both teams came into the game knowing that they were playoff-bound, but the win for the Tigers guaranteed them at least a share of the Big Seven conference crown ahead of a highly anticipated matchup at Thomas Jefferson (8-1, 4-1).

“We have to enjoy tonight,” Miller said. “I tell my guys all the time, ‘We put a lot of work into these games. Enjoy them and don’t look past them,’ which we don’t. Now, it’s on to TJ, which is for the whole piece of the cake. You don’t want half of it. We know that they’re a great program and a great team. It’s at their place, so it’ll be hostile, but we’ve been playing in hostile environments all year (like) at Gateway and at Belle Vernon.”

The Wildcats finished conference play with the loss. They will travel to Butler for a playoff tuneup next week.

“We’re in the playoffs already, but we’ve got to go up to Butler and play better, which I think we will,” Prady said. “We’ve bounced back before. We have two previous losses (to Franklin Regional and Thomas Jefferson) and we bounced back, and I expect us to do the same thing.”

Tags: Latrobe, McKeesport