No. 2 Penn-Trafford runs past rival Latrobe in Big East victory

By: HSSN Staff
Friday, September 22, 2017 | 10:30 PM

Facing a third-and-22 from its own 29-yard line, Penn-Trafford seemed destined for a punt.

But from the second he touched the ball on that, at the time, mundane possession, sophomore running back Caleb Lisbon seemed destined for the end zone.

The speedster took a handoff on a draw, shook a few closing defenders, then raced 71 yards up the far side for a third-quarter touchdown.

It proved to be the back-breaker for the No. 2-ranked Warriors, who peeled away from Latrobe after having their defense tested in the first half and piled up rushing yardage in a 42-16 victory Friday night in a Class 5A Big East Conference game at Latrobe Memorial Stadium.

The Warriors (5-0, 3-0), only up 21-10 at the time, were expecting a blitz on Lisbon's big run.

“I saw my linemen push their four linemen out. … I saw the open field and I just took off,” Lisbon said of his key touchdown. “My receivers made blocks on their corners and gave me those open lanes.”

Lisbon (5-foot-11, 190 pounds) ran for 187 yards and three touchdowns on 14 carries, and senior teammate John Gay IV added 148 yards and a score on 16 attempts, giving the Warriors a pair of 100-yard rushers for the third time this season.

The running game produced 453 yards and wore down Latrobe in the second half, one pounding jolt after another, in a turnover-free game.

“We want healthy competition from our (backs) from within,” Penn-Trafford coach John Ruane said. “It's nice to be able to shuffle guys in and out of the lineup.”

Quarterback Cam Laffoon added 92 yards on the ground for the Warriors, who were down a trio of two-way starters in Anthony Cervone, Tony Alcott and Cam Suman.

“We faced a lot of adversity this week but our kids battled,” Ruane said. “Our guys took on a leadership role when we needed it tonight. They responded to that adversity. Caleb was dynamite.”

Gay's 6-yard score late in the third and Lisbon's 14-yard TD in the fourth gave the Warriors a 42-10 advantage.

Latrobe (2-3, 1-2), which put up a fight in the first half against a strong Warriors' defense, managed little offense in the second. Quarterback Jason Armstrong cut it to 42-16 late with a short touchdown. Armstrong threw for 127 yards, rushed for 70 and boomed a pair of big punts.

“We did a good job of getting points off possessions in the first half, but you can't give up touchdowns in third-and-22's,” Latrobe coach Jason Marucco said. “Penn-Trafford is such a good team. They made some adjustments in the second half. There was a big size difference up front and we ended up relying on our secondary to make a lot of tackles.”

Latrobe was trying to win three straight for the first time since 2005.

“We've learned what it's about to play 24 minutes,” Marucco said. “Now we have to learn to play 48.”

Penn-Trafford scored on its opening drive with Lisbon scoring on a 6-yard rush. But Latrobe shrugged off the early score.

Just eight seconds into the second quarter, Latrobe sent Zakharee Williams deep and nobody followed him. Armstrong unleashed a perfect toss over the top to Williams, and the play went for a 67-yard touchdown.

It was just the second score allowed by Penn-Trafford's starting defense this season, the first via pass.

“This is the best Latrobe has been in years,” Ruane said. “Their kids really played their butts off.”

But despite early penetration by Latrobe's defense against the run, the Warriors regained the lead when Nico Santimauro caught a short pass from Laffoon and went 32 yards to make it 14-7.

Nate Clair hit his WPIAL-leading sixth field goal of the season with 2:03 left in the second quarter to get Latrobe to within 14-10 at the half.

“We came out firing but they came out stronger when we didn't,” Armstrong said. “They have threats all over the field.

The Warriors also converted on their opening drive of the second half to extend their lead to 21-10. Six straight runs, including a 42-yard burst by Gay, set up a 6-yard score by Laffoon, who also threw for 86 yards on 6-of-10 passing.

Bill Beckner Jr. is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at bbeckner@tribweb.com or via Twitter @BillBeckner.

Tags: Latrobe, Penn-Trafford