Solomon scores four TDs as Deer Lakes beats Burrell

By: HSSN Staff
Friday, October 27, 2017 | 10:51 PM

Friday was about escaping the Allegheny Conference cellar, and Deer Lakes came up big in that regard.

The Lancers scored three touchdowns in the space of about 5 ¹⁄₂ minutes of the second quarter and rolled to a 47-14 victory over Burrell in the season finale for both teams.

Deer Lakes finished 2-7 overall, 1-6 in conference. The Bucs were 1-9, 0-7.

Sophomore quarterback Aris Hasley completed 11 passes for 265 yards and three touchdowns, and senior running back Josh Solomon completed his career with 115 rushing yards and four touchdowns.

“It was exciting to come out here and actually play a hard four quarters, and it looks good when we do it right,” Lancers coach Steve Sciullo said. “I'm pumped for the kids. They played outstanding ball. Burrell did as well. They played hard the whole night.”

Burrell maintains a 20-7 lead in the all-time series.

With the game scoreless early in the second quarter, Deer Lakes stopped the Bucs on downs at the Lancers' 37.

Two plays later, Hasley found Ethan Bender for a 55-yard completion to the Burrell 6. On the following play, Solomon scored his first touchdown with 8 minutes, 43 seconds left in the second.

On Burrell's next play from scrimmage, Deer Lakes' Colin Kadlick recovered a fumble, and Solomon scored three plays later.

A sack by Maxx Hammond set up the third Deer Lakes score, another 6-yard run by Solomon with 3:07 to go in the half.

“We were both in similar situations tonight,” Sciullo said. “We wanted a win when we had the opportunity to get out of the basement. It was exciting for these kids to go out and get a win here tonight.”

Early in the third quarter, Bender ran an inside slant and got loose, outmaneuvering Kaleb Seibert near the Bucs' 10 and scoring on a 69-yard play to put the Lancers ahead 27-0.

Logan Bitar's 4-yard run put the Bucs on the scoreboard with 5:07 left in the third. A junior, Bitar rushed for more than 1,100 yards this season.

A workhorse again Friday, Bitar carried the ball 34 times for 161 yards and two touchdowns.

Late in the third quarter, Bender caught a 23-yard pass from Hasley, giving the junior four catches for 156 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

“Early on, we saw that they were double-covering our tight ends and one of our receivers,” Sciullo said. “So we wanted to throw to the other guys, and Ethan can play a little better wide receiver than Aris, so he had a heckuva game getting the ball to Ethan.”

At the end of the game, Bucs sophomore Michael Scherer carried the ball to the Deer Lakes 1, but Burrell couldn't get another play off as time expired.

George Guido is a freelance writer.

Tags: Burrell, Deer Lakes