Freeport grabs control of Allegheny Conference
NATRONA HEIGHTS — It's rare to see the second half of a football game start with an onside kick, but how about three in a row?
That's what Freeport did en route to their 14-0 victory Friday night against Allegheny Conference rival Highlands to take first place.
After a scoreless first half, Yellowjackets coach John Gaillot decided to take a chance with the unorthodox approach.
At first it backfired after Highlands Homecoming king and wide receiver Tyler Alworth recovered the ball for the Golden Rams near midfield. However, the Yellowjackets defense stung back, forcing a fumble recovered by Freeport senior Matt Horm.
From there, the Yellowjackets drove downfield for six plays, capitalized by a five-yard touchdown pass from Ryan Weigold to senior wide receiver Brandon Hochbein.
“It just gave us the spark,” Gaillot said.
Gaillot wasn't finished with his special teams though.
“We have a kicker that can kick it to the five (yard line), but they have a skilled guy,” Gaillot said. “My belief was we were not going to kick it down and give them the cheap six in the end zone.”
Freeport attempted its second consecutive onside kick, only this time it was successful as sophomore Luke Kennedy recovered the ball for the Yellowjackets. Again, Freeport charged downfield for another six-play scoring drive, with quarterback Weigold rushing in the end zone with a four-yard keeper.
Once again though, the Yellowjackets went for another successful onside kick. It looked as though Freeport would score again after reaching the red zone. However, a fumble by Weigold recovered by Highlands stopped the momentum.
Defensively, the Yellowjackets swarmed Highlands, allowing just 144 yards of total offense.
Senior Logan Thimons got to his cousin, Highlands quarterback Brayden Thimons for two and a half sacks. Thimons also recorded a tackle for a loss.
“It's something we've been looking forward to all year,” Logan Thimons said. “We definitely did not underestimate this team. This is hands down the most fun I've ever had playing a football team.”Logan Thimons credits everyone on defense for “doing their job” and fulfilling their responsibilities.Highlands had chances to score throughout the game, however could not take advantage.The Golden Rams surged to the Freeport 13-yard line on their first drive of the game. However kicker Nathan Masarik missed the ensuing 30-yard field goal try.With less than five minutes left in the game, Highlands looked to keep their chances alive with a 26-yard run by Brayden Thimons and a 33-yard catch by senior tight end Lavontae Martin.Calamity struck on third down at the Freeport 30-yard line as the ball was snapped over Thimons' head. The ball sailed for over 15 yards until Thimons recovered and tried to save the play. However, he was taken down near midfield for a loss of 21 yards on the play. On fourth down, he was sacked once more for a loss of four yards.“You can't make mistakes at the high school level. We made enough tonight for the rest of the season,” Highlands coach Sam Albert said. “We picked the wrong game to play poorly.”Albert said the Golden Rams prepared for short kicks by Freeport.“They made the play and we didn't,” he said. “We've got to recover the ball.”With the win, Freeport (5-1, 5-0) is in sole possession of first place in the conference.
