Big 2nd half sparks Freeport
FREEPORT — Freeport ran right at the West Shamokin defense in Friday's Allegheny Conference football game.
The Wolves just couldn't stop it.
Freeport (3-3, 3-3) tallied 410 rushing yards on 49 tries while cruising to a 59-12 homecoming win at Swartz Field.
"(West Shamokin's) linebackers blitzed right up the middle," said Freeport fullback Matt Caripolti, who finished with 79 yards and three touchdowns. "So it was pretty easy to run up the gut."
After you break a few tackles, that is. Caripolti churned out touchdown runs of 4, 9 and 26 yards on consecutive carries in the third quarter as Freeport built a 40-12 lead midway through the frame.
"We had a hard time tackling him," West Shamokin coach J. Shawn Liotta said.
The Wolves (1-5, 0-5) couldn't contain Brady Sherrieb or Kirk Naedele, either. Sherrieb rushed for a team-high 131 yards while Naedele chipped in 128.
"We didn't want to throw the ball a whole lot," Freeport coach Bill Dillen said. "We wanted to work on the running game a little bit tonight.
"Our linemen did a great job, plus we've got some backs that can go. That was a big difference."
Sherrieb scored the first three touchdowns and tacked on another in the third quarter for Freeport.
"I think the score is misleading as to how close this game was," Liotta said. "If you see the score, you don't realize this was a dogfight for a while."
West Shamokin stayed with Freeport, which hosts Deer Lakes next Friday, for much of the first half. Quarterback Luke Wilson scored on a 3-yard touchdown to cut Freeport's lead to 7-6.
The Yellowjackets answered with two more Sherrieb scores before Wilson found Drew Reken alone down the middle of the field for a 26-yard touchdown, cutting the gap to 21-12 at the break.
"I'm proud of how our kids played early," Liotta said. "(Freeport) just took control of the game in the second half."
The Yellowjackets defense didn't allow West Shamokin a first down in the second half while piling up 31 points in the third quarter to salt the game away.
