Yellowjackets fall to GCC
FREEPORT — Freeport was keeping things pretty close late in the first half of its WPIAL Class AA first-round playoff game against Greensburg Central Catholic on Friday.
Then the Centurions decided to leave the Yellowjackets in the dust.
Leading 7-0, GCC scored on a 17-yard pass with 48 seconds left in the second quarter, then used a 60-yard touchdown run by David White on the first play from scrimmage to open the third quarter en route to a 35-6 victory at Swartz Field.
"We talked at halftime and we wanted to come out and send a statement," said Centurions coach Muzzy Colosimo. "David's a great back, a physical back."
White finished the game with 219 yards and three touchdowns on 20 carries.
Miller's run opened a 21-0 advantage for the Centurions (8-2), then he wasted little time in scoring again. After a Freeport fumble its own 41, White rumbled in from a yard out.
When GCC took over on its next possession, it embarked on a 14-play, 70-yard drive, culminating on a White 1-yard run on the first play of the fourth quarter for a 35-0 lead and invoking the mercy rule clock.
"We looked to to shut down their run," said Freeport coach John Gaillot. "At the beginning of the game, we started to ... but we couldn't do our blitz package because we were conscious about the run."
The Yellowjackets (8-2) avoided the shutout when quarterback Alex Isenberg, starting at his own 10, ran for 20 yards, then followed with a 70-yard dash to score with 33 seconds remaining in the contest.
"It was nice for Adam to cap off his career like that," Gaillot said.
Freeport, which lost to the Centurions 42-6 in last year's playoffs, stood up to then for most of the first half.
The Yellowjackets opened the game by running 14 offensive plays before turning the ball over on downs at the GCC 31.
The Centurions then drove 69 yards on 12 plays, getting on the scoreboard when Hurley, a Bowling Green State University recruit, fired a 15-yard pass to Ross DeGlau with 11:53 left in the second quarter.
Both defenses stood their ground until GCC mounted that late first-half drive, a 10-play, 88-yard march that took only 2:55 to complete when Andy Biros caught a 17-yard pass from Hurley.
"I thought we came out and played tough," Colosimo said. "We physically controlled the line of scrimmage. Our defense bent a little early."
Freeport finished with 244 yards rushing, thanks to Isenberg's late runs, but Gaillot was impressed with his team's numbers against the Centurions.
"We ran the ball the best we did this year," said Gaillot. "The kids were focused and played very well. That's the best Alex and Jake (Campbell) ran and the (offensive) line blocking.
"I'm very proud of the kids. This is the best group of kids ever. They sacrificed more than people know," he added.
