MANOR TWP, Armstrong County — Sometimes one play can be the domino effect that derails an entire game.

Bad preparation was said to be the culprit by Freeport coach John Gaillot as the Yellowjackets fell to Armstrong Friday night, 49-7, in a non-conference battle at Armstrong high school.

The play in question was a blocked field goal by the Riverhawks late in the first quarter.

It proved to be a momentum swing in favor of Armstrong because Freeport scored the first touchdown of the game and followed up with a fumble recovery on the next drive which set up the Yellowjackets deep in Riverhawk territory.

Armstrong stalled the Yellowjacket offense to force a field goal, which was blocked with ease.

“That one is on me,” Gaillot said. “I take full responsibility because I didn’t coach them up well enough. The field goal block there changed the whole dynamic.

“It’s not on the kids, they played their hearts out. We fought as hard as we can, but we don’t have the people to rotate like they do.”

Once Armstrong got their offense rolling, there wasn’t much Freeport could do to stop it.

Quarterback Caden Olsen showed no mercy on the Yellowjacket defense, torching them for 280 yards with 18 completions and four touchdowns.

“Caden has been a household name for a couple of years,” Armstrong coach Frank Fabian said. “I thought what was nice about tonight was they played coverage and we were able to run the ball. We are always going to take those shots down the field though.”

Caden’s brother Ian was his favorite target of the evening, catching seven passes for 149 yards and two touchdowns.

“Ian has taken a big jump,” Fabian said. “Last year, he was freshman and he’s a different kid this year. Caden was kind of the same way as a freshman. A little guy then he had a growth spurt. I bet Ian and his brother throw the ball around a lot in the backyard and they are really getting a nice chemistry.”

The Riverhawk defense held Yellowjacket feature running back Ben Lane to just 88 yards on three carries, but 69 of those yards came off his long touchdown in the first.

Lane rushed for 104 yards on seven carries last week against Quaker Valley.

“I think we are just playing complementary football,” Fabian said. “Last year we had to outscore people, but now our defense is really good. I can’t speak enough about our linebackers. We have a veteran group.”

Armstrong would go on to score seven unanswered touchdowns to move to 3-1 on the season.

With the loss, Freeport falls to 3-1 on the season and will look to rebound when the Yellowjackets host Mount Pleasant next week.

“They (Mount Pleasant) are always scrappy like us,” Gaillot said. “Hopefully we have more than 28 players next week.”

Freeport 7 0 0 0 - 7

Armstrong 7 21 14 7 - 49

First Quarter

F – Ben Lane 69 run (Isaac Wetzel kick), 5:48

A – Jaxson Crissman 15 run (Hunter Reed kick), :47

Second Quarter

A – Ian Olsen 23 pass from Caden Olsen (Reed kick), 11:52

A – Ian Olsen 31 pass from Caden Olsen (Reed kick), 2:29

A – Jack Valasek 4 pass from Caden Olsen (Reed kick), :58

Third Quarter

A – Alex Patton 1 run (Reed kick), 8:17

A – Isaiah Brown 8 pass from Caden Olsen (Reed kick), 5:19

Fourth Quarter

A – Phoenix Wynkoop 40 run (Reed kick), 10:50

Individual Statistics

Rushing: Freeport, Gavin Croney 4-0, Ben Lane 3-88, Zach Clark 6-4, Amos Glenn 4-2. Armstrong, Alex Patton 14-153, Caden Olsen 9-102, Phoenix Wynkoop 3-48, Colt Sprankle 1-15, Jaxson Crissman 3-17, Isaiah Greenia 2-12.

Passing: Freeport, Gavin Croney 8-18-42-0, Drew Ross 3-7-34-0. Armstrong, Caden Olsen 18-27-280-0.

Receiving: Freeport, Ben Lane 4-7, Brady Sullivan 1-9, Carson Kosecki 2-12, Cyprian Selinger 3-43, Madden Wisniewski 1-5. Armstrong, Isaiah Brown 5-101, Ian Olsen 7-149, Jack Valasek 3-19, Joe Bartolowits, 1-10, Alex Patton 1-(-3), Kyan Kline 1-4.

Photos by Butler Eagle photographers are available for purchase at photos.butlereagle.com.