SLIPPERY ROCK TWP — Fort LeBoeuf’s ground game featured two players on pace for a 1,000-yard season after five games.

But against Slippery Rock football on Friday, it was the Bison’s air attack that gashed the Rockets in the first half and the hosts never recovered.

Senior quarterback Dominic Walters threw for 203 yards and three touchdowns in the first two quarters, and the Bison left Slippery Rock’s Troy-Alan Stadium with a 42-13 victory.

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Most of the damage occurred in the final three-and-a-half minutes before halftime. With his team leading 7-3, Walters connected with Dominic Wolfarth for a 27-yard scoring strike.

Following a three-and-out from Slippery Rock, Xavier Blose snagged his second touchdown pass of the game, this one from 29 yards. The first was good for 72 yards in the first quarter.

A once-close game turned into a 21-3 halftime deficit for the Rockets (3-3, 2-1 District 10, Region 4).

“The first two touchdowns were blown coverages, and the third was my fault,” Slippery Rock head coach Steve Monteleone said. “We thought they would take some shots with (Blose), and they did.”

Walters is a third-year starter at quarterback. He had passed for 601 yards and four TDs in the first five games.

“We kept our passing game in our back pocket the last few weeks,” Bison head coach Justin Blose said. “But we knew Slippery Rock was big and physical up front and it would be tough to run on them.”

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The Rockets had the opportunity to make a move earlier in the first half.

The Bison’s opening drive of the game ended with a turnover on downs at the Rockets’ 38, and Trent Reich recovered a fumble to pull the plug on the second.

But Slippery Rock managed just 24 total yards on its first three drives, with penalties and dropped passes holding it back.

The Rockets did get a 17-yard pass from Jon Petras to Aden Shay late in the first quarter, the biggest play on a 51-yard drive that ended with Zach Lasko’s 29-yard field goal on the first play of the second quarter, cutting Fort LeBoeuf’s lead to 7-3.

But the Bison (4-2, 2-1) caught fire late in the quarter. With a 14-3 edge, Walters and Blose teamed up for back-to-back completions totaling 73 yards, the second one being Walters’ third TD pass of the half.

Shay, who had run all over Conneaut, Titusville and Iroquois in Weeks 2-4, was held in check Friday, gaining 72 yards on 20 carries. He now has 99 combined yards on the ground in the last two games.

“As the head coach, I need to do a better job of coaching these kids up,” Monteleone said. “We need to correct some things, but we’re still in the hunt (for the playoffs) and have a big one next week against Sharon.”

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The Rockets scored a touchdown when Petras found Dom Mineo from 14 yards out in the third period.

Lasko added his second field goal, a 40-yarder midway through the fourth.

The Bison’s Aiden Struchen rushed for 121 yards, 96 of them in the second half, and two short scoring runs.

Fort LeBoeuf 7 14 14 7 — 42

Slippery Rock 0 3 7 3 — 13

1st Quarter

FL — Xavier Blose 72 pass from Dominic Walters (Nathan Frantz kick), 4:41

2nd Quarter

SR — Zach Lasko 29 field goal, 11:57

FL — Dominic Wolfarth 27 pass from Walters (Frantz kick), 3:26

FL — Blose 29 pass from Walters (Frantz kick), 1:43

3rd Quarter

FL — Aiden Struchen 2 run (Frantz kick), 10:59

FL — Struchen 1 run (Frantz kick), 5:48

SR — Dom Mineo 14 pass from Jon Petras (Lasko kick), 1:52

4th Quarter

FL — Blose 69 run (Frantz kick), 10:50

SR — Lasko 40 field goal, 5:27

Individual Statistics

Rushing: Fort LeBoeuf, Aiden Struchen 16-121, Dominic Walters 6-39, Giovanni Bartone 1-(-1), Xavier Blose 1-69, Taige Sadowski 1-17, Tyler Peters 1-0, Nathan Frantz 1-(-3). Slippery Rock, Jon Petras 10-32, Aden Shay 20-72, Peyton Reich 2-6, Kristian Atwell 12-42, Carter Rudish 2-20.

Passing: Fort LeBoeuf, Dominic Walters 10-18-216-0, Nathan Frantz 1-2-8-0. Slippery Rock, Jon Petras 5-17-76-0, Aden Shay 0-1-0-0.

Receiving: Fort LeBoeuf, Xavier Blose 4-146, Dominic Wolfarth 4-44, Giovanni Bartone 1-8, Chase Swain 1-15, Trevor Pasquarello 1-8, Hunter Huck 0-3. Slippery Rock, Mitchell Stadtmiller 1-4, Peyton Reich 1-8, Aden Shay 1-17, Dom Mineo 1-14, Ty Gill 1-33.