Blackhawk throttles Knights
JEFFERSON TWP — Knoch fans were still on their feet celebrating a touchdown when Blackhawk quarterback Matthew Emge delivered a 40-yard strike to Brett Alberti, silencing the crowd and swinging the momentum.
The pass was one of many big strikes through the air in the first half as Blackhawk cruised to a 35-7 football victory over the Knights Friday night at Knoch Stadium.
After their starting senior quarterback quit the team last Saturday, Blackhawk coach Joe Hamilton told sophomore Emge it was his team.
A 44-yard pass to Chuckie Lipp on the second play of the game answered any questions.
"It's just outstanding," Hamilton said. "We just threw it on his lap and said 'Son, you gotta get better in a week here.' And he did. He made a few mistakes, that's expected, but all and all, I'm really pleased."
His biggest mistake came midway through the second quarter on a fourth-down play. Emge tried forcing a ball into tight coverage and Knoch's Mackenzie Megahan intercepted the sophomore and returned the ball 75 yards for a touchdown.
The score brought Knoch within seven points and gave the Knights momentum, but Alberti's 40-yard catch on the ensuing drive set up another Cougars touchdown and pushed the lead back to 14.
Knoch allowed more than 300 yards on the ground to Hopewell in last week's opener, but this week it was the pass defense that had breakdowns. The Knights were gashed for 165 yards in the first half, including touchdown throws of 10 and 26 yards.
"They threw one pass on it, I'll give it to them. We just got caught," Knoch coach Mike King said. "Another one, they made a real nice pass on our sideline and I give their kid credit for a nice play and we had a blown coverage. You're talking three plays and they cost us."
With a two-touchdown lead, the Cougars turned to the run in the second half and put away the game. After an interception at Knoch's 36 in the third quarter, Blackhawk ran nine times, using more than 4:30 on its way to a Mike Mazza 3-yard touchdown.
The Knights managed only 71 yards of offense and quarterback Jake McTighe completed only one pass while throwing two interceptions.
But scoring two touchdowns and allowing 82 points two weeks into the season isn't the most concerning aspect for King.
After the game, the Knights huddled near the home end zone for more than five minutes, and one player was heard yelling, "Let's go! Let's stay together!"
"My main focus is where we're at as a team, staying together when all the chips are down," King said.
"Here's the thing: We got a lot of guys out here that want the same thing. They want to win and feel like they want to contribute to the win. When you don't, what I saw tonight was we fell apart at the seams a little bit, and that's concerning to me.
"Attitude is what will help us persevere through stuff like this, so that's my main focus right now," King added.
