FREEPORT — It was only Week Zero, but Freeport was definitely conditioned to win Friday night.

The Yellowjackets broke open a close game at the half by outscoring visiting Yough 29-0 over the final two quarters, cruising to a 43-6 non-section football victory.

“All we wanted to do in the first half was keep it close, not give up anything cheap,” Freeport coach John Gaillot said. “If they were gonna score, make them drive 80 yards.

“We were up against a big, powerful line, but I felt like our conditioning would take over in the second half.”

It did — and quarterback Austin Romanchak proved to be the beneficiary.

Romanchak had 12 carries for 205 yards and four touchdowns on the night. His 63-yard scamper off a fake pitch on an option play was the game's first score. Romanchak added a 30-yard scoring run in the second period, then TD jaunts of 25 and 58 yards in the final quarter.

In between his last two touchdowns, he found the end zone on a 45-yard interception return.

“Our conditioning was a huge factor tonight,” Romnanchak said. “They were playing with us in the first half, but I didn't think it would last.

“We're all about accountability this year. If our line wasn't blocking and I wasn't getting good blocks downfield, none of this would have happened for me tonight.”

Gaillot pointed to a block by wide receiver Evan McCrea downfield “that definitely sprung Austin for one of those scores.”

Romanchak kept the ball on a few option plays.

“My coaches prepped me for making those reads,” he said. “We go over a lot of film.”

Yough controlled the football on two long possessions in the first half. A 12-play possession that ate 7:28 off the clock in the first quarter ended when Freeport's Austin Kemp sacked Cougar quarterback Jacob Sever on third down at the Freeport 33. The 11-yard loss forced a punt.

The Cougars' lone score of the game polished off their other long possession. Dustin Shoaf's 9-yard TD run on third-and-5 capped a 14-play drive that ate 6:59 off the clock.

Shoaf, a junior, had 31 carries for 142 yards. He had 20 carries for 104 in the first half.

“That kid runs hard. He'll definitely be playing somewhere at the next level,” Gaillot said.

Yough had 10 first downs to Freeport's three in the first two quarters and ran 34 plays to the Yellowjackets' 13. But the Cougars managed only two first downs in the second half.

Freeport sophomore Isiah Bauman caught a 21-yard touchdown pass from Romanchak in the third quarter. Bauman also intercepted a pass near midfield to set up Romanchak's third scoring run.

“Credit for this win goes top all 55 of our players,” Gaillot said. “We have a lot of thin guys who play up front, but they battle and fight all night long. We wore them down in the end.”

Romanchak finished the night with 319 all-purpose yards.

Freeport does not play next week. The Yellowjackets travel to Deer Lakes Sept. 8.

[naviga:h3]Yough 0 6 0 0 — 6

Freeport 7 7 9 20 — 43[/naviga:h3]

First Quarter

F —Austin Romanchak 63 run (Jake Sarver kick), 9:01

Second Quarter

Y — Dustin Shoaf 9 run (run failed), 1:48

F — Romanchak 30 run (Sarver kick), 1:24

Third Quarter

F — Isiah Bauman 21 pass from Romanchak (Sarver kick), 8:01

F — Jacob Sever knelt in end zone for safety, 5:46

Fourth Quarter

F — Romanchak 25 run (kick blocked0, 11:05

F — Romanchak 45 interception return (Sarver kick), 8:20

F — Romanchak 58 run (Sarver kick), 5:01

Individual Statistics

Rushing: Yough, Jacob Sever 8-(-29), Dustin Shoaf 31-142, Reno Ustazewski 1-1, TEAM 2-(-23), Brian Donahue 1-(-3-0, Mason Brunson 1-(-1), Cameron Hopkin 2-(-1). Freeport, Austin Romanchak 12-205, Coor Selinger 9-60, Ricky Hunter 1-1, Gabe Brunck 2-5.

Passing: Yough, Jacob Sever 4-10-31-2. Freeport, Austin Romnanchak 8-12-92-0.

Receiving: Yough, Brian Donahue 2-13, CJ Waidier 1-7, Gamal Marballie 1-11. Freeport, Jake Sarver 3-23, Luke Kennedy 2-27, Evan McCrea 2-21, Isiah Bauman 1-21.