JOHNSTOWN — Greater Johnstown scored on its first three possessions, then put its explosiveness on display again late in the third quarter en route to a 33-6 win over Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference rival Somerset on Friday night at Trojan Stadium.
Johnstown coach Kevin Marabito admitted that he was delighted with his team’s dynamic start, but also a bit uneasy because “sometimes things go downhill real quick.”
Somerset coach Steve Costea, however, was not pleased.
“We panicked in the first half,” he said. “They have a lot of speed, which we knew.”
The Trojans flashed their speed on the opening kickoff when LaQuinn Stephens-Howling fielded the line-drive boot at his own 13, took it to his left and needed to break only one tackle at the Somerset 30 to go the distance. Oskar Almgren added the PAT for a 7-0 lead just 15 seconds into the game.
After Johnstown held the Eagles on downs, Johnstown made it 14-0 with a 12-play,
58-yard march capped by a 1-yard sneak by John Siciliano. The Trojans quarterback helped set up the score with a 16-yard scramble and a 13-yard pass to Richard Agurs.
Somerset started the next drive at its own 19, and found itself in a deep hole when a penalty and a 13-yard sack loss almost resulted in a safety. The Eagles were forced to punt from deep in their own end zone, and Johnstown took over at the Somerset 28.
A 21-yard pass from Siciliano to Jordan Jefferson on a fourth-and-16 play gave Johnstown a key first down at Somerset’s 10. Three plays later, Daveon Simms followed the left side of his line into the end zone from a yard out.
Somerset answered with a drive that covered 66 yards in
14 plays, greatly aided by three flags on the Trojans for 25 yards.
Eagles quarterback Trevor Niemiec contributed an 18-yard scamper for a first down and a
16-yard pass to Cameron Darr.
The touchdown came when Niemiec, rolling right, pulled up and fired a strike to Dylan Cramer from 6 yards out to cut the deficit to 20-6 at the half.
The late score seemed to lift Somerset’s spirits, and the Eagles opened the second half with a grinding, 13-play drive that moved the ball from their own 33 to a first down at the Johnstown 6, chewing up a big chunk of the third quarter in the process.
Successive runs of 22 yards by Gunnar Smith and 11 by Niemiec set up the first and goal, but Johnstown stuffed three successive runs, and a fourth-down pass was incomplete.
“They sucked it up and did what they had to do,” Marabito said of his defensive unit.
The backbreaker came with lightning speed.
On a third-and-4 from his 12, Siciliano turned a keeper around right end into a 57-yard gain.
On the next snap, Jefferson moved under center from his usual running back post, and rifled a 31-yard scoring strike to a wide-open Stephens-Howling.
“We have some explosive kids, and they made things happen,” Marabito said.
Costea said that “a lot times we were in position, but we didn’t finish the plays.”
Johnstown added an insurance touchdown late in the fourth quarter on a 14-yard pass from Jefferson to Dwight Andrews.
About the only downside for Johnstown was a rash of penalties – a dozen, in fact, for 118 yards.
“They can’t keep making mistakes like that,” Marabito said.
Notes: Despite soggy conditions, both teams did an outstanding job of protecting the ball; the contest was turnover-free. ... Siciliano, who also saw some time at running back in the second half, carried 14 times for 120 yards ... Johnstown (3-2) plays Bishop Carroll at St. Francis next week. ... Somerset (2-3) is at Richland.
High School Sports
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Greater Johnstown’s LaQuinn Stephens-Howling celebrates his touchdown catch in the third quarter of Friday night’s 33-6 victory over Somerset. Roger Kerekes/For The Tribune-Democrat
Discussion
Stephens-Howling gives Johnstown quick start in win over Somerset
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