BY CORY ISENBERG
ALTOONA — This time, Johnstown would not be denied.
The Trojans (8-3) built an early lead then held off a second-half Hollidaysburg rally to capture the District 6 Class AAA football championship Friday night at Mansion Park, unseating the defending champion Golden Tigers 21-14.
“It’s a great feeling,” said Johnstown coach Kevin Marabito, whose team had fallen to Hollidaysburg in last year’s title tilt. “These kids worked so hard. They deserved what they got. That’s what this year is all about. A championship drive comes down to that last drive and our kids sucked it up and our defense stepped in as it has all year and they stepped in at the last minute and stopped them.”
Hollidaysburg (4-7) knotted the game at 14 in the fourth quarter after the Tigers’ Chad Barton threw for a 22-yard touchdown to James Muir and Andrew Dick added the PAT with 4:52 left.
Senior LaQuinn Stephens-Howling returned the ball back to the Johnstown 42 to give the Trojans good field position.
Three plays later, quarterback John Siciliano eluded the first wave of Tigers defenders and stumbled, but kept his footing as he tiptoed down the sideline 52 yards for the go-ahead score with 3:10 left. Oskar Almgren added the third of his kicks for the extra point.
Hollidaysburg started from its own 32 on the ensuing possession and was moving the ball down the field as time ticked off the clock. The Johnstown defense contained the drive and when the Tigers went for it on fourth down, Cliff Eddins picked off a Muir pass with 1:20 left.
Siciliano took two kneeldowns and with no time outs remaining for the Tigers, time expired and Johnstown won its first district title since 2004 and the first for Marabito with the Trojans.
“I knew we needed a big play and I just kept my head up,” the Johnstown quarterback said.
“We all played our hearts out.”
The Trojans got off to a strong start as Hollidaysburg turned the ball over four times in the first half. Johnstown was able to capitalize on two of them.
The Trojans’ Kashmir Pretlor recovered a Hollidaysburg fumble at the 37. Johnstown marched to the 7 but turned the ball over on downs.
On the Tigers next drive, Eddins recovered a fumble at the 36. On the next play, Siciliano connected with Stephens-Howling for the touchdown.
On Hollidaysburg’s next possession, yet another fumble slowed the Tigers as Alkwan Williams scooped up the ball at the 34 and rumbled 66 yards for the touchdown. Almgren’s kick gave Johnstown a 14-0 lead.
Stephens-Howling had another Johnstown interception in the second quarter, but the Trojans came away with no points.
“That was our fear at halftime. We didn’t know if we could hold them off,” Marabito said. “We had our opportunities in the first half and we didn’t score, Fourteen points is nothing with a good team like Hollidaysburg.”
On the Tigers’ opening drive of the second half, they moved 63 yards on 11 plays, capped by a Luke Rhodes 1-yard run and Dick kick.
“We had four turnovers in the first half and we were only down 14-0,” Hollidaysburg coach John Barton said.
“I thought that boded well for us, that if we could get rid of the turnovers, we had a great chance of winning. We had a good third quarter and a decent fourth quarter, but they had some kids that made plays.”
Richard Agurs had four catches for 63 yards while Stephens-Howling was Johnstown’s leading rusher with
85 yards on 10 carries.
“It’s better to get a team back that beat you the year before,” Stephens-Howling said. “No matter what, we stuck together and we finished it off like a team.”
Johnstown will take on District 4 champ Selinsgrove either Friday or Saturday at a District 6 site to be determined.
