JOHNSTOWN —
In a game littered with turnovers and highlighted by strong defense by both squads, Greater Johnstown scored in every quarter while holding Westmont to a lone field goal for a 32-3 win at Price Field on Saturday.
The two teams combined for three fumbles, six interceptions, and four turnovers on downs.
Johnstown quarterback Gervon Simon threw four interceptions while going 14 of 27 for 255 yards as Johnstown improved to 3-0.
Westmont’s offense was highlighted by Ryan Burnheimer’s 124 yards on 30 carries.
“First, give credit to Westmont for playing their heart out,” Johnstown coach Tony Penna Jr. said. “I call the plays and I take total responsibility for all the turnovers. We turned the ball over way too much, and that is completely my fault and it’s something we’ll go back and work on.”
The Trojans fumbled on their first possession of the game as Simon completed a pass to Mark Watson, who had the ball jarred loose. Westmont’s Liam Moran recovered it at the Johnstown 35.
The momentum swing was short-lived, however, as Westmont quarterback Joe Glennon fumbled two plays later and Johnstown’s Dalvin Williams dove on the ball at the Trojans’ 38.
Johnstown then mounted a 13-play,
62-yard drive that Simon finished with a 9-yard pass to Dwight Andrews. Westmont’s Josh Duplin blocked his first of two extra point attempts and Johnstown led 6-0 through the first quarter.
The second quarter opened with the teams trading interceptions, and each side also turned the ball over on downs.
Westmont punter Braden Junker pinned Johnstown at its own 6 with a punt from midfield with three minutes left in the half, but Simon methodically marched his squad down the field and found Andrews with a 27-yard scoring pass to bump Johnstown’s lead to 12-0.
The teams again traded interceptions to open the third stanza, and Johnstown turned the ball over again when Westmont’s Alex Intihar stepped in front of Simon’s pass at the Johnstown 24.
Intihar’s effort set up Westmont’s lone score of the afternoon, as Junker nailed a 38-yard field goal with two minutes remaining in the third quarter to make the score 12-3.
The Hilltoppers’ hopes for a comeback were dashed quickly when Johnstown’s Daquan Minter snared the ensuing kick and scampered 86 yards for the touchdown. The two-point try fell short, but Johnstown led 18-3.
Westmont (1-2) rallied with a drive to the Johnstown 2 on its next possession, but the Trojans defense dug in and turned back Glennon on fourth-and goal for a 6-yard loss to open the fourth quarter.
Johnstown’s Tim Odum wasted little time capitalizing on his defense’s effort as the senior running back broke a 92-yard touchdown run on the first play of the ensuing series. Julian Ter Horst added the kick to give Johnstown a 25-3 lead.
Johnstown capped the scoring with another big play by its special teams when Minter corralled a Junker punt at midfield and scampered 50 yards into the end zone. Ter Horst’s kick set the final at 32-3.
“Our special teams were an issue,” Westmont coach Matt Glennon said. “Two touchdowns on a punt return and a kick return. If it was 18-3 and we punch that ball in on the goal line, it’s a whole different ball game at 18-10.”
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Related Photos
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DAVE LLOYD/THE TRIBUNE-DEMOCRAT Johnstown’s Malcolm Harris (left) and Alex Merriman (right) stop Westmont’s Noah McQuillan during Saturday’s game at Price Field. Dave Lloyd
Discussion
Johnstown thumps Westmont
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