WINDBER —
Vandalism at the Windber Stadium concession stand earlier in the week created a huge obstacle, and the playing of the Ramblers Friday night game against Meyersdale appeared to be in jeopardy.
But with plenty of teamwork by the community, the stadium was ready in time.
The football team responded with thanks by delivering a 49-19 victory over the Red Raiders giving coach Matt Grohal a fitting 42nd birthday present.
“We had that nasty break-in here and the team really rallied around me and talked about the team effort this week,” Grohal said. “They really wanted to get this win for all the people that helped out in the community to get this place ready for tonight, so it was definitely a total team effort. This is a great group of guys.
The Ramblers (2-0) dominated the line of scrimmage, racking up nearly 500 yards of offense. Dustin Blough finished with 128 yards, Trevor Neri had 117 and Devon Tomlinson added 95.
“Our running game relies on each running back and our line,” senior right guard Brady Sheehan said. “Our offensive line blocked really well this week, and I do believe we continue to improve and we will get better. It’s in the heart. We truly believe if you don’t give up, you’re going to win.”
Sheehan was joined on the front line by teammates Bronko Teklinsky, Evan Schreyer, Shane Almodovar and Troy Smith along with tight ends Neri and Zack Toth.
“We did not block well last week and we put the emphasis on Labor Day that we were going to labor a little bit and we sure did,” Grohal said. “We cleaned up a lot of our mistakes from last week, and those guys did a great job. Meyersdale is big and physical and, for the most part, I thought we controlled the line of scrimmage.”
Windber put three scores on the board in the first quarter.
The Ramblers took the opening kickoff and drove 65 yards, capped by a 15-yard Dan Tomlinson touchdown. Jake Hanley kicked the first of his seven PAT’s.
A Meyersdale fumble was recovered by Blough at midfield and two plays later, Neri burst into the end zone on a 48-yard run.
The final Ramblers touchdown of the first came with just 28.4 seconds as Dan Tomlinson scored from the 9.
“We were down by 21 after the first quarter and a lot of kids would have laid down and that would be it,” Meyersdale coach Chris Schrock said. “To their credit, they fought and hung in there.”
Windber added another touchdown to open the second as quarterback Dakota Gipe (8 of 15 for 81 yards passing) connected with Barkley for a 16-yard touchdown.
The Red Raiders (0-2) offense came to life in the second scoring on a 5-yard Lance Leydig run and a 28-yard pass from Leydig to Cole Clark to narrow the gap to 28-13 at the half.
Meyersdale then took the second-half kickoff, with Clark returning the ball 60 yards to set up the Raiders at the 35. Five plays later, Leydig scored to pull Meyersdale to 28-19, but that was as close as the Raiders could get.
“We showed glimmers of what we are capable of doing in the second and third quarters,” Schrock said. “I was impressed with what we did, and we definitely had Windber on their heels, and they knew we were here. Fourth quarter, we wore down and ran out of steam there.”
Devon Tomlinson added a pair of 1-yard touchdown runs and Barkley had a 52-yard interception return for a Windber score to set the final.
HS Sports Windber
Host Windber runs over Meyersdale
- HS Sports Windber
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Shanksville player gets 2,000th point in loss to Windber
Kayla Stockenus netted her 2,000th point in double-grand fashion on Tuesday night. The Shanksville senior guard grabbed a defensive rebound and drove the length of the court with multiple Windber defenders chasing her.
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Shade rolls past Windber
Shade’s Wade Walker was unhappy with the way he played on Monday so the senior forward elevated his game on Tuesday.
Walker finished with a game-high 38 points - as many as the entire Windber squad scored – and 20 rebounds, as the Panthers raised their record to 16-1, defeating the host Ramblers
64-38 in a WestPAC non-section game. -
Teamwork carries Conemaugh Twp. past Windber girls
Instead of having to depend on one player, the Conemaugh Township girls are blessed with an offensive arsenal from which to choose.
On Wednesday night at Windber, the Indians had seven players score at least three points led by 25 from Megan Boyer, as Township defeated the Ramblers 65-38 in the WestPAC North contest. -
Berlin trounces Windber in District 5-A
Newspaper clippings from Berlin’s 28-20 loss at Windber three weeks ago have been on full display inside the Mountaineers’ locker room recently.
They served as a daily reminder that Ramblers players called themselves the better football team. -
Conemaugh Twp. girls, Windber boys capture titles
The Conemaugh Township Indians won their third straight District 5-A girls soccer championship at Somerset Area High School in the first game of doubleheader with a 3-0 victory over North Star.
In the nightcap, Windber captured its first district crown with a 1-0 shootout win over Conemaugh Township in the 5-A boys title match. -
Windber-Conemaugh Township highlights soccer slate
The Windber boys soccer team is no stranger to playing Conemaugh Township. After all, the Ramblers ran into the Indians twice during the regular season and came away with one victory and one draw.
What’s different about today’s game is the stakes. -
Friday preview: Battle of unbeatens highlights slate
A battle of two 9-0, state-ranked teams highlights our weekly look at Friday-night matchups.
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Friday preview: Forest Hills concerned about Bishop Guilfoyle
Bishop Guilfoyle accomplished something not many believed possible during last week’s win against Cambria Heights. The Marauders significantly hampered the Highlanders’ high-powered run game.
Don’t be surprised if Bishop Guilfoyle’s blueprint for defensive success is copied by other members of the Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference when going against Cambria Heights. -
Pair of unbeatens meet in Windber
Windber has been involved in its share of marquee matchups over the years.
Just not that often against Blacklick Valley. -
Ramblers roll to win over Rockets
Despite a one-sided 42-7 win over Rockwood, Windber coach Matt Grohal was not happy with his Ramblers on Saturday afternoon.
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