Blue Mountain soared to a Backyard Brawl victory over rival Schuylkill Haven on Friday night, 50-20.
The Eagles used a quick-strike offense (and a bit of special teams play) to leave no doubt about the outcome of the game by halftime.
Chase Guers took the opening kickoff 73 yards for Blue Mountain’s opening score. And while the Hurricanes were able to sustain a long drive and counter with a go-ahead score on the subsequent drive – a Colton Reber plunge into the end zone – it was all Eagles after that.
When Blue Mountain got the ball, they didn’t hold on to it very long.
Following that opening kickoff score, the Eagles five scoring drives in the first half ate just 6 minutes, 34 seconds off the clock. Three of the drives lasted less than 30 seconds.
Blue Mountain took the lead for good immediately after Haven’s score. And it was the drive that took the longest all night … all 4 minutes, 47 seconds of it over 8 plays. It ended with quarterback Cohan Kirby hitting Frank Russo with a 13-yard pass over the middle to put the Eagles up, 14-7.
Guers added two first-half scores on passes of 66 and 22 yards from Kirby. He had 6 catches on the night for 155 yards. Kirby was 12-16 through the air for 234 yards and 3 touchdowns.
Sonny Amato scored on 11-yard score earlier in the second quarter. He added a scoring run of 47 yards in the third quarter as well, finishing the game with 4 carries for 90 yards.
Brody Foose added a score on the ground in the first half.
For Schuylkill Haven, Reber added a 64-yard touchdown run in the second half.
MORE: Mount Carmel Outlasts Schuylkill Haven in Silver Bowl Shootout
The Eagles are now at 2-1 and face another rival next week when they open Schuylkill League division play at home against Pottsville. Schuylkill Haven drops to 0-3 to start the season. They’ll travel to Mahanoy Area next week to open their league schedule.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BMT | 14 | 28 | 8 | 0 | 50 |
| SH | 7 | 0 | 7 | 6 | 20 |
TOP PHOTO: Kole Luckenbill muscles his way through Schuylkill Haven’s defense during Friday night’s Backyard Brawl. (Photo by Jacqueline Dormer)
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