Sep 21, 2018 3 min read

HOOKSTOWN – Sprinting into the locker room with hooping-and-hollering linemen Colby Green, Angelo Fratini and Ethan Brothers, Burgettstown High School football coach Mark Druga could barely see with the rain and steam covering his glasses.

Scoring 14 unanswered points and flipping the momentum in a game against South Side Beaver for first place in the Class 2A Three Rivers Conference were reasons for the three senior linemen to be excited.

“They said, ‘We love this, coach,'” Druga said.

The players were referring to the monsoon-like downpours and strong winds that blew from one end zone to the other at Richard J. Ashcroft Athletic Complex Friday night.

“Then, right before we got into the locker room, they said as long as the lightning doesn’t come we’ll play in this all night.”

The fun ended immediately after Brothers recovered a fumble at midfield with Burgettstown leading 20-7 and 8:35 remaining in the third quarter.

Seconds after the recovery, a flash of lightning, followed by several others, caused a 43-minute delay before a decision to suspend the game until today was made. Burgettstown and South Side Beaver will pick up from the point they left off, beginning at noon.

“We were fine with the delay,” Druga said. “We could have stayed until 11 o’clock, but you have to error on the side of safety. With the lightning flashing all around us it was the right call.”

While it might erase much of the momentum Burgettstown gained, it won’t erase the lead it built. An 80-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Cole Shergi to open second half gave the Blue Devils a 20-7 lead.

Trailing 7-0, Burgettstown went on a 13-play, 75-yard drive that lasted more than seven minutes and culminated with a powerful six-yard touchdown run by junior quarterback Jake Lounder with 9:25 remaining in the second quarter.

After forcing South Side to punt from its end zone, Lounder ran through the rain and the Rams’ defense for a 30-yard score to give Burgettstown a 14-7 lead just over four minutes later.

“South Side came out and hit us in the mouth,” Druga said of an 80-yard drive that resulted in a 10-yard passing touchdown from Trenton Seik to Brandon Barber.

“When they punched it in, we immediately said it’s time to play our brand. That’s when the heavens opened up. The momentum began swinging our way.”

Lounder had seven carries for 78 yards and two scores before the game was suspended.

South Side’s star running back, Jake Botkin, had 82 yards on 16 attempts but was slowed by the messy field conditions.

Several games around the WPIAL were finalized Friday because of lightning.

“We had all intentions of playing this game no matter where it was stopped,” Druga said. “Does it sting? It definitely does hinder tonight’s momentum. But South Side Beaver is right down the road from us. We are getting back on the bus and are going to finish it.”