Aug 27, 2021 2 min read

ALVERTON – It’s only one game but it’s a game McGuffey coaches will harp on all week.

Southmoreland took advantage of three third-quarter fumbles to stop any idea McGuffey had of rallying and came away with a 47-22 victory over the mistake-prone Highlanders in a nonconference season-opener Friday night at Russ Grimm Stadium.

Anthony Govern scored three times and threw two TD passes, and Isaac Trout pulled in two touchdown passes.

A fumble to start the third quarter turned into a second touchdown run by Southmoreland’s Anthony Govern and a 34-14 lead.

A bad snap on fourth down was recovered by Southmoreland and converted into a third touchdown run by Govern to make it 41-14.

McGuffey turned the ball over three times in the third quarter. When the Highlanders did hold onto the ball, they scored. J.J. Bloom snared an 11-yard touchdown pass midway through the fourth quarter to cut Southmoreland’s lead to 41-22 after Phillip McCuen ran it in for the two-point conversion.

McGuffey drove to the one-yard line late in the game, when another fumble was recovered and returned to midfield by Southmoreland.

Southmoreland built a 27-14 lead at halftime.

Isaac Trout scored twice in the first half, catching two touchdown passes, the first from seven yards and the second for 55 yards.

Bloom made it a 20-point lead when he caught a 30-yard scoring pass.

Ethan Dietrich breathed new life into McGuffey when he returned an interception for a touchdown.

Southmoreland scored first when running back Travon Lee took a pitch and fired to the end zone, where Isaac Trout hauled it in from the nine.

McGuffey seemed to have stopped Southmoreland on fourth down but a pass interference call on the Highlanders gave the Scotties new life.

Southmoreland made it 13-0 when Govern broke free from seven yards out on the last play of the first quarter. One of the key plays in the drive was another pass interference penalty, this time on third down.