McGuffey upends Waynesburg
Celeste Van Kirk/Observer-Reporter McGuffey's Teague Nicolella carries the ball Friday against Waynesburg.
Celeste Van Kirk/Observer-Reporter Waynesburg's Zach Eisiminger breaks the hold of McGuffey's Christian Clutterfor the first down during a game at Waynesburg Friday, Sept. 9, 2016.
Celeste Van Kirk/Observer-Reporter McGuffey's Christian Clutter tackles Waynesburg's Caleb Shriver during a game at Waynesburg Friday, Sept. 9, 2016.
WAYNESBURG – The long and short of the McGuffey High School football team’s Interstate Conference opener was the Highlanders did their best work after the football was placed on the one-yard line and their backs were to the goal posts.
The McGuffey offense went the distance, driving 99 yards for the game’s opening touchdown, and the Highlanders’ defense bent but didn’t break, stopping Waynesburg two times from the one-yard line late in the first half.
It added up to two huge swings in momentum Friday night and a 17-0 weather-plagued victory for McGuffey.
The game was delayed for 45 minutes at halftime because of lightning that followed heavy rain.
Sophomore running back Christian Clutter, who is subbing for injured starter Adam Townsend, scored on runs of four and 20 yards for McGuffey (1-0, 2-1), which bounced back after being shut out by Quaker Valley last weekend. Clutter’s 20-yard TD burst around right end with 1:44 remaining sealed the victory.
Waynesburg (0-1, 0-2) was unable to overcome McGuffey’s long touchdown drive and a fourth-and-goal stop with 1:50 left in the first half.
“Those were huge momentum swings,” said McGuffey coach Ed Dalton, who has seem similar scenarios against Waynesburg.
“It reminded me of our big game with Waynesburg two years ago, when we stopped them at the goal line and changed the momentum of that game.”
McGuffey officially went 90 yards in 10 plays for the game’s first score, but the drive actually covered 99 yards after Highlanders quarterback Marcus Czulewicz was sacked on the first play of the possession. Czulewicz narrowly avoided a safety as he was tackled by Waynesburg linebacker Connor Main and thrown down in the end zone. It was not a safety as it was ruled Czulewicz’s forwarded progress was stopped just inside the one-yard line.
On the next play, Czulewicz passed 11 yards along the sideline to wide receiver Teague Nicolella and a 15-yard personal foul penalty on the Raiders pushed the ball out to the 27-yard line. Waynesburg was its own worst enemy in the first half as the Raiders had six penalties for 50 yards and finished the night with 91 yards on nine infractions.
“Too many penalties. That falls on me,” Waynesburg coach Russ Moore said. “That should not be representative of Raider football. Too many distractions, too many timeouts, too many this and too many that.”
Czulewicz and Nicolella hooked up again three plays later for a 29-yard gain on third down, and then McGuffey turned the offense over to Clutter, who carried four times in a five-play stretch and scored on a four-yard run behind right guard as the Highlanders forged a 7-0 lead less than two minutes into the second quarter.
Midway through the quarter, Waynesburg put together its best drive of the half and moved from its own 35 to a first-and-goal at the McGuffey eight. A 23-yard run by Zach Eisiminger followed a 16-yard burst by Colin McCracken and gave the Raiders the first-and-goal. McCracken was stopped on a third-and-goal run off left guard from the one – “we thought he was in,” Moore said – and Eisiminger was stopped on fourth down by the middle of the McGuffey defense.
The Highlanders then executed the hurry-up offense, and an 18-yard scramble and run out of bounds by Czulewicz gave the Highlanders the ball at the Waynesburg 22 with two seconds left in the half. Nicolella drilled a 39-yard field goal, with room to spare, that made it 10-0 at halftime.
Heavy rain began falling shortly after the field goal and the ensuing lightning delayed the start of the second half, which was dominated by defense.
Waynesburg had a 12-play drive stall after reaching the McGuffey 23-yard line, and the Highlanders sealed the win with a 74-yard march that Clutter capped with a 20-yard scamper around right end.
The Highlanders overcame much, including several more injuries to starters.
“We cursed ourselves by telling everybody we had depth,” Dalton said. “We end up losing our running back, our split end, our flanker, some linemen. … But Clutter ran hard. We need to figure out a way to get him and Connor Romestan on the field at the same time.”
Clutter finished with 94 yards on 10 carries. Czulewicz was a workhorse for the Highlanders, rushing for 115 yards on 26 carries and completing eight of 11 passes for 85 yards.
McCracken had a big game for Waynesburg, gaining 126 yards on 21 carries but the Raiders passed for only 22 yards on five attempts. Waynesburg had
“Our guys – and McGuffey has some, too – play both ways,” Moore said. “They don’t come off the field. When the other team is bigger than you are, and your guys are playing both ways, you get worn down, and that’s what happened to us.”