Allport- The Warriors and Knights each got off to a hot start, with both teams scoring on their first drive. The Warriors started the game on offense, and on the sixth play from scrimmage junior quarterback Ayden Gutierrez connected with junior wideout Eddie Dale for a 47-yard touchdown. A Kyle Godin extra-point made it 7-0 West Branch. Godin made all five of his PAT’s. After an immediate answer from the Knights, a Gutierrez tipped pass was intercepted on the Warriors next drive, and three plays later the Knights found paydirt. After the extra-point attempt was smothered by a whole tribe of Warriors, West Branch faced a 13-7 deficit.
Like Week 1, the Warriors went on an absolute tear, scoring 28 unanswered points to go into the half leading 35-13. Gutierrez found Dale again for a score, this attempt being a 64-yard bomb. Senior running back Derek Yingling churned out 159 yards in the first half on 15 carries, reaching the endzone twice. The other Warrior touchdown came from a 6-yard run by Gutierrez. The Warriors finished the half with 372 total yards of offense.
The Knights came out of the halftime break on fire, only needing four plays to score. But from that point on, it was a defensive show. The Warriors failed to score in the second half, while the Knights scored once. The Warrior defense really shined all night, pressuring the Mo-Valley quarterback on many of his pass attempts. Senior defensive-end Terry Smeal had two sacks, while Yingling and junior linebacker Aidan Kephart each had one.
“Jake (Shaw) did a really nice job tonight taking on multiple blockers and still being able to force the QB out of the pocket,” Terry Smeal added. “Also the DB’s did a nice job taking away the quarterback’s first read, which made him hold the ball. The combination of those things gave me time to get to the QB and create pressure.”
While the defensive-line continued to create pressure, the Warrior secondary was flying around all night. Sophomore Will Herring captured the Warriors’ lone interception, but the entire group combined for a numerous amount of deflections and knockdowns.
West Branch tallied a total of 475 yards on offense. Gutierrez went 7-16 for 194 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions, while carrying the ball 7 times for 27 yards and a score. Yingling carried the ball 27 times for 223 yards and two scores.
“It really feels great. I’ve been playing for Coach Hubler for four years now and we have never started 2-0, so for it to finally happen during my senior year shows how much work we’ve put in. With that being said, we still have a lot of work to do to get where we want. We aren’t satisfied yet,” senior Lineman Jake Shaw said when asked his thoughts about the team’s hot start.
The Warriors (2-0) host Claysburg-Kimmel (1-1) next Friday.
BOX SCORE:
Score by Quarters
Mo-Valley 13 0 7 0
West Branch 14 21 0 0
Individual Statistics
Rushing:
Derek Yingling 27-223 (2 TD’s)
Will Herring 7-29
Ayden Gutierrez 7-27 (1 TD)
Andrew Dawes 1-4
Aidan Kephart 1-1
Passing:
Ayden Gutierrez 7-of-16, 194 yds., 2 TD’s, 2 INT’s
Receiving:
Eddie Dale 3-126 (2 TD’s)
Josh Cantolina 2-34
Will Herring 2-34
