Freeport cruises past Burrell in conference matchup
By:
Friday, October 16, 2020 | 10:54 PM
Burrell’s Ian Durci, breaks up a pass intended for Freeport’s Vincent Clark in the first half Friday, Oct 16, 2020, at Freeport Area Stadium.
Freeport’s Vincent Clark is called for pass interference while covering Burrell’s A.J. Corrado in the first half Friday, Oct 16, 2020, at Freeport Area Stadium.
Freeport’s Billy Lyons attempts to bring down Burrell’s Caden DiCaprio in the first half Friday, Oct 16, 2020, at Freeport Area Stadium.
Freeport’s Ben Lane attempts to cover Burrell’s Ian Durci as he catchess a pass in the first half Friday, Oct 16, 2020, at Freeport Area Stadium.
Burrell’s Floyd Nijere breaks up a pass intended for Freeport’s Vincent Clark in the first half Friday, Oct 16, 2020, at Freeport Area Stadium.
Burrell’s Kam Marmo attempts to cover Freeport’s Vincent Clark as he makes a catch in the first half Friday, Oct 16, 2020, at Freeport Area Stadium.
Burrell’s Kam Marmo attempts to bring down Freeport’s Mario DeVivo after he caugh a pass in the first half Friday, Oct 16, 2020, at Freeport Area Stadium.
Freeport came into its Allegheny Seven Conference matchup against Burrell on Friday with a chip on its shoulder and a determined attitude.
After missing consecutive games because of a covid-19 exposure, the Yellowjackets (3-1, 3-0) were ready to go, and it showed.
Burrell quarterback Alex Arledge scored the first six points of the game on a 1-yard quarterback sneak, but the Yellowjackets scored 21 straight en route to a 38-18 victory over their conference rival.
“I think emotions were really high up in the locker room and coming down, and we kind of flat-lined there,” Freeport coach John Gaillot said about how the team felt after Burrell scored first. “Once they got that touchdown, we started to hone in on what we needed to do. I’m so proud of the boys, and their physicality continues to grow.”
After Burrell scored three minutes into the game, the Yellowjackets responded two plays later as Ben Lane hit Mario DeVivo with a 19-yard touchdown pass to put Freeport up 7-6.
Then, four minutes into the second quarter, the Yellowjackets struck again as Lane hit Vincent Clark with a 31-yard strike for Clark’s only offensive touchdown of the night to put the Yellowjackets up for good.
Clark finished with 126 yards on seven catches.
He also scored on a 15-yard interception return, and he kicked a 37-yard field goal in the fourth quarter.
“He was everywhere tonight,” Gaillot said.
Though the offense was firing on all cylinders, the Freeport defense stole the show. Arledge completed only eight of his 26 pass attempts for 61 yards, and the Yellowjackets also picked off the star quarterback twice.
“It was unbelievable. We definitely needed that performance from them tonight,” Gaillot said about his defense. “Arledge is a great quarterback, and if you give him time he’s going to throw all over for you. So we rolled the dice, and it worked out for us.”
Aside from throwing for 189 yards and two touchdowns in his second start under center, Lane ran for a 2-yard touchdown and returned a punt 17 yards for a touchdown to put the game away.
Coming into Friday night’s game, the Yellowjackets were motivated to prove they belonged in the Allegheny Seven Conference conversation. They had defeated Derry and Deer Lakes, and their only loss was to Class 2A Apollo-Ridge. They were out to make a statement.
Consider it made.
“This was a big statement game for us,” Lane said. “Our goal is to make the playoffs, and we wanted to come in and win tonight. We thought we were overlooked because we are a very young team. But we all came together.”
Greg Macafee is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Greg by email at gmacafee@triblive.com or via Twitter .
More High School Football
• Through the Years: 40 years ago, Freeport finally got the better of nemesis Jeannette• Kiski Area football coach Sam Albert hangs up head coach’s whistle after 3 decades
• WPIAL Class 3A championship preview: Avonworth, Central Valley set for rematch
• Trib 10: New team takes over top spot with only 10 teams left standing
• WPIAL Class 2A championship preview: After long wait, Seton LaSalle, South Park return to title game
