Mt. Pleasant routs Burrell to deliver coach’s 1st playoff win

By: Jonathan Guth
Friday, November 5, 2021 | 10:06 PM

Mt. Pleasant scored touchdowns on its first four possessions and rolled to a 41-7 victory over Burrell on Friday in the first round of the WPIAL Class 3A playoffs at Vikings Stadium.

The Vikings (6-4) advance to next Friday’s quarterfinals at No. 3 Avonworth (8-2).

“No doubt, a playoff win is big for us,” Mt. Pleasant coach Jason Fazekas said. “This is my first one as a head coach and I’m thrilled to death. The kids really played well. We have to play who they tell us. We have to be ready to go on Monday like we are every week.”

Mt. Pleasant received the opening kickoff and Robbie Labuda’s 44-yard return had the Vikings at midfield. Labuda had a 35-yard run to the Bucs’ 2 before scoring on a 2-yard run at 11:03 of the first quarter. Labuda made the first of three PATs for a 7-0 lead.

Labuda gained 170 yards on 15 carries.

“We are going to run it,” Fazekas said. “We’ll RPO it and throw when we have to, but I don’t think it’s a secret we are going to try to run the ball. We have some good kids carrying it, that’s for sure. We’ve got a good line. The line played real well tonight.”

Burrell (3-8) rode the legs of senior running back Caden DiCaprio on its first drive. DiCaprio had eight carries for 57 yards on the possession and scored from 9 yards out to tie things up at 5:13 of the first after Ethan Croushore connected on the extra point.

DiCaprio rushed for 191 yards on 47 attempts.

“He’s been a good player for us,” Burrell coach Shawn Liotta said. “He runs the ball hard. I’m just proud of our kids. Our kids came out here and battled today. We are missing a couple of starters with injuries and some things. It is the story of our season. The way our kids never give up and scratch, fight and claw. They brought it today but came up a little bit short.”

“We knew he was going to run it,” Fazekas said of DiCaprio. “He’s a tough kid. A good, hard-running kid. No doubt about that one. He will have some college schools interested in him, for sure. He is the kind of kid you want in your football program.”

Labuda was at it again on the ensuing kickoff return, as his 46-yarder set Mt. Pleasant up at the Bucs’ 45. Aaron Alakson would finish off the drive with a 22-yard touchdown run at 3:38 of the second for a 14-7 advantage.

Burrell started its second possession on its own 20, and DiCaprio appeared to have a 45-yard run, but the Bucs were called for holding and forced to punt after a three-and-out.

“That was a big momentum play there,” Liotta said. “We had some injuries during the game that hurt us. We were moving the ball really well, and after that drive, we had some injuries where we had to move some people around, personnel wise. We were already kind of thin in some spots.”

Alakson found the end zone on a 10-yard run at 10:09 of the second and Jarrett Garn added the first of two PATs for a 21-7 lead before pulling in a 65-yard touchdown reception from freshman quarterback Cole Chatfield for a touchdown with 6:38 left in the first half. The score was Chatfield’s first attempt.

Alakson rushed for 113 yards on 12 attempts and caught three passes for 91 yards.

Chatfield started for the Vikings’ normal starting quarterback, Tyler Reese, who was out with an injury. Chatfield was 4 of 7 for 96 yards.

“We didn’t change anything,” Fazekas said. “That young kid (Chatfield) is going to be OK for us. I think (Reese) will be all right for next week. It will be a game-time decision.”

Jackson Hutter scored on an 11-yard run at 1:40 of the third to extend Mt. Pleasant’s to 34-7.

The Vikings’ Dante Giallonardo capped the scoring with a 25-yard run at 4:03 of the fourth.

Labuda stopped a Burrell drive with an interception in the end zone.

DiCaprio had an interception as Mt. Pleasant was attempting to score before the first half ran out.

Watch an archived broadcast of this game on Trib HSSN.

Tags: Burrell, Mt. Pleasant