Southmoreland pulls away from Valley to secure victory in opener

By: Paul S. Brittain
Friday, August 23, 2024 | 10:20 PM

On a night when Southmoreland wanted to win its Week Zero game against Valley in memory of coach Tim Bukowski’s late father, Ron, the visiting Vikings had other ideas.

The Scotties entered the opener at 4-2 in Week Zero games and 3-0 at home. But they had never beaten Valley in five meetings, the most recent being in 1995.

It took five lead changes for the Scotties to eventually take control on the way to a 52-20 victory Friday night.

“It will be different not having him up there (in the stands),” Bukowski said of his late father. “He really wanted to be here this season. It definitely won’t be the same.”

Under former Scotties head coach Mark Adams, Valley drove 62 yards on its second possession to lead 6-0 on a 49-yard pass from Antonio Perkins to Zayann Ferron. A bad snap stopped the conversion attempt.

“Every game has meaning,” Adams said. “It isn’t anything other than that. I will always have a love for Southmoreland. Tim Bukowski does a great job. He’s a player’s coach.”

Southmoreland was outgained 90-5 at one point but shut the door on the Vikings and drove 45 yards to score in four plays in the second quarter.

A big play was a 22-yard run by Cameron Phillips to the 23-yard line. Three plays later, Ethan Shawley’s 3-yard run tied the score, and Jake Kaylor’s conversion kick gave the Scotties a 7-6 edge.

An interception by Patyon Eason set Vallry up at the Scotties’ 33. The Vikings drove to score on a penalty-filled drive as Perkins hit Coury Pitts for the score with 2:28 left in the half to lead 12-7 after the failed 2- point try.

Phillips returned the ensuing kickoff to the Valley 45, and Anthony Smith hit Makek Darnel on the next play for a pass-and-run touchdown. Kaylor’s conversion kick gave Scotties the lead at 14-12.

Moments later, Kaylor set a Scotties record with a 50-yard field goal as time expired, breaking the 50-year record of 48 yards set by Dave Trout in 1974 against Mount Pleasant.

The Scotties led 28-12 at the half and had overtaken the Vikings in yardage by a 159-142 margin.

The see-saw game continued early in the second half as Perkins capped a 52-yard scoring drive with a 16-yard keeper and then passed to Coury Pitts for the 2-point conversion to give Valley a 20-17 lead.

The Scotties immediately answered as Phillips returned the kickoff 84 yards for a score and a 24-20 lead with the conversion kick by Kaylor.

Two possessions later, Smith hit Elliott Premus in stride for 25 yards to the end zone. A muffed hold foiled the kick, but the lead was 30-20.

After a bad fourth-down snap, the Scotties took over at the Valley 21. Two plays later, Ethan Shawley burst up the middle for a 23-yard scoring run and a 36-20 lead.

A Valley holding infraction in the end zone gave the Scotties a safety and a 38-20 lead.

Phillips then set up his own 2-yard scoring run with a 27-yard run to the Valley 5-yard line, and Stanley Betters ended scoring with a 39-yard interception return.

Tags: Southmoreland, Valley