Samir Crosby accounts for 5 TDs, propels Greensburg Central Catholic past Jeannette

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Friday, October 4, 2024 | 11:10 PM

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If Greensburg Central Catholic was looking for momentum heading into halftime against rival Jeannette, it found it in a flurry.

A 30-point first half was punctuated by the Centurions scoring 10 points in 11 seconds as they rolled to a 44-27 victory in a Class A Eastern Conference game on Friday night at Centurion Stadium.

“After we did that it was like, OK, here we go,” GCC coach JT Thompson said. “That was a turning point and gave us confidence.”

Quarterback Samir Crosby had himself a night against his hometown friends, accounting for 301 yards and five touchdowns as GCC (4-2, 3-1) posted its third straight win.

The quarterback ran for 150 yards and three touchdowns, passed for 151 yards and two scores — both to Jackson McMullen — intercepted a pass, had a pair of 2-point conversions, and forced a fumble.

“Samir stayed composed, but he was still fired up,” Thompson said. “He said to me, this is the most fun I’ve had in a long time.”

Jeannette (4-3, 1-3) has lost three straight after a 4-0 start. The Jayhawks are allowing 32.6 points per game.

GCC has won four in a row in the series.

The loss spoiled a great performance by Jeannette quarterback Kymone Brown, who rushed for 209 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries and was 11-of-19 passing for 114 yards and two scores, both to Noah Sunder.

Crosby also delivered a 47-yard punt late in the first half that pinned Jeannette at the 1, which led to the quick surge.

Leading 20-14, GCC cashed in on two opportunities.

On the first play, Jeannette’s Nick Mendoza was tackled by Tucker Lloyd for a safety. Then, Jeannette’s free kick came to Jerry Davis, who weaved around defenders and went 65 yards for a touchdown.

After Crosby ran in the 2-point conversion, the Centurions had a 30-14 lead at the half.

“Two turnovers and 14 points, and a special teams score, that’s the game right there,” Jeannette coach Tommy Paulone said. “Credit them, they made the plays and capitalized.

“The safety … I’ll lose sleep over that series. And the kick was supposed to be a squib. That’s an error on us.”

Brown threw two second-half touchdowns to Sunder, both to cut the margin to 10 points (30-20 and 37-27). But Jeannette couldn’t stop Crosby and the running game.

“The O-line and receivers really helped tonight, blocking-wise,” said Crosby, who ran 20 times and completed 10 of 16 pass attempts. “Our goal was to run it down their throats early. This game means more to me. I have the bragging rights. We all respect each other.”

That was evidenced by Crosby taking photos with Jeannette players after the game.

Crosby scored two first-half touchdowns, on runs of 9 and 4 yards, threw for a score, and also had an interception.

After his first score, on the opening drive, the extra point was blocked.

Jeannette responded as Brown hit Jayce Powell for 22 yards, then ran 33 yards to set up his short touchdown for a 7-6 edge.

Powell had seven catches for 80 yards.

Crosby delivered a 46-yard strike to McMullen, with the receiver making the grab at the 30 and outracing defenders to the end zone. Crosby’s 2-point run made it 14-7.

“This was a team effort,” McMullen said. “We had to seize the moment. This was the last home game for the seniors so we had to put it all out there. We balled out.”

In the second quarter, Brown capped a 10-play drive with a 26-yard touchdown run and it was tied 14-14.

“Jeannette played hard, and No. 3 (Brown) was incredibly tough to tackle,” Thompson said. “The dew set in, and the field was wet. He looked like he was running on field turf.”

After Lloyd recovered a fumble by Brown that was forced by Crosby, Jackson Lowden made the catch of the night, tipping the ball in the air and pulling it in on a deep throw from Crosby.

The play covered 34 yards and set up Crosby’s short score to make it 20-14.

Crosby threw a short jump pass to McMullen early in the fourth as GCC went ahead 37-20.

“Jackson is a unit,” Crosby said. “I knew he could make those catches.”

Crosby’s 9-yard touchdown capped the scoring.

“We have to keep at it,” Paulone said. “We’ve worked too hard to be in this position.”

Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.

Tags: Greensburg C.C., Jeannette