Highlands gets victory in coach Dom Girardi’s debut

By: HSSN Staff
Friday, September 1, 2017 | 11:39 PM

It was a golden start for the Dom Girardi era of Highlands football.

In his first game as the Golden Rams' coach, Girardi's squad topped Ambridge, 28-14, for a Northwest Nine Conference road game.

“It is a conference win, so it puts you where you want to be,” Girardi said. “I like that we are 1-0. And at the end of the day, that is all that matters.”

Things couldn't have started any better for Highlands (1-0, 1-0). On the opening kickoff, Logan Crise found a seam and took it 87 yards to the end zone.

“It really couldn't have started any better,” Girardi said. “Unfortunately, it took us a little too long to get the next score. We emphasize all three phases of the game. That's us putting time and energy into special teams, and it coming back to reward us.”

But the early momentum would sputter over the rest of the first half. The Golden Rams offense had drives cut short failing to convert on a third down or a fourth down and an another by an Omarri Flannigan interception. The final Highlands drive of the first half ended inside the Ambridge 10-yard line when the game clock ran out.

The offensive setbacks allowed the Bridgers to take the lead. Ambridge drew the score even at 7-7 midway through the first quarter as Noah Campalong hit Dozhay Crumb on a screen pass. Crumb broke a tackle and outran the Highlands defense for a 57-yard score.

The Bridgers added to their lead in the second quarter as Campalong topped a 60-yard drive with a 1-yard quarterback keeper to push the led to 14-7.

“Some of it was nerves, and some of it was getting out there for the first time and playing a game,” Girardi said. “We had a scrimmage. (Ambridge) had played a game last week. I think that helped them.”

The second half was all the Golden Rams. After Jermaine Jett pounded the ball into the end zone on a 1-yard drive, Gabe Booker returned a punt 60 yards less than two minutes later to give Highlands a 21-14 lead.

A Seth Cohen 5-yard pass to Crise with 8:52 to play gave the Golden Rams a two-score cushion they would not surrender.

“There are three parts of the game: offense, defense and special teams,” Ambridge coach Terry George said. “We have so few numbers that our starters play special teams. I think sometimes we have breakdowns because of that.”

Cohen led the Golden Rams with 111 passing yards. Jett add 99 rushing yards on 23 carries.

Campalong led the Bridgers with 106 passing yards. Ambridge (0-2, 0-1) has lost 12 straight games dating to the 2015 season.

“It can be like two steps forward and three steps back sometimes,” George said. “They want to win in the worst way. But they have to learn how to. That is the thing that is hard to teach.”

Nathan Smith is a freelance writer.

Tags: Ambridge, Highlands