Pascoe-led Belle Vernon rocks Greensburg Salem

By: HSSN Staff
Friday, September 28, 2018 | 11:15 PM

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Belle Vernon honored the 2018 WPIAL softball championship team before the game.

Winning a WPIAL title of their own is the football team’s goal.

And if Mason Pascoe and his teammates play like they did Friday against Greensburg Salem, they just might do that.

It didn’t take long for Pascoe to show Greensburg Salem what they were in for.

On the first play for the game, the senior running back raced 47 yards for a touchdown. On his next carry, he raced 70 yards for a score. On both scores, no one laid a hand on him.

Pascoe had a great game and so did No. 3 Belle Vernon, which is starting to get healthy, as it rolled over Greensburg Salem, 48-14, in a WPIAL Class 4A Big 8 Conference battle at James Weir Stadium.

Pascoe finished with four touchdowns, adding scores of 6 and 48 yards, and rushed for 248 yards on 18 carries.

“Every single time I get the ball I don’t get touched until I’m in the second level,” Pascoe said. “So I can’t take all the credit. All I try to do is get through the hole as fast as possible.”

Pascoe’s two quick touchdowns got Greensburg Salem (2-4, 2-1) in a hole early, and it could never recover.

Belle Vernon (4-1, 3-1) made it 28-0 in the second quarter after Pascoe and Larry Callaway scored.

“They played a very good football game, and I don’t think we played the way we thought we would,” Greensburg Salem coach Dave Keefer said. “I think we’re still a good football team. We just didn’t show up and played the way I thought we would.”

Greensburg Salem got on a scoreboard later in the second quarter after Dajauhn Hertzog intercepted a Jared Hartman pass. Greensburg Salem quarterback Trent Patrick then zipped a 15-yard scoring strike to Hertzog to make it 28-7.

Belle Vernon answered the score and it was Pascoe who did the honors, racing 48 yards for a touchdown to make it 35-7 at halftime.

“Mason is a special kid,” Humbert said. “His breakaway speed is something that doesn’t come around. “Greensburg Salem was giving us a lot of different looks and we noticed they were stacking the line of scrimmage, especially on the outside. We knew if Mason got a seam, there wasn’t much support and he’d break a couple big ones.”

Belle Vernon’s defense swarmed Greensburg Salem’s offense, limiting them to 80 yards rushing and holding Patrick to 7 of 13 for 47 yards.

“The interesting thing about our defense is, we started with a lot of injuries and now we’re starting to get some players back,” Humbert said.

“It was nice to get Kirk (Popelas) and Andy (Pacek) back. Kirk made a big difference.”

Popelas had two sacks and a fumble recovery.

Both teams had touchdowns called backed because of penalties. Greensburg Salem had a 79-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Williams nullified, and Pascoe had a halfback-option pass denied and an 89-yard kickoff return brought back.

“I tip my hat to them,” Keefer said. “They controlled the line of scrimmage, and that’s where is started.”

Paul Schofield is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Paul at pschofield@tribweb.com or via Twitter @Schofield_Trib.

Tags: Belle Vernon, Greensburg Salem