After first quarter fireworks, Southmoreland cruises past Frazier

By: Jamie Rankin
Friday, August 30, 2019 | 10:37 PM

For about half of the first quarter, Friday’s Interstate Conference opener between Frazier and host Southmoreland looked like it was going to be a shootout.

Then, the Scotties figured out how to contain Kenny Fine while also finding the rhythm of their passing game, and from then on, Southmoreland dominated for a 56-12 victory.

Quarterback Zach Cernuto was 10 of 13 for the Scotties, racking up 201 yards and three touchdowns. Two of those scoring passes were to Riley Comforti, who tallied 180 yards on eight catches and also returned a kick for a third touchdown.

“Those two kids, they’re on a different level,” Southmoreland head coach Dave Keefer said. “The last two years, they just really read each other and know how to connect. It’s a special combination. It really is.”

Colt Harper added a pair of TDs on the ground, finishing with 71 rushing yards, and Brandon Peterson played well on both sides of the ball, running for a touchdown and coming up with some big defensive plays.

“Brandon Peterson played out of his mind. He was coming off the edge all night,” Keefer said. “(Kory Ansell) really played a great game, too. He played defensive tackle the way you’re supposed to.”

The Scotties (2-0, 1-0) got the ball to start the game, and it wasn’t long before Comforti nabbed a 63-yard pass from Cernuto to get the team on the board. Andrew Rodriguez kicked the first of eight extra points to make it a 7-0 Southmoreland lead.

But the Commodores (0-2, 0-1) answered seconds later, as Fine received the kickoff on the 2-yard line and evaded numerous tackles, running it back 98 yards for a touchdown. The conversion run failed, leaving Frazier trailing, 7-6.

The Scotties were a little more balanced on their second drive of the game, mixing up rushes from Harper with catches by Comforti to march steadily down the field. Comforti’s 30-yard grab set up a 3-yard rushing TD by Harper and a 14-6 Southmoreland lead.

But Fine closed the gap for Frazier, motoring 75 yards on the first play of the Commodores’ drive to cross the goal line again. Another failed run, though, leaving the visitors down, 14-12.

This time, it was the Scotties’ turn for a quick response, as Comforti handled the kickoff and returned it 90 yards for the score.

An interception on the first play of Frazier’s next drive set up another successful possession for Southmoreland, capped by a 30-yard pass from Cernuto to Comforti.

An interception by Cernuto gave the ball back to the Scotties as the first quarter came to a close, and two plays into the second, Brett Huffman cashed in from 3 yards out.

After the Commodores handed the ball over on downs, Anthony Govern caught a 14-yard touchdown pass from Cernuto.

A few plays later, Southmoreland recovered a Frazier fumble, setting up Peterson’s 8-yard scoring ramble.

Another recovered fumble led to a 2-yard TD run from Harper and a 56-12 Scotties advantage at the half.

The second half was played with shortened quarters and a running clock, and the halftime score stood.

“Congratulations to them. They played good football,” Frazier head coach Greg Boggs said. “They came in and turned their program around. Last season, they had struggles. You saw them getting better as the season went on. You see it here today. You see a pretty good team.”

Boggs said Fine, who finished with seven carries for 93 yards, played a good game, and Luke Santo had a nice catch late in the second quarter. But the Commodores, he said, need efforts like that from every player.

“We had (Fine) back there running the ball, and last week, he had a lot of catches,” Boggs said. “But there’s got to be 10 other kids on the field. It can’t just be Kenny.”

Southmoreland will host Carmichaels next week. Frazier will travel to McGuffey.

Jamie Rankin is a contributing writer for the Tribune-Review.

Tags: Frazier, Southmoreland