Avonworth puts quick end to Southmoreland’s playoff run

By: Jason Black
Friday, November 1, 2019 | 11:58 PM

Although the Southmoreland football team accomplished a major goal of breaking a 40-year playoff drought, the Scotties were hoping that their stay in the postseason would turn out to be a bit longer.

Unfortunately for the 15th-seeded Scotties, their postseason reservations expired in the first round of the WPIAL Class AA tournament thanks to a 41-0 loss to second-seeded Avonworth on Friday night.

“They are a good team, and I think they have an opportunity to make a run,” Southmoreland coach Dave Keefer said.

Early in the game, the Scotties (5-6) looked ready to play as they moved the ball on the Antelopes (11-0), only to have an opening drive stall. Southmoreland also made a stand deep in its own end as Jason Bloom came up with an interception in the end zone on a pass thrown by Park Penrod.

That interception was one of the very few blemishes on Penrod’s night, as he threw three touchdown passes in the first half to help the Antelopes gain complete control.

The Scotties also had a tough break go against them as an inadvertent whistle nullifield a Riley Comforti fumble recovery early in the first quarter.

From there, the rest of the half belonged to Avonworth.

The Antelopes got on the board when Theo Newhouse hauled in a 29-yard touchdown strike. On the last play of the first quarter, Penrod found Jordan Rapp on a 27-yard touchdown pass to help Avonworth grab a 14-0 advantage.

Avonworth added two more scores in the second quarter, both coming after interceptions by Andrew Tedesco.

Tedesco’s first pick came deep in Southmoreland territory and the Antelopes paid off the drive when Penrod hooked up with Trevor Faulkner on a 26-yard scoring strike.

Tedesco’s second interception of a Zach Cernuto pass resulted in Jax Miller waltzing in for a 1-yard touchdown run, giving the Antelopes a 28-0 halftime lead.

The third quarter was sloppy on both sides as the teams combined to turn the ball over five times. Govern recovered a fumble and Isaac Trout had an interception for the Scotties.

Southmoreland turned the ball over three times in the quarter, with the last one resulting in a score. Ashton Navilliat picked off a Cernuto pass and returned it 47 yards to the end zone as the Antelopes built their lead to 35-0.

“I thought our defense played well, but our offense put them in a tough position,” Keefer said after seeing his team turn the ball over seven times.

With a running clock, the Antelopes managed to tack on one more score in the fourth quarter as Ezra Tomko raced in for a 26-yard touchdown.

Although his team lost by a wide margin, Keefer made sure to congratulate his players on a strong effort following the game. He also noted the importance of breaking the long playoff drought, which stretched to 1979.

“It’s a huge stepping stone for us,” Keefer said, noting that many of the players out on the field Friday were underclassmen. “Hopefully the young guys can keep this moving forward. We have a lot to build on and hopefully we can have a great offseason.”

While the Scotties’ offseason begins now, the Antelopes will start preparation for a quarterfinal showdown with New Brighton next week. New Brighton advanced thanks to a 35-21 win over Apollo Ridge.

Tags: Avonworth, Southmoreland