Dashawn Carter boosts South Allegheny past Yough

By: Jose Negron
Saturday, August 27, 2022 | 12:16 AM

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South Allegheny’s first drive of the new season didn’t exactly provide ideal results.

The Gladiators converted a 25-yard pass on their first play from scrimmage before committing four penalties and eventually punting on a fourth-and-46 deep in their own territory.

“We had a good gain right there and were up to the 40-yard line,” said first-year SA coach Darwin Manges. “Then, things started to come unraveled. They got excited, and I think the first-game jitters came into play there.”

Things settled down for SA as it scored on its next drive before adding three more trips into the end zone in a 25-7 victory over Yough in a nonconference showdown Friday night on Cougar Mountain.

The win gave Manges his first victory at the helm of the Gladiators (1-0).

“They’re still learning us, and we’re still learning them, but I’m really proud of them,” Manges said. “I told them this is a prime example of how difficult it is to win a game. We have to learn to adapt. We have to keep our heads and clean up those penalties and just play good football.”

SA followed its sluggish first drive with one that included a 15-yard run by Cameron Epps and a 30-yard pass from Eric Wehrer to Dashawn Carter.

Wehrer capped the six-play drive with a 15-yard touchdown pass to Joseph Gamret, giving the Gladiators a 6-0 lead with 4 minutes, 7 seconds left in the first quarter.

Wehrer had a strong first half despite throwing a pair of interceptions, including one in the end zone that was picked off by Blake Ulander at the start of the second quarter. He completed 6 of 14 passes for 108 yards in the opening quarter. In total, he went 9 for 21 for 133 yards.

“He’s a two-way player who plays stack linebacker and quarterback, so he was gassed at times,” Manges said. “I thought there were times he made phenomenal plays and other times when he was tired, but overall I thought he ran the offense well for us.”

The Gladiators added to their lead with just over two minutes left in the first quarter as Yough quarterback Raidon Kuroda had a pass picked off and returned for a touchdown by Benicio Hernandez.

A 12-point SA lead swelled by six more points when Carter finished a five-play, 35-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown run.

Carter had nine carries for 44 yards as he helped SA take its 18-point advantage into halftime. The Youngstown State recruit finished with 19 carries for 141 yards and two scores. He added a 32-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.

“He’s just a beast,” Manges said of Carter. “When I came over here, I wondered who was going to tackle a guy who is 6-3 and 214 pounds. In the second half, no one could stop him.”

While South Allegheny managed to find more success on offense, Yough (0-1) experienced its share of struggles, especially in the first half.

The Cougars committed three turnovers, including two on interceptions by Kuroda, with negative-5 yards of total offense in the opening half.

“I think there were some nerves from the kids and the coaching staff,” said first-year coach Ben Hoffer. “We’ll learn from that as the year goes on, though.”

Gavin Roebuck helped account for most of Yough’s yardage in the second half. He received a bulk of the workload and finished with 12 carries for 52 yards.

Roebuck scored the Cougars’ lone touchdown on a 2-yard run in the fourth quarter.

“He’s just so football smart, and he loves the game,” Hoffer said. “He probably has the highest football IQ on the field, so it’s nice to have him out there.”

Despite seeing his team fall short, Hoffer was more pleased with the defensive performance in the second half. Yough forced SA to turn the ball over on downs on two of its three second-half possessions.

“When you have a Youngstown State recruit coming at you like that, it’s hard to stop him when he’s coming downhill,” Hoffer said. “The kids never gave up. They showed heart, and they fought until the very end.”

Yough visits Mt. Pleasant next week, and South Allegheny hosts Freeport.

Tags: South Allegheny, Yough