Deer Lakes uses fast start to roll past Valley

By: Michael Love
Friday, October 6, 2023 | 10:45 PM

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Deer Lakes wasted no time getting on the board in its Allegheny 6 Conference matchup with Valley on Friday at Lancers Stadium.

Junior Zach Grant took the opening kickoff 81 yards for a touchdown.

The Lancers then took advantage of a Vikings turnover and converted for a two-score lead just three minutes into the game.

Deer Lakes maintained a double-digit lead at halftime and added multiple fourth-quarter touchdowns en route to a 39-6 victory.

The Lancers bounced back from last week’s conference-opening loss to Knoch and improved to 5-2 overall. Deer Lakes travels to East Allegheny next Friday.

“It was good to get back in the win column,” Lancers coach Tim Burk said.

“We needed that. I think we did get a little complacent. We got up two scores, and we thought they would fold, but they didn’t. Hats off to them for not quitting. They continued to battle and continued to pressure us. We knew their defensive line was really good. We were able to make some adjustments at halftime, and things kind of sailed a little easier after that.”

Valley fell to 2-5 overall, 0-2 in the conference. The Vikings host Shady Side Academy next Friday.

Valley, trailing by 11, took the second-half kickoff and marched inside Deer Lakes’ 20, taking nearly eight minutes off the third-quarter clock.

But the drive ended as Deer Lakes junior linebacker Sam Guthrie intercepted Vikings quarterback Tristan Goodwin and returned it to midfield.

“We come out with an incredible drive down the field, and then they get it back, and our heads start dropping,” Valley coach Mark Adams said.

“We have to continue to grind and work to make positive things happen. It’s a matter of time. I am still very proud of these kids.”

Deer Lakes later used a fumble recovery from sophomore Dom Sciubba and interceptions from senior Aiden Fletcher and freshman Jack Guthrie to score a trio of touchdowns over the final 12 minutes to put the game away.

Derek Burk, Zach Grant and Zier Williams tallied TD runs of 12, 31 and 9 yards, respectively.

The Lancers defense recorded a safety with 1:03 left to set the final.

“The wheels kind of came undone a little bit for them. We felt we could make those defensive plays,” coach Burk said.

“They made those plays at big times. Credit to the defense for stepping up.”

After Deer Lakes’ scored on the opening kickoff, Darnell Coaston had a big return of his own for Valley as he took the ensuing kickoff all the way to the Lancers 35.

But Coaston coughed up the football on a second-down run, and the Lancers recovered.

Deer Lakes moved into Valley territory on three plays, and Burk then connected with senior Wayne Love for 37 yards. Shurina added his second point-after kick, and the Lancers led 14-0 with 9:13 to go in the first quarter.

Deer Lakes extended its lead to 17-0 with 6:25 left until halftime as Shurina capped a five-play drive with a 34-yard field goal. Burk completed passes of 26 and 27 yards to Love on the drive.

The Lancers regained possession but were not able to move the ball and had to punt from its 33.

A bad snap on the punt gave Valley a golden opportunity as it set up shop on Deer Lakes’ 11.

Charles Perkins quickly got the Vikings on the board with a first-down scoring run with 3:49 on the clock.

The 2-point conversion play failed, and the Lancers led 17-6, an advantage they would take with them into the break.

“It was splash plays for them early on, and then we start battling,” Valley coach Mark Adams said.

“If you take those off the board, it’s 6-3 (Valley), pretty much, going into halftime. Those are the types of things you go through as you try to flip the program and work to get it pointed in the right direction.”

Burk finished 10 of 19 for 210 yards and the one TD pass. Love caught four of Burk’s passes for 93 yards.

After a slow start, Zier Williams led the Deer Lakes rushing attack with 63 yards on 13 carries.

Goodwin completed 11 of 23 passes for 85 yards and three interceptions, and Coaston led the Valley receivers with six catches for 43 yards.

“I told the guys after the game to imagine what we could do if we played a complete game, how dangerous we could be,” coach Burk said

“The guys are getting out of that uncharted territory, and we have to figure out a way to get through those lulls and situations where we take our foot off the gas. We’ll get better. We have to fix our mistakes. We had too many penalties. But we’ll continue to grind.”

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.

Tags: Deer Lakes, Valley