Derry holds off Burrell in another thrilling finish

By: Ted Sarneso
Friday, September 12, 2025 | 10:49 PM

Derry and Burrell performed some late-game magic in their games last week against Deer Lakes and Mt. Pleasant, respectively.

When the teams squared off Friday night at Trojan Stadium at Derry, all anyone had to do was sit patiently and wait for the last minutes of the fourth quarter.

The waiting paid off.

With the score tied at seven and his team driving, killing clock, and on the doorstep, Derry junior running back Max Doherty punched in the go-ahead score for a 13-7 victory in a Class 3A nonconference clash.

“It’s great, but it’s really a team sport,” said Doherty. “I was happy with the performance of our whole team.”

But a blocked extra point by Burrell left the door open. With 1 minute, 21 seconds on the clock and two timeouts, it looked like sophomore quarterback Antonio Perkins would pull out another victory.

After two pass plays, the first for 7 yards to Parker Logut and then a 17-yard gain to Zack Coudriet, the Bucs were approaching midfield with just under a minute left with both timeouts in hand.

As Perkins rolled to his right, he stopped and looked to set up a deep throw when he absorbed a blindside hit by Trojans defensive lineman Dylan Pitzer. Karsen Weiers recovered for Derry, and the Trojans prevailed.

“I think he was a beast all night, was in the backfield all night,” said Derry coach Mike Arone. “A couple of times he got out of position, and Perkins got some good yardage, but Dylan was a man tonight and that’s what we expect from him.”

“It’s exciting man,” said Pitzer, a 6-foot-6, 280-pound senior. “We practiced all week for Perkins and how he plays the position. To get to him, that’s what junior high football teaches you, how to fight hands and how to attack.”

Doherty, who was in coverage, was able to see the play just before it happened.

“I was trying to figure out where Perkins was going to throw the ball, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw Pitzer bearing down on him out of nowhere,” said Doherty. “That’s the type of player he is. His hustle is phenomenal.”

Perkins finished 11 of 24 for 80 yards through the air and an interception and ran for 63 yards.

The fumble and recovery help seal a victory for the Trojans (3-1), who had dealt with missed opportunities all game.

After Perkins picked off Derry quarterback Anthony Sacco on the third play of the game and the Trojan defense forced the Bucs to punt, Derry’s offense relied on their huge running back tandem to put the first points on the board.

Sacco finished 8 of 14 for 91 yards and an interception.

“Our game plan is to run up the gut, and that’s what we do best behind our line,” said Arone. “We will run it outside as well. You have to be able to do both. But that’s our identity and what we’ll continue to do.”

Burrell coach Dom Girardi knew the duo Derry had in Doherty and fellow tailback Justin Papuga and liked how his defense held their ground on several occasions.

“I think we prepared our defense pretty well, and I’m proud of how they stood up and bowed their backs multiple times inside the 20-yard line,” Girardi said. “We have to build from that and get back on track offensively.”

On the first scoring drive, though, Doherty was able to punch it in from 10 yards.

Doherty finished with 103 yards on 22 carries and two touchdowns. Papuga had seven carries and 43 yards and left the fourth quarter early with an injury.

Derry tried an onside kick that failed, and that left Burrell (1-3) with an opportunity.

The Bucs capitalized, driving 48 yards on 10 plays and coming away with a touchdown on a Trey Coury 1-yard run.

But just like the Trojans, the Bucs couldn’t keep up momentum.

Burrell tried their own onside kick after the score and were successful, but Perkins was picked off by Weiers.

“We didn’t capitalize on a few turnovers we caused,” said Girardi. “Antonio got a pick for us, and we had a 10-play drive and they fumbled a snap, which we recovered. We were able to put things together but had a hard time the rest of the game putting things together and missed a few plays that had we hit would have went a long way for us.”

Derry couldn’t take advantage after the pick, turning the ball over on downs, and neither team did much the rest of the first half, going into the locker room tied at 7.

Burrell received the ball to start the second half but ended up punting, and Derry drove the field on an 11-play, 45-yard drive but failed on a 27-yard field-goal attempt by Max Doperak.

“I told our team, we have to quit shooting ourselves in the foot,” Arone said. “Kudos to Burrell, they’re a great football team, but we have to find a way to stop hurting ourselves. A win is a win, even if it’s ugly. We were down inside the 5-yard line three or four times and couldn’t punch it in because of miscues. We have to clean that stuff up.”

Despite the tough loss, Girardi was pleased with the toughness his kids showed and how much the game mattered to his kids.

“I saw a lot of tears in our kids eyes this evening, and I like that,” Girardi said. “That tells me they care, and they expect to do well, and when that doesn’t happen, they get upset. That’s what you want from a football team.”

Tags: Burrell, Derry Area