Fast start propels Central Valley to WPIAL 1st-round victory over Highlands

By: Antonio Rossetti
Friday, November 3, 2023 | 10:20 PM

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Central Valley’s defense was up to the task in the first round of the WPIAL Class 4A playoffs Friday night.

The No. 4-seeded Warriors held No. 13 Highlands to just 115 yards and didn’t allow a first down for the first 15 minutes en route to a 28-7 victory at Sarge Alberts Stadium.

“Our defense has gotten better each and every week,” CV coach Mark Lyons said. “We have a lot of young guys. I think they’re starting to feel comfortable how they fit on the defense.”

Lyons commended Highlands’ coaches and players, especially for their score early in the second quarter.

Nonetheless, he mentioned that packing the first punch, scoring first and going up 21-0 early on put the Warriors in the driver’s seat.

“We got on top of them pretty early,” Lyons said. “I think we had all the momentum. We let them trickle back in there. We stumbled a bit, but our guys are going to fight until the end.”

The Warriors (8-3) used their ground game to dominate time of possession. JJ Work ran for 69 yards and a touchdown on eight carries, and Brandon Singleton tallied 74 yards on 21 carries.

Quarterback Steve Rutherford completed 10 of 17 passes for 91 yards and a touchdown. He also ran for 46 yards and two touchdowns on six carries.

“He knows his responsibility,” Lyons said of Rutherford. “He’s got complete control on what needs to be done. What’s special about Steve is he makes sure everyone knows where they need to be, and it’s always ‘I’ll make the next read coach, it’s on me,’ and he puts it all on his shoulders.”

Rutherford commended the Warriors’ offensive line and the team’s effort on offense.

“My guys got me down the field, and I just finished at the end,” Rutherford said. “We get close, and I just put it in when we need a few yards.”

Rutherford added that it was a complete team effort, and the defense sparked the victory.

“It sets the tone for us out of the gate,” Rutherford said. “It gives us good field position. Our team has depth, and we trust everybody.”

Central Valley’s defense forced a 3-and-out to start the game. The Warriors then strung together a four-minute drive capped off with Rutherford’s 1-yard touchdown pass to Ethan Shearer. Ben Schurr knocked through extra point to give CV an early 7-0 lead.

After forcing another 3-and-out, the Warriors put together a long drive that led into the second quarter. Rutherford scored on a 1-yard sneak for a 14-0 lead.

The Rams (6-5) moved the sticks for the first time with 9 minutes left in the second quarter. But the success was short lived as Central Valley shut down the rushing attack and forced another punt.

On Central Valley’s ensuing drive, Work bounced a run to the outside for 23 yards for a score to extend the lead to 21-0.

The Rams made their way down field, inching closer to their first points after big completions from Aaran Randolph to Luke Bombalski and later from Randolph to Boyd Brown, which put them in the CV red zone. But Work sacked Randolph to end the first half and keep the Rams off the scoreboard.

The Golden Rams got on the board in the third quarter after a highlight reel play for Randolph. He evaded a sack, faked like he was about to drop back for a pass, but then ran down the sideline for a 26-yard touchdown. Jackson Babinsack hit the extra point to cut the deficit to 21-7.

Highlands’ defense then forced a turnover on downs on a fourth-and-8 on its own 40 when Menage Lucas stepped in front of a CV receiver and nearly picked off a Rutherford pass.

The Rams, however, were unable to capitalize and punted.

After the teams traded turnovers, the Warriors tacked on a 1-yard quarterback sneak from Rutherford as CV went on to win 28-7.

“Give them a lot of credit, they came out and fought,” Highlands coach Matt Bonislawski said of his team. “They had a rough first half and had some troubles stopping them and moving the ball. Our kids have fought all year. We preach 100% effort, play until the end, and we made it interesting for a little bit.”

Bonislawski is grateful for his seniors as they all bought in and helped lay a foundation for years to come.

Central Valley will play No. 4 Mars next Friday in the quarterfinals.

Tags: Central Valley, Highlands