Former Mt. Pleasant coach Ed Dalton leads McGuffey to OT win over Vikings
By: HSSN Staff
Friday, September 15, 2017 | 11:00 PM
Shane Dunlap | Tribune-Review
Mt. Pleasant's Alex Kadylak is tackled by McGuffey's Greg McBride on Friday, Sept. 15, 2017 during WPIAL Class 3A Interstate Conference football at Mt. Pleasant High School.
Shane Dunlap | Tribune-Review
Mt. Pleasant's Lucas Pieszak throws a pass against McGuffey on Friday, Sept. 15, 2017 during WPIAL Class 3A Interstate Conference football at Mt. Pleasant High School.
Shane Dunlap | Tribune-Review
Mt. Pleasant's Cody Reese carries the ball against McGuffey's Christian Clutter (23) and Colby Deemer (52) on Friday, Sept. 15, 2017 during WPIAL Class 3A Interstate Conference football at Mt. Pleasant High School.
Shane Dunlap | Tribune-Review
Mt. Pleasant's Ryan Quin dodges a McGuffey defenseman Friday, Sept. 15, 2017 during WPIAL Class 3A Interstate Conference football at Mt. Pleasant High School.
Shane Dunlap | Tribune-Review
Mt. Pleasant's Cody Reese charges for the end zone in the final offensive push in a third down in overtime over McGuffey on Friday, Sept. 15, 2017 during WPIAL Class 3A Interstate Conference football at Mt. Pleasant High School. Mt. Pleasant failed to score in overtime resulting in a 28-21 victory for McGuffey.
Shane Dunlap | Tribune-Review
Mt. Pleasant players Ryan Quin (3) and Dylan Rodgers celebrate a successful play against McGuffey on Friday, Sept. 15, 2017 during WPIAL Class 3A Interstate Conference football at Mt. Pleasant High School.
Shane Dunlap | Tribune-Review
Mt. Pleasant coaching staff rally the team after a successful play against McGuffey on Friday, Sept. 15, 2017 during WPIAL Class 3A Interstate Conference football at Mt. Pleasant High School.
Shane Dunlap | Tribune-Review
Mt. Pleasant players react after McGuffey won in overtime 28-21 on Friday, Sept. 15, 2017 during WPIAL Class 3A Interstate Conference football at Mt. Pleasant High School.
Shane Dunlap | Tribune-Review
Mt. Pleasant players react after McGuffey won in overtime 28-21 on Friday, Sept. 15, 2017 during WPIAL Class 3A Interstate Conference football at Mt. Pleasant High School.
Shane Dunlap | Tribune-Review
Mt. Pleasant's Dylan Rodgers tackles McGuffey ball carrier Brendan Crowe on Friday, Sept. 15, 2017 during WPIAL Class 3A Interstate Conference football at Mt. Pleasant High School. Mt. Pleasant failed to score in overtime resulting in a 28-21 victory for McGuffey.
Shane Dunlap | Tribune-Review
Mt. Pleasant's Ryan Quin attempts to gain yardage over McGuffey on Friday, Sept. 15, 2017 during WPIAL Class 3A Interstate Conference football at Mt. Pleasant High School. Mt. Pleasant failed to score in overtime resulting in a 28-21 victory for McGuffey.
Shane Dunlap | Tribune-Review
Mt. Pleasant's varsity football team enters the stadium Friday, Sept. 15, 2017 before taking on McGuffey during WPIAL conference football game at Mt. Pleasant High School.
Mt. Pleasant's Alex Kadylak is tackled by McGuffey's Greg McBride on Friday, Sept. 15, 2017 during WPIAL Class 3A Interstate Conference football at Mt. Pleasant High School.
Shane Dunlap | Tribune-Review
Mt. Pleasant's Lucas Pieszak throws a pass against McGuffey on Friday, Sept. 15, 2017 during WPIAL Class 3A Interstate Conference football at Mt. Pleasant High School.
Shane Dunlap | Tribune-Review
Mt. Pleasant's Cody Reese carries the ball against McGuffey's Christian Clutter (23) and Colby Deemer (52) on Friday, Sept. 15, 2017 during WPIAL Class 3A Interstate Conference football at Mt. Pleasant High School.
Shane Dunlap | Tribune-Review
Mt. Pleasant's Ryan Quin dodges a McGuffey defenseman Friday, Sept. 15, 2017 during WPIAL Class 3A Interstate Conference football at Mt. Pleasant High School.
Shane Dunlap | Tribune-Review
Mt. Pleasant's Cody Reese charges for the end zone in the final offensive push in a third down in overtime over McGuffey on Friday, Sept. 15, 2017 during WPIAL Class 3A Interstate Conference football at Mt. Pleasant High School. Mt. Pleasant failed to score in overtime resulting in a 28-21 victory for McGuffey.
Shane Dunlap | Tribune-Review
Mt. Pleasant players Ryan Quin (3) and Dylan Rodgers celebrate a successful play against McGuffey on Friday, Sept. 15, 2017 during WPIAL Class 3A Interstate Conference football at Mt. Pleasant High School.
Shane Dunlap | Tribune-Review
Mt. Pleasant coaching staff rally the team after a successful play against McGuffey on Friday, Sept. 15, 2017 during WPIAL Class 3A Interstate Conference football at Mt. Pleasant High School.
Shane Dunlap | Tribune-Review
Mt. Pleasant players react after McGuffey won in overtime 28-21 on Friday, Sept. 15, 2017 during WPIAL Class 3A Interstate Conference football at Mt. Pleasant High School.
Shane Dunlap | Tribune-Review
Mt. Pleasant players react after McGuffey won in overtime 28-21 on Friday, Sept. 15, 2017 during WPIAL Class 3A Interstate Conference football at Mt. Pleasant High School.
Shane Dunlap | Tribune-Review
Mt. Pleasant's Dylan Rodgers tackles McGuffey ball carrier Brendan Crowe on Friday, Sept. 15, 2017 during WPIAL Class 3A Interstate Conference football at Mt. Pleasant High School. Mt. Pleasant failed to score in overtime resulting in a 28-21 victory for McGuffey.
Shane Dunlap | Tribune-Review
Mt. Pleasant's Ryan Quin attempts to gain yardage over McGuffey on Friday, Sept. 15, 2017 during WPIAL Class 3A Interstate Conference football at Mt. Pleasant High School. Mt. Pleasant failed to score in overtime resulting in a 28-21 victory for McGuffey.
Shane Dunlap | Tribune-Review
Mt. Pleasant's varsity football team enters the stadium Friday, Sept. 15, 2017 before taking on McGuffey during WPIAL conference football game at Mt. Pleasant High School.
It was another triumphant return to Mt. Pleasant for McGuffey football coach Ed Dalton, who led the Vikings for two seasons, including an 11-1 record and a Keystone Conference championship in his final year in 1993.
“I've only lost once here in four trips,” Dalton said, smiling.
His teams at Trinity won twice at Vikings Stadium before McGuffey's 28-21 overtime victory Friday against Mt. Pleasant in a Class 3A Interstate Conference game.
“I have a lot of respect for this program,” Dalton said. “There's tough kids here. All my old players came up to me before the game and said, ‘Hi.' ”
Marshall Whipkey threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Brendan Crowe in overtime, and the McGuffey defense held Mt. Pleasant on fourth down on the Vikings' possession in the extra period to preserve the victory.
Whipkey also threw a 34-yard touchdown pass to Christian Clutter to spark a 21-point outburst in the second quarter for McGuffey (3-1, 2-0). Clutter returned a first-quarter interception 95 yards for McGuffey's first touchdown.
Michael Govern rushed for 151 yards and scored on a pair of 1-yard runs for Mt. Pleasant (1-3, 1-2). Lucas Pieszak completed 12 of 19 passes for 154 yards for the Vikings.
“It was a game of momentum swings,” Dalton said. “We just happened to end up on the winning side, but you could have flipped a coin.”
Both teams wasted chances to take a lead in the fourth quarter after Mt. Pleasant scored twice in the third quarter to come back from a 21-7 halftime deficit.
“Hats off to them. They played their butts off,” Mt. Pleasant coach Jason Fazekas said. “But we didn't help ourselves. We've done this more than once this year. We're hurting ourselves with mistakes.”
Mt. Pleasant's three losses have come by an average of six points.
“This is a tough league,” Dalton said. “There's not much difference between a lot of the teams.”
Mt. Pleasant moved to the McGuffey 4 with 6 minutes, 30 seconds left, but a broken play resulted in a 28-yard loss.
Later in the fourth quarter, McGuffey nearly took advantage of an unnecessary roughness call against Mt. Pleasant. The Highlanders, who won their second game in a row, got the ball at the Mt. Pleasant 10 but failed to score and gave the ball back to the Vikings with 1:35 to go.
Mt. Pleasant wasted several good scoring chances in the first half, including an instance when an ineligible receiver call against the Vikings nullified a 23-yard reception by Cody Reese to the McGuffey 4.
“I'm not questioning the effort,” Fazekas said. “We're young. We're still learning.”
McGovern's first 1-yard touchdown run gave Mt. Pleasant a 7-0 lead in the first quarter. The Vikings again were driving for a touchdown but quickly found themselves tied with the Highlanders at 7-7 after Clutter intercepted a Pieszak pass, eluded several tacklers and broke loose for his 95-yard interception return.
“He doesn't want to go down when teams try to tackle him. He's slippery,” Dalton said.
Clutter's 34-yard touchdown reception from Whipkey and Adam Townsend's 4-yard scoring run gave McGuffey its two-touchdown lead at the half.
Mt. Pleasant rallied in the third quarter on Govern's second 1-yard touchdown run and took advantage of a McGuffey fumble to convert it into Dylan Rodgers' 2-yard return.
