Frazier shuts out Beth-Center on senior night, stays in playoff hunt

By: Jason Black
Friday, October 16, 2020 | 11:35 PM

Seeking a chance to stay locked into one of the top two positions in Section 3-2A, the Frazier football team turned in a dominating performance on senior night, rolling to a 39-0 victory over visiting Beth-Center on Friday.

“We are in a playoff race, and that’s what it is all about,” Frazier coach Greg Boggs said, noting the top two teams in each Class 2A section qualify for the postseason. “We needed this game to keep moving on. This puts it all on the Washington game next week.”

The Commodores (4-2, 4-1) will visit the Prexies next week with second place on the line. But for that game to have meaning, the Commodores had to take care of business against the Bulldogs (1-5, 1-4).

Kenny Fine was the clear catalyst for the win. The Frazier senior scored five touchdowns, four in the first half.

“I know he can play at the next level,” Boggs said in regards to Fine. “He does it on offense, and he does it on defense.”

The Commodores set the tone from the start. Frazier put together an opening drive that lasted more than six minutes and culminated with a Fine 1-yard touchdown run. Tristan Scott added the extra point to give Frazier a 7-0 lead.

It was just the start of Fine’s big game. He finished with 114 yards on 22 carries.

Following its opening-drive score, Frazier maintained momentum by stopping Beth-Center on a fourth-down play.

The turnover on downs resulted in another Frazier score as Fine found the end zone on a 14-yard run.

After one quarter, the Commodores were in front 13-0.

Frazier tacked on two more scores before the half wound to a close. Fine capped another drive with another 1-yard score to make it 19-0.

Then late in the second quarter, the Bulldogs drove deep into Frazier territory, only to be denied as Fine picked off a pass and returned it 85 yards for a score.

At the half, Frazier was in control 25-0.

The second half was played at a slower pace, but the Commodores found the end zone twice more.

In the third quarter, Fine delivered his fifth score of the game when he hauled in a 13-yard touchdown strike from Dom Dorcon, giving the Commodores a 31-0 advantage.

The Bulldogs, to their credit, were able to move the ball on several drives in the second half. Their best chance to score came in the fourth quarter with the ball at Frazier’s 1.

But the Commodores preserved the shutout when Braydon Baccino recovered a fumble in the end zone.

“Our defense played physical and aggressive,” Boggs said, giving credit to defensive coordinator Jake Girvin as well as linebackers Aaron Panepinto and Baccino for leading the way. “There were some hits tonight that you heard through the Mon Valley. The defense did a great job.”

Frazier’s Luke Santo also recovered a fumble, which resulted in the final score of the game. Adam Phillips raced in for a 20-yard score before Domenic Taranto capped the scoring with a 2-point run.

Tags: Beth-Center, Frazier