Freeport takes control early, tops Quaker Valley in continued game

By: Michael Love
Saturday, September 7, 2024 | 2:20 PM

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It took an extra day, but Freeport was able to take care of its business against Quaker Valley at Freeport Area Athletic Stadium.

The teams returned to the field Saturday morning after lightning forced officials to postpone the game after only six minutes Friday evening. The Yellowjackets rolled from the start, leading by 16 at the half en route to a 44-12 victory.

The win helped Freeport (2-1) bounce back from last week’s loss at Derry.

“The next day we came in after Derry, the kids were good in forgetting about that and refocusing for Quaker Valley,” Yellowjackets coach John Gaillot said. “With the delay, I was a little concerned because sometimes it can be easy to have a letdown.

“But I thought we came out very strong. I am very proud of them. They really played hard and kept their cool. They gave a great effort. It was a nice win for us.”

Junior Amos Glenn paced the Yellowjackets offense with 25 carries for 130 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

“Amos also had 167 against Indiana,” Gaillot said. “He’s really running hard for us and taking advantage of his opportunities.”

Fellow Freeport junior Drew Ross completed 6 of 15 passes for 102 yards. He added two short rushing scores.

The Quakers fell to 0-2. They had not played since Week Zero as their game last week against Keystone Oaks was canceled because of bad weather. Coach Jason Cappa, a Riverview graduate, said it was important for his players to complete the game against Freeport

“We’ve got a lot of inexperienced guys working within a newly installed offense,” said Cappa, whose team returns to action Friday and opens Western Conference play at North Catholic.

“We need time to get those reps. A nonconference game like this, we need this because we can’t get the same reps in practice. We wanted to come back today and play. We’ve been put in adverse situations with a lot of different things outside of our control this whole season. We’re teaching these guys as men that in life as well as football, you can’t control certain things, and you have to overcome them, move on and try to be better.”

The game resumed at the 6:12 mark of the first quarter with Quaker Valley holding the ball with a third-and-4 from its 7. The Quakers’ first play didn’t go as they had hoped.

Quarterback Atticus Barr’s errant pitch to running back Jack Diemert wound up the end zone. Diemert fell on the ball, and Freeport was awarded a safety for a 2-0 lead.

It remained that score until midway through the second quarter as Freeport marched 52 yards on 11 plays. Glenn ran nine times on the drive, but Ross carried the ball the final 2 yards for the touchdown.

Judah Thompson added the point-after kick for a 9-0 advantage.

The Freeport defense forced a punt on Quaker Valley’s ensuing possession, and the Yellowjackets converted again. This time, junior Owen Neistein capped a six-play, 54-yard drive with a 2-yard TD carry.

Thompson’s conversion kick made it 16-0.

Freeport limited Quaker Valley to 5 yards of total offense in the first half.

The second half started in explosive fashion as Glenn returned the opening kick 91 yards for a Freeport touchdown. The Judah Thompson kick extended the Yellowjackets lead to 23-0.

Quaker Valley returned the favor on the ensuing kickoff as Ben McHenry returned it to the Freeport 3. Diemert then scored with a run on the first play to get the Quakers on the board. A 2-point conversion run failed, and it set the score at 23-6.

The scoring flurry early in the third continued as Glenn scored his second TD in two minutes as he carried it in from 3 yards. Thompson’s kick made it 30-6. Ross added on for Freeport at the 7:55 mark with a 2-yard run.

Sophomore Braydon Pomaybo got a chance to run the football for the Yellowjackets, and his 14-yard TD run with 9:45 left in the fourth quarter gave the hosts a 38-point advantage and put the mercy rule running clock into effect.

Quaker Valley capped the scoring with a little more than 3 minutes left as Barr found Jayden Juliano for a 45-yard scoring strike.

Barr finished the game with 84 passing yards.

Freeport begins Allegheny 7 Conference play Friday at rival Deer Lakes.

“There’s not much time to celebrate this one because as soon as we get in (the locker room), we’re focusing in on Deer Lakes,” Gaillot said.

“Deer Lakes is a very strong, well-coached team. I have all the respect in the world for them. It’s always been a battle.”

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: Freeport, Quaker Valley