Haden Sierocky’s big plays help Ligonier Valley defeat Burrell

By: Jerin Steele
Friday, October 7, 2022 | 10:27 PM

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Haden Sierocky’s teammates have given him the nickname “Mr. Big Play.”

He certainly lived up to it Friday night.

Sierocky rushed for two scores, caught a touchdown pass, had a long kickoff return to start the second half and made a crucial interception in the end zone in the fourth quarter to lead Ligonier Valley past Burrell, 29-15, in a Class 2A Allegheny Conference game Friday night.

“I like that the guys call me that, but it’s not just me, though. It’s the 10 other guys on the field helping me make the play,” Sierocky said. “It’s definitely a cool nickname to have, but it’s all because of my teammates.”

With the win, Ligonier Valley (5-2, 3-1) clinched a playoff spot. Burrell fell to 5-2 overall and 2-2 in conference play.

Sierocky scored on runs of 4 and 56 yards in the second half, turning a 15-14 halftime deficit into a two-score lead.

His biggest play, however, may have been his interception on a fourth-and-goal from the Burrell 15-yard line. It was part of a stellar defensive effort in which the Rams shut out the Bucs in the second half.

“With it being fourth-and-long, I had a feeling they were going to pass,” Sierocky said. “I was covering (Gabe Ziccarelli) most of the game. I missed one earlier against him, so I knew I had to come back and make a great play.”

Before the interception, Burrell appeared to score a touchdown on a 6-yard run by Devin Beattie, but it was called back on a holding penalty. The penalty moved the ball back to the 15-yard line.

“We had some things that didn’t go our way like that touchdown being called back on a penalty,” Burrell coach Shawn Liotta said. “There were some things like that, which certainly swung it, but credit Ligonier Valley. I thought we had it in control for a bit, but they made plays at key times.”

To prepare for Burrell’s unique Slot-T offense, Rams coach Roger Beitel dug into his notes from playing Westmont Hilltop, an old District 6 opponent.

“I have to give credit to our young kids, who did a good job simulating (Burrell’s) offense in practice as the scout team,” Beitel said. “Coach Rensko, our defensive coordinator, did a good job coming up with a scheme that (Burrell) really hadn’t seen before. We watched all their film, and there were things we learned that we wanted to take advantage of. We knew 85 percent of their plays ran to their bench, so we schemed that. Our experience playing Westmont Hilltop, which runs a similar offense, helped, too, with what we wanted to do.”

Both teams matched long methodical drives in the first half, and there were points scored on the first five possessions.

Primarily a running team, Burrell opened the game with a surprise play-action pass from Chase Fenner to Ziccarelli for 40 yards. That set up a Fenner touchdown on a 6-yard run on fourth down.

Ligonier Valley responded with a drive featuring seven straight running plays, which ended a Nick Lonas 11-yard touchdown run.

Burrell again marched down the field in 15 plays, which ended with a 2-yard touchdown run by Beattie, making it 12-6. Beattie finished with 110 yards on 26 carries.

The Rams tied it on a fourth-down pass play where Broderick Schreyer rolled to his right and threw back across the field to Sierocky, who scored from 30 yards. Sierocky ran in a 2-point conversion to give Ligonier Valley a 14-12 lead.

“I actually had a touchdown on that play earlier this year against Southmoreland,” Sierocky said. “It’s a cool play because everyone thinks we’re going to the left, and we throw it back.”

Burrell went 14 plays on the next drive, and Ryan Croushore connected on a 36-yard field goal to give the Bucs a 15-14 lead at halftime.

Jerin Steele is a freelance writer

Tags: Burrell, Ligonier Valley