Laurel defeats Sto-Rox to keep playoff hopes alive

By: HSSN Staff
Saturday, October 20, 2018 | 12:03 AM

Friday’s Class A Big Seven Conference game between Laurel and Sto-Rox had the look of a political battle. Laurel ran a conservative, between-the-tackles offense, while Sto-Rox was more liberal with its offensive sets, spreading four, and sometimes five, receivers in its pass-first attack.

On this night, the conservative philosophy proved most effective, as Laurel chewed up massive amounts of yards — and the clock — on its way to a convincing 51-26 victory over Sto-Rox.

With the win, Laurel (5-4, 3-2) kept its hopes for a wild-card berth to the WPIAL playoffs alive. Sto-Rox (5-4, 4-3) was eliminated from playoff contention.

“Our game plan was to run the football and keep the ball away from their playmakers,” Laurel coach Brian Cooper said. “We were able to do that effectively. Our strength is our offensive line, and they proved it tonight. Our backs, at least in the first half, weren’t even getting hit until they were 3, 4 or 5 yards past the line of scrimmage. That really allowed us to control the game.”

How dominant was Laurel’s offensive line? In the first half, Laurel held the football for 19:37 compared to 4:23 for Sto-Rox, as the Spartans took a 28-12 lead at halftime.

“In a game like this, in these conditions, someone’s got to impose their will,” Sto-Rox coach LaRoi Johnson said. “Laurel was able to do that tonight. They ground us down.”

Despite the limited time of possession, Sto-Rox still had offensive success in the first half, amassing 249 yards of offense to Laurel’s 256. And after a scoreless third quarter, Sto-Rox appeared as though it was going to get back into the game at the start of the fourth when it cut its deficit to 28-18 on a 16-yard TD pass from Eric Wilson to Jaidon Berry.

But Laurel’s Daniel Blank stole the momentum on the ensuing kickoff when he found a seam up the middle, broke a tackle at midfield and scored on an 85-yard return.

“I was not going down,” Blank said. “I saw a seam and went for it.”

“That was a huge momentum swing,” Cooper said. “They had scored to get back in it, and I’m sure they were feeling confident. We needed someone to step up in that moment and someone did.”

Johnson felt the kickoff return was the turning point.

“Tremendous play by that kid,” Johnson said. “That definitely turned the momentum back to them. It was a back-breaker.”

Laurel took control from the start, as it squibed the opening kick and fell on the football after Sto-Rox failed to play the ball. That led to a 10-yard touchdown run by Blank and a 6-0 lead. Sto-Rox tied the game shortly thereafter on a 91-yard TD pass from Wilson to Ahmad Pack.

But Laurel took control in the second quarter, scoring on a 4-yard run by Blank and a 9-yard run by quarterback Dom Wade. After Sto-Rox added a 57-yard TD run by Vince Eggleton, Laurel made it 28-12 with less than a minute before halftime when Wade found Cam Smith wide open in the end zone for a 24-yard TD pass.

Wade later added another TD run in the fourth quarter, while Luke McCoy added a 27-yard TD run for Laurel. Wilson and Pack connected on another TD pass late in the game, this time from 73 yards, but the outcome was already decided.

In addition to his 85-yard kickoff return, Blank added 113 yards rushing. McCoy led all rushers with 146 yards and a TD. Wilson finished with 423 yards passing for Sto-Rox and three TDs, while Pack added nine receptions for 271 yards and two scores.

“Our line was the difference,” Blank said. “They dominated from the start. There’s nothing left to say about them. We trusted them and they imposed their will all night. “

Jim Equels Jr. is a freelance writer.

Tags: Laurel, Sto-Rox