Penn-Trafford rings Victory Bell in win vs. Gateway

By: Dave Mackall
Friday, October 4, 2024 | 11:07 PM

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If Penn-Trafford running back Tasso Whipple was playing as though it would be his last high school football game against archrival Gateway, that’s because it was.

And Whipple left everything on the field Friday night, running every which way against the Gators.

The 6-foot-1, 205-pound senior gained 249 yards and went over the 1,000-yard rushing mark in a season for the second time in a row to power visiting Penn-Trafford to a 32-13 victory in a WPIAL Class 5A Big East Conference game at Gateway’s Antimarino Stadium.

“I don’t look at the stats too much. I just wanted to come out with the ‘W,’ ” Whipple said. “Last year, we lost to them and it was heartbreaking. I told myself, told the team and told my family, that’ll never happen again while I’m here, especially when it’s my senior year.”

Jack Weishaar caught two touchdown passes from Jonny Lovre, and Lovre and Derek Carr scored on short runs for Penn-Trafford (5-2, 2-1), which took back the “Victory Bell” in the annual Battle for the Victory Bell game.

“I’m just happy with the way we played and the way we won,” said Penn-Trafford coach John Ruane, who is a faculty member at Gateway. “We wanted to run the ball and control the clock, and that was mission accomplished.”

With Whipple leading the way, of course.

“The offensive line did fantastic,” he said. “I trust them all with my life, and I always have.”

Ruane couldn’t have agreed more.

“Our offensive line was phenomenal,” he said. “You know, it was tough yards, too. That’s a very physical defense we were facing. They keep hitting you, they keep coming at you. But I think we did, too. And I think 34 (Whipple) showed what he is tonight, as well. He’s a back that just wants it. As the game goes on, he gets better. He’s tough to bring down. It’s very difficult to try to do it that many times.”

Whipple finished with 28 carries, 17 in the second half after gaining 131 yards on 11 carries in the first half to help Penn-Trafford to a 15-0 lead.

“He’s very talented,” Gateway coach Don Holl said. “He’s a very good running back.”

And Whipple seemingly enjoyed as much time as he wanted to handle the football. Penn-Trafford took advantage of turnovers to control time of possession.

“We’ve got to be able to get off the field when we get them in third-and-medium, fourth-and-medium, fourth-and-short,” Holl said. “You’ve got to start by giving them credit for making it difficult for us. At one point in the second half, with about 5 minutes to go, we had run three plays on offense. That’s the nature of what they do.”

Penn-Trafford looked as though it might run away with the outcome early on after Michael Cheplick’s 86-yard kickoff return to the Gateway 4 put the Warriors in position to add to their 15-point halftime lead.

If not for Gateway’s Carlos Diggs pushing Cheplick out of bounds just before the end zone, Penn-Trafford would have been in total command.

As it was, the Warriors eventually managed to pull away, even after Gateway’s defense, aided by a penalty, held P-T to a field-goal attempt.

But Logan Hunter’s 27-yard kick attempt was blocked by Diggs, who scooped up the ball and raced 83 yards for a touchdown to pull Gateway (3-4, 2-2) within 15-7 with 9 minutes, 10 seconds left in the third quarter.

“If we want to be a great football team, we’ve got to be able to score on that drive,” Ruane said.

Penn-Trafford added Jack Miller’s 21-yard field goal with 1:38 to go in the third to increase its lead to 18-7 then added a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns to put the outcome out of reach.

Whipple’s interception late in the third led to his apparent 28-yard touchdown run early in the fourth, but the play was erased by a holding penalty.

Carr’s 4-yard scoring run made it 25-7 before Jessie Lisbon picked up a loose ball on the next kickoff to set up Lovre’s 7-yard scoring strike to Weishaar.

Penn-Trafford opened the scoring in the first quarter, when Wieshaar got loose behind the Gateway defense and gathered in a 53-yard touchdown pass from Lovre.

Carr tacked on a 2-point conversion run for P-T after Gateway was penalized prior to an extra-point attempt.

Penn-Trafford increased its lead to 15-0 in the second quarter on a 1-yard keeper by Lovre, two plays after Whipple nearly scored on a 39-yard run to the Gateway 1.

A penalty wiped out Gateway’s bid for its first points when Amari Gans’ apparent 3-yard scoring run was nullified.

Penn-Trafford’s defense then held the Gators out of the end zone from the Gateway 11, stopping Shawn Moorefield a yard short of the goal line on a 10-yard reception from Elvis Koutsakis.

Whipple went over the 1,000-yard rushing mark for the season on a 62-yard run from the Penn-Trafford 1 in the second quarter.

Gateway scored its final touchdown with 2 minutes remaining in the game when Koutsakis threw a 16-yard touchdown pass to Gans. But it didn’t dampen Whipple and Penn-Trafford’s special night.

“It was a great night. It was a great win,” Whipple said.

Tags: Gateway, Penn-Trafford