Penn-Trafford scores twice in final 6 minutes to beat Moon

By: Antonio Rossetti
Friday, September 5, 2025 | 11:10 PM

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Penn-Trafford came from behind Friday and tallied 13 unanswered points in the final six minutes to defeat Moon, 25-24.

The Warriors forced the Tigers to punt with 53 seconds left, down 24-19.

Penn-Trafford then capped a 95-yard drive with a winning Nate Desmond 15-yard touchdown pass to Landyn Stikkel. Desmond rolled left and found a wide-open Stikkel, who walked in to the end zone on a backside screen.

“It was exactly how the play is supposed to be drawn up,” Desmond said. “I’ve never seen it that open, and it all got put together.”

Stikkel, who caught the pass, finished with 53 rushing yards on 12 carries. He was prepared for the moment.

“I just heard they called my number in the huddle, and I just had to be the guy,” Stikkel said. “I had to step up to the plate and just do my thing.”

Desmond knew what needed to be done from the Warriors’ 5-yard line.

“We had to get out of there,” Desmond said. “We got to start a drive up to get down to field so we can score and put this game away.”

The first play of the drive was a 46-yard pass to Nico Casciato.

Three straight receptions from Trent Brown and two from Tyler Boss put the Warriors at the Moon 10, which led to a false start and then the clinching touchdown.

Desmond finished 17 for 28 for 252 yards and one touchdown pass.

“(Desmond) did his thing,” Stikkel said. “The offensive line stepped up when we needed them step up. We definitely had some faults throughout the game, but everybody picked it up and played together at the end of the game.”

Desmond’s lead receiver was Nick Ponko, who caught six passes for 60 yards. Ponko went down right before the final drive.

The receivers pulled through. Desmond called the receivers a brotherhood with how they responded to adversity.

“They all caught the ball,” Desmond said. “That’s what they need to do. That’s their job. They just make my life so much easier.”

Cody Yacamelli, who tallied two touchdowns on 18 carries for 86 yards, was amazed, but not surprised at the heart of the team.

“The character is just unbelievable,” Yacamelli said. “It’s not just on the field, but on the sideline, to our scout team players picking us up. We’re a team. We play as a team.”

Yacamelli mustered two key touchdowns. He credited the line for its play down the stretch.

“All the credit goes to the line,” Yacamelli said. “I can’t run it all without those guys up front. They’re our guys. Without them, we don’t win any of the games.”

The Tigers trailed 12-0 as the Warriors found paydirt on their first two drives with touchdown runs on direct snaps from Yacamelli and Desmond.

Nevertheless, Moon turned the momentum and scored 24 unanswered points.

A blocked punt return for a touchdown by Braeden Stuart and then a forced fumble and recovery at the 1 by Daiveon Taylor shifted the momentum. Stuart punched in a 1-yard touchdown to go up 14-12.

The Tigers rallied with an Evan Senkevich 39-yard field goal and an Andrew Cross 33-yard touchdown pass to Savario Vendetti to go up 24-12.

Nevertheless, the Warriors responded with a 70-yard drive capped off with a Yacamelli 5-yard touchdown run.

Desmond was impressed with the defense that stepped up and got the ball back. The Warriors had no timeouts with 1:30 left. They got the stop on third down.

“They always bail our offense out,” Desmond said. “Our offense was struggling a little in the second half. They bailed us out and let us get two drives that we needed to win the game. They put us in that amazing spot to win the game.”

Penn-Trafford is 3-0. They are taking in the moment but want to clean things up before next week.

“We just gotta keep focusing on our practice,” Yacamelli said. “We can’t have those little mistakes like the block punt, the turnover and stuff like that. I think we come out on top next week.”

Tags: Moon, Penn-Trafford