Wild play lifts Highlands to victory over Indiana

By: Jerin Steele
Friday, September 22, 2023 | 10:42 PM

It was a play that came from utter desperation and ended in jubilation.

Golden Rams quarterback Menage Lucas was hemmed up well behind the line of scrimmage on a third-and-long in the fourth quarter when he decided to pitch the ball back to Darius Cherry.

Cherry then navigated his way through a maze of blockers and Indiana defenders for a 53-yard run and a first down that kept the drive alive.

Several plays later, Aiden Burford scored what proved to be the winning touchdown on a 3-yard run as Highlands defeated Indiana, 28-21, in a thrilling Class 4A Greater Allegheny Conference game Friday night.

“I was begging him to throw it back to me,” Cherry said. “Once he did, I knew I had to just run straight. Luckily the blocks were there, and I made a play.”

Golden Rams coach Matt Bonislawski had seen Lucas and Cherry try some unorthodox pitch plays in practice and didn’t necessarily think it would ever translate into a game.

“Those guys improvise a lot, and, believe it or not, they do that stuff in practice and I usually tell them to knock it off,” Bonislawski said. “I mean … I don’t know what to say. It worked out for us tonight. We got lucky there.”

Indiana (2-3, 0-2) had one last drive to try to tie the score with less than two minutes remaining, but a fumble near midfield ended any hopes. The Golden Rams (4-1, 1-1) got one first down and ran out the clock.

Another interesting element between Cherry and Lucas is neither one of them began the season as the starter at their position on offense, but both made a significant impact Friday.

Lucas was at quarterback for the second consecutive week in place of injured starter Aaran Randolph.

After totaling 78 yards of total offense in his first start last week against North Catholic, Lucas was a difference-maker Friday, rushing for 121 yards and two touchdowns and passing for 69 yards.

“Menage is a big, strong kid, and he’s starting to feel it a bit,” Bonislawski said. “This was only his second start. We hope to have Aaran back soon, but we’ll mix them both in. They both bring something different to the table. Menage has done enough that he’s going to get some reps.”

Lucas scored on a 6-yard run in the first and a 29-yard run in the third. He was happy to help his team get back on track after being shut out last Friday.

“Last week was tough, so at practice this week we were locked in,” Lucas said. “We listened to coach and followed the procedures on what we’re supposed to be doing, executed and got this win tonight.”

Cherry came in when Luke Bombalski was injured in the second quarter.

Bombalski returned on defense, but Cherry stayed as the lead back. He ended up with 136 yards on seven carries and scored on a 59-yard run on Highlands’ opening drive of the second half. His touchdown tied the score at 14-14 after Indiana took a seven-point lead into the locker room.

Indiana quarterback Trevor Smith had a fantastic night in a losing effort. He was 17-for-25 passing for 167 yards and two touchdowns. At one point between the first and second quarters, he completed seven consecutive passes.

Smith, who missed last year’s game with Highlands due to injury, found a wide-open Rocco Cosentino on a wheel route out of the backfield for a 19-yard touchdown on a fourth-down play to get Indiana on the board.

Then late in the second, Smith connected with Levi Porter on a middle-screen that went for a 29-yard touchdown to give Indiana a 14-7 lead at the half.

“That kid made a lot of plays,” Bonislawski said of Smith. “He was bottled in and got loose, threw on the run and made some great throws. We had some good coverage, too, and he really put the ball on the money. I was impressed with him. You can see he’s the leader of the team.”

Jerin Steele is a freelance writer

Tags: Highlands, Indiana