TIGERS OVERCOME BAD START TO TROUNCE LIONS, 28-13

Moccia nears the 1,000-yard mark for the season

MEDIA, PA - The 3-3 Tigers visited the 3-3 Penncrest Lions on Friday evening at Louis W. Scott Field and dominated on all sides of the ball despite a slow start on offense and defense. The Tigers running game, led by Matt Moccia (c’mon, did you think it would be anyone else?) would eventually jump start the offense in the cold and rain.

Penncrest looked comfortable regardless of the poor weather, scoring a touchdown on their opening drive of the game. Running back Patrick O’Donnell (affectionately called “P-O-D” by their PA announcer) would carry the load early for the Lions carrying the ball 3 times for 20 yards. Greg Tyrell, leading the spread/option offense found three different receivers – Dave Bixler, Dustin Jacquette, and Kenny Kull – for 3 pass completions for 59 yards. The drive ended with Tyrell passing to Kull for a gain of 26 and a touchdown on 2nd & 9 from their own 26-yard line at 4:33 in the first. Casey Desiderio’s extra point attempt was successful.

The Tigers reached Lions territory twice before finally punching the ball into the end zone for 6 points. With 8:35 left in the 2nd quarter, the Tigers regained possession on their own 39-yard line. On 1st & 10 Tiger’s RB Matt Moccia took the ball 61 yards for a touchdown as the MN sidelines erupted with cheering and clapping. Ted Seiler’s extra point attempt was successful and the game was tied.

The Lions would not be shaken that easily and showed great poise on their next drive starting with the kickoff. Mike Quintans caught the kick at the Lion’s 20 and returned it 22 yards to the 42. A 5-yard facemask penalty was assessed on the kicking team and so the Lions only had to go 53 yards on a shortened field. On 1st and 10 on the MN 26, O’Donnell got the nod and rushed ball for a gain of 26 and a touchdown. The Lions went 58 yards in 8 plays in just under 2 minutes. An impressive offensive display that looked as though it had a lot more left in the tank. Casey Desiderio’s extra point attempt was no good and that would be the last points the Lions would score for the rest of the night.

On the ensuing drive, the Lions Elijah Trusty kicked off to Sean Spratt. Catching the ball on the 10-yard line Spratt started his return. The kickoff special teams for MN blocked superbly allowing Spratt to elude would-be tacklers and take the ball 90 yards all the way to the end zone for 6 points. It was the Tigers first kickoff return for a touchdown of the season and a brilliant run by the senior, Sean Spratt (Seiler extra point was good).

Penncrest’s offense started the 3rd quarter but did not get very far. After a block in the back penalty on the kickoff return, the Lions started their 1st drive of the second half on their own 24. Tyrell and O’Donnell rushed on 3 plays for a total of 16 yards. On 2nd & 5 from their own 40 Tyrell’s intended pass for Ed Klodarska was intercepted by Mike Talley. The Tigers offense took over on the Lions 40 yard line.

On 1st and 10 Liberty passed incomplete intended for Ted Seiler. The play calling from that point focused solely on running ball which proved to be a wise decision considering the condition of the field and the poor weather. Moccia rushed the ball 8 straight times and ending the drive with 3 yard gain on 2nd & goal and a touchdown (Seiler extra point was good).

Penncrest took over with 6 minutes remaining in the 3rd quarter. Starting on the 30, Tyrell dropped and decided to run on 1st & 10 but was tackled for a loss by Mike Talley. On 2nd & 11, Tyrell attempted to pass only to be sacked by Pete Massaro for a loss of 4 yards. The Lions were forced to pass on 3rd & 15 and Tyrell found David Bixler for a gain of 35 and a first down on the Tigers 40. O’Donnell ran the rest of the way and pushed the Tigers defense all the way into the red zone. On 3rd & goal from the 4, Tyrell dropped back to pass and was hit by Massaro causing a fumble to picked up by Ted Seiler at the 7 yard line returning the ball 18 yards to the 25 yard line (As seen on the Friday Night Football segment on NBC-10).

MN and Penncrest then traded field position to start the 4th quarter – each team going 3-and-out – three times for MN and twice for Penncrest. With 7:34 left in the game, Penncrest took over on their own 16-yard line. O’Donnell and Quintans carried the load in the rain for the Lions rushing the ball 14 times. The drive in total went 73 yards in 17 plays but ended when the stingy MN defense locked down in the red zone. Penncrest turned the ball over on downs and MN took over at their own 11.

With 1:16 left to play in regulation, MN put the ball into Moccia’s hands to get a first down and end the game. Moccia rushed twice, gaining 3 yards on each play. On the third play with 4 to go, Moccia hit the outside and found daylight on an otherwise dreary night and ran 83 yards for a touchdown and his longest run of the season (Seiler extra point was good).

That play would essentially end the game but not the story of Matt Moccia and his incredible season. Game 8 versus the Green Raiders of Ridley will be the next chapter of this season. This will be a memorable game for the Tigers offense as they rally behind Moccia, as he is now just 68 yards away from breaking the 1,000-yard rushing mark.

Against the Lions, Moccia had 27 rushing attempts for 230 yards and 3 TDs with an average gain of 8.5 yards per rush. For the season, Moccia has rushed the ball 157 times for 932, 9 TDs, and an average 5.9 yards per rush.

The Last Word

Again, the defense clamped down when it counted with a bend-but-don’t-break attitude. Below are the defensive contributions by tackles:

Matt Moccia – 13
Mike Talley – 12 (including a sack, 3 TFLs, and INT)
Ted Seiler – 10 (including a sack, TFL, caused fumble, and fumble recovery)
Perry Koliatsis – 8 (including a sack, and 2 TFLs)
Dan Scarboro – 8
Dave Hansell – 6
Pat Aigeldinger – 5
TJ Pretti – 3
John Rutecki – 3
Sean Spratt – 2
Pete Massaro – 2 (including a sack, TFL, and a caused fumble)

Contact Jim Allsman at jma158@comcast.net.