Scotties hold off South Allegheny in roller-coaster affair, 28-21
Southmoreland and South Allegheny staged a shootout in the first half and then put their defenses on display in the second half during Friday night’s Interstate Conference game.
When all was said and done it was the Scotties hanging on for a 28-21 victory as Zach Cernuto threw for 129 yards and a touchdown to Isaac Trout who had five receptions for 124 yards.
The Gladiators (0-2, 0-2) were led by Antonio Epps who rushed for 271 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries and also ran a kickoff back for a score.
South Allegheny took a 7-0 on Epps’ 51-yard touchdown run and the first of Gavin Cleary’s three extra points in the first quarter.
The two teams combined for six touchdowns in the second quarter.
Trout got Southmoreland on the board nine seconds in with a 13-yard touchdown reception but the kick failed. Less than four minutes later the Scotties took the lead, 13-7, on Noah Phillips’ six-yard TD run and Andrew Rodriguez’ extra-point kick, but Epps ran the kickoff back 75 yards as South Allegheny went back on top, 14-13.
Southmoreland took the lead back, 21-14, on Anwar Jones’ two-yard touchdown run and Cernuto’s two-point run with 4:02 left in the half.
Epps scored again on a 20-yard run with 2:14 remaining to forge a 21-21 tie only to have the Scotties answer with a five-yard touchdown run by Trout 25 seconds before intermission with Rodriguez’ kick putting the lead at seven.
Neither team scored in the second half as Southmoreland evened its record at 1-1 overall and in conference play. South Allegheny falls to 0-2 and 0-2.
Cernuto completed seven of 14 passes with one interception and was his team’s leading rusher with 53 yards on 16 carries.