McGuffey holds off Keystone Oaks
DORMONT — McGuffey built a nine-point first-half lead and held on with the help of a blocked field goal in the fourth quarter to edge Keystone Oaks 16-14 in a Class 2A Century Conference game Friday night at Dormont Stadium.
The win keeps McGuffey (5-0, 6-2) alone in first place in the conference. The Highlanders are a half-game ahead of Washington.
The Highlanders forged a quick 9-0 lead in the first quarter. A bad snap on a punt by Keystone Oaks (2-2, 4-4) led to the Golden Eagles’ punter being tackled in the end zone for a safety and 2-0 advantage for McGuffey. On the enuing possession, Highlanders quarterback Connor Crowe raced 65 yards for a touchdown that mde it 9-0.
Keytone Oaks closed to within 9-7 when Nathan Rohe picked up a McGuffey fumble and returned it 60 yards for a touchdown.
Late in the first half, McGuffey’s Logan Carlisle returned a KO punt 39 yards to the Golden Eagles’ six-yard line. Three plays later, Charles Wagers scored one a one-yard plunge that put the Highlanders up 16-7 with 1:01 left in the first half.
KO intercepted a McGuffey pass on the Highlanders’ first possession of the second half and it set up DiMajio Locante’s three-yard TD run that pulled KO to within 16-14.
McGuffey came up a big play in the foruth quarter when it blocked a Keystone Oaks field goal. On KO’s next possession, the Golden Eagles started at the McGuffey 49 but turned the ball over on downs at the Highlanders’ 30 with 3:54 left.
McGuffey then was able to run out the clock. The key play was a five-yard run by Crowe on fourth-and-three at the Highlanders’ 49.