Highlander heartbreak
Beaver Falls rallies in second half to top McGuffey
CLAYSVILLE – After scoring a touchdown with nine seconds remaining in the first half McGuffey went into halftime with momentum.
The Highlanders didn’t carry it over with them to the second half, however.
A Beaver Falls team, that maybe wasn’t as seeded as high as it normally is, relied on its pedigree of six WPIAL championships and turned the tables in the second half to scratch out a playoff win.
The No. 9 Tigers did not allow the No.8 Highlanders to achieve a first down on their first four possessions of the second half and scored three touchdowns to secure a 28-7 victory in the first round of the WPIAL Class 2A football playoffs Friday night.
The Tigers (7-3) advanced to play No. 1 Bishop Canevin next Friday. After going winless the last two seasons, McGuffey enjoyed a renaissance season, which finished at 7-4.
After forcing a three-and-out on McGuffey’s first possession, Beaver Falls’ offense found a rhythm to take the lead.
The Tigers took over at the McGuffey 48 and marched down the field in 11 plays, which culminated in a one-yard touchdown run by Xavier Clark.
Beaver Falls went for two and quarterback Rodney Slappy threw a pass to Anthony Dawkins in the back of the end zone to make it 8-7 Tigers with 4:17 remaining in the third quarter.
McGuffey failed to get a first down following the Tigers’ touchdown and punted into the end zone, which gave Beaver Falls the ball at the 20.
The Tigers drove all the way to the red zone, but Gage Clayton stuffed Slappy on a fourth down at the 7-yard line to end the threat.
The Highlanders were unable to gain any momentum off it, however, and went three-and-out and punted with 4:17 remaining.
That’s when Beaver Falls struck again.
Slappy threw a pass down the sideline that Keyshawn Jamison hauled in for a touchdown to make it 14-7.
McGuffey had to start its next drive on its own six and fumbled on the first play and Beaver Falls recovered.
Clark scored on a 3-yard run to increased the lead to 20-7.
Derrick Beck returned an interception 45 yards for a touchdown in the final 30 seconds to close the scoring.
McGuffey attempted only four passes in the first half and completed one, but it was a big one.
Highlanders quarterback Dante Gadani threw a pass to the flat to a wide open Denny Furmanek, who caught it and walked into the end zone for a 10-yard touchdown with nine seconds remaining in the first half.
Jack Gallick’s extra point made it 7-0 and the Highlanders at the half.
The touchdown was set up by a turnover.
A botched pitch play by Beaver Falls led to a fumble and Wyatt Hildreth recovered the ball at the Tigers’ 33-yard line with just over two minutes remaining in the half.
A 10-yard run on a third-down option play by Furmanek set up the Highlanders with a first and goal with less than 30 seconds remaining in the first half.
After a spike and an incompletion, Gadani threw the touchdown to Furmanek.
It was a lightning-quick first half because both teams featured a power run game.
There were seven passes between the two teams and only six total drives and a kneel down in the first two quarters.
McGuffey squandered good field position prior to getting on the board before halftime.
Tigers punter Jawannd Williams tried to run around the right side on a fourth down play, but was stuffed by McGuffey.
That gave the Highlanders the ball at the Tigers’ 38, but they ended up turning the ball over on downs.
Led by the running of Xavier Clark, Beaver Falls drove to the McGuffey 36 on the opening possession of the game, but the drive stalled and the Tigers punted.
McGuffey took over at its own five and in 11 plays moved down to the Beaver Falls 21, but Gallick’s field goal attempt on fourth down fell just short of the crossbar.