Dunmore at Susquehanna

Recap

SUSQUEHANNA 25, DUNMORE 21

By Tom Robinson

SUSQUEHANNA – Susquehanna shook off a sluggish start, then avoided a potential crushing conclusion to its Saturday non-league game against visiting Dunmore.

Sophomore quarterback Weston Yannone ran for three second-half touchdowns, including the game-winning, 17-yarder with 48 seconds left, to rally the Sabers to a 25-21 victory Saturday afternoon at William Emminger Memorial Field.

“We made a lot of adjustments,” Yannone said. “We changed the plays we were going to call.”

Dunmore bolted to a 14-0 lead in the first 8:25, outgaining Susquehanna 64-21 in the first two possessions for each team.

After starting with an option-based attack, the Sabers went with more power and Yannone bootlegs off those plays. They often moved guard Zachary Norton into the power-I backfield and also ran behind him when he was in his usual position of right guard.

“He’s the glue that holds everything together,” coach Mose Perry said after what he described as clearly the biggest win of his two-year career.

Perry had reason for that assessment.

Susquehanna had beaten Dunmore just once, back in 1998.

Since then, the Bucks won each of the last 13 meetings by at least 21 points and ended four of the last five full Sabers’ seasons.

It looked like more of the same when Susquehanna misplayed the first two kickoffs and ran for just four yards on six attempts in the first two possessions.

That allowed the field position that Dunmore turned into a 4-yard, Jack McNeff-to-Will Bonin touchdown pass and a 42-yard Gabe Franek touchdown run.

After the first 12 Susquehanna runs netted 16 yards, the remaining 30 produced 304 before the Sabers ran the game’s final play from victory formation.

Yannone ran six times for 121 yards in the second half and finished with 14 carries for 153 yards.

Nathan Oropallo ran 10 yards for a second-quarter score, then Yannone put Susquehanna in front with a 57-yard touchdown run in the third and a 30-yarder with 9:59 left in the game.

The Sabers defense appeared ready to protect the 18-14 lead and secure the win when Dunmore had a clumsy handoff on a desperate, fourth-and-four play with 3:05 left. Once Izaiah Parker had his hands on the ball, however, a wide hole opened and he sprinted 66 yards for the touchdown and 21-18 advantage.

The Sabers settled themselves and calmly moved 75 yards on seven straight runs. Parker Overbaugh ran for 13 and fullback Brody Ace 26 to highlight the drive.

Ace took another dive seven yards. Yannone faked the same handoff on the next play and kept around the right end for the game-winner.

The Sabers won their second straight to improve to 2-1.

Franek carried 19 times for 110 yards for the Bucks (0-3).