LEWISBURG - If Mount Carmel Area goes on to do the things it hopes to do this season, it will look back on Friday's 27-16 win over Lewisburg as the rallying point.
Trailing 16-0 and in danger of
being blown out, the Red Tornadoes scored two touchdowns in the final three minutes of the first half, and played great defense in the second half to stun the Green Dragons at Christy Mathewson Memorial Stadium.
"We imposed our will on that football team," said Mount Carmel coach Carmen DeFrancesco. "I think they got a little complacent, and they might have thought they had the game won too early, and there were still three quarters to play."
The Red Tornadoes (2-0) were certainly on their heels early. Quarterback Cam Cassels and running back Merle Moscarello connected on a 50-yard touchdown pass with 5:19 to play in the first quarter. An interception by Brandon Smith set up a 30-yard field goal by Brady Ferster to make it 9-0 with 1:30 left in the first quarter, and a fumble recovery by Brooks Thompson set up a 30-yard touchdown run by Moscarello (28 carries, 185 yards) to make it 16-0 with 7:22 left in the half.
Then momentum started to shift. Rob Varano boomed a 60-yard punt to pin the Dragons back on their 20 and Lewisburg, with Moscarello sitting out a series, threw an ill-advised pass which was intercepted by Elijah Duran at the Lewisburg 34.
On the next play, Meyrick Lamb (19-133) broke off a 34-yard touchdown run.
Mount Carmel's defense held on another series, and Mount Carmel crossed the Dragons up with a first down screen pass from Varano to Cody Shustack for 39 yards to the 10-yard line, and Varano connected with Tyler Kwiatkowski for a six-yard touchdown with 40 seconds left in the half.
"Believe it or not, one of the things we told the kids before the game was that if things didn't go our way, not to panic, and things sure didn't go our way early," said DeFranceso. "I guess that interception was probably the turning point."
The Tornadoes needed another big play in the third quarter. Lewisburg drove from its 23 to Mount Carmel's 15 on nine plays to start the second half, but Moscarello lost a fumble at the 10 to Brett Przekop. Mount Carmel took advantage, driving 90 yards in 11 plays, the biggest a 35-yard pass from Varano to Jacob Kleman, who made a diving catch. With Lamb having cramping troubles, Shustack came to the fore. He scored on a 19 yard run to give Mount Carmel a 20-16 lead with 1:11 to play in the third quarter.
Lewisburg then had another breakdown. On a fourth-and-six at Mount Carmel's 33, wide open Storm Brown dropped a pass from Cassels.
There was one more bit of adversity to overcome. Varano was knocked cold on a run and had to be replaced by Zach Wasilewski, who also didn't have Shustack or Lamb available at the time. But the sophomore had runs of six and five yards, then completed a seven-yard pass for a first down to Kleman. Although he was later sacked to end the drive, Mount Carmel's defense held and Lewisburg then had a shanked punt.
Lamb, back in the game, broke off a 43-yard run to the 12, then Shustack scored on a six-yard run for an insurance touchdown.
"We took the game over," DeFrancesco said. "We're in condition and I think they kind of wore down a little. We're banged up and dinged a little, but we'll be okay. It was a really physical football game."