The Blue Devils scored eight touchdowns in the first half - and stopped itself from scoring a ninth - in a 56-7 victory over the Royals in the home opener at Veterans Memorial Stadium.
Old Forge used just 22 plays to roll up 400 yards of total offense while possessing the ball for just eight minutes in the first half of action. In turn, Holy Redeemer (1-2) ran 44 plays for 134 yards while holding onto the ball for 16:13 of the first half.
Imagine what the Blue Devils could have done if they had the ball more.
After winning the coin toss, Old Forge (3-0) used a 7-play, 62-yard drive, capped by a Brian Tomasetti 3-yard touchdown run to start the onslaught. It would be the most plays the Blue Devils would need to score the rest of the way.
In fact, Old Forge scored its next four touchdowns in just seven plays.
Holy Redeemer would try to answer the Blue Devils score with a wide open passing attack, calling 10 pass plays on its first 10 offensive snaps. But even after Old Forge muffed a punt, the Royals could not convert on fourth-and-1 from the Blue Devils 35 when Tony DeSando dropped Redeemer QB Jimmy Strickland for a two-yard loss.
On the next play, Old Forge QB Brenden Wahl hit wideout Antony Piccolini in stride for a 62-yard scoring strike down the middle of the field. Matt Mancuso added his second extra-point of the night, and the Blue Devils led 14-0 with 7:40 left in the first quarter.
Old Forge again stopped the Royals on downs when Jorden Sekol tackled Strickland short of the sticks on fourth-and-2 at the Old Forge 37.
Again, the Blue Devils took just one snap to score when Tomasetti bust through the middle on a 63-yard jaunt for a 21-0 lead with 5:41 showing on the first-quarter clock after Mancuso’s point-after.
The teams exchanged turnovers after a three-and-out forced by two tackles-for-loss by “Shuga” Shane Schuback and Ryan “Big Boy” Paulish, and again it only took one play after Warren Welsh recovered a fumble at the Holy Redeemer 5.
Schuback then took the handoff from the fullback position and powered his way in for the score. The PAT was missed, and Old Forge led 27-0 with 3:34 left in the opening stanza.
The Blue Devils caused another fumble eight plays later when Schuback and Paulish ripped the ball away from tailback Pat Villani and Sekol recovered to give Old Forge possession at its own 11.
Tomasetti went 83 yards for an apparent score just two plays later, but an illegal formation penalty nullified the touchdown. That didn’t matter much for the Blue Devils leading rusher, as the senior tailback busted loose for an 80-yard touchdown run with 9:17 left in the second quarter. Wahl added the two-point run, and Old Forge led 35-0 to invoke the Mercy Rule which would begin with the third-quarter kickoff.
Junior Brandon Yescavage got into the act on the Blue Devils next possession, sprinting 37 yard to paydirt to extend the lead to 43-0 with 6:34 left before intermission.
Tomasetti picked off Strickland’s pass on Holy Redeemer’s next offensive snap, and four plays later Sekol went off left tackle and went untouched to the pylon for a 22-yard score. Mancuso’s PAT was true and Old Forge set a school-record for points in a half with 50.
The Blue Devils were not done though.
Holy Redeemer continued to throw as they lost seven yards on 13 carries in the first half. And when you throw the football, two of the three things that can happen are bad.
Well Tomasetti piled on the Royals bad fortune when he returned his second interception of the game 45 yards to the endzone, giving the defending District 2 Class 1A champs a 56-0 lead with 2:58 remaining in the second period.
Old Forge had one more chance to cash in during the first half as the reserves stopped Holy Redeemer on its next possession on downs.
Sophomore fullback Bobby Rinaldi bust through the line on a simple dive play but was taken down at the 5 after a 30-yard line. Instead of punching it in, Coach Mike Schuback ordered reserve quarterback Brandon Vahey to take a knee to end the half of carnage.
With the clock running in the second half, and the Blue Devils reserves getting all of the playing time on both sides of the football, Vahey, a sophomore, was the star of the final two quarters.
Vahey intercepted a pass and rushed six times for 55 yards.
Holy Redeemer finally got on the board with 7:34 left in the game with its first-team playing the entire game.
Old Forge did not throw a pass in the second half, and ended the game on the Redeemer 14 when Vahey again took a knee to end the half.
Tomasetti finished with 218 yards and three touchdowns on just 11 first-half carries. The Blue Devils rushed for 401 yards as four other backs rushed for at least 20 yards.
Yescavage carried twice for 37 yards, Sekol ran twice for 25 yards, Rinaldi rushed twice for 28 yards, and Tyler Salerno carried twice for 23 yards.
Wahl finished 3-for-5 with a touchdown and interception for 93 yards. Piccolini caught two of those passes for 70 yards. Mike Vieira hauled in the other catch for 23 yards.
B&G Blog Player of the Game: Brian Tomasetti. Tough to give this award to anyone else this week. All Bubba did was rush for 218 yards and three touchdown on 11 carries in ONE HALF OF FOOTBALL!!! Oh, and on defense? Tomasetti picked off two passes, and returned one 45 yards for a touchdown. Yes that was in the first half as well as Bubba held his helmet in his hand for the final 28 minutes of the game.
B&G Defensive Player of the Game: Shane Schuback. Shuga Shane had a team-high seven tackles and forced two fumbles on the night in taking this award away from Tomasetti who had two INTs and three tackles for the Blue Devils. Schuback also did all of his damage in the first half as Old Forge called off the dogs in the second half.
B&G Play of the Game: This is usually a positive play for the Blue Devils every week, but this week’s play of the game was so wacky it gets the nod despite being a negative play for Old Forge. Facing fourth-and-12 from its own 43, Holy Redeemer set up in punt formation. The ensuing snap sailed over punter Jimmy Strickland’s head, but after recovering the loose pigskin - while under heavy duress from four Blue Devil defenders - Strickland somehow got the punt away. However while covering the gunners on the punt with their backs turned to the action, one of the Old Forge defensive backs thought the punt was actually a pass and thought nothing of touching the ball after it bounced near the Blue Devils 45. The touch however was now a fumble and the Royals recovered at the Old Forge 44.
B&G Coaching Adjustment of the Game: Coach Mike Schuback’s only needed adjustment was taking his foot off the gas pedal in the FIRST HALF! Schuback ordered reserve QB Brandon Vahey to take a knee at the Royals 5 yard line to end the second quarter.
Historical Note: Junior tight end and linebacker Shane Schuback’s first career touchdown ties him with his dad - and Blue Devils Head Coach Mike Schuback - on Old Forge’s all-time list. In 1989, then a senior defensive tackle, Coach Schuback returned a fumble/interception for a touchdown in the Eastern Conference Championship Game against Pottsville Nativity.
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