(Publisher’s Note: Yes it has taken me a little of four weeks to come to terms with writing the final chapter in the 2012 Old Forge Blue Devils Football Season. And it has taken me that long because a certain team is still playing and will be playing for a state championship on Friday. Yes we all know it easily could have been the Blue Devils, yet it is not. So it is with great pride and satisfaction that I pen - er type - this final edition of the Big Blue Wrecking Crew Chronicles for 2012).
The rematch between Old Forge and Dunmore was nothing short of what was expected between the two small school foes, however for Blue Devil fans, it came up short - one point short - of what was expected to be a second straight home-field coronation for the defending District 2 Class 1A champions.
The Bucks used a second-quarter Daiqaun Buckley touchdown - and a blocked extra-point - to edge previously unbeaten Old Forge, 7-6, in front of crowd of 4,000-plus at Veterans Memorial Stadium to dethrone the Blue Devils for district gold.
The game got off to an auspicious start for Old Forge (11-1) as the Blue Devils were flagged for illegal participation on its first play from scrimmage after Anthony Piccolini returned the opening kickoff 35 yards to the Old Forge 45.
The penalty was a sign of things to come as the Blue Devils made mistakes at crucial intervals of the contest - something they hadn’t done all season.
The teams played scoreless football during the first 16 minutes of action as both teams chewed time of the clock in each of their first two possessions. After Old Forge punted on its first possession, Dunmore chewed four minutes off the clock with an eight-play, 33-yard drive before punting the ball back to the Blue Devils.
Old Forge took over at its own 12, and after quarterback Brenden Wahl completed four passes for 35 yards - including a hookup with Piccolini for 30 yards, the Bucks buckled down and forced another Blue Devils punt.
Dunmore chewed up four more minutes on its next possession but only gained 25 yards as linebackers Jorden Sekol and Shane Schuback combined for six tackles. Sekol and Piccolini stopped Buckley on third-and-7 to force another punt.
The Blue Devils then went to the air.
Wahl hooked up with Jake Manetti on first-and-10 from the OF 30 for 11 yards and a first down. The 1,600-yard passer then found Mike Vieira for a 23-yard gain and Old Forge was in Dunmore territory at the 36.
That’s when things fell apart.
A 16-yard completion to Shane Schuback was nullified for Old Forge having an illegal man downfield, and on the following play, Wahl was flagged for intentional grounding to push the Blue Devils back to the 50 with a second-and-24. Dunmore forced two incompletions and ultimately another Old Forge punt.
The Big Blue Wrecking Crew stood tall on the ensuing possession but a special teams mistake proved to be the costliest of the game.
Schuback and Tony DeSando stopped Austin Seamon for a one-yard gain on first-and-10, and then Sekol sacked Dunmore QB Brandon Kujawski for a three-yard loss. Old Forge then forced an incompletion and the Bucks to punt on fourth-and-12 from its own 22.
But a personal foul roughing the kicker penalty was called on the Blue Devils after Piccolini had fair caught the 28-yard punt on the 50, giving the ball back to Dunmore.
Three plays later, Buckley trucked through three tackles before sprinting 57 yards for the only Dunmore touchdown in eight quarters of play against Old Forge in 2012. Mike Boland’s extra-point was good, and the Bucks led 7-0 with 5:10 remaining in the second quarter.
Old Forge responded by moving to the Dunmore 33 on six plays, including four rushes by Bubba Tomasetti for 17 yards, a scramble by Wahl for eight yards and a 15-yard personal foul face mask penalty on the Bucks.
But on second-and-8 Wahl’s intended pass to Piccolini over the middle sailed and was intercepted by John Rinaldi to turn the ball over with 2:05 left before halftime.
With all three timeouts left, Old Forge was able get the ball back one last time after holding Dunmore to just four yards on three plays forcing another punt.
Tomasetti returned the 33-yard punt to the Dunmore 43 and the Blue Devils had another shot before halftime.
Wahl found Tomasetti in the flat for nine-yard before spiking the ball on second down with 45 seconds left in the half to set up third-and-1 from the 34.
This time bad luck struck the Blue Devils.
While scrambling away from defenders trying to find an open receiver, Wahl headed back toward the home sideline and toward the line of scrimmage with at least 20 yards of open field ahead of him. But when the signal-caller avoided the last would-be Bucks defender, the official whistled the play dead, thinking Wahl had been downed as he kept his balance with his hand on the ground.
The play cost Old Forge at least a field goal attempt before the half expired, or a shot at tying the game with the touchdown. Wahl’s incompletion on fourth down ended the half.
Old Forge needed to start the half by changing momentum and it got the break it needed when Joey Bruno recovered a fumble at the Dunmore 38.
Wahl hooked up with Schuback for 11 yards and Tomasetti followed with a 12-yard gain on the ground to move the Blue Devils into the redzone. Three plays later, Tomasetti cashed in from three-yards out for a touchdown to electrify the Blue Devils faithful.
But the excitement was short-lived as Dunmore burst through the right side of the Old Forge offensive line on the PAT attempt to block Matt Mancuso’s kick. Still the Blue Devils were within 7-6 with 9:34 showing on the third quarter clock.
Dunmore then played keep-away, keeping the ball on the ground on 12 of its next 13 plays as they registered four first downs as it moved to the Old Forge 17.
The defense came though again for Old Forge, stopping Seamon for zero yards on his next three carries to set up fourth-and-10. On fourth down, Bruno came up big again for the Blue Devils - sacking Kujawski for a 10-yard loss.
Wahl went back to the air but was stymied on first and second down before throwing a second interception on third down. Old Forge got the ball back three plays later when Buckley fumbled while trying to gain extra-yardage and Tomasetti recovered at the Blue Devils own 11.
Tomasetti - Old Forge’s all-time single-season rushing leader - carried three straight times for 16 yards to move the Blue Devils out of a hole. But on second-and-8 Old Forge’s dip into the playbook backfired and Manetti was sacked while trying to throw a pass on an end around. Two plays later Old Forge punted and the Bucks went into the playbook as well.
After Seamon was stopped on first down for a two-yard loss, Dunmore went to the air with Kujawski finding Josh Zilla for two straight seven-yard gains to set up a first down at the Old Forge 31 as time ran in the fourth quarter.
The Bucks moved to the 12, but Piccolini shot through the line to drop Seamon for a four-yard loss on third-and-5.
Back-to-back offsides penalties on the Bucks moved the ball back to the 26, and on fourth down, Manetti and Tomasetti broke up a pass in the endzone to give the Blue Devils one last shot.
Taking over on its own 26 with 3:54 left, Old Forge opened its last gasp with an incompletion on first down and a nine-yard gain on second down Wahl found Schuback over the middle.
The Blue Devils then turned to Tomasetti.
Tomasetti carried six straight times for 22 yards to push Old Forge into Dunmore territory with 1:57 remaining.
On second-and-eight, Wahl scrambled for six yards to put the ball at the Dunmore 37 before the Bucks stopped Tomasetti for no-gain on third-and-2.
Dunmore then made the play of the game.
Old Forge fed Tomasetti again on fourth-and-2 but the Bucks were up to the challenge and held the 1,800-yard rusher to no gain to regain possession and claim the title.
Tomasetti finished with 89 yards on 26 carries to lead the Old Forge ground attack. Wahl completed 9-for-19 for 100 yards. Schuback caught four passes for 33 yards to lead the receiving corps.
