BEAVER SPRINGS - Depleted with numerous injuries, a first half full of penalties and down 28-0 early on, the East Juniata football team could have cashed it in and called it a night.
However, despite losing to Millersburg 35-14, the Tigers showed what heart and determination they had as they came out and picked up a moral victory by outscoring the Indians 8-7 in the second half of their Tri-Valley League contest Friday night at West Snyder Elementary School.
" The kids are playing hard and coming along, it's a process. They are realizing the Tri-Valley League is tough," East Juniata coach Simon Cameron said. " Unfortunatel, there was a lot of bad penalties on both sides. That's what hurt us."
Article Photos
Sentinel photo by BUFFIE?BOYER
East Juniata’s Logan Hambright, center, is tackled by Millersburg’s Ethan Troutman, left, Josh Howard, and Connor Keim, Friday in Beaver Springs. See more photos online at cu.lewistownsentinel.com
The two team combined for 19 penalties for 217 yards. East Juniata tallied 149 of those on the evening.
Millersburg had its running game going as quarterback Josh Howard and runningback Travis Lamereaux both finished with more than 100 yards rushing. Howard finished with 106 while Lamereaux tallied 111 yards in just two quarters of play.
East Juniata was led on the ground by Caleb Gehman with 83 yards.
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* East Juniata travels to Williams Valley on Nov. 2
It was all Millersburg in the first half, as the Indians jumped out to a 28-0 lead going into the final minutes of the second quarter.
Defensively, the Indians got the game scoring started when safety Alex Frederick picked up a fumble by an East Juniata running back and took it in from 10 yards out. With the Lamereaux PAT, Millersburg was up 7-0.
Less than three minutes later, the Indians were back at it again.
This time the offense got the call as it rolled down the field on a just four plays.
Facing a first down on their own 48, Millersburg's Howard called his own number and blistered his way downfield for a 52-yard touchdown jaunt, upping the lead to 14 with over a minute left in the first stanza.
Midway through the second, Millersburg tacked on its third touchdown of the game.
Howard found a wide open Lamereaux for the TD. On the two-point conversion attempt Howard found Connor Keim, making it 21-0.
After scoring on a 94-yard Lamereaux TD, it was the Tigers turn to make one last crack at the end zone before the intermission.
It took eight plays but East Juniata found paydirt when Tyler Myers muscled his way into the end zone with just 21 ticks on the clock, closing the first half at 28-6.
In the second half, Millersburg once again struck, going up 35-6.
Both defenses stood tall in the third quarter and refused to give up any scoring until late into the fourth quarter.
With just pride to play for, the Tigers started on a 61-yard, 7-play drive that culminated on a 33-yard run by Gehman. After a successful two-point conversion, the scoring ended at 35-14.
East Juniata travels to Williams Valley to end the season Nov. 2.
