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Tigers blank Blackhawks

COVE — East Juniata didn’t waste anytime against Susquenita, putting up 14 points in the first quarter on the way to a 36-0 win in a Tri-Valley League football matchup Friday night.

East Juniata quarterback Chris Schulgen got the Tigers on the board early, finding Mason Hambright in the end zone for a 10-yard touchdown. The extra point put East Juniata up 7-0, with 8:18 left in the first.

Less than three minutes later, Schulgen was at it again, this time using his legs to score a 7-yard touchdown to give the Tigers a 14-0 lead.

After a Susquenita fumble, Schulgen again found the end zone, on a 3-yard run to give East Juniata a commanding 20-0 lead. A failed two-point conversion on the extra point try kept the lead at 20-0 with 6:34 left in the second quarter.

The Tigers took a 23-0 lead into the locker room after a 35-yard field goal off the foot of Blake Sheaffer.

The second half was more of the same for East Juniata, which forced multiple turnovers and continued to take advantage of them. Overall, East Juniata’s defense forced six turnovers on the night.

East Juniata added two third-quarter touchdowns, one on a 1-yard rush by Logan Pursley and one on a touchdown pass from Schulgen, who found Trevor Bishop for the 13-yard score.

The final touchdown gave East Juniata a 36-0 lead.

It was a big night for Schulgen, who finished the game 8-of-13 passing for 147 yards with two touchdowns. He also led the team in rushing, picking up 79 yards on 12 carries, as well as adding two more scores.

Coach George Miskinis was pleased with his team’s effort.

“It just shows how much we have matured over the course of the season,” Miskinis said. “We had a lot of games were we would get to the 20-yard line against good teams and we would bog down and not been able to finish. I think the difference these last three weeks has been our ability to finish drives.”

Fumbles crushed the Blackhawks, and East Juniata capitalized on the turnovers. Susquenita fumbled six times on the night, and the Tigers recovered four of those fumbles. The Tigers also intercepted two passes.

“Defensively we had six turnovers tonight,” Miskinis said. “That was big. Anytime you can take the ball away that really helps you out and I am really proud of the progress that we have made.”

The running game was a big part of East Juniata’s success on the night. East Juniata picked up 226 yards on 44 carries on the night.

“I think they are starting to understand that we can play physical football on the offensive side of the ball, and dish out punishment other than absorb it all the time,” Miskinis said. “We have been practicing powering through bags and gain those extra few yards after contact.”

With the win, East Juniata improves to 4-5, 4-4 in the TVL. The Tigers will host Tri-Valley Oct. 28 to wrap up the regular season.

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