Prep Grinds Out Victory
Hawks run over 50 times to outlast Parkland in rainy Orefield Stadium
by Marcus Wright
9/1/08

Orefield, PA –In their first game in class AAAA, the St. Joe’s Prep Hawks weren’t looking to score any style points.  To do so was almost impossible due to the rainy conditions at Orefield stadium.  What the Hawks were able to do however, was control the ball and capitalize on mistakes. These were the factors that allowed them to outlast Parkland 20-13 in a physical contest last Friday night.

“We came in and game planned to just pound [the ball],” senior running back Mike Yeager said after the game.  Yeager had 121 yards rushing and combined with junior running back Garrett Compton and senior quarterback Mark Giubilato to rack in over 200 yards rushing for the Hawks.  The running game was essential due to the ongoing rain that made the ball difficult to throw and catch.  The Hawks found it so essential to run the ball that Giubilato only threw four times the entire game.

The Hawks stayed true to their game plan even though they could have easily panicked.  Parkland held a 10-0 lead in the first half after a touchdown pass from senior quarterback Sean Keiper to senior halfback Mark Cecchini, and a field goal by senior kicker Travis Guth.  Prep stayed with the ground game and got on the board with a field goal with 4:19 left in the first half. 

Parkland then started to make the mistakes Prep needed them to make in order to gain the momentum.  A fumble recovery by the Hawks’ junior defensive end Bill Mancini would lead to a scoring drive for the Hawks that was capped by a 1 yard touchdown run by Compton.  Parkland upped their lead to 13-10 in the third quarter, but thanks to a low snap on a punt attempt, they gave St. Joe’s Prep the ball with excellent field position towards the end of the period.  With the good field position, the Hawks went down and scored off of a 1 yard touchdown run by Yeager where he flipped over both lines to get into the end zone.  The Hawks would tack on another field goal in the final frame, and Parkland was unable to answer.

The hype and hoopla of the Hawk’s first game in the AAAA class is now officially over, but more hype may soon be on the way.  With the victory over powerhouse Parkland, the Hawks have shown that they are indeed ready to be serious contenders this year.  “We want it,” Yeager said.  “We want that state championship and we’re coming for it.” 

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