Oct. 26, 2013
From Staff Reports

FISHERTOWN, Pa. — Top-ranked Fort Hill, on the road and in a hole midway through the fourth quarter, found a way to win and remained unbeaten with a 21-17 victory on a cold Friday night at Chestnut Ridge.

Down 17-14, Alex Barnes picked off a Beau Bosch pass near the Fort Hill 35, and the Sentinels offense took over from there. With strong play from the line, the Sentinels marched 65 yards in 12 plays and took the lead for the first time since the second quarter when Dekarai Darr scored on a two-yard dive with 3:59 remaining.

The Fort Hill defense had one more stop to make and made it, but not until the Lions drove deep into Sentinels territory.

Bosch hit Tyler Crouse for a 26-yard gain on fourth-and-10 to get to the Fort Hill 29 but, four plays later, Joe Mundella stopped Bosch for a one-yard loss on fourth-and-1 at the 20, giving the ball back to the Sentinels with 1:35 left.

Fort Hill (8-0) ran out the clock from that point to seal its eighth straight win.

“My hat’s off to Chestnut Ridge. They prepared for us well,’’ said Fort Hill coach Todd Appel. “We didn’t play as well as we could, but we found a way to win. Good football teams, when playing poorly, find a way to win and we did. And I’m happy about that.”

The Sentinels had 24 first downs, with eight coming in the fourth quarter, and outgained the Lions 415 to 209. Darr finished with 113 yards rushing and Ty Johnson ran for 99 yards and caught two passes for 60 yards. Johnson had a 45-yard touchdown run and caught a 53-yard touchdown pass from Hunter Squires.

Chestnut Ridge (6-3) had beaten Allegany 21-16 a week ago, and the Sentinels, who had trailed in a game just once going into Friday night’s game, found themselves down 3-0, 9-7 and 17-14 to the Lions.

All the scoring, except for Darr’s fourth-quarter run, came during a 31-point second quarter when the teams combined to score on five consecutive possessions. Chestnut Ridge led 17-14 at the half.

The Sentinels appeared headed for a touchdown on their first possession but lost a fumble inside the Lions five. Bosch scooped up the loose ball and returned it 77 yards to the Fort Hill 20, with Timmy Friend making a touchdown-saving tackle.

The Lions settled for a 25-yard field goal by Sean Van Meter and a 3-0 lead.

The Sentinels struck back quickly, covering 70 yards in five plays on their next possession, the big play being a 45-yard touchdown run by Johnson which gave Fort Hill a 7-3 lead with 8:33 left in the half.

The Lions retook the lead just three minutes later when Bosch found J.D. Weyant in the corner of the end zone on a 20-yard pass. The extra-point kick failed, keeping the Chestnut Ridge lead at 9-7.

That lead lasted only two minutes. This time, Johnson got beyond the Lions secondary and Hunter Squires hit him in stride for a 53-yard touchdown pass. Chris King’s kick gave Fort Hill a 14-9 lead with 3:25 left in the half.

That lead didn’t last long either. Chestnut Ridge took the ensuing kickoff and went 65 yards in nine plays, including a 22-yard pass play on a fourth-and-8 from the Fort Hill 40. Two plays later, Bosch scored on a four-yard run and a halfback option pass from Trent Lohr to Brian Feathers put the Lions up 17-14 at the half.

It remained 17-14 until Barnes’ interception in the fourth quarter. Darr had a 12-yard run and a pair of 10-yard runs, and Barnes also had a 10-yard run as the Sentinels marched 65 yards on 11 running plays, with Darr scoring on a two-yard plunge on third-and-goal.

A few minutes later, Mundella came up with his big defensive stop of Bosch on fourth-and-short from the Fort Hill 20.

Bosch accounted for 195 of Chestnut Ridge’s 209 yards. He was 9 for 19 passing for 105 yards and ran 20 times for 90 yards.

Barnes added 71 yards on 12 carries for Fort Hill, which will play at Mountain Ridge on Friday night.