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: NIsports'Sock stops Shamokin
Published: November 7, 2009
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share thisLOYALSOCK TOWNSHIP - The first 10 minutes of Shamokin's final football game of the season was a microcosm of the whole season.
While there were still more than two minutes left in the first quarter, Shamokin had already turned the ball over three times, one of which was an interception returned for a touchdown after it bounced off an Indian player's hands, and been burned on a 42-yard pass play in which an obvious offensive pass interference call was not made, and the Indians trailed 14-0.
And like most of their other games, the Indians came back, played hard, made a game of it, but came up on the short end of a 35-13 loss to Loyalsock.
"It's been the same thing all year," lamented Shamokin coach Dan Foor. "It's the 10th game of the season, and not one of our losses was because a team just physically dominated us. But turnovers, penalties at the wrong time, they just killed us."
Shamokin ran for 230 yards, had one back with 124 yards and another with 94, but fumbled six times, losing five.
Brent Forbes carried 23 times for 124 yards, and Jared Montgomery had 14 carries for 94 yards for the Indians, who fell behind on Brandon Smith's 30-yard interception return with 6:27 left in the first quarter. Later in the quarter, Don Kinney caught a 42-yard pass from quarterback Stephen Stopper on a play in which Kinney obviously pushed off against Shamokin defender Leon Supsic. That set up a four-yard touchdown run by Michael Kinney (29 carries, 132 yards).
The Indians bounced back with an eight-play, 51-yard drive after a 29-yard kickoff return by Chris Henley, with Supsic sneaking over from the one with 10:09 left in the first half.
Montgomery scored on a 54-yard run to cut the lead to 14-13 with 7:31 left in the half, and although the Indians played the Lancers on even terms entering into the fourth quarter, that was as close as they'd come.
Don Kinney made a great fingertip catch on a 20-yard touchdown pass from Stopper late in the half to make it 21-13, and it stayed that way until the fourth quarter.
The Lancers' Alan Eggerton had a 21-yard punt return to set up a 31-yard touchdown pass from Stopper to Frankie Pagana.
On the ensuing series, Shamokin went for it on fourth-and-seven and Forbes lost a fumble while trying for extra yards. Loyalsock recovered at the Indians' 27, and although Loyalsock returned the favor with a lost fumble of its own, Shamokin turned the ball over on downs, and Stopper scored on a 15-yard run with 2:39 remaining.
"I want to give credit to our seniors," Foor said. "They were great leaders, and were a reason we were able to play with most of the teams on our schedule.
Shamokin finished the season 3-7. Loyalsock (7-3) will play in the District Four AA playoffs.
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