Reynolds football makes a good run

What a tremendous journey the Reynolds High Raiders enjoyed this season. Too bad it had to end when it did, but they say all good things must come to an end.
And for Tim Scarvel, well, not too many second-year coaches have attained the success he has, winding up in the Western Regional finals and just a stone's throw from a trip to Hershey and the PIAA state finals.
WPIAL champion and undefeated South Park (15-0) put an end to the Raiders' joy ride last week, 28-2.
The Eagles did it with a solid defense, shackling the Raiders' offense and holding the Raiders to a mere safety. That safety came in the first half after the Eagles scored an early touchdown, however, the Raiders were hanging tough and trailed by only five, 7-2, at the intermission. In the second half, the Eagles defense strangled the Reynolds offense even more to win going away. The Raiders may have worn that "Cinderella" tag this season, going from a team that posted a 4-6 overall mark in 2004 to this year's 11-3 standard. That's quite an improvement, to say the least, but the Raiders had the veteran strength returning this season and they rode that phase to amazing success.
Veteran team back
Scarvel knew his club was going to be talented this season, due to the number of seniors he had coming back. Some of them played together as freshman and then again as juniors. They surfaced into a strong unit and their play this season pointed that out. They learned to believe in themselves and they became a team, one that knew how to win and play football.
Despite the setback, this year's Raider unit set some marks that are going to be hard to duplicate. They played football in December, the month for football champions in the PIAA setup, and the month when most other prep teams are opening the basketball season. Not too many teams can lay claim to that fact.
The Raiders also picked up the District 10 Class AA championship trophy along the way. That will make for some beautiful memories for the players to remember in years to come. And all Reynolds needed was one more victory to earn a trip to Hershey and a berth in the state title game. So close, but yet so far away.
The Raiders brought back memories of the days when Frank Amato was the coach at the Transfer school and he carved a niche in Reynolds football that will not be forgotten. Scarvel appears to have the same things going for him that Amato enjoyed during his tenure there.
Reynolds had numerous players who stepped up and took charge, game after game, to take top honors, however, one that perhaps was at the top of the heap was that fleet-footed halfback Jake McBride.
South Park coach Tom Loughran prepared his Eagle defense to contain the hard-running back. Whatever he did, it worked out extremely well.
McBride workhorse
McBride was a real workhorse for Scarvel all season long. I saw McBride in action this year and against Hickory he was at his best. His offensive line would open up nice holes and he would find the seams.
And once he works up a little steam, he's very tough to bring down.
He rushed for 1,936 yards (tops in Mercer County this season) and against Brockway (another playoff contender) he rambled for three touchdowns in the Raiders' 41-16, rout. He scored on touchdown runs of 32, 47, and 8 yards, respectively, and wound up with 247 yards on 27 carries. Not a bad night's work for a young man who loves to play the game.
But South Park threw a blanket over McBride, stopping him in his tracks. He was held in check to only 15 yards on 19 carries, an output that was well below his per-game standard. Not only was McBride held in check, so was the entire Raider offense. In fact, in the total yards department Reynolds was on he short end of a 396-85 total.
So let's just say that it took a pretty good team to turn back the Raiders. It was a team ranked No, 1 in the state in some polls and one that was powerful in all categories. Reynolds was upended by a great team, one that perhaps will win state honors this season. South Park met Wilson Area Saturday in Hershey.
Scarvel, who played his high school football at Farrell, had plenty of inner strength this season which came from family ties. His brother Frank is the offensive coordinator and secondary coach, and his father, Don, is defensive coordinator/offensive line coach. Other members of his staff are John Tofani, Josh Mull, Wilson Brown, and Ron Park.