DISTRICT 10 CLASS AA Early lead helps Reynolds win

By BILL ALBRIGHT
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. -- The Reynolds High approach to winning the District 10 Class AA football championship was a simple one -- strike early, then turn the game over to the defense.
The Raiders did exactly that Saturday as they broke out to a 14-0 lead in the first four minutes of the game before cruising to a 21-0 victory over the Wilmington Greyhounds.
"I am pleased, but not surprised because I thought we played great defense all year," Reynolds coach Tim Scarvel said. "We knew we could play with them because we felt we were physically stronger than they were on both sides of the line of scrimmage and we tried to capitalize on that."
The Raiders wasted no time at all getting on the board and they used the big play to take care of business.
Before fans had a chance to settle into their seats, the Raiders were up 7-0 following an 89-yard kickoff return of the opening kickoff by Corey Brown.
Quick lead
Brown hauled in the ball on his own 11-yard line, started up the middle, broke to his left and outraced the Wilmington defenders into the end zone for the score. Richie Burnworth's PAT made it 7-0 Reynolds 14 seconds into the game.
"I have been begging for a kickoff return all year long and we have been close," Scarvel said. "That was just a momentum factor and it sort of set the tone for the rest of the game."
Wilmington coach Terry Verrelli said, "We just couldn't afford to start out the game like that. We had to play errorless football, we knew that. We could have overcome a few small mistakes, but we made a couple of major ones and they cost us."
On Wilmington's first possession, the Reynolds defense did the job as it forced a Greyhounds punt to the Raiders 13.
McBride streaks to TD
Two running plays and an incomplete pass moved the ball to the 32. From there, Jake McBride ripped up the middle and outraced the Wilmington defenders for a 68-yard TD jaunt. Burnworth's PAT made it 14-0 Reynolds.
"I think we were blitzing on that play and he got loose," Verrelli said. "But the fact remains that we can't afford to do that because they are not just big, they are good."
McBride finished with 127 yards on 27 attempts .
"I have been saying how tough he is and he has been carrying us all year long," Scarvel said. "He is not that big, but he has the heart of a 7-footer and will do anything he has to do to win."
Following McBride's score, the Greyhounds had the better of field position on their next three possessions as they took over on the Raiders 42 twice before recovering a Reynolds fumble on the Raiders 25.
However, the Reynolds defense was more than up to the task as they forced a Wilmington punt, blocked a field goal attempt and held on downs to keep the Greyhounds off the board.
Pinned deep in their own territory, the Greyhounds went to the airways, and McBride picked off a tipped pass and returned it 5 yards for the score.