Sunday, April 23, 2023 | Pittsburgh, PA - On Sunday, April 23, Indiana County traveled to Pittsburgh Central Catholic.  Last year, the Warriors blew out PCC at home on the way to the State Championship.  This year, the PCC Vikings are a completely different team.  Both teams came in unbeaten, both recording big wins over West Allegheny and Moon.  This made Sunday's clash a battle for the Allegheny Conference title and a berth in the State playoffs while the loser would be scoreboard watching to try and sneak in.

Indiana County started strongly, putting pressure on PCC and spending the first 15 minutes on the PCC side of midfield.  But uncharacteristic errors crept in and the Warriors could not get an early score.  PCC slowly started to assert their dominance, using their big, strong ball carriers to dent holes in the Warriors defense.  The Warriors held out for a while, but PCC eventually scored twice before halftime to lead 10-0.  Critically, PCC missed both their conversions (like the point after touchdown).  Then, immediately before halftime, a PCC player committed a penalty for a dangerous tackle which led to him being kicked out of the match for 10 minutes. 

The Warriors came out in the second half with a man advantage and immediately made it count.  They tightened up the handling errors, kept the ball tight with the big boys, and Braden Riffer scored quickly to make it 10-5.  Isaiah McCracken stepped up and added the two points for the kick and now Indiana County was back in the match at 10-7.

The next 20 minutes was a back-and-forth, see-saw contest between two big, strong, physical teams.  Both teams threw everything they had at each other but neither could get close to scoring.  It was clear that the next score would be critical.  A PCC score would put them out of touch.  An Indiana County score would give them the edge and put all the pressure back on PCC who have been playing with the lead all season long.

Sure enough, with 9 minutes left, the Indiana County big boys rumbled up the field once again.  From 10 yards out, Thomas Batten grabbed the ball off the ground and took off on one of his signature barreling runs.  He was tackled just short of the line, but his 6'5" frame fell forward and just made it over.  The Warriors finally had the lead 12-10.  Isaiah McCracken tacked on the extra 2 points and Indiana County moved ahead 14-10.

The final minutes were spent with PCC camped out in the Indiana County half of the field.  They got within 10 yards of the Indiana line, but never got closer.  The final play was a scrum made of 16 large guys trying to push each other back and win the ball.  The Warriors secured the ball, Josh Scanlan flipped it back to Griff Prebish so he could kick it out of bounds and spark the celebration. 

The Warriors were led again by their captain, Joshua Nelson.  Josh has developed a habit of leading by example.  He commands the respect of the whole team.  Charles Edwards, Braden Riffer, Mason Raglani, Jonny Wyant, Colden Augustine, Dylan Rice, Mason Mantini, Quentin Brooks, Thomas Batten, and Joshua Nelson worked so hard to continuously push back PCC and win the ball back for the Warriors.  All of them tackled ferociously and carried the ball forward, denting holes in the PCC defense.  Behind them, Josh Scanlan, Griff Prebish, Evan Brocious, Isaiah McCracken, Antonio Garcia, Hayden Sufka, Anthony Kowchuck, and Jaiden Myers never allowed PCC to turn their early dominance into an unassailable lead.  They tackled hard against much bigger players and moved the ball up the field at every opportunity.

All the players who did not get in to today's match also deserve a shout-out.  They all worked extremely hard in practice and were ready to go in.  They helped get the starters ready and were deafeningly loud cheering on their teammates.   

And finally, thank you to the parents and supporters for being the best fans a team could ever wish to have.  They are so loud and supportive.  They make every away match feel like we're at home.  The players and coaches truly appreciate it.

Up Next 
The Warriors travel to Hollidaysburg this Sunday (4/30) to take on the Golden Tigers.

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