Seneca cruises past Winslow, 35-6
Chris Stahl picked himself up off the grass, raised his arm, and gestured toward the crowd. Stahl, a senior defensive end for Seneca, had just sacked the quarterback on what he thought was the final play of a triumphant first half.
Chris Stahl picked himself up off the grass, raised his arm, and gestured toward the crowd. Stahl, a senior defensive end for Seneca, had just sacked the quarterback on what he thought was the final play of a triumphant first half.
"So I ran off the field," he said. "All I know is when I got to the sideline, they told me I had get back out there. So that's what I did."
Winslow had called timeout with one second left, extending the half. So Stahl trotted out for one more play. And, making physical dominance look routine, he recorded yet another sack before heading to the locker room.
The sequence summed up a smothering performance, particularly up front, by Seneca in a 35-6 thrashing of Winslow at home on Friday night in a WJFL Constitution Division matchup.
"They're big up front - but you can't be intimidated by size," Stahl said. "I thought we came off the ball quick, and we took it to them."
Seneca entered the game having not allowed a point in its previous two games.
Friday night, the Golden Eagles (4-2, 3-1) held Winslow (4-3, 2-2) scoreless until Tyrae Taylor hit Michael Cubbage for a 50-yard touchdown after the mercy rule had been enacted late in the fourth quarter.
For most of the game, Winslow simply could not move the ball in any way against a defense that refused to give up any ground.
For Stahl and the Golden Eagles defense, losing the shutout streak was about the only blemish in a virtually flawless performance.
Offensively, Seneca was generally crisp. Its balance was particularly notable.
Stahl, a tight end on offense, even caught the first touchdown pass of his varsity career on a 7-yard strike to the back of the end zone from quarterback JJ Scarpello. The touchdown made the score 21-0 with just over three minutes left in the first half.
It was one of three touchdown passes for Scarpello who completed 9 of 16 passes for 148 yards without turning the ball over.
"It starts up front with our blocking and our fullback," Scarpello said. "Our plays are working, and we're executing well right now."
The run game, as usual, was strong for Seneca, highlighted by a 46-yard score from Chris Pawlikowski that made it 28-0 midway through the third quarter.
"Our kids are playing tough," coach Bill Fisher said. "We started off the season playing hot defensively, and we've continued to do that, but our offense caught up - all three phases, we're playing well."
The game gives Seneca momentum heading into a huge showdown with Shawnee next week.
"We're peaking at the right time," Stahl said.
Winslow 0 0 0 6 - 6
Seneca 14 7 7 7 - 35
S: Sam Jordan 8 run (Kevin Gsell kick)
S: Gsell 5 pass from Scarpello (Gsell kick)
S: Chris Stahl 7 pass from Scarpello (Gsell kick)
S: Sam Pawlikowski 46 run (Gsell kick)
S: Brett Barnes 39 pass from Scarpello (Gsell kick)
W: Michael Cubbage 50 pass from Tyrae Taylor (kick failed)