Hollidaysburg celebrates with the District VI trophy.
By John Hartsock
After pounding through a gauntlet of a regular-season schedule this fall with a 4-5 record, the Hollidaysburg Golden Tigers had a mission to make a statement in the District 6 Class 5A championship game Friday night.
Mission accomplished. Emphatically.
With senior halfback Jack Steiner rushing for 127 yards on 20 carries and one touchdown, and also catching a touchdown pass, and junior quarterback Maddox Bainey completing 12 of 17 passes for 152 yards and three touchdowns, while also rushing for another, Hollidaysburg won the district gold medal by breezing to a 37-0 victory over Central Mountain at Mansion Park.
“I’m super proud of these guys,” Hollidaysburg coach Homer DeLattre said. “They’ve been playing like champions all year. They’ve been challenged all year, and they have responded. I am so proud of them for winning a district championship tonight.”
Hollidaysburg capped off a 73-yard drive on its opening possession with Jack Steiner’s 1-yard touchdown run.
After an interception by senior Nick Chisolm gave the Tigers possession at the Central Mountain 16 less than two minutes into the second quarter, Bainey connected with junior wideout Brady Steiner on a 7-yard scoring pass on the left side of the field to give Hollidaysburg a 14-0 lead.
On Central Mountain’s ensuing possession, Hollidaysburg junior Jay Albarano blocked a Wildcats punt in their own end zone, giving Hollidaysburg two more points on a safety for a 16-0 lead.
Jack Steiner capped off Hollidaysburg’s next scoring drive, a 67-yard march, by hauling in Bainey’s 16-yard scoring pass in the left corner of the end zone, giving the Golden Tigers a 23-0 halftime lead.
Hollidaysburg, which held Central Mountain to just 49 yards in total offense, held serve in the second half, as Bainey hit senior wideout Caden DeLattre with a 3-yard touchdown pass before running 6 yards for a score himself with 48 seconds left in the third quarter to give the Tigers a 37-0 lead and put the mercy-rule clock into motion for the rest of the game.
After missing the playoffs last season, Hollidaysburg made up for the lost time Friday night.
“I thought we played great in all three phases of the game — offense, defense and special teams,” Jack Steiner said. “It feels great to win this. We missed this opportunity last year, and it feels great to get the gold medal tonight. I’m proud of this team. We earned this.”
Hollidaysburg dominated from start to finish Friday night.
“We came out tonight and played very well, and executed well in all parts of the game,” Bainey said. “This feels great. Now it’s on to next week.”
Hollidaysburg will host Cathedral Prep of Erie from District 10 in a District 6-8-10 subregional championship game next Saturday night at 7 p.m. at Mansion Park, with the winner advancing to the PIAA Class 5A state tournament. Prep brings a 6-3 record into next Saturday’s game.
Play of the game: In a 37-0 game, it’s difficult to pinpoint one pivotal play, but Chisolm’s second-quarter interception that opened the door for Hollidaysburg’s second touchdown appeared to turn the momentum squarely in Hollidaysburg’s favor.
Players of the game: Bainey and Jack Steiner.
Unsung heroes: Hollidaysburg’s defensive unit pitched a shutout as Central Mountain never mounted much of a serious scoring threat, despite the fact that the Golden Tigers turned the ball over four times. Chisolm also recovered a fumble. “He was a starter last season but got hurt in a preseason scrimmage and missed the entire season,” DeLattre said of Chisolm. “He’s a tough kid who has worked so hard to come back this year to come back from that injury. He’s had a great year this year.”
Most vital statistic: Hollidaysburg had a 283-49 advantage in total yards in an overpowering performance.
Central Mountain coach Travis Thompson: “Hats off to Hollidaysburg. When they got short-field scoring opportunities tonight, they were able to capitalize on them. They were able to capitalize on our mistakes, and we weren’t able to capitalize on theirs.”
Brady Steiner, who caught five passes totaling 76 yards: “I thought that we were able to play very well as a team. We ran the ball well, we threw the ball well, and our defense was amazing tonight. It was just a good team effort.”
Notable: Central Mountain turned the ball over three times, with Caden DeLattre recovering a fumble on special teams for Hollidaysburg.
Records: Central Mountain (3-8); Hollidaysburg (5-5).
Next week: Central Mountain’s season is complete. Hollidaysburg faces Cathedral Prep in a District 6-8-10 subregional championship game next Saturday night at Mansion Park.
SCORE BY QUARTERS
Central Mountain 0 0 0 0–0
Hollidaysburg 7 16 14 0–37
First Quarter
H–J. Steiner 1 run (Wedel kick), 8:10.
Second Quarter
H–B. Steiner 7 pass from Bainey (Wedel kick), 9:29.
H–Safety (Albarano blocked Central Mountain punt in end zone), 6:52.
H–J. Steiner 16 pass from Bainey (Wedel kick), 4:30.
Third Quarter
H–Cad. DeLattre 3 pass from Bainey (Wedel kick), 4:40.
H–Bainey 6 run (Wedel kick), 0:48.
TEAM STATISTICS CM H
First downs 5 19
Total yards 49 283
Rushes-yards 22-10 33-131
Yards passing 39 152
Passing (comp.-att.-int.) 8-23-1 12-18-0
Punts/avg. 5-35.4 2-35.5
Fumbles-lost 2-2 3-3
Penalties-yards 9-72 7-36
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING–Central Mountain, Serafini 13-13, Sprague 8-(-2), Foltz 1-(-1). Hollidaysburg, J. Steiner 20-127, White 1-4, Snyder 2-3, Kordish 1-1, Bainey 4-0, Chisolm 4-(-2), Col. DeLattre 1-(-2).
PASSING–Central Mountain, Sprague 9-23-1-39. Hollidaysburg, Bainey 12-17-0-152, Col. DeLattre 0-1-0-0.
RECEIVING–Central Mountain, Foltz 3-7, Longworth 2-21, Serafini 2-1, Persun 1-10. Hollidaysburg, B. Steiner 5-76, Bell 3-47, J. Steiner 2-26, Cad. DeLattre 1-3, Albarano 1-0.
