St. Joseph’s Downs Bucks 33-6

BALD EAGLE TOWNSHIP — Two teams in search of a win came to a neutral site at Central Mountain High School Saturday afternoon and it was St. Joseph’s Catholic Academy which returned home to Boalsburg with a 33-6 win over the Bucktail Bucks. The Wolves move to 1-3 with the victory and the young Bucks dropped to 0-5 midway through a rebuilding season. The game featured the two smallest schools in the state fielding football teams.

St. Joseph’s Brendan Robinson was the difference-maker on a brilliant afternoon at Malinak Stadium. The junior quarterback/running back had a hand in all five St. Joseph’s touchdowns. It started with a 36 yard td run on St. Joseph’s first possession, then a 31-yard pass to Zach DeCarmine for their second to put the score at 14-0 after one period.

Robinson scored two more in the second period: one on a 12-yard return of an intercepted pass, another on a 4-yard run to put the score at 26-0 at the half. Robinson added a 1-yard touchdown run in the third period to put the Wolves up 33-0.

Bucktail never quit and got its offense untracked in the game’s final quarter. One drive ended on the St. Joseph 24 but on the Bucks’ next possession they mounted a 40-yard scoring drive, capped off by a not-to-be denied 28-yard touchdown run by sophomore Blake Cannon to put the score at the 33-6 final.

Cannon and fellow sophomore Tanner Riggle gave Bucktail followers something to cheer about in the second half. Bucktail had been held to a minus-5 yards in the first half but the Bucks stepped it up in the third and fourth quarters as Riggle finished with 56 yards on 15 carries, Cannon with seven rushes for 52 yards.

But St. Joe’s Robinson was too much to overcome. He carried 22 times for 120 yards. St. Joseph’s finished with 235 yards as the Bucks’ defense gave ground grudgingly. Bucktail finished with 129 yards, including 134 in the second half.

Next up for the Bucks is a trip next Friday night to Blossburg to take on North Penn (4-1).