Week #9 - October 20/21, 2007 - DIVISIONAL PLAYOFFS
8-UNDER
Char Valley 8 - BROOKLINE 0
NOTE: The season is over for the little ones, but winning is
not always totally dependant on the outcome of a game.
Sometimes winning is what we feel in our hearts and minds. Our
littlest Knights had a good season, and they should be proud
of their accomplishments. The spirit and dedication of the
players, the coaches and the cheerleaders made this a
wonderful and memorable year.
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9-UNDER
Char Valley 12 - BROOKLINE 8
Scoring Summary:
Taylor Thornton kickoff return (Taylor Thornton run)
Fumble Recovery: Dalton Link
NOTE: The first half was a tight defensive struggle. Neither
team could move the sticks effectively. One Colt runner did
break free, however, for a long sixty yard TD pass to give
Chartiers Valley a 6-0 lead early in the second quarter.
With the second quarter winding down, Dalton Link recovered
a fumble at the Knight's thirty-five and the slumbering
offense began to rumble. Three first downs later the ball was
on the Colt twenty-five, but unfortunately the clock wound
down to halftime.
The Knights picked up where they left off on the ensuing
kickoff. Taylor Thornton took the ball, found an opening, and
sprinted sixty-five yards for a touchdown. Thornton put the
Knights ahead 8-6 with a run for the two point conversion.
Char Valley went nowhere on their next possession, stopped
cold by a Dylan DiRenna sack that forced a punt. The Knights
got the ball back near midfield, but an untimely fumble gave
the ball back to the Colts in Brookline territory at the
forty-five yard line.
The Colts offense took charge and mounted a twelve play drive
that chewed up the clock. A pass interference call in the
endzone gave Char Valley a 1st and goal at the one. With
their backs to the wall, the Knights front line stopped the
next play for a loss of one. The Colts then punched it into
the endzone for the go ahead score. A failed conversion left
the score 12-8 with a little over six minutes remaining.
The Knight's offense was stopped on their next possession, but
a thirty-eight yard punt by Zach Wagner put the Colts deep in
their own territory. The defense stepped up and kept things
alive by pushing the Colts back to their own sixteen yard
line. A fourth down punt netted only three yards, giving the
Knights one last chance with nineteen yards seperating
themselves from victory. There was 2:20 left on the clock.
A fumble at the fifteen yard line was recovered by Chartiers
Valley. The Colts ran out the remaining minute and moved on
to the next round. The defending Division champion Knights
season came to a close.
To Coach Mike Manuel, his staff and especially the players,
thank you all for a great season, full of excitement and good
times. Sure, there were some difficult moments, but when the
healing power of time works its magic, we will all look back
on this year with fond memories.
I remember watching Tony Dorsett gain 303 yards versus Notre
Dame back in 1976. Now I can say that I saw Taylor Thornton
run for over 300 yards versus Montour in 2007. That is just
one of the many moments I will remember.
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10-UNDER
BROOKLINE 28 - Carlynton 6
Scoring Summary:
Joey Kalsek pass from Connor McGinnis
(David Suwalski pass from Connor McGinnis)
Khalil Sanders run (conversion failed)
Michael Roper run (Connor McGinnis run)
Zach McGrail run (conversion failed)
Interception: Michael Roper
Fumble Recovery: Joey Kalsek, Zach McGrail
NOTE: Another dominant performance by Coach Donnie's Kids.
Things started off good for Carlynton. They won the coin toss.
After that, things began to spiral downwards. On the Cougars
first possession, Michael Roper promptly grabbed an errant
pass. Roper's theft set up Connor McGinnis' 21 yard scoring
toss to Joey Kalsek, with a followup to David Suwalski for
the conversion.
On the Knights second possession, Khalil Sanders found a
crease, cut downfield and turned on the jets for a forty yard
touchdown run. The ensuing kickoff got loose and was picked up
by Kalsek, setting up another Knights drive. Roper scored the
third Brookline score with a ten yard run around the right
side. The halftime score was: Knights 22 - Cougars 0.
The second half began where the first left off. Zach McGrail
kept the Knight's opening drive alive with a timely fumble
recovery at the Cougar 44 yard line. Two plays later, McGrail
seized upon the opportunity he created. Zach burst through the
line of scrimmage and cruised 35 yards to the goal line for
the Knight's fourth TD, and a 28-0 lead.
At 8:27 in the fourth quarter, a Cougar defender took control
of a Knight's fumble and sprinted downfield. Thirty yards
later the shutout was over. With 4:48 to go in the game Chad
Gregorius found the endzone after a 28 yard chase, but the
late score was nullified by a penalty. The defense put the
Cougars back in the cage and when the gatekeeper fastened the
lock, the final score read: Knights 28 - Cougars 6
Next week, the Knights will play the winner of the Avonworth-
Chartiers Valley game in the Divisional Semi-Finals.
Kudos to Martino Stein for delivering a crunching hit on the
Cougar quarterback for a third quarter sack. Martino burst
through the middle of the line and just leveled him. The
shockwave could be felt on the sideline. Way to go, Martino!
It was a classic Chris Berman ESPN WebGem moment.
For those who believe in superstition, read no more.
Never in the 34 year history of the Knights franchise has a
defense held its opponents without a score for an entire
season. We could be watching history in the making. If you
think you've just been jinxed, cut and paste this article
and email it to 10 people. You will be granted peace of mind.
GO KNIGHTS!!!
and finally ... for the season (so far) the score reads:
BROOKLINE 246 - Opponents 8
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11-UNDER
BROOKLINE 40 - Carlynton 2
Scoring Summary:
Interception: Blake Drischler (2)
Ricardo Burch run (conversion failed)
Domonique Betton run (conversion failed)
Raymont Green fumble recovery (Angello Madison run)
Dominic Amato run (conversion failed)
Dominic Amato run (conversion failed)
Tyler Armstrong run (Tyler Armstrong run)
NOTE: I missed this game and now wish I could have stayed.
The Brookline offense, and the defense, ran wild in the first
half. Any time Angello Madison puts his stamp on the endzone
turf and gives us that mile-wide smile, things are looking
rosy. Dominic Amato and Tyler Armstrong also got to do their
own dance with the endzone grass for the first time. Let's
keep this "dance with the stars" going next week.
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13-UNDER
BROOKLINE 48 - Upper St. Clair 14
Scoring Summary:
John Forrester pass from Johnathan Kalsek (conversion failed)
J.J. Beggan fumble recovery in end zone (conversion failed)
Johnathan Kalsek run
(Dominick Maggs pass from Johnathan Kalsek)
Charlie Mandarino pass from Johnathan Kalsek
(conversion failed)
Dion Rooney pass from Johnathan Kalsek
(Nick Sywyj pass from Johnathan Kalsek)
Zac Born run (Johnathan Kalsek run)
Dion Rooney run (conversion failed)
NOTE: Confidence can be a remarkable weapon. It was a great
day for both the offense and defense. Let's keep this momentum
going for next week's game against the Cougars! It's good to
see the offense starting to click on all cylinders.
It couldn't have come at a better time.
2007 Knights News - Previous Week's Game Summaries
 Week#8 <> Week#7
Week#6 <> Week#5 <> Week#4 <> Week#3 <> Week#2 <> Week#1
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