by Jake DeLuca
The Armstrong River Hawks varsity football team took the field at Latrobe to face off against the Wildcats, and after four quarters the two teams needed double overtime to decide the winner.
The River Hawks fell behind 3-0 early on in the first quarter, but were able to bounce back and take a 7-3 lead shortly before the Wildcats marched down the field in less than two minutes to retake the lead 10-3 heading into the second quarter.
In the fourth quarter, Armstrong found themselves in a 10 point hole - down 24-10 with less than 10 minutes remaining in the game.
After stiffening up on defense, the River Hawks were able to get the score to 24-21 after a Tanner Stivason 1 yard TD run.
With just over 6 minutes to go in the game Armstrong elected to kick the ball down the field and rely on their defense to make a huge stop, and they did just that.
Upon getting the ball back, the River Hawks started their final regulation drive with about 2:30 left in the game and on fourth and long Armstrong seized the opportunity to get back into the game thanks to some clutch catches.
The Cade’s Tomato Pie Player of the Game, Isaiah Price had a career night receiving. He was the recipient of the clutch fourth down pass which was a tough one to bring in as he was covered tightly by the Wildcats. After the game Price said that coming into this game he knew he could make a difference if he stepped it up.
On the day, Price recorded 6 catches for 94 yards and a touchdown. River Hawks QB Dawson Porter threw the ball well - finishing with 215 yards passing on 66.7% completion and three TD’s with no turnovers. Tanner Stivason also had himself a great well rounded game finishing with 8 catches, 96 yards and 4 total TD’s (3 receiving, 1 rushing).
After the game, River Hawks Head Coach Frank Fabian said his guys never gave up and that they will enjoy this one tonight and remember it for a long time.
The River Hawks will have a tough task coming up this week as they travel to Penn Trafford - one of the top schools in the WPIAL this season. Kick-off for that game is set for 7:30 PM.