Armstrong football wins inaugural game
Armstrong had an opening night of football it will never forget.
Three weather delays weren't enough to stop the River Hawks from defeating Hollidaysburg, 33-14, in a contest that ended at 12:17 a.m. Saturday.
Zane Dudek rushed for 309 yards and three touchdowns, and sophomore quarterback Dawson Porter added two more for the Greater Allegheny Conference victory.
After falling behind by 20, Hollidaysburg got to within six before Armstrong pulled away.
“I thought we had a chance there,” Golden Tigers coach Homer DeLattre said. “We had possession deep in their territory twice in the first half but couldn't score. It was 33-14, but I felt we were much closer than that.”
Armstrong started its football legacy quickly and decisively.
The River Hawks drove 80 yards in eight plays after a touchback on the opening kickoff.
Dudek culminated the drive with a 4-yard run up the middle.
He set up a second touchdown with a 57-yard punt return to the Golden Tigers' 28-yard line.
Three plays later, quarterback Dawson Porter spun away from two Hollidaysburg tacklers and rolled 24 yards for a second Armstrong touchdown.
Anthony Falsetti took the snap as the River Hawks lined up in a swinging gate formation and scored easily to the right of where most of the players were lining up for the conversion run.
Armstrong was driving for a third touchdown at the Golden Tigers' 20 when several bolts of lightning sent the teams to their locker rooms.
“I like the way we came out of our field house,” Armstrong coach Frank Fabian said. “Our kids were ready to play. I thought we were really physical early. Negative? I think we lost our focus. We can use the delays as a excuse. It was an uncomfortable environment. I thought in the second half, we just let off the gas a little.“
During the nearly two-hour third delay, both bands entertained at the former Kittanning High gymnasium across from the field.
When play resumed, senior Ryan Adams stepped in front of a Dawson pass at the goal line and returned it to 20 yards.
But it only delayed the third River Hawks score.
Hollidaysburg couldn't move the ball and punted to the Armstrong 40. On the first play from scrimmage, Dudek went over right tackle and raced 60 yards for the score.
Zach Kovach intercepted another errant Armstrong pass and returned it to the River Hawks' 15.
But the Golden Tigers couldn't take advantage of the favorable field position. Dudek picked off a Jarrett Cavalet pass at the 7.
After a 13-minute halftime, play resumed at the un-football-like time of 11:14 p.m. and, after collecting just 51 offensive yards in the first half, the Golden Tigers drove 75 yards in four plays to score their first touchdown of the season.
A 55-yard run by Zach Kovach set up a 13-yard pass from Cavalet to John Vyborny for the score.
Dudek then had two touchdowns called back — one a 97-yard kickoff return and the other a 40-yard run from scrimmage — both on holding penalties.
Hollidaysburg held Dudek on a fourth-down attempt. On the next play from scrimmage, Cavalet hooked up with Seth Aungst on a 58-yard pass to get the Golden Tigers back in the game 20-14.
Dudek scored on a 32-yard run and Porter on a 10-yard keeper on the final play of the third quarter to conclude the scoring.
George Guido is a freelance writer.
