Easton 21, Stroudsburg 3 - Rapid Recap
The Easton Area High School football team found itself in an unusual position at the end of the first quarter of its Eastern Pennsylvania Conference cross-division matchup with Stroudsburg.
The Red Rovers trailed an EPC North opponent after the Mountaineers hit a short field goal to take a 3-0 lead late in the first.
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9/15 - 7:00 PM Football Final Stroudsburg 3 Easton 21
A strip sack early in the second quarter set up Easton’s first touchdown and it rolled from there to a 21-3 win at Cottingham Stadium Friday night.
Turning point: On the first play of the second quarter, Stroudsburg junior quarterback Benjamin Pilcher evaded several pass rushers and pitched the ball forward to senior running back William Francis, who sprinted down the away sideline to the Red Rovers’ 6, but the play was negated on an illegal man downfield penalty on the Mountaineers.
On the next play, Easton sophomore Algee Macon put a big hit on Pilcher to pop the ball free and junior Mason Fleming recovered to set the Rovers up 18 yards from the goal line. Easton ran the ball six straight plays and junior Dorian Thomas scored on a one-yard touchdown carry.
The Rovers took over at their own 27 with 3:44 left before halftime and moved the ball 59 yards in six plays before a run for a loss and a bad snap set up third-and-14.
Junior JC Wilson III ran an out route to the right and sophomore quarterback Cole Ordway found him in the back of the end zone for an 18-yard touchdown. Sophomore Noah Borluca’s PAT put Easton up 14-3 with 37 seconds left before halftime.
The Mountaineers had a chance to cut the deficit thanks to a big kick return by senior Jordan Wilcox, but senior Nicholas Radoi’s 42-yard field goal fell short after a low snap on the final play of the half.
Each team had three possessions in a scoreless third quarter before the Rovers extended their lead on a 38-yard touchdown toss from Ordway to Wilson III with 10:12 left to play.
Top performers: Thomas put in a workhorse performance at running back and gained 147 yards on 28 carries, unofficially. Thomas had a team-high three catches for 23 yards.
Ordway, who has rotated in at quarterback along with junior Joseph Martinez throughout the season, started the whole second half and completed 6 of 11 passes for 76 yards and two touchdowns. The sophomore also gained 47 yards on the ground.
Wilson III found the end zone both times he touched the ball and finished with 56 receiving yards.
What it means: Easton improved to 2-2 with its first victory at Cottingham Stadium since Oct. 15, 2021.
The Rovers will now turn their focus back to EPC South opposition as they travel to Bethlehem Catholic for a Saturday night matchup next week. The Golden Hawks (3-0) face Liberty (2-1) 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept 16.
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Desmond Boyle may be reached at [email protected].