Nazareth outguns Whitehall in LVC football shootout

FROM THE MORNING CALL

When Adam Bridgeforth darted 4 yards for yet another go-ahead Nazareth touchdown, coach Rob Melosky looked at the clock with one thought — too much time remained.

A rare defensive hold allowed the Blue Eagles to keep their final lead Friday night.

After allowing Whitehall to reach its 44-yard line in the final 2 minutes, Nazareth stymied the Zephyrs on four straight plays to take the ball back on downs. Two powerful runs from Chuck Dibilio gave the Blue Eagles a game-clinching first down and a 42-35 Lehigh Valley Conference football win.

Dibilio finished with 227 yards and four touchdowns on 25 carries as Nazareth (7-2 overall, 6-2 LVC) nailed down a spot in the Districts 2-4-11 Class 4A subregional playoffs. Bridgeforth added seven catches for 113 yards and one touchdown, and two rushes for 13 yards and a score.

Their efforts allowed the Blue Eagles to celebrate despite falling behind 14-0 in the first quarter and surrendering 443 yards of offense to Whitehall (7-2, 6-2).

"I told the team here, in the 18 years I've been coaching, I think this is the best group of kids in terms of resiliency along with the coaching staff and the community," Melosky said. "Our fan support tonight was second to none. It was obviously a great win for the program."

Dibilio, the LVC's top rusher, led a Nazareth offense that rolled up 402 yards and answered ever Whitehall score. His 42-yard touchdown burst 40 seconds after the Zephyrs opened a 14-0 lead set the shootout in motion, and his next two first-half scores brought the Blue Eagles even.

Dibilio also amassed 33 yards on Nazareth's final scoring drive, a 64-yard march that ended with Bridgeforth's 4-yard touchdown run with 5:36 to play.

"For some reason, the last three games we've started off slow," Dibilio said. "We said we couldn't do it anymore. Luckily we came back from it. I don't know how we did it. We just persevered and had confidence in our offense to get us back in the game."

For all the offensive firepower on display Friday, one defensive play shifted the game's momentum toward Nazareth.

With the first half winding down, Whitehall drove the ball to Nazareth's 10-yard line to set up a first-and-goal. Zephyrs quarterback Chris Polony (15-for-23, 198 yards, one touchdown, two interceptions) rolled right on the next play as he kept looking for an open receiver.

He never found one, instead throwing the ball to Nazareth defensive back Kris Kent. Kent, playing with a cast on his broken right hand, picked it off and ran it back 45 yards to midfield. The Blue Eagles scored four plays later on a 19-yard pass from Daniel Harding to Bridgeforth with 7.2 seconds to play in the half, taking a 28-21 lead into the locker room.

"They just ran a flood route, and I was just sitting there reading his eyes," said Kent, who added another interception to close the first half and has picked off four passes in the last two weeks while playing with the cast. "I just kept floating and he threw it right to me."

Whitehall managed to tie Nazareth two times in the second half but never regained the lead. The loss likely cost the Zephyrs a chance to earn the top seed for and home-field advantage throughout districts thanks to Easton's win over Liberty.

Eric Fiore had 25 carries for 111 yards and three touchdowns for Whitehall, and Tyler Artim caught nine passes for 147 yards and a score. The Zephyrs' inability to stop Dibilio rendered their offensive fireworks moot.

"They're a playoff football team," Whitehall coach Tony Trisciani said of Nazareth. "This is the type of atmosphere we're going to be in. The criticalness of every play on this field, it felt like a playoff football game. It's important that we had this experience."

Nazareth will never forget Friday's experience either.

"[The win's] got to be up there," Dibilio said. "In the history of our program, we haven't had that many close wins. We either lose or we win big. It's the best feeling in the world to win these close games."

http://www.mcall.com/sports/varsity/mc-football-whitehall-1029-20101029,0,5352077.story