Saturday, September 10, 2011

Bangor scores pair of defensive touchdowns in 41-0 rout of Palisades

FROM THE EXPRESS TIMES

One would think a lopsided, mercy rule victory on the road against a league opponent would put a least a grin a coach's face.

Think again.

Bangor Area High School football coach Frank Scagliotta was not smiling Friday night after his Slaters dismantled Palisades 41-0 at Walter Rohrer Stadium.

"I'm happy," said Scagliotta, after a scathing post-game dress down of his team. "I really am. But we are nowhere near playing to our potential. Defensively, I'm pleased. We had a couple breakdowns in pass coverage, but other than that we on the right foot. Offensively, I'm disappointed."

Bangor improved to 2-0 overall and in the Colonial League by capitalizing on five Palisades turnovers, including returning a fumble and an interception for touchdowns. The Slaters built a 23-0 halftime lead, thanks in large part to a slew of early Palisades miscues.

"Right now, we're scoring more points for the other team on offense than for ourselves," Palisades coach Jim Brady said. "We're all going to make mistakes. Football is about making mistakes, but it's also about how we handle the adversity that comes with them."

After going three-and-out on its first possession of the game, the Bangor defense set up the first score when Ricky Flowers recovered Palisades quarterback Jesse Snyder's fumble at the 8-yard line.

The Slaters cashed in when Josh Wing ran eight yards through right tackle on the next play for the touchdown.

Then, linebacker Michael Clarke picked up a loose ball and rumbled 57 yards for a touchdown on the last play of the first quarter. Bangor quarterback Brett Albinson hit Flowers in the back of the end zone for the two-point conversion and 14-0 lead.

Defensive tackle Andrew Romeo hit Palisades backup quarterback Dan Yashinsky from behind on the play to force the fumble. Yashinsky, a sophomore, replaced Snyder after the senior struggled early in the second quarter.

Bangor's defense added a safety when Yashinsky was sacked and fumbled the ball late in the first half, though tight end Jimmy Kelleher fell on the ball in the end zone.

"We scored three times on defense," Scagliotta said. "We came out early, made two mental mistakes. Then we come back and execute and we go down the field and score. We need to find some consistency."

Linebacker Tim Vicario capped the scoring with a 57-yard interception return for a touchdown with just over two minutes left in the third quarter.

Albinson completed 4 of 7 passes for 127 yards and two touchdowns, including a 67-yard laser to wide receiver Bryan Pearson on a seam route on the Slaters' first possession of the second half for a 29-0 lead.

Albinson also connected with wideout Josh Hester on a 26-yard fade in the left corner of the end zone with 10:18 left in the second quarter.

"Brett has that type of talent," Scagliotta said. "You saw it. He has the mind and skill to do it. He looked like a pro throwing the ball on that (67-yard) TD. You can't lose sight of the fact it's the first time he's playing varsity football."

Eleven different Bangor rushers combined for 195 yards. Wing rushed 14 times for 59 yards, sharing game-high honors with sophomore Israel Alvarez, who broke free for a 39-yarder to the Palisades 1 as time expired.

"We have kids on the offensive line that it's their first time playing varsity football," Scagliotta said. "But they're athletic, they're smart and they're big and they should know what they're doing. We need to be much better if we're going to be a contender in this league."

http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/sports/index.ssf/2011/09/bangor_scores_pair_of_defensiv.html

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