Nazareth tops Easton 35-28

FROM MIKE BLOUSE

His head coach, Rob Melosky, called him "phenomenal." His position coach, Dan Kendra, called him "the best-kept secret in the Lehigh Valley."

And the opposing coach, Steve Shiffert, praised him for his "uncanny accuracy. … Our kids were right there a lot of times but he put passes right on the money."

The superlatives for Nazareth senior quarterback Dan Harding's performance were well-earned.

Harding completed 20 of 29 passes for 312 yards and accounted for four touchdowns in the Blue Eagles' wild 35-28 win over Easton on Friday night before an overflow crowd at Andrew Leh Stadium.

Nazareth, which improved to 2-0 overall and 1-0 in the Lehigh Valley Conference, overcame a 14-point deficit by scoring three touchdowns in the final 11:36 to defeat the Red Rovers for the first time since 1998. Harding's pinpoint passing, the running of freshman Jordan Gray, a goal-line stand early in the third quarter and two Easton turnovers in the fourth keyed the Blue Eagles' triumph.

"This one feels a little sweeter than most," said Harding, who was as cool and composed in his postgame interview as he was making decisions in the spread offense. "We were down but we took it one play at a time. To be honest, the defense getting stops and the offensive line playing great were the keys."

Harding directed scoring drives of 78, 76 and 34 yards in the final quarter. His 7-yard touchdown run and Jack Portnoy's extra point made the score 28-21; his 17-yard pass to Dan Shepherd and the PAT tied the score at 28; and his 1-yard dive with 1:33 left capped the rally.

Perhaps the game's most important play came with Nazareth trailing 28-14 and faced with a fourth-and-7 at the Red Rovers' 44. Harding completed a 24-yard pass across the middle to Alex Tonnies, who made a diving fingertip catch.

"Years ago, the old Nazareth team would've folded up," Melosky said. "But we hung tough. I can't say enough about this group of players. This was definitely a big win for the community … I know they were hungry to beat Easton. But most important, it's about those 55 kids in that locker room."

Shepherd's interception and 57-yard return set up the Blue Eagles' tie-breaking score and Aaron Bradley capped the victory with a fumble recovery with 34 seconds remaining. Easton was within 20 yards of the potential tying score before a turnover set off a wild celebration on the home side.

Harding was the undisputed star of this show, but Gray enjoyed a coming-out party. The ninth-grader entered late in the second quarter in relief of starter Kani Camacho and rolled up 106 rushing yards on 15 carries — 101 yards after halftime.

Adam Bridgeforth was Harding's top target with 139 yards and a touchdown on seven receptions. Bridgeforth and many of his Blue Eagle teammates battled cramps throughout the second half.

Melosky heaped praise on Nazareth's offense line: tackles Nick Tuerk, Josh Johnson and Bradley; guards Dave Wilke, Travis Pierson and Brian Brune; and center Joe Walsh, who flawlessly handled a game's worth of shotgun snaps.

Easton is known for its physical style of play and the Red Rovers often overpowered Nazareth in recent years. But the Blue Eagles more than held their own this time.

"I thought late in the game we put it on them," Melosky said. "Our balance was really good tonight."

The Red Rovers, now 1-1 overall and 0-1 in the LVC, also showed great balance and the ability to move the ball on offense.

Easton's running back tag-team of James Middleton and Kevin Griffin combined for 245 yards and three touchdowns while quarterback Ian Hayden completed 12 passes for 192 yards.

Shiffert said his squad's inability to convert on two plays from inside the 1 was the turning point. The Red Rovers led by seven points early in the third quarter when Nazareth's defense stiffened.

"We're first-and-goal, then we're inside the 1," Shiffert said. "That's a huge momentum swing right there. We moved the ball but we made some costly mistakes."

Michael Blouse is a freelance writer.

http://www.mcall.com/sports/varsity/mc-easton-nazareth-gamer-20110909,0,7864466.story