Central Catholic High School football team turns in complete effort in romp over Shamokin

FROM THE EXPRESS TIMES

Central Catholic High School was in the mercy rule at the start of the second half and had everything in its favor from the start in a 56-14 rout of Shamokin at the Silver Bowl in the PIAA Class AAA quarterfinals.

But the Vikings football team, nevertheless, had an anxious moment early in the second quarter.

All-State quarterback Brendan Nosovitch had just thrown a 54-yard touchdown pass, one of four first-half TDs for him, to wide receiver Jalen Snyder-Scipio, but the only person who didn't see the play was Nosovitch.

That's because he was on the ground clutching his right ankle and was obviously in pain.

Nosovitch, who was 8-for-13 for 321 yards, was helped off the field and Viking Nation held its collective breath. He did not return and neither did Kevin Gulyas, who caught five passes for 177 yards and a pair of TDs, nor Snyder-Scipio (3-144-2) or most of the other Central Catholic starters.

Central Catholic (9-5), the defending PIAA Class AAA champion, will meet District 12 champion Archbishop Wood (12-1), next weekend in the PIAA semifinals. Central defeated Archbishop Wood in last year's state semifinals 49-27. Archbishop Wood advanced Friday night by beating District 1 champ Pottsgrove 41-22.

"I just got taken down by my ankle and somebody just kept twisting it," Nosovitch said afterward. "It probably looked a lot worse than it is, that's what I guess I'm trying to say. I'll be all right."

Central Catholic coach Harold Fairclough was a bit tight-lipped about the play that put Nosovitch on the sideline.

"It was a cheap moment, that's all I want to say about that," said Fairclough, obviously disturbed. "Our defense was physical and aggressive tonight. Our guys who were embarrassed last week (in a 61-54 win over Valley View in which the Vikes gave up 535 yards rushing), and they took ownership of that. The game against Archbishop Wood will be a great challenge for us."

Central Catholic scored touchdowns on all five of its first-quarter possessions. Nosovitch hit Gulyas for 30- and 95-yard scores, Snyder-Scipio for 62 yards, and running back Colin McDermott added 22- and 4-yard touchdown runs.

Gulyas now has 113 receptions for 1,954 yards and 26 TDs this season, and Snyder-Scipio has 67 catches for 1,122 yards and 10 TDs. Placekicker Tim DiGiacomo was 8-for-8 in PATs.

The Vikings rolled up 12 first downs and 421 yards in the first half, yet the bigger story might have been their defense. The Indians, who finished their season at 6-8, managed just one first down, 28 total yards and punted eight times before halftime.

Jeff Gulyas, a junior tackle and Kevin Gulyas' brother, dominated in the middle along with inside linebacker G.B. Harkins.

Central Catholic intercepted three passes off Indians freshman quarterback Tucker Yost, including one by tackle Tad McNeely, who returned it 31 yards to set up McDermott's 5-yard touchdown run to make it 49-0 with 6:31 remaining in the first half.

After Fairclough pulled his starters midway through the second quarter, quarterback Anthony Beck took over. Beck did not throw a pass but scored on a 22-yard keeper in the third quarter to account for the Vikings' only second-half touchdown.

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