FINDING A WAY TO GET THINGS DONE … AND QUICKLY: Even though they owned the football when the fourth quarter began, Williams Valley’s football-playing Vikings trailed neighboring Upper Dauphin 7-6 and the crowd at cozy Stauffenberg Field was understandably restless.
Not for long.
Three plays into Friday night’s pivotal fourth quarter, Tim Savage’s resourceful Vikings (2-0, 1-0) stepped back in front when feature back Cole Barnhardt bounced over from the 3 to give the reigning Tri-Valley League champs a 12-7 lead with 10:56 remaining in a typically tight backyard scrap.
Moments later, after Tim Schorr’s spinning kickoff glanced off one of Upper Dauphin’s up men and Garrett Zimmerman fell on the loose ball. Following a pass interference penalty and a short Barnhardt blast, the Vikings were celebrating after Cody Miller hauled in Stephen Sedesse’s 30-yard strike.
Then, three plays later, Barnhardt snagged a 50-50 ball that glanced off UDA’s Tanner Miller and popped into the air at his own 35 and returned it 60 yards to the Trojans 5. On the second play from scrimmage, Trevor Whelski blasted over from the 5 to give Williams Valley a decisive 26-7 lead.
That’s 20 points in just 2:11.
Even the stately pines that stand guard at Williamstown’s otherwise-bucolic playpen had to be impressed by Savage’s opportunistic Vikings.
“It really gave us a lot of momentum and it helped a lot,” Barnhardt said. “Everyone was fired up after that, especially after that interception that I ran so far down. We wanted to score and we wanted it so bad.”
And, even though it took them more than three quarters to turn a tight game into a comfortable lead, Williams Valley finally found a way.
“This isn’t unusual for us,” Savage said. “Upper Dauphin came to play tonight and I think them getting that forfeit win puts them back undefeated and tied for first in District 3. So they came up really juiced to play.
“We have a target on our back and we’re gonna get everybody’s best shot and Upper Dauphin brought their best tonight and hung with us for a long time.”
THE KICK: One of the biggest momentum-changing plays during Friday night’s backyard scrap was the kickoff Schorr executed with 10:56 left in regulation — just after Barnhardt’s short run popped Williams Valley in front.
Schorr’s boot, which actually faded toward his own bench, glanced off one of Upper Dauphin’s blocking up men. A figurative free-for-all promptly followed, as the Vikes’ Garrett Zimmerman claimed the rock at the Upper Dauphin 46 and brought Williams Valley’s diverse attack back on the field.
“I saw that every time I would go to kick it they would go backward and so I thought I’d take a little bit off and see what would happen,” Schorr said. “Luckily, we got it.”
“That’s all luck,” Savage admitted. “That was not called. He kicked the ball to the side and it worked to our advantage. … I’d like to say we had it called, but we didn’t.”
THE THROW: Given a chance to add to its tenuous five-point lead, Williams Valley promptly went for the jugular and had Sedesse heave it deep to Barnhardt. While the hookup never materialized, UD’s Cam Fornwald was called for pass interference, moving the football and the sticks to the Trojans 31.
Following a short blast by Barnhardt on first down, the electric Sedesse rolled right and cut up field as if he was going to use his legs to get to the second level. Suddenly, as Cody Miller streaked down the left side of the field on a deep post, Sedesse coiled his arm, threw off his left foot and fired a strike that met a sliding Miller.
In the end zone.
“That one throw was amazing,” Schorr said. “That’s a good quarterback that can just turn around and make a decision like that. … I thought he was gonna run, too, because I turned around and tried to block for him.”
“[Stephen] knew Cody could beat his guy on the back side,” Savage added. “He just had to get the ball that far throwing across his body. … I’ve never seen a high school quarterback make that throw and when he did the whole coaching staff was all smiles. That’s a hell of a throw he made there to Cody Miller.”
THE PICK: Now sitting on a 20-7 lead with just under 10 minutes to play, Williams Valley soon had the ball back after Barnhardt latched on to a ball tipped by Tanner Miller at his own 35 and returned it 60 yards to put the Vikes in scoring position.
Two plays later the scoreboard read 26-7.
“It bounced off the receiver’s hands and I thought,’ This is mine. I had to take it,’ “ Barnhardt explained. “I was running and I just wide-open [space] everywhere and I didn’t know where to go. I wanted to score so bad.”
And …
“I was really disappointed [I didn’t get in], but I was really gassed out,” Barnhardt continued. “I was tired.”
SPARKLING SCHORR: Whether lining up at tight end or outside backer, the 5-10, 165-pound Schorr seemed to jump into the spotlight whenever the Vikings needed a timely play — on both sides of the football or even on special teams.
While Schorr collected one of Williams Valley’s three sacks by tossing UDA quarterback Mac Ney for an early five-yard loss, he also caught three of Sedesse’s heaves for 58 yards and one touchdown.
Schorr’s first catch, a 19-yarder on the Vikings’ initial possession, gave the home team a first down at the Upper Dauphin 41. His second, also a 19-yarder, pushed Williams Valley in front 6-0 with 9:22 left in the first half.
The Trojans’ Peyton Barge appeared to have a chance to get to Sedesse’s high-arching heave, but collided with the back judge just before Schorr caressed the pass for the game’s first score. And let’s just say Schorr didn’t have that planned.
“That was just luck having that kid run into him,” Schorr said.
“That’s the one pick that is legal,” Savage joked.
Moments before, Savage talked about his senior playmaker.
“Timmy caught three passes all last year in 13 weeks and he caught maybe six two-point conversions,” Savage recalled. “So, he’s not really on the radar yet to be a pass weapon and he’s becoming one. He worked hard in the offseason, started running better routes. He caught more balls just last week than he did all of last season.”
MOP-UP TIME: In addition to being three key seniors in a Williams Valley program aiming for its second straight TVL championship and a second consecutive District 11-A championship, Schorr, Barnhardt and Schorr share something else.
Blue hair.
“The blue hair is a thing that me, our running back and our quarterback do for football just for pride,” Schorr explained.
Williams Valley also lugged a sizable sledgehammer into its post-game huddle, a tool adorned in red, white and blue — the school colors.
“And the sledgehammer is just for our defense because every time we play a team and keep them down to low points or they don’t score, then we say we dropped the hammer on them,” Schorr continued.
MICHAEL BULLOCK:mbullock@pennlive.com
BULLOCK ON TWITTER: @thebullp_n
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