Herders Drop Road Matchup in Newcastle
RJ Morgan / The Glenrock Independent photo
Glenrock sophomore Preston Sorenson shows his strength by muscling his way through the line.
Glenrock football will wrap up season with recognition of Senior Night Oct. 20
With time winding down in Friday’s contest against Newcastle, the Herd was looking for something to build on for the final week of the season. Quarterback Brady Dona had just thrown his third interception after a defensive pass interference call had saved a Herd drive.
With less than 90 seconds on the clock, Newcastle could have kneeled out a game that was well in hand, but inexplicably decided to run a complex play with a ton of motion.
That ended with a bobbled snap that fell into Glenrock’s hands and Dona went to work. He tossed two quick streaks up the left side to Charlie Schowengerdt, getting the Herd all the way to the Dogie 2-yard line before punching it in himself to make the final margin 35-13.
The Dogies started the night with great field position near midfield and went on an opening drive march, capped with a 5-yard touchdown run to take an early lead. Dona tried to answer in kind by breaking off a 35-yard run on the Herd’s second play, his longest scramble of the year, but Glenrock stalled in Newcastle territory.
Lane Masopust shut down the next Dogie drive with a big tackle for a loss on third-and-medium to get the ball back to the Herd offense. Glenrock recovered from a bobbled snap to explode down the field, aided in large part by Dona setting another career long, this time a carry for 41 yards. He hit Casey Sarvey for an 11-yard score three plays later on a perfect pass through a gap in the defense that was less a window and more a keyhole to tie the game.
“I’m glad the boys didn’t quit when we were down in the game,” Sarvey said. “Everyone picked each other up and that’s the type of energy we need from our team.”
The Dogies ran a tricky offense all night with lots of shifting formations. They used that tactic with great success throughout the second quarter, notching an early touchdown in the frame and overcoming a Sarvey interception to score 20 unanswered points in the period. Glenrock hit halftime down 27-7.
In the second half, Glenrock was able to tamp down the Dogie offense, but struggled to move the ball. The Herd opened with the ball but were forced to punt even after a connection between Sarvey and Dona. Newcastle drove down the field, making it all the way to the cusp of the end zone, but fumbled on the goal line and the Herd fell on top of it.
The joy of forcing a turnover was short-lived. Dona was in the shotgun near the back of the end zone waiting for the second snap of the drive, only for it to sail into the crossbar for a safety.
The Dogies took the safety kick and drove it downfield, but the Herd defense stood strong after a holding penalty pushed Newcastle back. The teams traded fumbles, aided by a huge sack by Lonnie Masopust, and Glenrock came out of the scrums with the ball and the momentum. The Herd drove downfield but Dona threw a pick in the end zone to end any hopes of a score to get Glenrock back into the game.
“Newcastle had plays we hadn’t seen before, so they took advantage of it,” Sarvey said. “We saw that and changed the way we played.”
The Herd forced another fourth-down stop, but the Dogies got another interception and this time made good on the opportunity, scoring a 43-yard touchdown on their first play of the ensuing drive to ice the game. A bad snap gave Glenrock the ball back on the Newcastle 29-yard line and Dona punched it in for a late score after completing two passes.
Dona finished 11-of-31 for 79 yards, a touchdown, and three picks. He added 77 yards and a score on 10 carries. Sarvey led the receiving corps with four receptions for 41 yards and a score. He also added an interception on defense.
The Herd return home for the final bout of the season against Upton-Sundance (3-4, 2-4 2A East).
“For the end of the season, I just want the boys to stay close and be there for the seniors for their last home game,” Sarvey said.
Kickoff on Senior Night is at 6 p.m.
Coach Zane Perez could not be reached for comment for this story.
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