KNOX, Pa. (EYT/D9) — Welcome back, Brayden Fox.
The Brockway junior quarterback was in the uncomfortable position of spectator last week as the Rovers dispatched Smethport with freshman quarterback Aiden Patton at the helm.
Patton acquitted himself well, but Fox was eager to put the helmet and pads on again this week on the road at resurgent Keystone.
(Pictured above, Brayden Fox)
“I think that week off really served as momentum for me,” Fox said. “I really got to studying when I was told I wasn’t gonna be able to play last Friday. I worked my butt off the rest of the weekend and week.”
It paid off.
Fox was 14-of-24 for 287 yards and four touchdowns as Brockway held off the Panthers, 35-21.
Redbank Valley, Keystone, and Union/A-C Valley sports coverage on Explore and D9Sports.com is brought to you by Heeter Lumber.
“I mean, you never want to be on the sideline,” Fox said. “But at the same time, you have to keep motivating your guys. Aiden did a great job last week. I stuck with him and, even if I am out, I trust him a lot. We are like best friends.”
Fox, though, was happy to be flinging it again.
He was certainly happy to see Matt Brubaker back out on the field.
Brubaker has also missed time — he hadn’t played since the 29-7 loss to Port Allegany on Sept. 22. Brubaker caught three of Fox’s touchdown passes in the win.
He finished with seven receptions for 136 yards with scoring catches of 20, 39 and 35.
Blake Pisarcik was also a big target for Fox. He hauled in five passes for 128 yards and a 10-yard score. He also rushed for a 1-yard touchdown.
“Blake’s a stud,” Fox said, smiling. “Matty did a great job. His route running was really good. He just came back off an injury and he looked quick and Blake did his normal thing. It was a team effort today. The line did great.”
That line gave Fox plenty of time to dissect the Keystone defense.
It helped Fox throw for 75 yards on the first drive of the game, culminating with a 20-yard touchdown to Brubaker on a play in which the receiver weaved through tacklers and dove for the pylon for the TD.
Brockway (5-2) converted three third-and-longs on the drive, including a third-and-19 on the scoring play.
“(Fox) really stepped it up,” said Brockway coach Jake Heigel. “I think we’re still not where we need to be offensively. We continue to make progress and get better. The last few weeks we shuffled around some guys.”
Keystone has also redealt its hand over the past few weeks and it, too, yielded good results.
It did again on Friday night against Brockway, but the Panthers will lament opportunities lost.
After falling behind 21-7, Keystone made it a one-score game again with a 6-yard touchdown pass from freshman Dom Corcetti to Jacob Henry with 1:28 left in the half. The extra point was no good.
On Brockway’s possession after that score, freshman Eli Nellis intercepted a pass and returned it for an apparent touchdown. But the Panthers were called for holding on the return and the Keystone drive before the half fizzled at the Brockway 20.
“Getting the interception return called back — that was big,” said Keystone coach Todd Smith. “The scoreboard may say two touchdowns, but we were right there. We did some really good things.”
Including showing some grit.
Keystone (2-5) bounced back from the missed chance at the end of the first half to tie the game with a long drive to start the second half.
Drew Keth caught another 6-yard TD pass from Corcetti and Rayce Weaver ran in the 2-point conversion for a 21-21 deadlock with 5:19 left on the third-quarter clock.
Brockway, though, answered with a 10-yard touchdown catch by Pisarcik for a 28-21 lead, and then the Rovers went back up by two scores on a 35-yard touchdown pass from Fox to Brubaker with five seconds left in the third.
“We really mentally prepared our guys that this is a very good football team we were playing and a very hungry one because they needed it. We knew they were going to give us their best shot,” Heigel said. “We even told them at halftime, they’re gonna come out and they are gonna hit you hard.”
Keystone had a good night on the ground, especially on runs to the outside on sweeps and jets.
Keth finished with 115 yards on eight carries and Nellis added another 90 yards on 16 attempts.
“We wanted to use Drew a little more in the running game because he’s really come on lately,” Smith said. “He has shown a lot.”
With a 14-point lead, Brockway turned to workhorse back Jendy Cuello in the fourth quarter, and he was able to churn out yards and first downs.
Cuello was held to 38 yards in the first half, but finished with 111 on 20 carries. He rushed for 47 of those yards in the final quarter.
“I think when Matty and Blake are opening up the top end, it brings less guys in the box,” Heigel said. “It opened up stuff. Again, our offensive line played lights out tonight.”
“Johnny Varischetti, Reese Yahner, Ben Yale, Eric Wherry, Madox Decker — not only did they protect, but they opened up some huge holes for Jendy when we needed them.”
The win makes Brockway playoff eligible.
Keystone and Smith hope to find a way to get into the playoffs as well.
There’s some work to do.
“I think we have a good football team,” Smith said. “We have to get back to work on Monday and keep going. But I think we’ve proven that we can be a good team and hopefully we can extend our season.”
Redbank Valley, Keystone, and Union/A-C Valley sports coverage on Explore and D9Sports.com is brought to you by Heeter Lumber.
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