HVIZDZAK HELPS BRADFORD RACE PAST HUNTINGDON INTO PIAA QUARTERFINALS

STATE COLLEGE – Sean Hvizdzak rushed for 225 yards and three touchdowns on 21 carries to lead Bradford to a 25-10 win over Huntingdon in the first round of the PIAA Class AAA playoffs Friday night at State College’s Memorial Field.

Hvizdzak, who has scored eight touchdowns in the Owls (9-2) two playoff games this season, scored on runs of 2, 65 and 6 yards.

"He (Hvizdzak) is a great football player," Bradford head coach Steve Ackerman told the Bradford Era’s Greg Clark. "You give him the ball, and he makes things happen."

The win marked the fourth straight season that District 9’s Class AAA champion has knocked off District 6’s Class AAA champion with Bradford also pulling the trick in 2000 and 2001 and Clearfield doing it last year.

The Owls, like the previous three teams to advance to the PIAA quarterfinals, will now face District 8 (Pittsburgh City League) champion Perry.

To get to the quarterfinals, the Owls used a sizzling offense combined with a strong defense to beat the previously unbeaten Bearcats (11-1).

Bradford gained 414 yards of offense, all on the ground, while limiting Huntingdon’s vaunted running attack that averaged 192.5 yards per game to just 17 yards on the night. "The defense played a fantastic game against a team that scores a lot of points," Ackerman told Clark.

Hvizdzak wasn’t the only offensive star for the Owls, as Aaron O’Toole added 11 carries for 101 yards and a touchdown.

O’Toole scored the Owls first touchdown on a 33-yard run on a fourth-and-3 play with 5:38 left in the first quarter giving Bradford a 6-0 lead.

Midway through the second quarter, Bradford took over at its own 27-yard line following a punt and needed 11 plays to go the 73 yards for a touchdown. Hvizdzak scored the Owls second touchdown on a 2-yard run with 5:18 left in the first half giving Bradford a 12-0 lead.

Huntingdon got its first points on a safety when Hvizdzak was tackled in the end zone with 2:12 left in the half. The Owls had started at their own 2-yard line after Hvizdzak fielded a punt inside the 10 and was tackled at the 2.

"We talked to Sean about that," Ackerman told Clark. "He knows he made a mistake fielding that punt."

Bradford had one last chance before halftime to put points on the board, but a 54-yard field goal attempt by Kyle Macfarlane was short and left leaving the Owls with a 12-2 halftime lead.

At the start of the second half, Hvizdzak took the third play from scrimmage and went 65 yards for an Owls touchdown and an 18-2 lead with 10:43 left in the third quarter.

Another long run by Hvizdzak, this time a 75-yard scamper from the Owls 11 to the Huntingdon 14, set up Bradford’s final score of the night. Hvizdzak scored his third touchdown of the night on a 6-yard run with 4:14 left in the game.

Huntingdon mounted a late rally scoring on a seven-play, 63-yard drive that cumulated with a 22-yard touchdown pass from Matt Young to Dave Hooper that combined with a successful two-point conversion made the score 25-10 with 8:12 left in the game.

"They caught us in a couple of things, but it didn’t hurt," Ackerman told Clark. "Our offense just kept grinding out first downs, and that took the win out of their sails."

Grind out first downs was exactly what Bradford did on its ensuing possession taking four minutes off the clock before giving the ball back to Huntingdon.

The Bearcats then threw four straight incompletions to seal their fate.

SCORE BY QUARTER

Bradford 6 6 13 0 – 25

Huntingdon 0 2 0 8 – 10

Scoring Summary

First Quarter

B – Aaron O’Toole 33 run (Run failed), 5:38

Second Quarter

B – Sean Hvizdzak 2 run (Run failed), 5:18

H – Safety (Hvizdzak tackled in end zone by Alex Waleski and Matt Young), 2:12

Third Quarter

B – Hvizdzak 65 run (Kick failed), 10:43

B – Hvizdzak 6 run (Kyle Macfarlane kick), 4:14

Fourth Quarter

H -- Dan Hooper 29 pass from Matt Young (Young pass from Geoff Kozak), 8:12

Rushes-Yards 60-414

Passing Yards 0

Passing: Comp-Att-Int 0-1-1

Total Yards 414

Rushing – Sean Hvizdzak 21-225, Aaron O’Toole 11-101, Dave Snyder 19-58, Mike Austin 6-28, Morgan O’Brien 1-9, Team 2-(-7).

Passing – Mike Austin 0-for-1, 0 yards, 1 interception

Receiving – None

Sacks – Brian Wallace 1

Interceptions – Brian Wallace 1