Brookville Trounces Ridgway, Advances to D9 AA Title Game

BROOKVILLE, Pa. – Brookville quarterback Jack Krug threw for 396 yards and had seven total touchdowns in the Raiders’ big 49-15 victory over Ridgway. The win advances Brookville into the D9 AA Finals, where they will face Karns City.

(Hager Paving Player of the Game, Jack Krug)

Krug had five passing touchdowns, a rushing touchdown, and scored his first career receiving touchdown on a fake punt. Robert Keth was Krug’s primary target, reeling in five catches for 154 yards and a touchdown. Keth was also the passer on Krug’s fake punt score. Brayden Kunselman also reeled in four catches for 117 yards and a touchdown. Ridgway’s Ben Briggs had a solid game under center, throwing for 185 yards and a touchdown in the loss.

Brookville used two big plays to score on their first possession of the game. To start the drive, Krug hooked up with Macbeth for a 40-yard gain on a bootleg pass, taking the Raiders into Ridgway territory. After Ridgway forced a fourth down, Krug scrambled for a 44-yard touchdown run, putting the Raiders up 7-0.

Ridgway responded by driving 70 yards on 16 plays, using misdirection and a short passing attack to drive deep into Raiders territory. Unfortunately for the Elkers, Brookville stood firm on their goal line, forcing a fourth down incompletion to emerge unscathed.

The Raiders made Ridgway pay for their inability to score, as Krug connected with Kunselman on a 65-yard touchdown pass to quickly extend the lead to 14-0 as the first quarter came to a close.

Brookville then forced their first turnover of the game, as Charlie Krug picked off a Briggs pass, giving Brookville possession at midfield. It only took one play for the Raiders to extend their lead, as Jack Krug found an open Keth for Brookville’s third touchdown of the night. A successful PAT made the score 21-0 early in the second quarter.

On the next possession, Ridgway got on the board courtesy of a 33-yard touchdown pass from Briggs to Dominic Cherry. The Elkers had success going to the air, going 3-3 passing on the 60-yard touchdown drive. Ridgway appeared poised to continue their momentum after forcing Brookville into a fourth down punting situation around midfield; however, Brookville executed a perfect fake punt to further grow their lead. Jack Krug lined up as the long snapper and then snuck into the open field, where he was found by Keth for a 58-yard touchdown pass. The score put Brookville up 27-7 with 9:30 left in the second quarter.

After Brookville forced a turnover on downs, Krug took advantage of Ridgway’s man coverage, connecting on two long passing plays to put the Raiders in the red zone. Krug capped off the drive by connecting with Ryan Daisley from eight yards out. A blocked PAT gave Brookville a 33-7 lead. Ridgway scored their second and final touchdown of the game when Luke Zimmerman returned the ensuing kickoff 86 yards for a touchdown, making the score 33-15. Zimmerman broke a tackle and reversed the field on his score, on what was perhaps the most explosive play of the night.

Undeterred, Brookville rattled off a four-play 72-yard drive, culminating in a 20-yard pass from Krug to Braiden Davis. The touchdown was Krug’s fourth passing touchdown of the game, and a successful PAT put the Raiders up 40-15 with around 2:00 left in the second quarter. Ridgway concluded the half with a deep drive into Raiders territory, but their fourth down goal line effort was stuffed by the Raiders defense, ending the first half.

The second stanza began just as the first half ended, as Ridgway was stuffed on a fourth down attempt, this time in their own territory. Brookville took advantage of the good field position to score their seventh touchdown in as many possessions, as Krug hooked up with Ryan Daisley for a 23-yard score. A converted PAT made the score 47-15.

The remainder of the game was slow-paced, with both teams electing to run the ball. Keth snagged a third quarter interception, and the Brookville defense added a late safety, bringing the score to 49-15. The safety proved to be the final points of the night, as Brookville ran out the clock on the 49-15 victory.

The win puts Brookville in the D9 AA Championship game. The Raiders will face Karns City at Brockway on Friday, October 30 at 7:00pm.

Listen to an interview with Jack Krug below: