HEGINS — In football, upsets are usually close.
This was not the case when an underdog Tri-Valley team met an undefeated Juniata squad.
Hunter Harner rushed for 180 yards and scored three touchdowns Friday night to lead the Bulldogs to an 18-6, Tri-Valley League victory over the Indians at Bulldog Stadium.
Jaden Buchanan intercepted three passes, and Tri-Valley’s defense did not give up any points until the final play of the game.
“This is probably the biggest win I’ve had since I came back as coach here,” coach Mike Ulicny said. “It’s a heck of an accomplishment to beat somebody who’s undefeated.”
The first quarter saw both teams rely on their defenses, with neither scoring until Harner ran in a 29-yard TD with less than two minutes to go in the quarter. A bad snap on the PAT attempt kept the Bulldogs’ lead at 6-0.
On the first play of Juniata’s next drive, Spencer Page broke some tackles for a 33-yard gain, but then Tri-Valley’s defense forced a fumble at the Indians’ 36 yard-line to regain possession.
Anthony Snyder paced the Bulldogs’ drive, picking up a 13-yard and an 18-yard run to set up Harner’s second score of the night, a 1-yard rushing TD.
Tri-Valley (3-3, 2-2 TVL)elected to go for a 2-point conversion, but the running play failed, making the score 12-0.
Snyder finished with 106 yards on 20 carries for the night.
“Pound-for-pound, Snyder’s probably the toughest kid I’ll ever coach,” Ulicny said. “He’s only 160 pounds, and he’s great on defense, too.”
The Indians’ hopes of getting anything going in the first half were stifled when quarterback Tyler Clark threw a pass that Buchanan intercepted.
In the third quarter, Juniata (5-1, 4-1) forced a three-and-out to get the ball back and see if star running back Chantz Swartz could get them on the board.
Swartz broke off a 37-yard run, his biggest rushing play of the night, before Buchanan picked off Clark again at the 27-yard line.
Swartz finished with 79 yards on 17 carries, but was held without a touchdown.
Harner capitalized on the turnover with a 76-yard burst up the middle for a touchdown, his third of the night. That gave the Bulldogs an 18-0 lead after a failed 2-point attempt.
“Harner had some gigantic runs,” Ulicny said. “He’s been getting back to full form lately, and he had a good game.”
In the fourth quarter, Juniata’s penultimate drive ended with another interception courtesy of Buchanan, his third of the game.
“He started slow this season, but he works hard,” Ulicny said of Buchanan. “He came up big tonight with all those picks.”
On the final play of the game, the Indians escaped being shut out by capping a 93-yard scoring drive on a 3-yard touchdown by Alex White to make the final score 18-6.
“This win just shows you how competitive the Tri-Valley League really is,” Ulicny said. “We shook up the league tonight, and if we can stay healthy, we might be able to make a run for districts.”
Game Summary
Jun (5-1, 4-1) 0 0 0 6 — 6 TV (3-3, 2-2) 6 6 6 0 — 18
TV —Harner 29 run (kick failed)
TV —Harner 1 run (run failed)
TV —Harner 76 run (pass failed)
Jun — White 3 run (no attempt)
Jun TV
First Downs 13 10
Rushes-Yards 38-241 44-289
Passes 8-18-3 0-6-0
Passing Yards 87 0
Total Yards 328 289
Fumbles-Lost 1-1 0-0
Penalties 9-85 3-15
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
RUSHING: Juniata — Swartz 17-79, Page 2-39, Hart 3-35, Kellison 1-31, Treaster 5-23, White 3-13, O’Donell 1-8, Clark 4-5, Parson 1-5, Rodriguez 1-3. Tri-Valley — Harner 22-180, Snyder 20-106, Schaeffer 2-3.
PASSING: Juniata — Clark 7-16-3, 73; Kellison 1-1-0, 14; Swartz 0-1-0, 0. Tri-Valley — Harner 0-6-0, 0.
RECEIVING: Juniata — Treaster 5-54, Moore 1-14, Swartz 1-13, Mumah 1-6. Tri-Valley — None.
INTERCEPTIONS: Tri-Valley — Buchanan 3.