PINE GROVE — In its first game against a Tri-Valley League opponent this season, Pine Grove ran right into a brick wall.
The Cardinals’ offense struggled against East Juniata’s overpowering defense, falling 13-3 to the Tigers on Friday night at Cardinal Stadium.
East Juniata gave up just four first downs, forced four of Pine Grove’s series to go three-and-out and held the Cardinals to 59 total yards, completely shutting down its opponent’s passing game.
Running back Cameron Lutz was one of the lone bright spots for Pine Grove, rushing for 58 yards.
“He’s an extremely gifted athlete and a hard worker,” Pine Grove coach Jeff Sampson said of Lutz. “We just need to create some space for him and let him run.
“He came through last week with a nice 60-yard running play, so he has the ability to do that as long as we can give him a break.”
The Cardinals got their only score of the game on a 29-yard field goal by Kyle Fidler that gave them a 3-0 lead in the first quarter.
The field goal capped a 12-play scoring drive that began on the Tigers’ 37-yard line and featured Lutz running for 28 total yards.
“We’d like to use him more because he’s got a great leg,” Sampson said of Fidler. “He kicks the ball deep on kickoffs, and he did a good job tonight.
“I’m not even a big field goal guy. I’d rather take six points than three, but I knew it was going to be a close game, so I wanted to get as many points early as we could.”
East Juniata took a 7-3 lead in the second quarter on a 5-yard touchdown run up the middle by Andrew Zerby.
The Tigers’ 58-yard scoring drive was highlighted by a 31-yard run by Mason Hambright.
East Juniata’s three-headed trio of rushers, Zerby, Hambright and quarterback Chris Schlugen, combined for 150 yards on the ground.
“If we’re doing our job right, the running game is supposed to be spread out,” East Juniata coach George Miskinis said. “Not one person was too dominant, and that was a good sign tonight.”
In the second half, the Tigers’ defense took command once again, holding Pine Grove to just 8 total yards and one first down.
“I think we showed a lot of heart by holding them to just a field goal all game,” Miskinis said. “After that, we played pretty dominant. We had been working hard on tackles all week leading up to this game, and the players were awesome with that tonight.”
Pine Grove has now started its season with two straight losses, but Sampson wanted to focus on the positives after the game. He also said his players still need to gel as a team to get their season back on track.
“Last week we had seven turnovers, and this week we didn’t have any, so that’s one positive aspect of tonight’s game,” Sampson said. “Moving forward, I think we have to come together and create an identity as a football team, which we haven’t done yet.’’
Game Summary
EJ (1-1, 1-0) 0 7 0 6 — 13
PG (0-2, 0-1) 3 0 0 0 — 3
PG — FG Fidler 29
EJ — Zerby 5 run (Tittle kick)
EJ — Henderson 40 pass from Schlugen (kick failed)
EJ PG
First Downs 10 4
Rushes-Yards 38-157 23-58
Passes 3-5-0 1-7-0
Passing Yards 52 1
Total Yards 209 59
Fumbles-Lost 3-0 1-0
Penalties 6-27 5-35
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
RUSHING: East Juniata — Zerby 17-60, Hambright 11-54, Schlugen 8-36, Dalton 1-4, Pursley 1-3. Pine Grove — Lutz 17-52, Ney 2-4, Rittenbaugh 3-3, Kaufman 1-(-1).
PASSING: East Juniata — Schlugen 3-5-0, 52. Pine Grove — Ney 1-7-0, 1.
RECEIVING: East Juniata — Henderson 1-40, Minium 1-16, Pursley 1-(-4). Pine Grove — Leininger 1-1.
INTERCEPTIONS: None.