TAMAQUA — Three consecutive victories can do a lot for the confidence of a football team.
Having a go-to running back like Tamaqua has in Bud Moyer can do even more. As the senior tailback goes, so too go the Blue Raiders.
In Friday’s Homecoming game against visiting Shenandoah Valley, Moyer and the Raiders were at their best in a 51-8 Anthracite Football League victory.
Moyer carried the ball 14 times for 233 yards, including touchdown runs of 35 and 42 yards on the first two possessions for the Raiders (4-3, 3-3 AFL), who have won three consecutive games. Moyer also scored on a 34-yard run in the third quarter, and set up the first of three takeaways with a forced fumble that was recovered by Kyle Oliphant.
At the halfway point of the first quarter, the Raiders opened a 21-0 lead when Nick Breiner scored on a 5-yard run to cap a four-play, 48-yard drive following the fumble recovery. At that point, the Raiders had 11 plays for 158 yards, three touchdowns and six first downs.
Unable to run the ball, the Blue Devils (2-5, 2-5) once again had to depend on the passing of Ian McCole, but he was under constant pressure. He completed 10-of-31 passes for 124 yards, getting Shenandoah Valley on the scoreboard with a 47-yard touchdown pass to Noah Allegretta and a conversion pass to Joel Santana before departing early in the fourth quarter.
Tamaqua picked off McCole twice, as Dylan Dannenfelser and Josh Gordon had interceptions.
“It’s everyone’s goal to be playing in Week 11, but right now our focus is on improving each week, eliminating the mistakes and playing solid football,” Tamaqua coach Sam Bonner said. “We’ve been able to do that over the last three games, but we know it’s going to get a lot tougher these last three weeks of the season.
“Moyer has given us some good performances, and he brings a lot to the table. He not only runs hard, but has some speed. He and Breiner do a good job of blocking for each other.”
Unofficially, Moyer has rushed 151 times for 951 yards — a 6.3 average — and 18 touchdowns. In recent weeks, the Raiders have been able to take some pressure off their senior tailback by developing some depth in the running game, especially freshman fullback Breiner.
After a 28-yard field goal by Thorn Devlin made the score 24-0 early in the second quarter, a 44-yard interception return by Dannenfelser set up the fourth touchdown drive. Thad Zuber capped the five-play, 29-yard drive with an 11-yard run for a 31-0 lead.
With 4:26 left in the half, Daylon Barron capped a two-play, 42-yard drive with a 13-yard touchdown run for a 38-0 lead that held at the half to send the game into the mercy rule with a running clock in the second half. Before leaving the game, Moyer carried three times for 60 yards on a four-play, 65-yard drive he capped with a 34-yard touchdown run.
Tamaqua finished with 427 yards rushing on 43 carries, getting 94 yards from Breiner on eight carries — including a 60-yard touchdown run to cap the scoring. Shenandoah was limited to 13 carries for minus-1 yard rushing.
Game Summary
SV (2-5, 2-5) 0 0 0 8 — 8
Tam (4-3, 3-3) 21 17 6 7 — 51
T — Moyer 35 run (Devlin kick)
T — Moyer 42 run (Devlin kick)
T — Breiner 5 run (Devlin kick)
T — FG Devlin 28
T — Zuber 11 run (Devlin kick)
T — Barron 13 run (Devlin kick)
T — Moyer 34 run (kick failed)
SV— Allegretta 47 pass from McCole (Santana pass from McCole)
T — Breiner 60 run (Kurek kick)
Shen Tam
First Downs 6 20
Rushes-Yards 13-(-1) 43-427
Passes 10-32-2 3-8-0
Passing Yards 124 37
Total Yards 123 464
Fumbles-Lost 1-1 0-0
Penalties 5-41 3-15
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
RUSHING: Shenandoah Valley — Florio 2-6, Morales 4-5, Urbanavage 4-1, Santana 3-(-13). Tamaqua — Moyer 14-233, Breiner 8-94, Barron 3-23, Zuber 4-21, Burns 3-17, Mader 8-17, Dannenfelser 1-14, Rother 2-8.
PASSING: Shenandoah Valley — McCole 10-31-2, 124; Morales 0-1-0, 0. Tamaqua — Zuber 3-7-0, 37; Rother 0-1-0, 0.
RECEIVING: Shenandoah Valley — Santana 7-60, Allegretta 2-54, Urbanavage 1-10. Tamaqua — Breiner 1-17, Rother 1-12, Barron 1-8.
INTERCEPTIONS: Tamaqua — Dannenfelser, Gordon.