ELIZABETHVILLE — No one wants to get caught in a stampede, especially on home turf, but that’s what happened when Upper Dauphin hosted the Newport Buffaloes on Friday night.
The Trojans fell 48-0, as Newport outplayed them in all three facets of a Tri-Valley League game.
The Buffaloes’ offense amassed 479 total yards and seven touchdowns, and its defense recorded 11 sacks while allowing only 74 total yards in the shutout.
Even the special teams unit for Newport (7-1, 6-0) was electric, with Eli Goodling ripping off a 45-yard punt return for a touchdown in the first quarter.
Goodling finished with two touchdowns and 74 rushing yards, while Dalton Klinger led the Buffaloes’ running game with 118 yards and two TDs.
“We can be explosive,” Newport coach Todd Rothermel said. “We have some good athletes and the kids can hustle, so that’s what you’re gonna get when you have kids who know how to make plays.
“Goodling’s touchdown on the punt was our ninth return for a touchdown this season, so our special teams unit has been contributing all year.”
Noah Heimbaugh went 5-of-11, throwing for 165 yards and two touchdowns to pace the Buffaloes’ passing game.
Aaron Cleveland threw for 115 yards for Upper Dauphin (3-5, 2-4), but rushed for negative yardage thanks to Newport’s stout defense.
“We knew their best player was their quarterback, so our game plan was to get after him often,” Rothermel said. “We felt like we could be aggressive and contain this guy, so it was a difficult evening for him.”
Cleveland’s passing attack was one of the few bright spots on the field for the Trojans, who also came down with an interception from Masen Bellis on the Buffaloes’ first drive of the game.
“We had some individual efforts that I thought were solid,” Upper Dauphin coach Brent Bell said. “I think we stepped up after losing both starting corners in the first quarter with guys playing out of their normal positions, but there’s a lot to learn as well.
“Now we need to regroup and move forward from a loss like this,” he added.
Heimbaugh’s 59-yard bomb to Noah Reich and Goodling’s score on the punt return gave Newport a 14-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.
The Buffaloes then scored 27 points in the second quarter, with two touchdowns coming from Klinger, one from Goodling and another on a 64-yard pass from Heimbaugh to Trevan Dorman.
On its final drive of the game, Newport made it 48-0 when backup quarterback Nikolas Grabiec found sophomore wide receiver Tevin Gonzalez for a 65-yard strike.
“We have a bunch of athletes, so we’re able to spread the field and spread the ball with all those kids scoring touchdowns tonight,” Rothermel said. “That forces the opposing defense to cover the entire field, and we can find mismatches that way.”
Game Summary
New (7-1, 6-0) 14 27 0 7 — 48
UDA (3-5, 2-4) 0 0 0 0 — 0
New — Reich 59 pass from Heimbaugh (Sheaffer kick)
New — Goodling 45 punt return (Sheaffer kick)
New — Klinger 32 run (kick failed)
New — Klinger 39 run (Sheaffer kick)
New — Goodling 74 run (Sheaffer kick)
New — Dorman 64 pass from Heimbaugh (Sheaffer kick)
New — Te. Gonzalez 65 pass from Grabiec (Sheaffer kick)
New UDA
First Downs 7 8
Rushes-Yards 25-249 30-(-41)
Passes 6-15-1 6-19-0
Passing Yards 230 115
Total Yards 479 74
Fumbles-Lost 0-0 0-0
Penalties 5-42 5-30
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
RUSHING: Newport — Klinger 6-118, Goodling 2-76, Heimbaugh 2-17, Paden 1-17, Hockenberry 6-15, Foose 1-3, Johnson 1-3, Grabiec 5-0, Hunker 1-0. Upper Dauphin — Lenker 3-5, T. Wiest 2-0, Rupp 1-(-4), Gelnet 3-(-6), Cleveland 21-(-36).
PASSING: Newport — Heimbaugh 5-11-1, 165; Grabiec 1-3-0, 65; Johnson 0-1-0, 0. Upper Dauphin — Cleveland 6-15-0, 115; Gelnet 0-2-0, 0; Rupp 0-2-0, 0.
RECEIVING: Newport — Te. Gonzalez 1-65, Dorman 1-64, Reich 1-59, Klinger 2-34, Goodling 1-8. Upper Dauphin — T. Wiest 1-36, M. Wiest 1-28, Gelnet 2-23, Barge 1-23, Lenker 1-5.
INTERCEPTIONS: Upper Dauphin — Bellis