HEGINS — It wasn’t always pretty, but Tri-Valley found a way to get the job done.
And for the second straight season, the Bulldogs get to play for a championship.
Tyler Lucas had 117 yards of total offense and ran an interception back for a score to help lead Tri-Valley to a 36-12 victory over backyard rival Williams Valley in a District 11 Class A semifinal on a windy and cold Friday night at Bulldog Stadium.
Quarterback Jaden Buchanan threw for two touchdown passes and ran for another as the top-seeded Bulldogs finally subdued the undermanned Vikings (5-6).
With its win, Tri-Valley hosts No. 3 Marian, a 21-12 winner over Mahanoy Area in the other semifinal, next Friday. This season’s trip to the district finals followed 2014’s Eastern Conference Class A crown, a 38-7 win over Millersburg.
Tri-Valley (9-2) will be making its first appearance in the district finals since 2012, a 48-0 loss to Williams Valley. The Bulldogs’ last district title was in 2009, a 27-12 victory over Pius X.
“First half, we didn’t come and play to our full potential,” Lucas said. “Second half, we came out and stepped up our defense. Everything starts on the front line and once you get a good line, you have a good team.”
Lucas finished the night with 75 yards rushing on nine carries and 42 yards receiving on five catches. He accounted for both of Tri-Valley’s first-half touchdowns. Lucas returned a Jake Wolfgang interception 27 yards for a touchdown late in the first quarter, and then caught a 7-yard scoring pass from Buchanan late in the first half to give the Bulldogs a 13-6 halftime lead.
Tri-Valley finished the night with 265 total yards of offense, but was inconsistent. The Bulldogs lost two fumbles, with the second returned 8 yards for a touchdown by the Vikings’ Matt Kemble early in the fourth quarter.
“We weren’t in sync,” Bulldogs coach Mike Ulicny said. “We were fumbling the ball, we weren’t holding our blocks. Give them credit. They were scrappy and played real hard.”
But the Tri-Valley defense was solid for most of the night, and accounted for the Bulldogs’ first points of the game. On a second-and-8 from the 27, Wolfgang tried to hit a pass in the flat but Lucas stepped in front of it and ran it in for a score.
“I read No. 2 (Allen Hand), he strung out for a little pop pass, read the quarterback’s eyes and picked it off,” Lucas said.
Tri-Valley’s best offensive possession of the first half came into the wind late in the second quarter.
The Bulldogs drove from their own 38 to the Vikings’ 7 in 10 plays. On a fourth-and-goal, Buchanan rolled to his right to escape some pressure and spotted Lucas open in the end zone for the score. The pass for the two-point conversion was incomplete but the Bulldogs took a 13-6 lead into halftime.
The Vikings have been small in numbers all season and dressed 19 on Friday. Williams Valley was also without starting quarterback Nick Rodichok, who suffered a concussion in last Friday’s lost at Juniata and wasn’t cleared to play.
Wolfgang, a sophomore, made his first start Friday. The wind neutralized Williams Valley’s passing game as Wolfgang was just 1-of-14 with two interceptions.
Most of Williams Valley’s 143 yards of offense came from sophomore Dylan Rabuck, who finished with 105 yards rushing on 22 carries.
“The most exciting part for me, and I relayed it to the kids, was that right now, the team that was on the field tonight, we lose one player (Hero Sasaki),” Vikings coach Tim Savage said. “We return seven, either juniors or others, who were on the field.
“We’ve been here (in the district playoffs) eight years in a row. The message was to make it and we did. We played these guys tough.”
The Vikings’ only touchdown came on a trick play on the first play of the second quarter when Wolfgang handed off to Levi Engle, who then passed back to Wolfgang coming out of the backfield for the touchdown. Wolfgang ran it in down the left sideline from 27 yards out.
The point after kick was blocked and Tri-Valley led 7-6.
The Bulldogs slowly pulled away in the second half. Ulicny knows Tri-Valley will have to play better next Friday if the Bulldogs hope to win a district championship.
“We did enough to get into the championship game,” Ulicny said. “We will see what we can do next week. We have the ability to play a lot better. Hopefully we can do it next week against Marian. If not, we are going to be collecting equipment.”
Game Summary
District 11 Class A Semifinal
Wms. Val. (5-6) 0 6 0 6 — 12
Tri-Valley (9-2) 7 6 9 14 — 36
TV — T. Lucas 27 interception return (Harner kick)
WV — J. Wolfgang 27 pass from Engle (kick blocked)
TV — T. Lucas 7 pass from J. Buchanan (pass failed)
TV — Safety, snap went out of end zone
TV — Schaeffer 13 pass from J. Buchanan (Harner kick)
WV — Kemble 8 fumble return (pass failed)
TV — D. Schwalm 1 run (Harner kick)
TV — J. Buchanan 1 run (McNally kick)
WV TV
First Downs 8 12
Rushes-Yards 34-115 37-153
Passes 2-16-2 8-17-0
Passing Yards 26 112
Total Yards 143 265
Fumbles-Lost 1-0 3-2
Penalties 1-15 5-60
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
RUSHING: Williams Valley — Dy. Rabuck 22-105, J. Wolfgang 8-14, Savage 2-2, Engle 1-(-1), Team 1-(-5). Tri-Valley — T. Lucas 9-75, Schaeffer 8-40, J. Buchanan 13-34, Da. Schwalm 7-4.
PASSING: Williams Valley — J. Wolfgang 1-14-2, (-1); Engle 1-2-0,. Tri-Valley — J. Buchanan 8-17-0, 112.
RECEIVING: Williams Valley — J. Wolfgang 1-27, Dy. Rabuck 1-(-1). Tri-Valley — T. Lucas 5-42, A. Buchanan 1-31, Kroh 1-16, Schaeffer 1-13.
INTERCEPTIONS: Tri-Valley — A. Buchanan, T. Lucas