ORWIGSBURG - It's not uncommon for a high school football team to get a half-dozen big plays to occur during a game.
But when just about all of those plays result in touchdowns, it allows little room for the opponent to respond.
Old Forge recorded seven plays of 25 yards or more against Schuylkill Haven in Friday night's PIAA Class A quarterfinal at Blue Mountain High School's Eagles' Nest.
Five of those seven plays were touchdowns - including the opening play of the game, a 66-yard pass from quarterback Jake Manetti to Joey Gutowski.
The Blue Devils added four more touchdowns, all of at least 26 yards or more, on their way to a 35-0 victory over the Hurricanes.
"We got some speed on the team, we didn't get to showcase last week," Old Forge coach Mike Schuback said. "(Schuylkill Haven) had a great year. Just the way their defense was set up, we could take advantage of some things. And it showed."
The Hurricanes are known to do most of their damage on long, meticulous drives, pounding the ball 3 or 4 yards at a time.
But the Blue Devil defense bottled up Schuylkill Haven running back Will Casella and quarterback Ryan Fink all game, taking away the Hurricanes' most dangerous weapons.
In the meantime, the Old Forge offense didn't need much time to put many points on the board.
"We thought that if we could come out and bang, hit a big play early, or another 2-3 big plays early, we'd have a great chance," Schuback said. "Our thought process was just that. Make the big play."
Although Haven's defense held
Old Forge, the District 2 champion, to a four-and-out on their second possession and forced a fumble the Devils' third time with the ball, the Hurricanes were never able to capitalize.
That's when the big play struck again.
A sea of Hurricanes parted for the first play of Old Forge's fourth possession, as running back Brandon Yescavage galloped for 56 yards and a touchdown to put the Blue Devils up 14-0 with 1 minute, 22 seconds remaining in the first quarter.
Old Forge's Brandon Vahey pitched in another big play before halftime, returning a punt 55 yards with 3:09 before intermission to ultimately put the game out of reach.
"All three of those (first-half scoring) plays were mistakes," Schuylkill Haven coach Mike Farr said. "Good teams take advantage of those mistakes."
Farr added the defense was in the wrong alignment on the two offensive touchdowns, and that he was resting experienced personnel on the punt return touchdown.
"They had us confused all night, and I don't really know why," Farr said. "I'll watch some film and try to figure it out."
Haven had its longest drive of the first half - 13 plays, 69 yards - after Yescavage's score, but turned the ball over on downs shy of the Blue Devil 20.
The Hurricanes kept Old Forge's offense out of scoring range for the remainder of the half, even getting an interception from linebacker Zach Kerschner that set Haven up at the Devils' 32.
Fink overthrew Mike Feryo on a third-down pass attempt that could've set Schuylkill Haven up inside the 10, and Old Forge made the stop on fourth down to get the ball back, ending the opponent's best scoring chance of the game.
"We missed one that would've given us a lot of confidence going into the second half," Farr said. "At the end of the day, it just wasn't meant to be."
Yescavage scored the two second-half touchdowns for the Blue Devils on runs of 52 and 26 yards, both in the third quarter.
The 6-2, 190-pound senior led all rushers with 193 yards on 13 carries.
Manetti finished 3-of-7 passing for 99 yards with one interception and one touchdown.
Gutowski led all receivers with his lone 66-yard touchdown.
Will Casella registered 111 yards on 25 carries to lead Schuylkill Haven.
Fink was 3-of-13 passing for 28 yards, 27 of which went to Feryo on two catches.
Old Forge (13-1) advances to play the winner of today's game between Homer-Center and Steelton-Highspire in the state semifinals.
Schuylkill Haven (10-4) sees a season filled with ups and downs come to an end.
"We had a great year," Farr said. "I'm unhappy that it's over, but I'm not disappointed that the kids did the best they could. (Old Forge) is a good football team. I wish them luck and hope I see them in Hershey."