Running wild

By John Enrietto
Eagle Sports Editor

SHALER TWP — Big players were plentiful Friday night at Shaler.
Butle's running game proved bigger.
The Golden Tornado had three backs rush for 100 or more yards in outlasting the Titans, 38-27, for their first high school football victory of the season.
Shaler (0-2) used four plays of 45 or more yards to score or set up all four of its touchdowns.
“We're going to have to work on that, but I loved the way we bounced back tonight,” said Butler coach Clyde Conti.
He loved the end of the first half, in particular.
Shaler (0-2) fell behind 14-0 to the Tornado (1-1) before scoring twice on third-down plays late in the first half. Robbie Reinheimer turned a swing pass toward the right sideline into a 62-yard TD catch with 4:34 left before intermission.
Tim Nickel raced 80 yards for a score on a third-and-10 play, breaking seven tackles along the way. The PAT was blocked and Butler was clinging to a 14-13 lead with 1:19 left on the clock.
“We missed way too many tackles tonight,” linebacker Lucas Dubyak said. “That was disappointing.”
The final 1:19 of the half was anything but.
On Butler's next snap from scrimmage, Matt Christy rambled 62 yards for a touchdown. The Titans went three-and-out on their next possession, linebacker Jeremy Hanford nailing Nickel for a 4-yard loss on third down.
Butler took possession at the Shaler 48 with 33.9 seconds left. A 22-yard run by Christy set up Devin Fitz for a 37-yard field goal with one second remaining.
“That was poor clock management by us at the end of the half and that's on me,” Shaler coach Chris Seigle said. “I can't let that happen.”
Besides Shaler's two big scoring plays, the Titan offense netted nine yards on 19 plays in the first half.
Butler extended its 24-13 lead in the third quarter, embarking upon an 8-play, 82-yard drive that was capped by a 9-yard Dubyak touchdown run.
But, again, Shaler's big plays got them back in the game.
Chris Popinski's 57-yard run moments later set up his own 2-yard scoring burst. On another third-down play midway through the fourth quarter, Josh Crawford found Zach Carney loose down the right sideline for a 46-yard TD strike.
Carney ran in for a two-point conversion and it was suddenly 31-27.
“We're making progress,” Seigle said. “I saw definite improvement tonight.”
“I can't say enough for Coach Seigle and the way he's bringing that program along,” Conti said. “They have athletes, too.”
Dubyak returned the ensuing kickoff 49 yards to the Shaler 31. Two plays later, he scored on a 20-yard run to finally ice the Tornado victory.
Dubyak rushed for 124 yards and had 241 all-purpose yards, adding 117 on kick returns. Christy rushed for 110 yards and Robert Burdine added 100 on the ground.
Burdine scored Butler's first two touchdowns, one on a 7-yard pass reception from Tom Jendesky.
“I have to go back to 1992 at Clarion-Limestone, the last time one of my teams did this,” Conti said of having three backs rush for 100 yards in a game.
“The offensive line deserves all of the credit for that,” Dubyak said. “I can't take any of the credit. None of our backs should. Our line was incredible tonight.”
Nickel rushed for 105 yards, Crawford threw for 202 and Reinheimer had six catches for 141 yards for Shaler.
Derek Gengler had a pair of sacks for the Tornado and had a few other tackles behind the line of scrimmage.