The Freedom High School football team struck a balance in its game against Allentown Central Catholic on Friday night.
The Patriots scored touchdowns on offense, defense and special teams to produce a dominant 42-7 win over the Vikings in an Eastern Pennsylvania Conference South Division matchup at BASD Stadium.
Half of Freedom’s touchdowns came off of turnovers and the Patriots also blocked a punt and recovered it in the end zone for a special teams score.
“The turnovers, a score on special teams, they’re all momentum-changers,” Freedom coach Jason Roeder said. “At the same time, we were being consistent on offense. (When) all three phases are clicking like that, you’re going to be successful.”
Freedom found the end zone on its first drive, marching 78 yards on 14 plays. On third-and-8 from the Vikings 11, senior quarterback Brian Taylor found junior receiver Jalen Fletcher over the middle for a touchdown.
The Patriots forced their first turnover two plays into Central Catholic’s opening drive when junior Owen Johnson stripped Vikings receiver Nathan Schultz of the football and Joshua Ruela recovered.
“We work at it; we practice tackling every day; we practice forcing the ball out every day,” Roeder said. “When you come out and can have that result in the game, it’s rewarding.”
Six plays later, Deante Crawford scored the first of his three touchdowns on a 6-yard carry. The senior, who finished with 106 rushing yards on 18 carries, credited his line for their effort against the Vikings’ imposing defensive front.
“Like I said before, as long as they can do their job, I can do mine,” Crawford said. “I really appreciate my O-line for doing their job, blocking their guys 2 or 3 yards and me cutting up field making a play.”
Penalties caused both teams to go three-and-out on their next drives, before the Vikings took over at their own 33. Central Catholic was hit with a personal foul on its first play and gained just 1 yard on the next three plays before lining up to punt 12 yards from the end zone.
Freedom junior Alexie Sangster rushed through the line and blocked Luke Myers’ punt before Nick Ellis grabbed the football as it bounced in the end zone to put the Patriots up 21-0 early on in the second quarter.
“I thought we were moving at a different pace tonight. We’re going to continue to look to build on that,” Roeder said.
On the second play of the ensuing possession, Central Catholic quarterback Tamlin Ferguson lofted a pass over the middle and Freedom junior Connor Stofanak made a diving interception.
“During the week, we practice, we all stay focused, we all know what we’re going to do. Coaches did a great job this week of really focusing on turnovers, getting the ball to our offense,” Stofanak said. “Every time that ball came out, I knew I was going for it.”
The Patriots again needed just six plays to extend their lead as Crawford scored on a 4-yard touchdown run to put them up 28-0.
Stofanak put the mercy rule on the table when he picked off Ferguson again on the Vikings’ next possession. On second-and-long from the Patriots 45, Ferguson found himself under pressure and threw a pass to his right that Stofanak caught and sprinted 61 yards down the away sideline for a pick-6.
“It’s huge. They do that every day, they do that every week and I’m so grateful for them because it gives me that chance,” the junior said of Freedom’s pass rush. “I saw the quarterback turn and I was ready for that ball. I knew it was coming and I just went for it.”
Roeder was happy to see Stofanak, who had an interception in the Patriots’ 38-21 win over Nazareth last week, score his first touchdown this season.
“Anything you ask him to do -- he started the year as a corner, now he’s playing some safety; he’ll play on offense; he plays on special teams. He’s just one of those program kids that will do anything you ask him,” the longtime coach said.
Crawford put the finishing touches on the victory with a 1-yard touchdown run on Freedom’s first drive of the second half.
Freedom (4-2) will look for its third straight win when it travels to Whitehall on Friday night.
No fun being No. 1
Central Catholic, which scored when Ferguson connected with Jareel Calhoun on a 23-yard touchdown toss in the third quarter, became the third team in four weeks to lose after holding the top spot in the lehighvalleylive.com rankings.
“I felt the energy right from the start of the game. I like the way we came out and fought and played hard,” Crawford said. “They were No. 1 and knocking them off the charts feels great. It’s a great team win and I’m happy for all my guys.”
The Vikings (4-2) will play at Nazareth on Friday night.
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Desmond Boyle may be reached at dboyle@lehighvalleylive.com.
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