Eagles Fall to Gettysburg on Homecoming
HUNTINGDON, Pa.- The Juniata football team battled hard but ultimately lost to visiting Gettysburg, 40-14, Saturday afternoon at Knox Stadium.
Noah Wright was 23 for 42 for 315 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions. Julian Jackson had a career day catching the ball as he caught six passes for 129 yards and a touchdown. Chris Mignanelli had five catches for 63 yards, while Sean Hakanson had six for 43 yards. On defense, Jake Matchock led all players with 12 total tackles. Seth Bernstein had half a sack along with 11 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss. JR Harrison added an interception.
Juniata started with the ball, but the offense couldn't find any traction, so they had to punt from their 16. Wyatt Buell booted a punt 46 yards to the Gettysburg 38. The Bullets took the ball and drove 62 yards in nine plays, scoring on a seven-yard TD pass. The extra point bounced off the upright, so they stayed at six.
The teams traded punts for a bit, with a Seth Bernstein TFL on third down ending a Gettysburg drive.
Following an Eagle punt, Gettysburg took over at their 45, and on the second play from scrimmage, their running back burst through a hole as he took the ball 55 yards for six. The Bullets led 13-0 after one.
The Eagles scored the lone touchdown of the second quarter late. Juniata started at their own three with seven minutes showing on the clock and used several Hunter Wolfley runs to get out of the shadow of their own endzone. A 15-yard reception by Jackson, a 14-yard reception by Hakanson, and a crucial ten yard-reception by Dylan Sweger on fourth and three kept the drive alive. On the next play, Wright broke the pocket and scrambled to his left before he found Jackson open down the left sideline. Jackson hauled in the pass and ran it in to put JC on the board with a minute 38 seconds to go in the half. Alex Mullin's kick made it 13-7.
Gettysburg threatened to score as they drove down the field. They eventually lined up a 27-yard field goal; their kicker pushed right of the uprights, so the Eagles trailed by seven at the break.
The Bullets took over in the second half, scoring 20 unanswered points between the third and early stages of the fourth quarter.
Juniata scored their final points of the game on the next drive; Wright found Sweger and Wolfley for back-to-back 20-yard completions that culminated in a 15-yard TD pass to Cameron Fabian.
Gettysburg scored the game's final points on a pick-six in the last two minutes to close the scoring.
The Eagles will travel to take on 1-3 Moravian next Saturday at noon.