Eagles Can't Evade Sting of Hornets
WINCHESTER, VA.- The Juniata football team lost on the road at Shenandoah University, 48-7, on Saturday afternoon at Glo Fiber Field at Shentel Stadium.
The Eagles started with the ball following a 19-yard kickoff return by Joey Menke that saw them start at their own 29. A facemask penalty and a 16-yard gain by Hunter Wolfley had JC down to the Hornets 38. Juniata would face a fourth and four and go for it, but Wolfley was stopped short of the first down marker.
The Hornets quickly got to work as they used a 54-yard completion to get into the red zone and the next play, they found the endzone on an eight-yard rushing touchdown to make it 7-0.
A blocked punt and two fumbles by Juniata on their next three offensive possessions were turned into touchdowns by Shenandoah, so with just under four to play in the first, the score was 26-0. The Hornets missed an extra point and a two-point attempt.
A Shenandoah safety towards the end of the quarter made it 28-0.
Ethan Shank intercepted a pass at the Juniata 14 on the second-to-last play of the first to get the ball back for the Eagles.
The Juniata offense found some traction as Calvin German completed a pass for 19 yards, and Menke later carried the ball for 25 to move the ball to the Shenandoah 42. The drive eventually stalled out, and JC punted.
The Hornets scored two more touchdowns the rest of the half to push their lead to 42-0.
In the final two minutes, an onside kick saw the Hornets and a run up the middle for 25 yards, putting Shenandoah in the red zone again. The Eagle defense stood stall, stopping a completion for four yards at the one on second down, Ian Brunner stopped the running back for no gain on third, and Michael Grapin stopped the Hornet quarterback for a two-yard loss on fourth down to stop Shenandoah scoring right before the half ended.
The second half was lower scoring, with the hosts scoring the only points of the third on a 12-yard rushing touchdown.
Wolfley scored the only points of the game for the Eagles early in the fourth on a six-yard rush.
Grapin led the team in tackles with nine, to go with two pass breakups, a tackle for loss, and a quarterback hurry. Shank totaled eight tackles and an interception, while Brunner had six tackles, an interception, and a TFL. Dontey Rogan tallied seven tackles, two sacks, and a forced fumble.
Wolfley had 17 carries for 76 yards and a touchdown, while Menke totaled 50 yards on seven carries.
Juniata opens conference play on the road next Saturday when they travel to take on Wilkes in their first-ever Landmark Conference game. Kickoff is at 1:00.