Dominic Giuffre’s return provides big lift as Panthers top Dutchmen, clinch title

By Mike Drago Last updated Oct 23, 2023

Schuylkill Valley Panthers celebrate win at Annville-Cleona. (PhilMarPhoto)

2023 Berks football coverage presented by

Utilities Employees Credit Union

By Mike Drago — MikeDragoSports.com Managing Editor

ANNVILLE — Dominic Giuffre’s lower right arm and wrist are sheathed in a hard cast, the result of a couple broken bones from a hit five weeks ago. The cast makes it difficult to grip or catch a football, but it doesn’t affect his legs. They’re just fine.

The All-State running back showed that Friday when he returned to the lineup for the first time in more than a month and helped carry the Panthers to a pulsating 14-13 victory over Annville-Cleona that clinched at least a share of the Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 5 title.

Giuffre showed off all the moves and speed that helped him rush for over 1,500 yards as a junior. His 60-yard scoring run on the first play of the second half gave the Panthers (6-0, 8-1) the lead for good.

“I just followed ‘Big Sock’ and we were off to the races,” Giuffre said of offensive lineman Theo Wysocki, who provided a key block on a counter that sprung the speedy back into the secondary.

His legs did the rest as he pulled away from Dutchmen defenders, just as he did 30 times a year ago in setting the program scoring record.

“Getting Dom back is amazing,” said quarterback Logan Nawrocki. “He’s an amazing player.”

Without him the last four games the Panthers relied on their defense, and they did again Friday, keeping the league’s No. 1 rushing offense in check.

The rainy conditions seemed to be perfectly suited to Annville-Cleona’s conservative run-oriented offense, and it began to take control of the game with it in the second quarter, when it scored both its TDs.

Theo Wysocki gives Dominic Giuffre a lift after his touchdown run. (PhilMarPhoto)

The Panthers ‘D’ tightened in the second half, when it allowed just 80 yards and forced a punt and turnover on downs on Annville-Cleona’s first two possessions of the third quarter. The Dutchmen got just one more chance with the ball, in the final minutes.

Linebackers Logan Cammauf and Luke Spotts, defensive lineman Nathan Searfoss and defensive back Cooper Hohenadel keyed a defense that limited the Dutchmen to 195 rushing yards – more than 130 below their average – and shut them out in the second half.

“Jeremy’s doing such a fantastic job with that defense,” Harbach said of defensive coordinator Jeremy Crills. “They’re playing lights-out right now.”

The Panthers ‘D’ was put to the test in the final minutes when it had to withstand an Annville-Cleona drive that started at the 6 with 3:17 left and drove into the red zone. The drive was fueled by three 15-yard penalties, the last of which gave the Dutchmen a first down at the 21 with 40 seconds left.

They got no closer as runs on first and third downs netted no gains; quarterback Cameron Connelly spiked the ball on second down to stop the clock.

On fourth down, and with 3.4 seconds left, Mina Elzek attempted a 38-yard field goal that could have won the game. It hooked left and the Panthers were able to celebrate the first title in program history.

“In these conditions, that’s a tough kick,” said Harbach.

The Panthers coach had a chance to send out his field goal unit a few minutes earlier, with a fourth-and-goal at the 6. He went for the touchdown instead but Nawrocki’s pass into the end zone fell incomplete.

“If they went 95 yards in three minutes and beat us, more power to them,” said of his decision.

One of the keys to holding off Annville-Cleona was a 15-play drive that ate up 9 ½ minutes of clock. Nawrocki completed four passes on the drive, two to Giuffre, including a 30-yard catch-and-run to the 18. Giuffre had a team-high four catches, for 56 yards, to go with his game-high 132 rushing yards on 16 carries.

“It’s not just me, it’s us,” Giuffre said. “We did this. It’s something big for us.”

Giuffre fumbled the ball away on his second carry of his night, inside the A-C 10. The Panthers later fumbled the ball away at their own 29, setting up the Dutchmen’s go-ahead TD with 5:39 left in the first half. The snap from center on the ensuing PAT try was fumbled briefly and Cooper Hohenadel stormed in to block the kick. That turned out to be a pivotal play in the game, one of several.

The Panthers got a pair of successful PATs from freshman Reese Wamsher, far from automatic considering the wet conditions.

The win stretched the Panthers’ winning streak to eight games, longest in program history, and matched the program record for most victories in a season. Schuylkill Valley, which will qualify for the District 3 Tournament, has at least two more games to play.

Now the Panthers head to Lancaster Catholic where they’ll wrap up the season with a chance set a program record for wins and gain the section title outright.

“I’m so proud of these kids,” Harbach said. “You can’t ask for a better football game than that . . . two really tough football teams going at it.

“Now we at least have a share of the title, and we don’t want to share it with anybody. We know we have a tough one next week. They’re gonna be prepared for us, but we’re gonna be prepared, too.”

Sebastian Cruz (59) pulls down quarterback Cam Connelly. (PhilMarPhoto)

	1	2	3	4	Final
Schuylkill Valley	7	0	7	0	14
Annville-Cleona	0	13	0	0	13

Scoring summary

1	Schuylkill Valley	Martinez, 18 pass from Nawrocki (Wamsher kick)	9:20
2	Annville-Cleona	Harter, 7 run (Elzek kick)	8:35
2	Annville-Cleona	Connelly, 1 run (kick failed)	5:39
3	Schuylkill Valley	Giuffre, 60 run (Wamsher kick)	11:48

Team statistics

	Schuylkill Valley	Annville-Cleona
First downs	16	14
Rushes-yards	28-195	57-216
Passing yards	130	6
Total yards	325	222
Passes	10-17-0	1-7-0
Fumbles-lost	3-2	2-0
Punts-average	2-31.5	3-36.3
Penalties-yards	9-91	1-11