Four first-half TDs by Dominic Giuffre carry Schuylkill Valley past Susquenita
2023 Berks football coverage presented by
Utilities Employees Credit Union
By Andrew Clauser— MikeDragoSports.com correspondent
After an emotional victory teams can be prone to letdowns but that wasn’t the case with Schuylkill Valley and their All-State running back Dominic Giuffre Friday night.
The Panthers followed last week’s thrilling win over Upper Perkiomen with a convincing 48-14 rout of Susquenita in a non-league game at Leesport.
It was Giuffre and the Panthers defense that made sure of it.
The senior running back scored all four of his touchdowns in the first half on the way to a commanding 35-14 lead at the half. He amassed 169-yards on 17 carries and three touchdowns in the first half (232 total rushing yards) but it was his fourth touchdown, a 45-yard Pick Six with 25 second left in the first half that left little doubt the night belonged to the Panthers.
Giuffre lined up as a defensive end in order to put pressure on Gibney. The rest was all football instinct.
“It was a set play for a blitz where I was supposed to disrupt the running back’s route and then rush the quarterback but I locked eyes with the quarterback and grabbed the pass intended for (the running back),” said Giuffre. “I knew I was off to the races at that point.”
That play set the tone for the rest of the game. The Panthers didn’t allow another score. Susquenita passed 41 times and drove the field only to be stopped cold several times.
Schuylkill Valley coach Bruce Harbach was happy with his defense but not happy with the 11 penalties.
“We have to work on our tackling and keeping our hands inside going forward,” Harbach said. “That was a ‘flag-fest’ out there and that cannot happen in league play.”
“Tonight we played good but not great,” said Giuffre. “We have to do better than that.”
Schuylkill Valley wide receiver Kowen Gerner sealed the deal with his second touchdown reception from quarterback Logan Nawrocki to make it 42-14 with 3:46 left in the game.
Teams will try their best to stop Giuffre but Gerner has emerged as a lethal threat at wide receiver. Last week he reeled in the game-winning 33-yard touchdown catch against Upper Perkiomen with little over a minute to go. This week he contributed with two touchdown receptions.
The Panthers (2-1) travel to Kutztown (1-2) next week for their Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 5 opener.
“They are aware of Kutztown’s improvement but I tell them to just play ball,” Harbach said. “Everyone is now 0-0 and it’s play for keeps.”
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final | |
| Susquenita | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| Schuylkill Valley | 14 | 21 | 0 | 13 | 48 |
Scoring summary
| 1 | Schuylkill Valley | Giuffre, 6 run(Wamsher kick) | 9:34 |
| 1 | Susquenita | Swancer, 6 pass from Gibney (Warren kick) | 7:23 |
| 1 | Schuylkill Valley | Gerner, 7 pass from Nawrocki (Wamsher kick) | 3:23 |
| 1 | Susquenita | Jumper, 25 pass from Gibney (Warren kick) | 0:0.0 |
| 2 | Schuylkill Valley | Giuffre, 29 run(Wamsher kick) | 9:55 |
| 2 | Schuylkill Valley | Giuffre, 2 run(Wamsher kick) | 5:45 |
| 2 | Schuylkill Valley | Giuffre, 45 interception return(Wamsher kick) | 0:25.2 |
| 4 | Schuylkill Valley | Gerner, 7 pass from Nawrocki(Wamsher kick) | 3:46 |
| 4 | Schuylkill Valley | Pyle, 48 run(kick failed) | 0:34 |
Team statistics
| Susquenita | Schuylkill Valley | |
| First downs | 12 | 20 |
| Rushes-yards | 15-54 | 39-305 |
| Passing yards | 170 | 111 |
| Total yards | 224 | 416 |
| Passes | 22-41-2 | 9-14-1 |
| Fumbles-lost | 0 | 1-1 |
| Punts-average | 1-42 | 3-32 |
| Penalties-yards | 1-5 | 11-115 |
Individual statistics
RUSHING
Susquenita: Robinson 6-53, Jumper 2-40, Swancer 7-38, Gibney 5-28, Brown 1-6, McKee 1-5.
Schuylkill Valley: Giuffre 26-232, Pyle 1-48, Hohenadel 5-38, Cammauf 2-3, Nawrocki 5-(-16).
PASSING
Susquenita: De. Gibney 22-41-2–170.
Schuylkill Valley: Nawrocki 8-13-1–97, Aletras 1-1-0–14.
RECEIVING
Susquenita: Swancer 7-38, Robinson 6-53, Dr. Gibney 5-28, Jumper 2-40, Brown 1-6, McKee 1-5.
Schuylkill Valley: Gerner 4-33, Spotts 2-24, Lackner 1-25, Giuffre 1-15, Gehret 1-14.
INTERCEPTIONS
Susquenita: Robinson.
Schuylkill Valley: Lackner, Giuffre.
MISSED FIELD GOALS
Susquenita: 29.
