HUNTINGDON, PA- Juniata had two drives in Moravian territory late in the fourth quarter but both ended on turnovers as the visiting Greyhounds defeated the Eagles 27-21 at a cold Knox Field on Saturday afternoon. The loss drops JC to 4-5 overall and 3-5 in the Centennial Conference while Moravian improves to 5-4 and 4-4 in the conference.
Quarterback Ward Udinski (Doylestown, PA/Central Bucks West) accounted for all three of Juniata's touchdowns but threw three interceptions including two in the fourth quarter. He was 28-of-42 for 257 yards and rushed for 112 yards on the ground.
The game started off well for the Eagles as they scored on their opening drive. Udinski completed a 36-yard pass on the first play from scrimmage to Aaron O'Brien (York, PA/York Catholic) to move to the Moravian 26. Completions to Kirby Breault, O'Brien, and Breault again brought the Eagles down to the Greyhound 6. After being stopped for no gain, Udinski then took it in himself for the touchdown as JC went ahead 7-0.
The Hounds started their first drive on their own 22. The Eagles' defense forced a three and out and Moravian had to punt. On the attempt, punter Jimmy McCarthy ran for 24 yards down to the 49 to give Moravian a first down. The Greyhounds found new life and the drive ended with a one-yard Chris Negron touchdown and with 8:42 left in the first quarter, the game was tied 7-7.
Juniata responded back as Udinski ran it in again from six yards out to put the Eagles back on top 14-7. Moravian had a response with a Mike Hayes seven-yard run but Gonzalo Hurtado missed the extra point and the Eagles led 14-13.
On its next series, Andre Pendleton would be stripped of the ball by Moravian's Noah Miller and the Hounds would recover on the Juniata 17. Three plays later, Negron ran it in from the one and with McCarthy's two-point conversion, Moravian led 21-14 with 12:16 to play in the second quarter.
Both teams exchanged punts and the Eagles had the ball with just under four minutes remaining in the half. JC moved to the Moravian 20, but two penalties backed it up to its own 44. Udinski's 14-yard completion to Alston moved the Eagles to the Greyhounds' 42 with two second left. Udinski heaved up a Hail Mary but the pass was knocked down and Moravian went into the locker room up 21-14.
In the third quarter, Negron rushed three times to move the Greyhounds up to their own 42. The Juniata defense stepped up big as Andrew Racobaldo's 36-yard completion ended with a forced fumble by Demetrius Floyd (Corapolis, PA/West Allegheny) and recovery by Charles Sweigert (Lancaster, PA/Lancaster Catholic) as the Eagles set up shop at its own 22. Juniata pushed the ball to get to midfield, but the drive stalled as they were forced to punt.
After a Moravian punt, Juniata took over at its own 27. On a first and 10 from their 39, Udinski found Colton Myers (State College, PA/State College HS) who ran 29 yards before stepping out of bounds at the Moravian 32. Juniata gained 32 yards on the ground that ended with Udinski taking to the endzone from six yards out and with Kevin Bonalle's (Lebanon, PA/Cedar Crest) extra point, the contest was tied 21-21 with 3:04 to play in the third quarter.
The Greyhounds took over with 2:57 left in the third period. Moravian drove to the Juniata 6 and looked to regain the lead but Hayes' pass was intercepted by Nick Stubbs (Hagerstown, MD/South Hagerstown) in the endzone and the Eagles had possession at their own 20 early in the fourth quarter.
The Eagles' drive did not last long as Udinski's pass was picked off by Chris McGrath who returned it 13 yards to the JC 47. The Hounds took advantage of the miscue as Hayes hooked up with Jalen Snyder-Scipio for 15 yards and the touchdown to move the Greyhounds ahead 27-21 with 9:56 to play in the game.
Juniata looked to answer back. Starting at its own 20 following a holding penalty, Udinski led the Eagles down the field and into Moravian territory. The Greyhounds put an end to the JC threat as Udinski was intercepted by McCarthy at the Moravian 10.
The Eagles forced a three and out and took over at its own 47 after the punt. On first down, Isaiah Slutter ( Philadelphia, PA/Wallenpaupack Area) ran for 17 yards to the Moravian 36 but a holding penalty brought the ball back to the 37. On third and seven from the 39, Moravian's Chris McGrath stepped in front of a Udinski pass as the Greyhounds took over with just over a minute to play. Moravian ran out the clock to seal the win.
"I felt we didn't have the discipline to execute and that's on me," said head coach Tim Launtz afterwards. "Our kids gave the effort and they were tough. In retrospect, our kids came to play 60 minutes of football but we had the disciplinary issues with penalties but the effort and toughness was all there."
O'Brien caught a season-high 10 passes for 94. Deonte Alston (Bel-Air, MD/Patterson Mill) had six catches for 42 yards along with 30 yards on the ground. Breault added four grabs for 42 yards.
Defensively, the Eagles were led by Ryan Bologa's (Douglassville, PA/Daniel Boone HS) 11 tackles. Ethan Wilt (Altoona, PA/Altoona Area HS) added 10 stops and had one tackle for a loss. "Our defense had the opportunities in the second half with stops at crucial times and as a whole played a great game," noted Launtz.
Prior to the game, 14 seniors were honored. Udinski, Wilt, Slutter, Stubbs, Myers, Hunter Phillips (Funkstown, MD/South Hagerstown HS), Ken Kysor (Port Allegheny, PA/Port Allegheny), Kyle Schuck (Selinsgrove, PA/Selinsgrove), Derek Schultz (Edinboro, PA/General McLane), Coleman Rigg (Bellefonte, PA/Bellefonte HS), Cody Johnson (Bushkill, PA/East Stroudsburg Area HS), Matt Kolp (Marietta, PA/Donegal HS), and Ethan Cree (Glasgow, PA/Glendale) all graduate with at least 15 career wins under their belts and an ECAC Bowl Appearance.
Juniata will conclude its regular season next Saturday at Susquehanna in the annual Goal Post game. Kickoff will be at 1 p.m.