By Matt Vargo
Photos by Nick Williams, Assistant News & Photography Editor
For the ninth consecutive season, the Goal Post Trophy stays in Selinsgrove.
The SU football team defeated Juniata 66-21 Saturday afternoon at Doug Arthur Stadium during Homecoming weekend.
Much like the prior week against Keystone, the River Hawks got off to a blazing start as they led 21-0 with 3:10 remaining in the first quarter and 49-14 at halftime.
After forcing Juniata to punt on their first drive, it took Susquehanna just two plays and 25 seconds to go 46 yards for a score, capped off by a 27-yard touchdown catch by Kyle Howes . The Eagles drove to the River Hawks’ 4-yard line on their next drive, but the defense forced a turnover on downs. What followed was a 96-yard touchdown run by Rahshan La Mons, the longest touchdown run in program history.
The defense soon forced a turnover when Brian Layton forced a sack fumble on Juniata quarterback Calvin German that was recovered by Luke Hughes, and it took just over a minute and three plays for Josh Ehrlich to punch it in with a one-yard touchdown run to make it 21-0.
“I was getting double teamed on the play, I spun out of it, and he just happened to step up as I did so,” Layton said. “I hit him and he just dropped it.”
Once Juniata scored their first touchdown early in the second to cut the deficit to 14, Howes quickly restored order with a 90-yard kickoff return touchdown and La Mons increased the lead even further with another touchdown run, this time from 64 yards out.
From that moment on Juniata never got any closer. Susquehanna tacked on two more touchdowns before the break to lead by 35 points going into the halftime. The River Hawks started the second half with their second-string unit in the game on both sides, and the offense slowed down. However, sophomore running back Matt Surtz managed to break off a 95-yard
touchdown run midway through the third quarter, the team’s third touchdown from 90 plus yards out.
“It was simple draw play just meant to get us out from our own end zone,” Surtz said. “I got through the hole and just kept following my blockers and there was nobody around.”
Surtz’s touchdown run was the second longest run in program history, behind only La Mons’ run from earlier on in the game.
Later in the fourth quarter the River Hawks put their third string guys in the game and tacked on 10 more points to bring it to the 66-21 final score.
La Mons and Surtz each rushed for over 120 yards. La Mons finished with 185 rushing yards and two touchdowns on just six carries, and Surtz rushed for 135 yards and one touchdown on only eight carries. As a team Susquehanna racked up 394 rushing yards and were 62 yards away from tying the program record of 455 rushing yards in a single game, set on October 10, 1998, against Lebanon Valley.
