Falcon Sr. League Youth Football Team and Cheerleaders pose for a Championship photo.
Sr. Team Members Include: 0 Myeles Spencer, 1 Jase Murray ,2 Ike Ielase, 5 Izak Murray, 8 Robert Best, 11 Harold Anger , 15 Jackson Buzard , 17 Noah Switzer, 18 Landon Eile, 20 Jacob Long, 21 Trapper Lowers, 23 Maverick Jenkins , 27 Corbett Franklin, 30 Mica Fletcher, 31 Daniel Richmond, 32 Gavin Lutz, 44 Kolson Babcock, 49 Erik Fischli, 51 Joe Bartle, 52 Jacob Dehar, 61 Crew Adams, 71 Weston Wingard, 72 James Tedeski, 90 Jace Ree, 92 Elijah Elliot, 94 Brody Myers. Head Coach: Jake Dehart, Asst. Coaches: Kip Babcock, Larry Long, and Paul Murray.
Run Game, Blocked Punt, and Jacob Long contribute to Falcon Victory!
Some games just don’t live up to the hype – But this one did! AC Valley vs Clarion Limestone in the Senior Superbowl. A-C Valley had a win over CL in the regular season but lost to Armstrong. CL beat Armstrong in the regular season, so this was billed as a marquee match up and the hype was on the spot. If you found parking, and hoofed your way over to the East Brady football field on Saturday afternoon you witnessed some great football.
Some will say the AC Valley run game made all the difference, while others will say it was the big plays on defense late in the game. Some might think it was a matter of clock management and coaching, but people on the A-C Valley side of the stadium also know that AC-Valley has a not-so-secret weapon, and that’s the voice of the amazing Jacob Long.
Every player and coach of the Falcons believes Jacob to be a significant factor of their success. Every time Jacob sings the National Anthem the Falcons win.
Each team would punt the ball after their opening drive, and it would eventually be CL that would strike first, on an unbelievable 81-yard run by Zach Raymond as the 1st quarter clock expired. Zach Raymond used to be a Falcon, and so all the kids know Zach and remain friends with him, so it was a little bittersweet to see him score for CL. The score would be 6-0 CL as their two point try failed.
The Falcons answered right back on their next possession, when Ike Ielase outran the Wildcat defense on a 50-yard sprint. A-C Valley missed their two point try and the game was knotted at 6-6. Neither team would score again despite some fine offensive efforts on both sides, but the defense of each team was just a step ahead to keep the game tied. A-C Valley had success throwing the ball in the first half as Jase Murray completed passes to both Landon” Hawk” Eiler and Ielase but failed to produce a score. The Falcon run game, led by Ike Ielease, Robert Best and Landon “Hawk” Eiler was effective, but the CL defense held up and there were a few costly penalties by the Falcons that would aid in keeping them out of the end zone.
In quarter 3 there was no scoring until about the 7:59 mark when Zach Raymond shot through the Falcon defense for a second time, this one for a 35-yard TD. He also ran in the two-point conversion to put the CL Wildcats up 14-6. However, the Falcons would quickly answer again, and it was Ielease again on a 29-yard TD run to make it 14-12 Wildcats. The Falcons were looking to tie the game up with a 2-point conversion but again failed to push it across the goal line and CL held the lead going into the 4th quarter.
The Wildcats would again come dangerously close to breaking out for additional scoring, but the tough defensive play led by Weston Wingard, Crew Adams and Noah Switzer and Myles Spencer. The Falcons were also on pace offensively late in Q4 and it looked like they might be in route to a go-ahead TD, but the Wildcats forced a fumble.
As the clock started to become a factor the Falcons defense picked up the tempo. They played like their lives were on the line. I saw these kids just take their focus to another level. A lot of that comes down to leadership and you could see that by the way the coaching staff communicates with the kids that it keeps them focused but doesn’t take away from the intensity and their energy. I could also see that a no time did this group of 25 kids think that the outcome of this game would be anything other than a win. This is what we’ve been looking for in the culture of ACV football which extends to the Union-AC Valley football. A culture that expects to win, that knows how to win, and kids that don’t except losses, and if they do fall, they live by the creed that if you’re not winning you better be learning.
As noted, the defense was strong all game only allowing former teammate Zach Raymond to rip off a couple big plays, but perhaps the biggest play of the game was courtesy of Noah Switzer. After the defense held the Wildcats deep in their own territory as an answer to fumbling the ball away, CL was forced to punt. Switzer broke through the line and blocked the punt and recovered it on the Wildcat 11-yard line with the 4th quarter clock ticking down. “They (CL) were double teaming me” Switzer recalled, “I just knew I wanted to run them over and I did, and I threw my hands up. The ball actually hit off my facemask” he said.
After getting the ball back Murray commanded the offense with guidance from Coaches Dehart and Babcock. Myles Spencer who saw only 4 carries on the day was able to make the 4th one a charm when he scored on a 7-yard run with just 2:52 left in the game to push the Falcon to the lead 18-14. “I saw the defense formation and knew the weak side was going to be open, so I followed the block and ran to the endzone”, recalled Spencer. The two-point conversion was critical now. it would make the Wildcats need both a TD and a two-point conversion to take the lead.
The Falcons failed to convert two earlier PATs on the ground, so they drew up a pass play for Murray to hit Kolson Babcock for a good two points. The score was 20-14 Falcons. The Falcons would hold the Wildcats and take over on downs. With 5.9 seconds left in the game and CL out of time outs the young Falcons remained focused and finally found themselves in a victory formation, Murray took a knee and after a brief celebration, the teams shook hands and congratulated each other on a well-played game.
Offensively the Falcons had over 300 yards of offense. Jase Murray completed 4 passes for 53 yards and had 11 yards rushing. The Falcon’s leading rusher was Ike Ielase who racked up 136 yards and 2 TDs. Robert Best (48 yards), Landon “Hawk” Eiler (31 yards) and Myles Spenser (23 yards and 1 TD) complemented Ielase in the ground game. Eiler caught 3 passes for 37 yards and Ielase 1 for 16 yards. Crew Adams had 31 yards on 2 kick returns for the Falcons.
Weston Wingard led the Falcons in tackles with 11 including 3 for losses (TFL). Crew Adams brought down Wildcats 10 times. Noah Switzer had 8 tackles, one TFL, a QB sack and a blocked punt. Jacob Dehart, Myles Spencer, Landon Eiler, Kolson Babcock, and Jase Murray all had 8 tackles apiece. Eiler was also able to recover a fumble. Adams, Spencer, Babcock, and Murray were all able to record a TFL.
This group of kids just have a special chemistry, and their sports careers going into Junior High and Varsity should be something parents, fans and coaches are excited about. They are incredibly competitive, and they work hard, have high football IQs. They listen to their coaches. This is the second Championship this year for a large group of the team. Back in the summer they also were baseball champions.
I am thankful that there were no serious injuries, and the game had good sportsmanship. While we are not always in agreement with the guys wearing black and white stripes, the crew that officiated this game is pretty no nonsense. They care about the health and safety of the teams, and they care about their growth and development. Hats off to them. Also, another shout out to the leadership and dedication of coaches Jake Dehart, Kip Babcock, Larry Long and Paul Murray. Thanks to all the parents who made the season possible. A thank you to the Union SD, specifically Scott Kindel, for the cooperative efforts to ensure the Falcons had a field to call home this season.
Keep supporting these kids, their potential is limitless. Keep the winning culture at hand.
CONGRATULATIONS 2024 Superbowl Champs – A-C Valley Falcons!