WPIAL football: Freeport dominates Mount Pleasant in Class 3A opener behind Amos Glenn, run game
-
The Freeport football team and cheerleaders dance together after a win against Mt. Pleasant with a score of 44-20 in a WPIAL Class 3A first-round football game on Friday, Nov. 1, 2024, at Freeport High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
-
Freeport quarterback Drew Ross avoids a tackle for a touchdown against Mt. Pleasant in a WPIAL Class 3A first-round football game on Friday, Nov. 1, 2024, at Freeport High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
-
Freeport quarterback Drew Ross throws a pass to Amos Glenn during the second half of a WPIAL Class 3A first-round football game on Friday, Nov. 1, 2024, at Freeport High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
-
Amos Glenn ran for 189 yards during a WPIAL Class 3A first-round football game on Friday, Nov. 1, 2024, at Freeport High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
BUFFALO TWP — Freeport knows how to stay grounded.
Amos Glenn ran for 189 yards — 126 in the first quarter — and a touchdown while quarterback Drew Ross scampered for 68 yards and three scores Friday night as the Yellowjackets defeated Mount Pleasant 44-20 in a WPIAL Class 3A football playoff game at Freeport Stadium.
The seventh-seeded Yellowjackets (8-3) advance to play at No. 2 seed Central Valley on Nov. 8 in the district quarterfinals. Mount Pleasant ended its season at 5-6.
“We saw on film how tough their line was, and when you have two guys like that running behind it. ... Freeport has a very good football team,” Vikings coach Jason Fazekas said.
Freeport coach John Gailot likes it that way.
“Running the football is what we do here,” Gaillot said. “That goes back to a lot of coaches before we got here. That’s the way Freeport plays football.”
The Yellowjackets scored on their first three possessions — including a 41-yard Judah Thompson field goal — and had a 24-7 lead late in the second quarter.
Mount Pleasant took advantage of a partially blocked punt to take possession at the Yellowjackets’ 18-yard line in the final two minutes. Jarett Garn scored on an 11-yard run with 33 seconds left in the half, giving the Vikings some momentum heading into intermission.
Ross quickly took that away.
On the third snap of the second half, Ross stepped in front of a Cole Chatfield pass along the left sideline and returned the interception 42 yards for a touchdown, giving Freeport a 31-14 lead.
“That play and us scoring on the first possession of the game were our two biggest plays tonight,” Gaillot said.
“My job on that play was to man the slot, guard the flat,” Ross said. “Their quarterback threw that way a little while earlier, and I sensed they were going back to it. I was ready for that play.
“Bryson Paga gave me a great block as I was running down the sideline. I had one guy left to beat, and he took him out.”
The Vikings drove downfield on their next possession. Paga’s sack of Chatfield forced a 34-yard field goal attempt, which Garn drilled wide right. It was the lone blemish on Garn’s night, which included 132 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns, two of them rushing.
“We battled back, but that pick-six was a momentum changer,” Fazekas said. “We figured, if we score coming out of halftime, we’re back to a one-score game. That play changed everything.”
Ross scored on a 20-yard run early in the fourth quarter. The Vikings fumbled away the ensuing kickoff, the Yellowjackets recovering the ball at the Mount Pleasant 36. Ross completed a 25-yard touchdown pass to Paga, and the Freeport lead ballooned to 44-14.
Garn’s final touchdown occurred with 3:24 to play.
Ross threw for 88 yards but enjoyed the running portion of the evening.
“Our offensive line isn’t real big, but we have a bunch of dogs up there who hit hard and aren’t afraid of anything,” he said.
“They controlled things up front on both sides of the ball,” Fazekas said. “We couldn’t really get our running game going. That was a big factor tonight.”
Mount Pleasant 7 7 0 6 — 20
Freeport 17 7 7 13 — 44
First Quarter
F — Drew Ross 10 run (Judah Thompson kick), 9:48
F — Thompson 41 field goal, 4:19
MP — Jarett Garn 58 pass from Cole Chatfield (Garn kick), 3:04
F — Ross 5 run (Thompson kick), :15
Second Quarter
F — Amos Glenn 37 run (Thompson kick), 7:20
MP — Garn 11 run (Garn kick), :33
Third Quarter
F — Ross 42 interception return (Thompson kick), 10:59
Fourth Quarter
F — Ross 20 run (kick blocked), 10:04
F — Bryson Paga 25 pass from Ross (Thompson kick), 7:46
MP — Garn 10 run (kick blocked), 3:24
Individual Statistics
Passing: Mount Pleasant, Cole Chatfield 9-18-159-1. Freeport, Drew Ross 7-11-88-0.
Rushing: Mount Pleasant, Cole Chatfield 4-0, Rage Suchar 3-3, Stephen Predajna 11-43, Jarett Garn 8-37, Brody Hutter 7-23. Freeport, Drew Ross 10-68, Amos Glenn 20-189, Owen Neistein 2-10, TEAM 1-(-3), Brayden Pomaybo 5-17.
Receiving: Mount Pleasant, Brody Hutter 1-11, Jarett Garn 4-78, Jonah Townsend 1-13, Stephen Predajna 1-16, Rage Suchar 1-4, Jacob Kitts 1-27. Freeport, Owen Neistein 2-25, Sean Selinger 2-19, Madden Wisniewski 1-8, Danny King 1-11, Bryson Paga 1-25.
