Promising season ends with one-point loss for Gateway football

By: Michael Love
Sunday, November 15, 2020 | 11:01 AM

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Gateway’s bid for a second straight WPIAL Class 5A championship and third title in four seasons came to an end by the slimmest of margins in the semifinals Nov. 6.

The Gators and Peters Township now have played two one-point games the past two years.

Last year, Gateway won 21-20 in the WPIAL title game. This year, at Gateway’s Antimarino Stadium, the Indians got a measure of revenge with a 20-19 come-from-behind victory.

Gateway saw its 22-game home win streak come to an end.

The winning score came on a 4-yard touchdown pass from Logan Pfeuffer to Corban Hondru with 4.7 seconds left. The Gators led 19-0 at halftime.

Gateway, the No. 2 seed behind Pine-Richland in the Class 5A bracket, started the playoffs with a 14-0 quarterfinal victory over Penn Hills.

Against Peters Township, Jayson Jenkins kicked field goals of 40 and 29 yards, while Diego Bledsoe returned an interception 35 yards for a touchdown, and Jayden Hurt caught an 8-yard pass for a score from quarterback Carsen Engleka.

Jenkins missed two field goals in the second half.

Gators defensive back Chamor Price had what was thought to be a game-clinching 75-yard interception return for a touchdown with less than a minute left. However, Price was called for pass interference, and the Peters Township game-winning drive continued.

Engleka was 15 for 35 for 142 yards for Gateway. He finished the season with 1,054 yards passing and 12 touchdowns against three interceptions.

Gateway star Derrick Davis, who verbally committed to LSU on Nov. 7, led the Gators with 108 yards rushing on 18 carries. He had a 56-yard touchdown run in the first half brought back by a holding penalty.

Davis finished his final high school season with 747 yards rushing and 11 touchdowns to go with 178 receiving yards and a score.

Price and junior Patrick Body led the receiving corps with a combined 33 catches for 610 yards and eight touchdowns.

Gateway’s season ended at 5-1 overall. The Gators opened with wins over Franklin Regional and Bethel Park, had a three-week covid-related break from game action and came back to close the regular season with victories over Woodland Hills and Connellsville.

Over the past four years, the Gators compiled an overall record of 43-7 with the two WPIAL titles and two semifinal appearances. The 2020 seniors are the winningest class in the history of Gateway football.

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.

Tags: Gateway