Playoff victory provides memorable night for Leechburg faithful

By: George Guido
Wednesday, November 10, 2021 | 9:47 AM

They came early … and they stayed late.

That’s the best way to describe the Leechburg football faithful and the atmosphere surrounding the first home playoff game in the history of Leechburg Veterans Stadium and the first WPIAL playoff victory since 1978.

The Blue Devils broke open a close game with two touchdowns in 91 seconds in the fourth quarter to defeat California, 28-7, last Friday.

The fans, with not much to cheer about over the better part of 30 years, are looking to make 2021 a seasonlong celebration of Blue Devils football.

Fans gathered outside the gate more than 90 minutes before kickoff and poured in continuously. Ex-players and others who hadn’t seen a game in years were seen shaking hands and renewing old acquaintances. Everybody had their own story about the glory days of Leechburg football. Some of the stories gained enhancement over the years — but who was keeping track?

And the stories were abundant.

Between 1963 and 1982, had the WPIAL allowed the top four conference finishers to make the playoffs, Leechburg would have qualified 12 times in 20 seasons.

The Blue Devils won WPIAL titles in 1953, ’65 and ’66. The 1965 team was coached by Frank Cignetti, who went on to coach at West Virginia and IUP, among other stops.

The 75-year-old stadium was rocking by the time the kickoff rolled around.

Leechburg scored on its second possession, driving 60 yards in 14 plays. The key to the drive was a fourth-and-8 conversion in which quarterback Thomas Burke III threw an 11-yard completion to promising freshman Jayden Floyd at the California 20.

Braylan Lovelace capped the drive with a 1-yard burst. But on the extra-point attempt, the snap was botched, and Burke, the holder, had the presence of mind to fire the ball into the end zone to Floyd — and the feeling prevailed that it would be Leechburg’s night.

Two field goals by Jake Schuffert gave the Blue Devils a 14-7 halftime lead.

With Leechburg leading 14-7 at the half, the real drama came in the third quarter.

The Trojans took the kickoff and drove to the Leechburg 9 but lost yardage on the following three plays and were assessed a 10-yard holding penalty. On fourth-and-goal at the 27, Eli Rich and Jacob Reinke hurried quarterback Hunter Assad, resulting in an incomplete pass, and California came up empty after 15 plays.

The Trojans again drove to the Leechburg 18 before Rich and Reinke took over again, forcing California to yield the ball on downs.

The Blue Devils then drove 71 yards for a score and a strip and fumble recovery by Tino DeCapite led quickly to Lovelace’s 56-yard run to put the game away.

“Once the defense made those stops, we got a little bit going on offense,” Blue Devils coach Randy Walters said. “The ‘D’ stood up and made some big plays when they had to.”

Burke put things in perspective.

“Last time Leechburg won a playoff game, the players weren’t even thought of,” he said.

“We’re all working hard, and it’s amazing what we’re doing,” Rich said.

Long after the game, fans milled around, taking pictures with players and soaking it all in.

It was like they didn’t want to leave, hoping it wouldn’t be a long time again between playoff wins.

No. 7 Leechburg will now try to win two playoff games in the same postseason for the first time this Friday against No. 2 Cornell.

Tags: Leechburg