Serra Catholic gets offense in high gear to run past Yough

By: Jose Negron
Friday, October 6, 2023 | 11:52 PM

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Serra Catholic showcased its ability to effectively throw and run the football in an Allegheny Conference win Friday night.

Quadir Stribling threw for four touchdowns, including three in the second half, and Mason Jones ran for two first-half scores in the Eagles’ 40-12 road victory over Yough on Cougar Mountain.

Serra (2-4, 2-1), which has won back-to-back games after an 0-4 start, finished with 474 yards of total offense. That output included a first half in which the Eagles outgained the Cougars, 290-134.

“This one gave our boys a lot of confidence,” Serra Catholic coach Jose Regus said. “We’re playing as a unit, and we’re jelling nicely. That’s something I want to see continue.”

Stribling completed 20 of 23 passes for 357 yards. He connected with Chris Warren on a 46-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter before adding third-quarter scoring strikes to De’reon Washington and Jesere Young. Washington’s touchdown went for 65 yards, and Young had scores of 11 and 9 yards.

Warren finished with six catches for 151 yards, all of which came in the first half, and Washington compiled four catches for 99 yards. Young had 70 yards on five receptions.

“Quadir has a great relationship with all the receivers,” Regus said. “When they’re on, this group can really be on, and I like when they’re on. It’s great to see it all working.”

While the Eagles thrived through the air, they didn’t lack success on the ground.

Jones led the charge with 15 carries for 65 yards and a pair of 1-yard TD runs in the second quarter. As a team, Serra totaled 117 rushing yards.

“We mixed things up and used some things we haven’t quite done yet,” Regus said. “It was nice to be able to have that balance.”

On the other side, the Cougars (2-5, 1-3) relied heavily on the run game with 218 yards on the ground. They didn’t have as much success through the air, though, as they didn’t complete a pass in 11 attempts.

“Once you become one-dimensional, it hurts you when you’re down by multiple scores,” Yough coach Ben Hoffer said. “We had to be able to execute (in the pass game), but we’re not there yet.”

Yough set the tone from the opening kickoff, as a 36-yard return by Mikey Nogy gave the home team quality field position.

The Cougars capped an eight-play, 56-yard drive with a 7-yard touchdown run by Nogy, who added a 20-yard gain a few plays prior. Shane Swope contributed with a 24-yard run to help set up the opening score.

After 40 unanswered points by the visitors, Yough finally scored again in the fourth quarter on a 5-yard run by Antonio Marra.

“We started out strong there on that first drive,” Hoffer said. “Jose is a great coach, and they adjusted. Their athletes just made more plays than ours did.”

Serra Catholic hosts Ligonier Valley next week, and Yough heads to Apollo-Ridge.

Tags: Serra Catholic, Yough