Gateway reclaims "Victory Bell" with 21-10 win over Penn-Trafford

HARRISON CITY, Pennsylvania - Since 1924, it has been a well-known tradition that when Penn-Trafford and Gateway square off in football that the winning team has the honor of ringing the “Victory Bell”.

Behind a dominant defensive performance, Gateway defeated Penn-Trafford 21-10 to claim the bell.

“Honestly, it’s amazing to get the bell back,” Gateway senior Racari El said. “We haven’t beaten them in three years.”

Early in the first quarter, Penn-Trafford was deep in its own territory about to punt, but punter Brady Paliscak couldn’t handle the snap properly. As he didn’t have time to punt the ball off in time, he tried to run for the first down, but was denied quickly as El tackled him to the ground.

The misplayed snap gave Gateway good field position, and they were able to capitalize on the ensuing offensive drive as quarterback Brad Birch hit Anez Jordan for a 17-yard touchdown pass to give the Gators a 7-0 lead.

Things started to look good for the Warriors as in the final two minutes of the first quarter in which they were able to convert on a 25-yard field goal and Nolan Marasti was able to pick off Birch.

No scoring occurred in the second quarter as both teams traded interceptions as Marasti picked off Birch again while Dallas Harper acrobatically with one hand was able to pick off Warriors quarterback Conlan Greene as they were driving down the field.

Greene, a Temple commit, was missing two of his Top 3 receivers in the game as Tommy Kalkstein and Jacob Otto did not play due to injuries but Greene was still able to pass the ball, completing 11 of 27 passes for 165 yards.

Trailing 7-3 at the half, Penn-Trafford got the ball to start the third quarter. But a turnover on downs when Greene scrambled and couldn’t pick up a fourth down conversion gave the ball back to Gateway.

It resulted in Gateway marching down the field and taking a 14-3 lead on a 4-yard touchdown run by Jaquon Reynolds. He had 86 yards rushing on 23 carries in the game.

Overall, the entire game was made up of Penn-Trafford continuing to make mistakes that Gateway benefited from.

With the Warriors trailing by 11 in the fourth quarter, it looked like they had a glimpse of life for a moment as Gateway was faced with a fourth-and-9 from Penn-Trafford’s 39-yard line and Birch threw an incomplete pass that was intended for Jordan.

Penn-Trafford got the ball back and started its drive with Greene seeing his starting running back Tasso Whipple open down the field on the play. Greene threw a perfectly thrown ball for a potential touchdown to put the Warriors back in the game, but it was dropped.

The Warriors continued to move the ball down the field on the drive.

However, Greene threw his second interception of the night. It was a costly turnover, as Remy Bose was able to pick it off and return it 65 yards to the endzone giving the Gators their biggest lead of the night at 21-3.

In the final two minutes of the game, Penn-Trafford was able to trim the lead down by marching down the field and capping the drive off with Greene throwing an 11-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Anthony.

But the Warriors couldn’t recover the onside kick, essentially ending the game right there.

Gateway will travel to McKeesport next week in a non-conference matchup. Even with the game not being against a conference foe, it is still an important one for the Gators to see how they match up with the playoffs on the horizon.

“It’s going to be a dog fight, it’s going to be a competitive game,” Reynolds said. “It’s just another step for us in trying to win a WPIAL and PIAA title. We need those championships again badly.”