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Coach Jim Wells applauds his team as they get off the bus at the Hangout in Edinboro.
 

Astorino 3 TDs, Ryan Skelton 1 TD

GM's Lancers control game, beat Thomas Jefferson to reach final

By BoroOnline.com staff

PITTSBURGH (Dec. 9) -- The weather forecast was sunny and the General McLane Lancers burst out to a 28-7 victory over top-ranked and previously unbeaten Thomas Jefferson on Saturday, Dec. 9, at North Allegheny High School in Wexford.

Next stop: Hershey and the PIAA Class AAA championship game at 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 15, at Hersheypark Stadium.

"We're just real excited by our effort," said Head Coach Jim Wells, talking by cell phone Saturday evening from the bus heading up Interstate 79 toward home. He applauded his team's efforts on both offense and defense.

"We out-physicaled a very good Thomas Jefferson team," he added.

In fact, the Lancers burst their opponent's defensive average of 7.3 points per game, and used their own defense to shut down the WPIAL champion's 36-plus points per game offensive average.

The Lancers took charge of the game in the first half, scoring twice on their first two possessions and taking a 14-0 lead into the locker room at the break. And though Thomas Jefferson got on the board in the second half with a touchdown, the Jaguars couldn't derail McLane, as the Lancers scored two more touchdowns of their own, again on their first two drives of the half.

Score by quarters

GM 14 0 14 0 -- 28

TJ 0 0 7 0 -- 7

Rushing, scoring

Astorino -- 177 yards, 3 TDs

5-yard run (first quarter)

23-yard run (third quarter)

11-yard run (third quarter)

R. Skelton -- 108 yards, 1 TD

11-yard run (first quarter)

 

Other playoff score

Class AAA

Pottsville 17 Redland 7
 
         

Senior Drew Astorino, recently named a District 10 all-region offensive and defensive all-star by the Erie Times-News, scored three touchdowns for GM. Junior Ryan Skelton, another of the Lancers to win Region 6 laurels, scored the other touchdown for McLane. And senior Brad Callan, still another all-star, had seven solo tackles in the game, including one that kept a Thomas Jefferson running back out of the end zone on a fourth-and-goal play at the end of the first half.

Overall, GM outdistanced Thomas Jefferson 316 to 248 in total yards.

The game had originally been scheduled for Friday, Dec. 8, but a frozen field forced the game to be postponed to a 1 p.m. Saturday start.

The Lancers will now play Pottsville (13-2), which did play and win its semifinal game Friday night against Redland, 17-7. GM's record is now 12-2, while Thomas Jefferson, the 2004 state champions, finished its season 14-1.

And Coach Wells. He planned to be breaking down film shortly after his return to Edinboro to get started preparing for next week.

Click here for stats from Friends of Lancer Football.

Click here for Friends of Lancer Football home page.

  
   
Earlier playoff games
Lancers 14 Titusville 7 Lancers 19 Strong Vincent 7 Lancers 14 Oliver 6
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