Recap By Matthew Ober

Donegal starts off the Anthony Sottasante Era with a 27-0 shutout of rival Elizabethtown

 

Friday night was week 1 of a brand-new football season for LL/Berks high school teams. It was also the start of a brand-new era for Donegal as new head coach Anthony Sottasante made his coaching debut at Donegal Athletic Complex. Rival Elizabethtown would be the opponent and they have had the Indians number winning the last 6 matchups.

 

First game jitters were evident in the first couple minutes of this clash but it was Donegal that would strike first when running back Deandre White would get through the hole on the left side, run through a tackler and end up outrunning the Bears defense on his way to the endzone from 38 yards out. A completed 2-point conversion made it 8-0 with 6 minutes left in the opening quarter and the new era was off to a promising start for the Indians. The 2nd score would come in the opening minute of the 2nd quarter when first year starting QB Brock Hammaker hit Rueben Mumper on a go route in the endzone from 37 yards out making the score 15-0. Later in the 2nd quarter, Brock Hammaker would get his 2nd TD of the night on a QB sneak from 1 yard out after a long drive by the Indians which took many minutes off the scoreboard. The score would be 21-0 and that’s how the score would stand at the end of the 1st half of this rivalry matchup.

 

Donegal would receive the 2nd half kickoff and the first game jitters hit both teams again this quarter with multiple changes of possession and a record amount of flags. The scoring drought would be broken late in the 4th quarter on a well-executed pitch play as Rueben Mumper zigged and zagged his way through the defense for his 2nd TD of the night bringing the score to 27-0 which would be the final score of this game. The win gives Donegal its first one against Etown since 2015 and gives Coach Sottasante his first as Indians Head Coach.

 

Donegal looks to take this positive momentum over the Susquehanna River as they face York Suburban in Week 2. Etown looks to regroup and even up their record as they welcome McCaskey in their home opener.