This District 10 football team seized control of Region 5 Thursday
NORTH EAST ― North East will surely remember the 21st night of September.
The date made famous by Earth, Wind and Fire’s 1978 smash hit “September” will also forever be part of North East football lore. It’s the date that the 2023 Grapepickers took down Fort LeBoeuf (4-1), took control of District 10 Region 5 and continued their local revenge tour.
It wasn’t officially the Region 5 championship game, but everyone at Ted Miller Stadium knew the importance of this one. North East’s defensive front won the all-important line of scrimmage battle and its offense found enough big plays to construct a 14-7 victory.
“We just watched film and played fast,” said senior linebacker Jacob Babo. “(Fort LeBoeuf) was running counters and the quarterback run game, and I think we were just more physical. They got their runs and stuff, but we came back. Everybody is on the same page. Everyone plays fast and hard.”
Winning the trenches
No one had had much success slowing LeBoeuf’s run game before Thursday. The Bison, however, hadn’t yet seen Colin Heaton, Ian Seymour and friends.
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The pair of defensive tackles ate dozens of blocks while North East’s ends and linebackers swarmed the ball. The ‘Pickers bent at times but rarely broke, including a goal-line stand moments after the third-quarter touchdown that put them ahead for good.
“These guys have grit and they keep coming after you,” said North East head coach Jovon Johnson. “If you keep guys out of the end zone … that was basically what won the game. They’re gritty, and I love it.”
Big-play offense
Conner McChesney scored Fort LeBoeuf’s touchdown on a quarterback keeper that capped a long second-quarter drive. North East answered two minutes later with a 16-yard touchdown pass from Jackson Humes to Carter Crozier.
Jamari Curlett broke a 55-yard touchdown run to open the second half. Humes added a two-point conversion since North East had missed an extra point earlier, and with that score the Grapepicker defense had all the help it needed.
More: Erie County's Top Performers, Sept. 18-23
Taking control of Region 5
North East (4-1) is 3-0 in Region 5 with wins over 2022 runner-up LeBoeuf and defending champion General McLane (3-2).
The ‘Pickers still need to beat Corry, Harbor Creek and Fairview if they’re to sweep Region 5 and ensure their first league title in a dozen years. Those three opponents started Friday a combined 3-9.
“We are good when it comes to finishing, but we need to be able to execute,” Johnson said. “We need to figure out a way to continue to build this thing and keep going. We’re at where we want to be right now, but we’re never satisfied.”
North East coaches wore black t-shirts, each with an orange "4" on the front, to show support of Jersey Shore football and Max Engle, a Lycoming County high school player who died Friday, a week after collapsing during a game.
District 10 high school scoreboard: Erie-area sports results, game stats, Sept. 18-23
Contact Jeff Uveino at juveino@timesnews.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter,@realjuveino.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: North East PA football stops Fort LeBoeuf, seizes control of Region 5
