CONNELLSVILLE, Pa. — Eric Snyder has his first winning streak in his first year as the head coach at University High.
“It’s feels good to finally have one,” Snyder said.
The 12th-ranked Hawks took down Connellsville (Pa.) 31-13 on Friday, doing it with a mixture of offense, defense and special teams.
The offense came first, as the Hawks (4-3) — winners of two straight now — jumped out to a 14-0 lead behind a touchdown run from freshman Brody Kehler and a TD grab by Hayden George.
“We were extremely efficient early on,” Snyder said. “Then it was kind of like we forgot what to do after that.
“We started having some severe mistakes on offense on how to distribute the football to our guys.”
UHS got just enough movement late in the second half for Brady Goodenow to nail a 30-yard field goal for a 17-0 halftime lead.
The Falcons put together a scoring drive to start the second half, then made the game interesting by returning an interception for a touchdown.
That’s when the UHS defense came into play.
Sophomore defensive back Jaedyn Katchur picked up a fumble and returned it for a touchdown for a 24-13 lead.
“Our defense really stepped up and took control,” Snyder said. “Our special teams were getting hands on punts to set us up with better field position.
“Jaedyn is a kid everyone really loves. Everyone really likes being around him, so it was great to see him get that touchdown on defense.”
Kehler added a second scoring run late in the fourth quarter to seal the game. George also added an interception — his third in two weeks — on defense.
UHS now has a road date to play at No. 1-ranked Spring Mills next Friday.
