Epps brilliant as South Allegheny beats South Park
By ASHLEY CHASE
MVI Sports
South Allegheny got the win it needed Friday to keep any hopes alive for a wild card appearance in the WPIAL Class 3A playoffs.
A gladiator-like effort from senior running back Antonio Epps on senior night gave South Allegheny a much-needed 14-7 win over South Park at Glassport Stadium.
Epps had rushed for 676 yards in just five games coming into the night and needed 216 to break the school’s long-standing single-season record. He came up just shy of that mark in an impressive 197-yard outing and scored both South Allegheny touchdowns. He also hauled in a game-saving interception with less than five minutes to play.
“Antonio is a heck of a young man,” said Gladiators head coach Frank Cortazzo. “We knew that this is not just his record, it’s a team record. It’s been around for 23 years, since I played back in the day. The kids were up for this, they wanted to see him walk away with it and go get the W.”
The Gladiators opening the game on a six-play 2:46 drive that resulted in an 11-yard touchdown run by Epps. A botched snap on the point after try led to a conversion attempt that fell incomplete.
Then the scoring came to a grinding halt.
South Allegheny and South Park traded turnovers, keeping each other off the scoreboard for the remainder of the first half.
South Park running back Alex Yanity fumbled twice and both times the ball was recovered by Gladiators’ junior Dillion Hynes. Between those drives, South Allegheny also fumbled and South Park recovered, but none of the first half turnovers resulted in points.
South Park was looking at a lengthy drive to score to end the first half, but an Adam Johnson fumble was recovered by the Gladiators with 27 seconds left. South Allegheny worked quickly to get in position, but after spiking the ball with what appeared to be :01 on the clock, the officials ruled that time had expired and the Gladiators didn’t get their shot.
South Park looked more comfortable in the third quarter, putting together a lengthy drive. Going for it on fourth and inches, Johnson was stopped by the Gladiators’ defense.
With the ball in the hands of Epps, who amassed 142 yards in the first half, the Gladiators marched back into the end zone with 1:06 to play in the third on a 6-yard carry. This time, the conversion worked, with Epps getting into the end zone, taking ownership of all 14 points scored by South Allegheny, running behind a solid Gladiators blocking crew that consisted of everyone from offensive lineman to wide receivers.
“Louis Campano, Will Hynes, Eric Park, Travis Mullen, Damon Campano, those guys have really worked very hard. They’re the key to it. If the get some blocks, the sky’s the limit,” said Cortazzo.
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