Pryor leads decisive Jeannette victory
Jeannette quarterback Terrelle Pryor turned in what might have been the best game of his high school football career Thursday night, and he did it in front of a crowd of more than 7,500 people that included Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel and basketball Thad Matta.
Terrelle Pryor didn't disappoint anyone while leading Jeannette to a 42-6 victory over Greensburg Central Catholic at Hempfield's William Abraham Field at Spartan Stadium. The 6-foot-5 1/2, 220-pound senior quarterback, considered by many the No. 1 high school football player in the United States, accounted for six touchdowns -- three rushing and three passing -- and 292 total yards to nail down the WPIAL Class AA Interstate Conference championship for Jeannette (9-0, 8-0).
It was the ninth consecutive game that the Jayhawks defeated an opponent with the mercy rule, activating a running second-half clock after taking a 35-point lead.
The loss was a painful one for Greensburg Central Catholic. In was its worst loss since joining Class AA in 2002. Greensburg CC coach Muzzy Colosimo said that defensive back Chris Hayden-Martin and quarterback Adam Palcic are likely out for the rest of the season after sustaining knee injuries.
"Terrelle threw the ball very well," Jeannette coach Ray Reitz said. "He's a tremendous athlete. That's why he's the best player in the country.
"He can do so much. He's very versatile. We told him this week that we were going to let him do a little bit more than we have in the past. He did a nice job for us."
Terrelle Pryor rushed for 152 yards on 10 carries and had touchdown runs of 4, 88 and 2 yards. He also completed 8-of-14 passes for 142 yards and three scores.
Terrelle Pryor had a lot of help, especially on defense. Nose tackle Montel Walker spent much of the game in the Greensburg Central Catholic backfield. He had two sacks and five tackles for losses. Tackle Adam Locke opened the game by sacking Palcic, and Jordan Hall and Mike Matt also had sacks.
Greensburg Central Catholic finished with 74 yards rushing and 50 yards passing. Jeannette finished with 142 yards passing and 264 on the ground.
Terrelle Pryor's performance impressed Colosimo.
"I told my kids at the end of it that he's the best player I've ever seen and I've been coaching since 1971," Colosimo said.
Jeannette's defense set the tone of the game early. Greensburg Central Catholic's first four plays resulted in minus-23 yards.
The defense also set up Jeannette's first two scores by giving them a short field.
"We did a good job," Reitz said. "We scored 42 points. You can't be mad about that. The players played hard. I thought GCC played us well."
Terrelle Pryor tossed a 30-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Barbish on Jeannette's first offensive play of the game, and then ran 4 yards for a score on the Jayhawks' next possession to cap a 45-yard drive and give them a 14-0 lead.
Greensburg Central Catholic's defense stepped up to make two defensive stops.
The first came after Palcic was stopped on a fourth-and-1 at the GCC 26. But the Centurions forced Terrelle Pryor to slip to the turf for an 11-yard loss at the Centurions' 4 on fourth-and-goal.
The second stop came when Terrelle Pryor misfired on two passes at the Greensburg Central Catholic 19.
"I'm proud that we didn't quit," Colosimo said. "I told the team you have to get (beat) so you can learn how to give a good kicking. We'll be back; we're awfully young."
Jeannette, however, wouldn't be stopped on its next two possessions.
Terrelle Pryor drove Jeannette 61 yards for a score to make it 21-0. The score came on a 4-yard touchdown pass to Dane Vaughan. Terrelle Pryor went 3 for 3 during the drive for 55 yards.
Then he drove his team 55 yards for a score to make it 28-0 at halftime when he hit Kenny Grant with a 26-yard scoring strike. Grant was Jeannette's leading receiver. He had four catches for 63 yards.
Terrelle Pryor ran 88 yards for a score on the first play of the second half, which made it 35-0 and began the running clock.
Terrelle Pryor said he loved the big crowd and the great atmosphere. His performance spoke for itself.
"The coaches say big players make big plays in big ball games, and I saw it as a big ball game," Terrelle Pryor said. "Now we have to get ready for the playoffs. We can't look past our next opponent."
Terrelle Pryor, who played in the fourth quarter for the first time this season, scored on 2-yard plunge with 9:35 left.
Greensburg Central Catholic avoided the shutout when Palcic dove into the end zone on a sweep with 2:19 left. It was on that play that he injured his knee.
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