Tigers stay undefeated with huge win

FARMER’S KORNER — Scott Campbell may not be the starting quarterback for the Summit High School football team, but in the Tigers’ 20-13 Homecoming victory over D’Evelyn on Monday, the versatile junior showed he can still hit the open man when his team is in a pinch.

Campbell, who lost his starting QB position to a freak injury days before last season began, was beat out by Talon Roggasch for the starting job at the outset of this season.

Although Summit coach Dylan Hollingsworth had decided to use Campbell in a variety of other key roles this season, he couldn’t help but let his former QB throw the ball at least once on Monday.

After Hollingsworth gave him the nod, Campbell took full advantage of his opportunity by taking a short toss pass from Roggasch and then hucking a 30-yard touchdown pass to Ryan Eberhart in the opening seconds of the fourth quarter. Braden Shoop followed the TD with an extra point (he was 2-for-3 on the night) to tie the score at 13.

Campbell exuded an anything-is-possible attitude following Monday’s game.
“We can make those kind of plays when we’re working as a team like that,” he said. “Roggasch and I were in sync and our offensive line did it up, especially in that fourth quarter.”

Eberhart’s near misplay on Campbell’s pass made the Tigers’ second touchdown of the evening especially dramatic. The senior captain bobbled Campbell’s toss no fewer than four times (as hundreds of Summit fans held their breath) before finally securing it a split second before being tackled into the end zone.

“It was the easiest pass Eberhart’s had to catch all year,” Hollingsworth said. “Then he bobbled, bobbled, bobbled. It scared the crap out of me.”

“You don’t get that open,” Eberhart said. “After I caught the ball, I kicked it out with my own leg. When I started bobbling, I told myself, ‘I can’t drop it.’"

Campbell’s completion to Eberhart was one Summit’s few attempted passes against the Jaguars. When it came to moving the chains, Hollingsworth called primarily on running backs Campbell and Drew Crangle.

The Tigers’ one-two punch came up huge Monday night — Campbell finished with 62 yards rushing, a fourth-quarter rushing touchdown, and an interception to go with his TD pass. Crangle amassed 84 yards on the ground, scored a second-quarter TD, made eight punts and recorded a pick of his own.

Summit, which intercepted two passes in its first three games, had five first-half interceptions Monday off D’Evelyn’s Mark Schaffer, who threw 19 touchdown passes and recorded more than 1,000 passing yards in the Jaguars’ first three games.

“We knew (Schaffer) wanted to pass,” Hollingsworth said. “So we dropped into coverage and told the kids to take their chances.”

Summit’s other interceptions were made by Eberhart (two) and Logan Sharp.
Although the Tigers were all over his passes, Schaffer, who is widely considered one of the state’s top QBs at any level, still provided the bulk of the Jaguars offense with more than 100 yards rushing, a TD pass and a TD run.

The Tigers’ offense struggled well into the second half, not gaining its initial first down until less than five minutes remained in the third quarter. Once they broke through, however, Summit's players marched to seven more first downs the rest of the game.

The Tigers' victory, which lifts them to 4-0, broke a long winless streak in Homecoming games.

“I don’t think we’ve won a homecoming game in eight or nine years,” Hollingsworth said. “And I can’t tell you the last time this team was 4-0.”

According to Eberhart, Monday’s win was a giant step forward for the Tigers.

“This was the team that was supposed to keep us out of the playoffs.” Eberhart said. “This was the team that was supposed to win the conference and we just came out and beat them.”

Adam Boffey can be contacted at (970) 668-4634, or at aboffey@summitdaily.com.