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Chester County Press

Fariello scores 3 TDs in Indians' playoff rout

11/07/2017 11:31AM ● By Richard Gaw
By Richard L. Gaw
Staff Writer

There was a moment during the last play of the first half of last Friday's opening round of the District 1, Class 5A playoff game that told the entire story of Unionville's 42-8 victory over Glen Mills.
Up to that point, Glen Mills quarterback Tarik Bey had been pressured by a strong Indian defense that resulted in several incomplete passes and stalled drives, and with seconds remaining in the half and his team down 28-0, he tossed a desperate heave into the end zone. Several hands went up, but none came down with the ball, which was swatted away by Indian defenders as the half ended.
While Bey continued to run for his football life in the second half, however, another story had already began emerging in the form of Joe Fariello, a 5-foot-8, 170-pound backup junior running back who was helping to fill a hole left by the injured captain Jack Adams. Carrying the ball only four times in the game, Fariello scored rushing touchdowns on three of them, leading his team to victory and a second-round playoff matchup against Strath Haven on Nov. 10 on the Indians' home turf. Seeded No. 11 in the postseason tournament, Strath Haven defeated Bishop Shanahan 24-21 to advance to the second round..
“I saw the holes and I took my time. I was patient with the ball and I thank the offensive line for blocking really well,” Fariello said. “With Jack out with an injury, it's just my time to step up.”
“Unfortunately, we lost Jack [Adams] to injury last week, and Jack's been the heart and soul and our intensity,” said Unionville head coach Pat Clark. “But Joe had some great runs last week. We have a lot of really good kids in your program – kids who really care -- and Joe fits that mold. He's given us everything he has, and he certainly played great tonight.”
For Unionville, now 10-1 on the season and the No. 3 seed in the playoffs, the scoring was fast and frequent, and it began on its first possession, when running back Dante Graham capped a seven-snap drive with a 16-yard run with 5:44 remaining in the first quarter. With 9:41 left in the first half, Fariello went 15 yards untouched into the end zone, which was quickly followed by a screen pass by quarterback Joe Zubillaga to wide receiver JT Hower that went for a 30-yard score, staking Unionville to a 21-0 lead.
With 1:38 left in the half, Fariello capped a three-snap, 48-yard drive with a 39-yard touchdown run to give the Indians a 28-0 lead at halftime.
Despite Adams being on the sideline, Unionville Coach Pat Clark's roster is still teeming with play makers like Zubillaga, Graham and Hower. With 5:34 left in the third quarter, another one of them was heard from, as Alex Gorgone scored on a 21-yard touchdown pass by his quarterback partner Zubillaga that extended Unionville's lead to 35-0.
While Clark's offense continued to roll over a leaky Glen Mills defense, the Indians' defense continued to hold off any drives that the visiting Bulls were able to mount. An interception of a Bey pass by Connor Schilling near midfield set up Fariello's third TD of the game – a 50-yard run with 3:44 remaining in the third quarter that gave the Indians a 42-0 lead.  
With 3:27 left in the game, Glen Mills finally touched the scoreboard on a four-yard carry by Quadir Bollings, and then converted a two-point play.
Clark said that his team had reviewed a lot of game film on Glen Mills in preparation for the game.
“We knew that, defensively, they had been really good, and hadn't given up many points in the last month,” he said. “We knew that they struggled to get in rhythm offensively, so we thought that if we could get some points on the board and make them play from behind, that would be advantageous to us. I was proud of the way our kids executed.”
To contact Staff Writer Richard L. Gaw, email [email protected] .