By Richard L. Gaw
Staff Writer

Following two consecutive defeats over their last two Fridays – a one-point loss to Avon Grove on Oct. 3 and a 24-21 loss to Kennett on Oct. 10 – the Unionville Longhorns’ Varsity football team entered its Oct. 17 game against visiting Sun Valley searching for a much-needed boost of confidence and looked to their playmakers to provide it.

From its first possession, there was no question where – and from whom - that boost would come from.

Taking snaps from quarterback and co-captain Tommy McGinnis, running back and co-captain Brody McLaughlin ran for three touchdowns during the Longhorns’ 42-21 victory over the Vanguards to improve their record to 5-4 and help their chances for a higher seeding in the post-season playoff structure.

For McLaughlin, his scoring effort served as a redemption of sorts for the senior, who was injured and removed early in the Avon Grove game and played only the second half during Unionville’s spoiled comeback against Kennett. With help from carries by McGinnis and Drew Puleo, McLaughlin rushed for a 14-yard run that moved the ball to the five-yard line and with 9:08 left in the first quarter, he plunged into the end zone for his first touchdown of the game that gave the Longhorns an early 7-0 lead.

Inheriting the ball on the 40-yard line after a Sun Valley punt, McGinnis ran for a 14-yard gain, hit Puleo for a 15-yard pass, and took another QB keeper to the eight-yard line. McLaughlin took the ball to the one-yard line, and with 5:32 left in the first quarter, he racked up his second touchdown that extended the Longhorns’ lead to 14-0.

While Unionville’s defense was shutting down the Vanguards’ offense for a majority of the first half, McLaughlin continued his early-game domination early in the second quarter, when he broke two tackles in route to a 47-yard touchdown run with 11:19 left in the first half that gave Unionville a 20-0 lead. On their next possession, McGinnis’ 25-yard touchdown pass to Puleo over the middle with 8:56 left in the first half lengthened the Longhorn’s lead to 27-0.

Behind quarterback Shane Steinmitz, the Vanguards marched 68 yards for their first touchdown. After a break-away run by Vinny Peticca was called back by a holding penalty, a reception and three carries by RJ Scharrer moved the ball to Unionville’s 40-yard line, and with 4:43 left in the first half, Zion Cauthorn’s 40-yard reverse field touchdown run put the Vanguards on the board for the first time.

Before the first half came to a close, however, Unionville then placed two more scoring exclamation points on the scoreboard, beginning with a nine-yard TD run by McGinnis that gave Unionville a 34-7 lead with just over one minute left in the half. As the seconds clicked off to halftime after a Sun Valley punt, McGinnis found Hayden Wenturine for a 24-yard pass reception, which was followed by another pass to Wenturine that moved the ball to the four-yard line. With 17 seconds left in the first half, offensive lineman and co-captain Jack Gillespie took the snap from McGinnis and bulldozed his way for Unionville’s sixth touchdown that gave the Longhorns a 42-7 lead at halftime.

While the majority of Unionville’s starters gave way to the club’s second team in the second half, the Vanguards managed to push across two touchdowns – its first coming a two-yard carry by Scharrar with 7:44 left in the third quarter. With 8:20 remaining in the game, Steinmitz found Scharrar for a 13-yard TD pass that cut Unionville’s lead to 42-21 and closed out the games scoring.

The Longhorns will close out their regular season on Oct. 24 as they play host to the Conrad Weiser Scouts in a non-conference contest, while Sun Valley – now 1-8 overall – will host Avon Grove on Oct. 24. 

To contact Staff Writer Richard L. Gaw, email [email protected].