2008 Susquehanna Township

Week 9

Bears Make a Statement

Northern Offense Breaks Out Against Heady

Susquehanna Township

October 24, 2008

Northern 42 – Susquehanna Twp. 21

The Indians of Susquehanna Township came in to Bostic with the same record as Northern, 5-3. Their three losses were by a combined 17 points. They lost by 2 to State Juggernaut, Steel High. They lost by 1 to undefeated Mechanicsburg. They lost by 14 to Greencastle but were tied going into the 4^th. They came in off of a blowout win against Hershey. They were primed and in many circles favored against northern…..

…and they left with a 21 point loss.

Friday night’s game had a bit of everything. It featured a fantastic goal line stand by the Polar Bear defense, a record breaking 99 yard touchdown pass from Joe Tuschak to Ryan Aumiller, and five touchdowns by five different Polar Bears. Northern scored often beginning with an 11 yard strike from Tuschak to Hank Sanders. Robert James who had 125 yards rushing on the night gave the Bears a 14 point lead when he took off down the home sidelines for 30 yards and a score. Susquehanna Township who is very explosive got on the board in the 2^nd Quarter when QB Ben Dupree broke loose and ran 49 yards to pay dirt. Less than a minute later, however, Tuschak hooked up with Ryan Aumiller for 56 yards and a score. It would be their first of two TD hookups on the night. Not to be outdone, Dupree scored again 31 seconds later and halftime found Northern leading 21-14.

The second half was all Polar Bears. Tuschak came out firing. He hit Robbie Bleiler for a 29 yard score in the 3^rd quarter. Then came the spectacular. The Northern Defense reared up after Township found their way into the red zone. After a first and goal, the Bears shut down Township on four straight plays. The goal-line stand gave Northern the ball on their own one yard line which is when Tuschak and Aumiller reset the record book with a 99 yard touchdown pass down the visitor’s sideline. That one was the back breaker and while each team traded another touchdown late, the game was for all intents and purposes, over. The win moves Northern to 6-3 with 1-8 Big Spring on deck for the regular season finale. The final game of the regular season has a lot riding on it for the Bears with a potential berth in the PIAA state playoffs as well as a possible home game riding in the balance of the Bulldog game in Week 10.