RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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NEWVILLE — The Little Brown Jug appeared well on its way to remaining in Newville on Friday, Aug. 28 as Big Spring built a commanding advantage against rival Shippensburg.
Leading by 29 points in the third quarter, the host Bulldogs were fully in control. The offense was nearly unstoppable, and the defense was locking down a young Greyhounds attack.
That control, however, vanished over the game’s final 21 minutes. Shippensburg scored on four consecutive possessions to make it a one-possession game with less than six minutes remaining.
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Fortunately for Big Spring head coach Joe Sinkovich, the Bulldogs managed to stave off what would have been a devastating collapse. After a late turnover gave the Greyhounds the ball with just over a minute left, the Big Spring defense delivered a game-saving stand, forcing an incomplete pass on fourth down to preserve a 42-34 victory and keep the Jug in hand.
“Give them credit,” Sinkovich said of Shippensburg. “They played until the end. We made a couple of mistakes, and we have to do a little better job of tackling.”
The sheer relief on Sinkovich’s face was far from the mood he anticipated at halftime. Big Spring raced out to a 21-point lead in the first quarter behind three touchdown passes from quarterback Nathan Baranoski. The advantage ballooned to 35-6 early in the third quarter when Jess Binger punched in his second rushing touchdown of the night.
Yet, Shippensburg refused to fold before a capacity crowd. The Greyhounds were fueled by basketball player-turned-wideout Weston Stum, who caught three touchdown passes from quarterback Mason Costolo — the last of which trimmed the margin to 42-34 with 5:49 left.
“That kid never played football before,” Shippensburg head coach Chris Yonish said. “We talked him into coming out this year. He’s a basketball player. He told me he didn’t think he belonged out there, but I told him, ‘You absolutely belong out there.’ I think he proved that tonight.”
This article originally appeared on Chambersburg Public Opinion: Ship storms back but Big Spring closes the door to keep Little Brown Jug
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