By Jonathan Guth
MVI Sports
Charleroi forced five first-half turnovers, and six overall, in a 27-0 victory over host Beth-Center in Century Conference action on Friday night.
The Cougars (2-3, 2-3) took advantage of the Bulldogs’ second turnover in as many possessions and scored on Brendan Harps’ 8-yard run with 11:54 remaining in the second quarter. Sam Iacovangelo added the first of three extra points for a 7-0 lead. Darius Cooper recovered the fumble that set up the first score for the visitors.
“We have made mistakes along the way and turned the ball over, but we really did a better job tonight of taking care of the ball,” Charleroi coach Brady Barbero said. “We made good decisions and played good football today. We really took advantage of some early turnovers and got it going.
“We got stuck in the red zone a few times this year, but we were able to convert tonight down there, which was huge, and without a doubt what you need to do when you create turnovers.”
Beth-Center (1-4, 1-3) was stopped by Charleroi’s defense on its fourth possession at the Bulldogs’ 23 and Harps capped off the drive on a 6-yard run with 3:26 left.
The Cougars’ Joshua Rodabaugh pounced on a loose football on B-C’s next drive, and Harps threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Terrance Woods with 15.7 remaining for a 20-0 halftime advantage.
Harps was 8 of 16 for 129 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. Woods caught four passes for 63 yards and two touchdowns.
“I am real proud of how Brendan and Terrance played,” Barbero said. “They have been progressing week by week. Harps got hurt in the first game, missed two weeks, and then came back. Since he has came back, he has continued to make better decisions each week. He played really well tonight and Terrance played a great game, made big catches at big times, which is what we need from him.”
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