Published: September 27, 2008 12:38 am      

Johnstown cruises past host Somerset

SOMERSET — Greater Johnstown junior quarterback John Siciliano threw three touchdown passes and rushed for another score as the Trojans defeated Somerset 43-12 Friday night in a Laurel Highlands game.

Siciliano, who also threw for a two-point conversion, was 8-of-12 for 155 yards while senior running back Quadir Christian rushed for a pair of touchdowns, racking up 118 yards on 19 carries.

“Our offense was a real key,” Johnstown coach Kevin Marabito said. “We were able to control the football, run it and throw it when we wanted to. I thought the offensive line opened some great holes for our runners. Overall, it was a real team effort.”

The Trojans (3-2) got on the board in a six-play drive in the first quarter, capped by Siciliano’s 66-yard run. Jon Maurizio’s added the first of three PAT kicks for a 7-0 lead with 4:16 on the clock.

“John (Siciliano) is starting to read things really well,” Marabito said. “He’s seeing things. He broke that one for the first touchdown, which was big for us. They had us on the ropes, and John helped pull us out.”

Somerset answered right back, mounting a 75-yard drive.

Golden Eagles quarterback Trevor Niemiec had a key pass of 36 yards to Adam Jones in double coverage to keep the drive alive. Six plays later, Chase Dykstra dashed in from the 2.

The kick was blocked, but Somerset trailed by one, 7-6.

The Trojans added two more touchdowns in the second quarter, aided by a pair of poor Golden Eagles punts.

Quadir Christian completed a four-play Johnstown drive with a 12-yard run at the 6:18 mark. The kick was blocked.

After a three-and-out series by the Golden Eagles and a punt to the Johnstown 46, the Trojans marched 54 yards in six plays, capped by Christian’s other score, a 17-yard run. Siciliano’s toss to Dajour Morris for the conversion put Johnstown ahead 21-6 with 1:48 left before halftime.

“We were worried at halftime,” Marabito said. “They came back on Westmont last week. We told our kids they better take it down and score and stop them, and they did that.”

The Trojans scored on their first two possessions of the third quarter, taking the second half kickoff and marching 63 yards, capped by a Siciliano 8-yard pass to Carlton Wyatt and a Christian run for a 29-6 Johnstown lead.

A promising Somerset drive was halted on the Johnstown 43 as Will Claar recovered a Golden Eagles fumble. Three-plays later, Siciliano hooked up with Jordan Jefferson for a 46-yard touchdown at the 5:09 mark of the third.

Each team added a score in the fourth, Somerset on an 11-yard pass from Niemiec to Gunnar Smith and Johnstown on a 73-yard Siciliano pass to Richard Agurs.

“We’re spreading the football around, and the kids are doing a great job when they get it in their hands,” Marabito said.

Niemiec topped the Golden Eagles with 114 yards on 14 carries.

“Johnstown is good, but we haven’t been playing real smart,” Somerset coach Steve Costea said. “We had plays open at times, but we just couldn’t execute. We need to be better at executing the plays. You can’t make mistakes and we paid for them.

“There are some positives, we just have to look for them.”

There were 18 penalties committed by the two teams.